THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



183 



MR. WILLIAM G. CRENSHAW'S LAND 



FOR SALE. 

 We rarely " call attention" to advertisements, 

 and never without a very good reason. We are 

 impelled to do so in the case of Mr. Crenshaw's 

 advertisement, because his farm presents a case 

 in point to the argument and exhortations we 

 have so frequently employed in favour of fine 

 wooled sheep. As he is going out of the busi- 

 ness, we have applied to him for his experience 

 and now give it, premising that he is a merchant 

 and speaks from his books. 



He began with 325 sheep in October, 1851, in 

 February, 1852, he purchased in New York, 120 

 more. He has ever since been steadily increasing 

 his flock by retaining all his lambs, and has not 

 sold off any of his old ewes. Last summer at 

 shearing time his whole number reached about 

 1000 head. A good manyof his lambs died du- 

 ring the fall, and the past winter, which was an 

 extraordinary one, killed a considerable number. 

 After selling off one hundred and fifty this spring, 

 many of them mutton, at $5,00, his flock con- 

 taines about 800 head. 



His actual sales to this time 



amount to, 

 His clip this spring will certainly 



reach, 



$4 500 



1 500 



Gross sales, 



Deduct cost of purchases and ex- 

 penses from New York, 



Nett 



Add estimated value of 900 sheep 

 at average cost of his purchases, $4, 



G 000 



1 700 



$4 300 

 3 600 



ay it has improved very rapidly, and it is now 

 beautifully grassed. 



Those who think wool growing will not pay, 

 may here see that it will ; those who have been 

 discouraged by failures, may go and see where 

 the fault was. 



We wish all could see it, for sooner or later 

 the farmers of Middle Virginia must go into fine 

 wool. It may not be for a generation, but soon- 

 er or later it must be. Guano can never take the 

 place of animal manures. 



Why sell so fine a farm ? Because the own- 

 er is a merchant, residing in Richmond, and up 

 to his chin in business ! 



Nett profits, $7 900 



Every thing fed to them has been raised at 

 home. This shews an average profit of $2 000 

 per annum from an average number of 600 

 head of sheep, including old sheep yielding but 

 little wool, and allowing for variation in value 

 of wool, and depressed prices at one time. 

 With 600 -picked sheep, it is not unreasonable to 

 say that the profit can be pushed up to $4 per 

 head. This certainly compares well with the 

 profits of wheat for an average of .five years. 

 But Mr. Crenshaw also raises wheat, and now 

 has seeded a large crop, which we are told is very 

 fine. 



We think a statement of this sort, based on 

 actual sales for four years, shews that wool grow- 

 ing is profitable in Virginia. Several of our 

 friends who have seen the farm, (we never have,) 



THE WHEAT CROP. 



From what we learn, the wheat crop in Vir- 

 ginia is not as good as the crop of last year. — 

 We have seen or heard from a great many farms 

 in various parts of the State, and whilst in par- 

 ticular localities, as Orange and Albemarle for 

 example, the crop is better than they have had 

 for several years, and whilst in particular neigh- 

 bourhoods there are prospects of good returns, 

 yet on the whole, the fly, the joint worm, and 

 chinch bug, one or more, and the hard winter, 

 have made sad havoc with the wheat. The 

 drought, too, which at this time prevails in some 

 considerable districts, makes the prospect criti- 

 cal. But we should not forget that all the wheat 

 last year was made after the first of June. Nor 

 should we forget in our speculations that nothing 

 is more uncertain than the yield of wheat, ex- 

 cept the price of it. 



HARVEST DRINK, DIET AND MEDI- 

 CINE. 



We cannot do better at this approaching sea- 

 son of hard work, than republish the following, 

 with slight additions, which we first published 

 in the Planter for June, 1854. 



" Mr. Blair Burwell, of Powhatan, called at 

 our office this morning, and gave us the follow- 

 ing recipe for a harvest drink : 



Water, - - 33 gallons 



Sharp Vinegar, 1 " 



Molasses, - - - 11 " 

 Ground Ginger, - - \ lb. 

 "This will last thirty hands until dinnertime, 

 when as much more may be mixed up to serve 

 until night. It is carried to the field daily in a 

 cart and moved about after the hands, each one 

 of whom is limited to a cocoa-nut full at a time, 

 \ always without ice — -(they drink nothing else). 



