"High-Priced Labor and Low-Priced Potatoes"

A WAIL FROM NEW KENT

High-Priced Labor and Low-Priced Potatoes Bring Trouble- Government Asked to Regulate.

There comes a cry from New Kent County. Some of the farmers down that way who sell all of their produce on the Richmond market seem to be in hard lines. Charles E. Palmatier, a truck, and general farmer, living in that county sixteen miles from Richmond was in the city the other day, and. speaking for himself and neighbors to a Times-Dispatch man:

"We New Kent farmers have been trying to answer the call to duty by making bigger crops than ever before. We did make good crops of potatoes and truck, such as salad, etc., and to do so we had to pay higher prices for labor than ever before. Because of the scarcity and high price of labor we cannot raise potatoes for less than $1 per bushel, and this week I could not get over 60 cents per bushel for them on Cary Street. It was at similar sacrifice figures I had to sell salads and other truck. At such ruinous figures we will just have to quit farming in New Kent this year- will, anyhow"

"If the government demands of us to stay on the farm and make bigger crops it should come to our relief, and not let do business at such a loss. The government has fixed prices on wheat and corn and some other products as well as upon many articles of commerce. Why not go the whole thing and fix prices on all of the extra stuff it demands that the farmers shall grow in abundance? Why should it leave off so important an item as potatoes? Seems to me it might guarantee us as much as $1.25 per bushel. That would give us a little profit, and we would be satisfied."

Mr. Palmatier also expressed the opinion that such back-lot gardening in the city has much hurt the truckers very much.

-Richmond Times-Dispatch, 08 April 1918

Improving the Chickahominy-1879

IMPROVEMENT OF CHICKAHOMINY RIVER VIRGINIA

This improvement was commenced during the last fiscal year under the appropriation of $5,000 made June 18, 1878. The original estimate was based simply upon an examination of the river and it was therefore necessary first to make surveys of the several obstructions. Accordingly in July, 1878 surveys of Binn's Bar, Old Fort Bar, and Windsor Shades Bar were made. At Binn's Bar, 2 miles below Windsor Shades, and 23 miles from the mouth of the river, the least depth found was 4 feet. The least depth at Old Fort Bar was 5.4 feet, but the natural channel had not sufficient width.

The least depth at Windsor Shades Bar was found to be 4.0 feet. Proposals for dredging channels through these bars were invited by public advertisement and the following were received October 30, 1878

Abstract of proposals for dredging in Chickahominy River Virginia opened at 12 m on Wednesday October 30 1878

G. H. Ferris            Baltimore, Md     $0.20    Mar 1 1878- July 1 1879         1 dipper     300*
H. E. Culpepper     Portsmouth, Va        .14    Dec 1 1878- May 20 1879       ---------   ----*
Daniel Constantine  Baltimore, Md         .14    Nov 20 1878- Feb 20 1879    1 Osgood   500*

Contract awarded to Mr H. E. Culpepper of Norfolk Va

During the winter of 1878-79 ice formed in the Chickahominy and delayed the commencement of the work until February 8 1879 The contractor commenced with one Osgood dipper dredge at Binn's Bar The material here was soft mud and was excavated readily. The channel was dredged to a width of 100 feet with a depth of 8 feet at low water Old Fort and Windsor Shades Bars were next dredged to the same depth and a width of 60 feet. The material found here was sand. A second dredge was put on the work by the contractor April 17 and the dredging was completed as far as the funds allowed May 5 1879. As to the future work on this improvement the channel already excavated should be widened and it is also important that several dikes be built for the purpose of closing subsidiary channels through which the tide now flows. The estimated cost of this work is $ 10,000.

Windsor Shades is now the head of navigation. Above this the river rapidly shoals to a very small stream winding its way through a heavy growth of cypress and other timber. The public interests hardly warrant the improvement of above Windsor Shades to the same depth as below at the present time. In order to estimate its cost even a detailed survey of the entire 7 miles of river to Forge Bridges would be necessary. Two appropriations have been made as follows June 1. 1878, $5,000 March 3. 1879, $1,000

The following are the estimated statistics of trade:
Seventy five thousand cords wood at $3 per cord
5,000,000 feet timber at $10 per thousand
75,000 railroad tics at $35 per thousand

 Merchandise valued at ..................... $150,000
Grain, vegetables, &c. valued at ..........$20,000
Lime, fertilizers &c. valued at ..............$10,000
Fish valued at ...................................   $15,000

Seven hundred Bail vessels per year One steamboat one trip per week.
For the completion of the work, $9,000 will be required.

The nearest port of entry is Richmond, Va where the collections for the fiscal were $15,030.62.

                                                           Money statement

July 1 1878 amount available ....................................................$5,000.00
Amount appropriated by act approved March 3 1879...............  1,000.00
                                                                                                                   $6,000.00
July 1 1879 amount expended during fiscal year ..........................................   4,982.38
July 1 1879 amount available......................................................................... 1,017.62

Amount estimated required for completion of existing project .........................9,000.00
Amount that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30 1881.....9,000.00


-ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUTENANT- COLONEL GEORGE THOM, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, 
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1879 
Report of the Chief of Engineers Army
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1879



*[ a) price per cubic yard b) time of completion c) machines needed d) cu. yds of work a day]