,,frying ,,pan ,,farm ,by ,elizabeth ,brown ,pryor ,office of ,comprehensive ,planning ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia ,september1 #aigi ,,fairfax ,,county ,,board ,,of ,,supervisors ,john ,f4 ,herrity1 ,chairman ,martha ,v4 ,pennino1 ,vice ,chairman ,joseph ,alexander ,warren ,i4 ,cikins ,alan ,h4 ,magazine ,audrey ,moore ,james ,m4 ,scott ,john ,p4 ,shacochis ,marie ,b4 ,travesky ,,fairfax ,,county ,,history ,,commission ,donie ,rieger1 ,chairman ,john ,p4 ,liberty1 ,vice ,chairman ,denzil ,o4 ,evans ,bernard ,n4 ,boston ,c4 ,j4 ,s4 ,durham ,mary ,m4 ,fahringer ,ceres ,gaskins ,dana ,k4 ,greene ,william ,a4 ,klene ,virginia ,b4 ,peters ,edith ,m4 ,sprouse ,mayo ,s4 ,stuntz ,gloria ,m4 ,matthews1 ,layout ,carolynn ,j4 ,castellucci1 ,copy ,preparation ,library of ,congress ,catalog ,number #gi-ijeai ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,list of ,illustrations iv ,acknowledgments v ,introduction #a ,part ,i1 ,continuity #e ,part ,,ii1 ,change #cf ,part ,,iii1 ,professionalization and an ,increased ,standard of ,living #ei ,part ,,iv1 ,the ,new ,deal #hg ,part ,v1 ,community #aae ,part ,,vi1 ,frying ,pan ,park #abf ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,holden ,harrison1 #aice #f ,harrison dairy barn1 #aicf #f ,mc,nair ,guernsey bull1 #aiah #g ,interior ,harrison dairy barn #g ,spring plowing on ,mc,nair farm #ab ,shock of wheat1 ,ellmore farm1 #aibe #ae ,mechanical hay loader1 #aice #ae ,small orchard apiary1 #aibe #ag ,inventory of #aibj farmer #bj ,plan of ,smith farm1 #aibi #ba ,rebecca ,rice canning fruit #be ,elizabeth ,harrison1 ,herndon #be ,homemade manure sled #bg ,broadcast harvester1 #aiba #cg ,wheat being mechanically harvested1 #aibe #cg ,tractor-drawn drill1 #aibb #dj ,mc,nair aboard a ,row ,crop #gj tractor #dj ,soybeans on a demonstration farm1 #aibe #dc ,a wild cherry tree destroyed by web worms #de ,hard ,work ,made ,easy and ,quick #ed ,the ,fairfax ,county ,grange meeting1 #aidj #fj ,the ,floris ,home ,demonstration ,club1 #aicj #fc ,a #d-;,h ,club1 ,achievement ,day displays1 #aicj #fc ,a community fair1 #aibb #fd ,a suggested model farm for ,fairfax ,county1 #aibd #fd ,the #d-;,h ,girls ,camp at ,woodlawn1 #aibe #ff ,a ,piedmont ,dairy ,festival parade float1 #aicj #ff ,map of improved and unimproved roads1 #aicj #gj ,stuck in the mud on one of county's roads #ga ,aerial of ,kidwell farm and ,floris vicinity #ge #aicj map of ,floris community #hh ,g4 ,ray ,harrison1 #aibe #ij ,early threshing machine #aah ,laura ,parham and ,kim ,stanton work in vegetable garden #aah ,the farmyard at ,frying ,pan ,farm in the early fall #aah ,farmer's house--,frying ,pan ,farm #abj ,two young girls meet two young goats #abj ,john ,hopkins in the ,moffett ,blacksmith ,shop #abj ,pat ,middleton at #d-;,h ,club ,fair #aba ,cattle judging1 ,floris ,school1 #aiej #aba ,dressage competition at ,frying ,pan ,park1 #aigh #abc ,,acknowledgments ,cooperation and goodwill were the essential characteristics of the agricultural communities examined in this study1 and it has been my pleasure to discover that those qualities are still very evident today among the county's rural folk4 ,many residents of the ,herndon area shared their personal memories and offered really old-fashioned ,virginia hospitality to those doing research4 ,without the help of ,neal ,bailey1 ,elizabeth ,ellmore1 ,emma ,ellmore1 ,virginia ,greear1 ,holden ,harrison1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ray ,harrison1 ,margaret ,mary ,lee1 ,edna ,middleton1 ,john ,middleton1 ,rebecca ,middleton1 ,richard ,peck1 ,elizabeth ,rice1 ,louise ,ryder1 and ,mary ,scott1 this monograph could not have been completed4 ,special mention must be made of retired ,county ,agricultural ,extension ,agent ,joseph ,beard1 who shared his detailed knowledge of county agricultural practices on numerous occasions4 ,he willingly arranged interviews with county farmers1 and often helped to break the ice by accompanying the interviewer4 ,this was always done with abundant good humor and his enthusiasm was infectious4 ,i am also particularly grateful to ,dr4 ,john ,t4 ,schlebecker of the ,extractive ,industries ,division of the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,his expertise in the field of agricultural technology and special interest in living historical farms added significantly to the quality of the monograph4 ,additional thanks go to ,anthony ,pryor of the ,rockefeller ,foundation who read this paper and helped to put its conclusions in perspective with trends of agricultural economics4 ,nan ,netherton originally conceived the project and did much of the initial groundwork4 ,the majority of interviews with ,floris area farmers were conducted by her4 ,mrs4 ,netherton's reputation in the county made it possible for us both to acquire private papers and photographs which might otherwise have been overlooked or withheld4 ,what is more1 she sympathetically initiated me into the project1 offering suggestions and constructive aid without discouraging my own ideas about the direction the study should take4 ,elizabeth ,brown ,pryor ,fairfax1 ,virginia ,june #ba1 #aigi ,,introduction ,in #aibe ,fairfax ,county was still predominantly rural in character4 ,farmers occupied over half of the county's land1 living on individual holdings which averaged #fb4e acres4 ,nearly #he of these farmers were white and of this group only #ae did not own their own farm4 ,they shared their domain with #c1fje horses1 #aa1fcf head of cattle1 #e1djh swine1 #aga1ebf chickens and #agh mules4 ,one-tenth of the farms enjoyed the use of a tractor and #be had a radio4 ,the average capital holding on land and buildings was #h1bbi1 and the ,fairfax ,county farmer netted something less than #a1jjj income annually4#a ,these figures give a skeleton picture of ,fairfax ,county's most prominent citizen in the period between the two ,world ,wars2 when the statistics are translated in prose1 his shadowy form gains weight4 ,the farmer at this time was a small landowner1 possessing a farm only as large as his own family and a few hired laborers could manage4 ,although his capital holdings were not huge1 they were well above the state average4 ,he had the prestige of being a homeowner1 and the pride of working his own soil1 perhaps the same soil his grandparents had tilled4 ,the rural family raised livestock for their own use1 but principally for the market1 and favored draft horses over tractors1 mules or oxen to power farm equipment4 ,this farmer's time was spent on a myriad of duties and details--his function was not yet totally specialized--ranging from butchering hogs to building chicken coops to thinning corn4 ,he worked for himself1 planning the day's activities1 relying on his own judgment and initiative to cope with the varying responsibilities he shouldered4 ,his numerical prominence gave him political and social leverage4 ,it was the rural way of life that shaped the county and his demands which needed to be met4 ,at first glance this farmer's life seems tempered by nature and largely self-contained4 ,the daily routine was established by seasons and sunlight2 fortunes were made or lost at the mercy of the wind and rain4 ,a farm was not only the farmer's livelihood and workshop but his home4 ,thus1 unlike the city worker whose occupation was entirely separate from home concerns1 country life had a total integration4#b ,moreover1 the family farmer possessed a sense of continuity with the long tradition of the small landowner in ,america4 ,in many respects his life was little changed from that of the thrifty1 energetic and shrewd subsistence farmer whom ,thomas ,jefferson had praised in the eighteenth century as the ideal citizen of a democracy4#c ,in both startling and subtle ways1 however1 the traditional role of the family farmer was changing in the #aibjs and #aicjs4 ,in ,ellen ,glasgow's novel ,barren ,ground1 which examines the uncertainties of life on a northern ,virginia dairy farm1 the heroine1 ,dorinda ,oakley1 describes her emotional and economic reaction to the post ,world ,war ,i period3 ,with the return of peace she hoped that the daily life on the farm would slip back into orderly grooves2 but before the end of the first year she discovered that the demoralization of peace was more difficult to combat than the madness of war4 ,there was no longer an ecstatic patriotism to inspire one to fabulous exploits4 ,the world that had been organized for destruction appeared to her to become as completely disorganized for folly4444 ,the excessive wages paid for unskilled labour were ruinous to the farmer1 for the field hands who had earned six dollars a day from the ,government were not satisfied to drive a plough for the small sum that had enabled her to reclaim the abandoned meadows of five oaks4444 ,she was using two tractor-ploughs on the farm2 but the roads were almost impassable again because none of the negroes could be persuaded to work on them4 ,even when she employed men to repair the strip of corduroy road between the bridge and the fork1 it was impossible to keep the bad places firm enough for any car heavier than a ,ford to travel over them4444#d ,thus1 social and technical advances that had long been desired in rural areas bolstered the farmer's optimism4 ,yet curiously enough this same progress often jarred his expectations and financial security4 ,improved roads meant improved markets1 and increased contact with outside communities but1 along with the advent of the radio1 they resulted in a homogenizing of city and country ways1 and lured many away from the farm4 ,concern for rural welfare prompted all levels of government to design programs to aid the farmer--programs which indeed furthered agriculture1 but at the price of well-meaning interference in a previously highly individual sphere4 ,amid regulations and forms the farmer felt a nagging loss of independence4 ,perhaps most strikingly1 widespread use of gasoline-powered equipment changed the pace of work1 made him reliant on outside sources for fuel and parts1 and involved investments which often prohibited purchase or encouraged specialization4 ,hence1 the family farm retained its size and shape but it could no longer revel in complete self-reliance4 ,the model farm at ,frying ,pan ,park is a representation of this changing way of life4 ,it recognizes especially the role of the family subsistence farmer and his contributions to the economy and solidarity of ,fairfax ,county's rural communities4 ,although this study focuses on the institutions and personalities of the ,floris-,herndon area1 it is meant to be generic in scope4 ,dairying1 which forms one emphasis of this monograph1 was widespread in the area1 and though each district had its distinctive elements1 the underlying social values and farming methods were consistent throughout the county4 ,in essence1 ,frying ,pan ,farm works much as a snapshot would to recall an important phase in ,fairfax ,county's history4 ,it gives a brief glance at a world we have lost1 but which lingers significantly in the region's memory4 ,,notes ,introduction #a ,united ,states ,census of ,agriculture1 #aibe1 ,statistics for ,virginia 7,washington4 ,d4,c41 #aibh74 #b ,see1 ,e4 ,p4 ,thompson1 ,the ,making of the ,english ,working ,class 7,london1 #aiff71 #gf-gh4 #c ,for an overview of ,jefferson's political beliefs1 including his admiration for the small farmer1 see ,john ,c4 ,miller1 ,the ,federalist ,era 7,new ,york1 #aifh71 #gj-hc4 #d ,ellen ,glasgow1 ,barren ,ground 7,richmond1 #aibe71 #ddh-di4 ,,part ,i ,continuity ,tradition and personal experience colored the #bjth century farmer's reactions4 ,he was accustomed to a world in which his occupation and social status were assured1 and childhood experience probably led him to assume the farmer's role naturally4 ,the rhythms of farm life were based on the immutable round of the seasons4 ,each day's sun and wind pulled the tiller in its direction as did the unceasing need to tame the growth and habits of beasts and land4 ,nature was the farmer's clock1 and though he bid the land to produce what he desired1 it was the earth which fixed his hours and chores4 ,from this close association with nature came a continuity and special bond between farmers1 which defied both time and place4 ,although the early years of the #bjth century heralded a new era of specialization in agriculture1 the farmers of ,fairfax ,county persisted in executing the varied functions of general farming4 ,dairying might be the emphasis on many farms1 but it was rarely pursued at the expense of production of grain or food for home consumption4 ,variety continued to be an important quality of farm work4 ,families on large and specialized farms still did chores similar to those done by subsistence farmers1 though the amount of time allotted for each task might differ4 ,the relentlessness of certain activities1 such as feeding the stock1 was the same whether the farm boasted one cow or fifty4 ,thus distinctions between general and specialized farmers were not so clear-cut in this period4 ,the following pages detail the work done on a small dairy farm1 yet the kinds and methods of activities also pertain to the farmer whose acreage was devoted solely to general farming4 ,perpetuity--a continual need to perform certain tasks and watch over specific events on a daily basis--was the most fundamental aspect of farming4 ,the farmer's day began with such an interminable chore3 milking the cows4 ,this twice-daily task was1 of course1 particularly important on dairy farms and its relentlessness is often the first aspect to be mentioned in any farming recollection4 ,when you have dairy cows1 ,joseph ,beard1 who grew up in the ,floris area1 acknowledged1 that's a #cfe-;day proposition regardless of whether you're sick or anything like that4 ,another resident1 ,margaret ,mary ,lee1 explained it more tersely3 ,cows and hens and milk trucks did not take holidays4#e ,the first milking was early in the morning and most farmers rose around four a4m4#f ,the men and any hired hands usually began milking around #d3cj a4m41 while the women prepared breakfast4 ,what might initially appear to the outsider as a pleasing novelty was hard and demanding work4 ,this was especially true in the morning when both the new and often the previous night's milk needed to be hauled to ,herndon for the early train into ,washington4 ,ray ,harrison1 with his brother the owner of one of the area's biggest herds1 could milk a cow in six minutes--quicker than a lot people could do it#g--;but even at this rate1 milking his #hj-odd cows was a formidable undertaking4 ,john ,middleton1 who lived down the road from the ,harrisons1 estimated it took about #a-a_/b hours for seven people to milk his herd of #dj cows2 they barely finished in time for the hired man1 who took the milk to ,herndon1 to grab a sandwich and cup of coffee to eat en route4#h ,illustration3 ,portrait of a confident and successful farmer4 ,holden ,harrison1 c4 #aice4 ,photo courtesy of ,ray ,harrison4 ,illustration3 ,the well-equipped dairy barn owned by the ,harrison ,brothers1 c4 #aicf4 ,the ,harrisons owned one of the county's largest herds4 ,photo courtesy ,holden and ,ray ,harrison4 ,illustration3 ,a ,guernsey bull owned by ,wilson ,d4 ,mc,nair4 ,acquired in #aiah1 it was among the earliest pure-bred stock in the area4 ,photo courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,illustration3 ,the interior of a large and well-maintained dairy barn on the farm of ,holden and ,ray ,harrison4 ,the barn could house over #ej cows4 ,photo courtesy of ,holden and ,ray ,harrison4 ,the milk which traveled to ,herndon was strained to remove any extraneous matter and cooked to about #ce deg4 ,f to retard spoilage and reduce the risk of spreading bacterial infections4 ,this was a real problem until mechanized refrigerators became available1 and the farmers had to use considerable ingenuity to keep their milk chilled4 ,some1 like the ,middletons1 kept the milk in the well overnight1 and ,wilson ,mc,nair wrote that his family stored the milk in tall cans set in cold water4 ,occasionally more drastic action was needed4 ,can you imagine going out to ,herndon and getting great big chunks of ice and putting it in a washing tub and setting a can of milk in and keeping it cool all night long8 queried ,joseph ,beard4#i ,milk earmarked for home use underwent the further process of separating the thick cream from the rest of the milk4 ,in the days before mechanical separators the milk had to stand several hours for the cream to rise1 and it was then skimmed by hand or the milk drawn off from the bottom of a can with a spigot4 ,mechanical separators streamlined this task by allowing the milk to be separated while still warm1 using centrifugal action to bring the heavier cream particles to the bottom of the machine4 ,while the farmers sat down to breakfast the roads started filling with wagons and trucks bringing the day's milk from the entire area4 ,like ,alexandria and ,falls ,church1 the county's other major shipping centers1 ,herndon served what was known as a milkshed area1 that is a community whose milk could be transported to that locality without spoiling4 ,here too the freshness of the milk was of crucial concern4 ,herndon1 with its electric cars on the ,washington and ,old ,dominion ,railroad1 served most of the county's ,dranesville district2 however1 ,floris' close proximity to ,herndon gave it an added advantage1 for even packed in ice water1 milk could easily spoil during the sultry summer months4#aj ,a farmer with a good-sized herd such as ,john ,middleton would haul eight or more ten-gallon cans of milk to the depot depending on the time of year4 ,the milk was transported in a light wagon with two horses1 which generally held only one farm's milk1 though sometimes two or more families shared this duty4 ,rebecca ,middleton recalled her brother collecting cans in an early model truck with a canvas top2 he traded hauling with the neighboring ,bradleys4#aa ,for a short time a community co-op1 based in ,floris1 was also established to collect milk for shipment to ,washington1 ,d4,c4#ab ,as this milk-laden caravan approached ,herndon1 the small station there bustled suddenly with activity4 ,for at least one local resident1 the sight and sounds were memorable4 ,the banging of the milk cans at the depot1 recalled ,lottie ,schneider1 who grew up in ,herndon1 444 resounded far and wide4 ,i liked to hear it 444 for busy men were working and it was a friendly sound4#ac ,milking was1 of course1 just one of many chores involved on the family farm4 ,after a #f3cj breakfast 7still early in the eyes of many city dwellers7 there were stalls to clean1 equipment to sterilize1 other farm animals to be cared for4 ,most ,fairfax farms retained a few animals for home use even when concentrating on milk production4 ,before mechanization completely revolutionized farm work1 draft horses provided the farm's muscle and a fifty-acre farm would need two to four for plowing1 raking hay1 and cutting wheat with a binder4 ,the feeding and grooming of these animals formed a vital task4 ,though ,lang and ,hurst's commercial meat wagon came through ,floris and other communities each ,saturday1 many families kept hogs and chickens for their own consumption4#ad ,elizabeth ,rice from the ,oakton area stated that1 despite her husband's reluctance to spend energy on any facet of farming outside dairying1 they raised hogs1 kept on the back end of the farm in the woods4#ae ,in ,floris nearly every family also raised hogs and chickens and ,holden ,harrison remembered that they used to get about a hundred chicks each spring--we'd eat them all up by fall4#af ,few ,floris area farms kept sheep1 though census figures show about #a1bjj in the county during this period4#ag ,in addition1 dogs1 cats1 mules and an occasional goat made up the farm population1 all demanding the farmer's attention and time4 ,with the stock watered1 fed1 given fresh bedding1 and possibly turned out to pasture1 the farmer could turn his attention to crops and other matters4 ,census records show hay and corn to be ,fairfax ,county's most important crops4 ,little of these were sold commercially1 however1 rather they were used as support crops for the dairy industry4#ah ,hay and feed stores abounded in neighboring towns but most dairymen attempted to supply their own straw1 ensilage and grain1 thus cutting costs by making the most efficient use of their land4 ,this involved raising several crops and a year-round effort of cultivation4 ,work began in early spring when a team of horses--later a tractor--pulled a steel plow across each field1 turning up the earth into a rough and lumpy mass4 ,little was known of contour plowing or planting at this time1 and the team was driven back and forth in straight rows4 ,c4 ,t4 ,rice and ,county ,agricultural ,extension ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr both noted that erosion was a major problem in the area at the time4#ai ,the newly broken ground was then worked with a drag1 generally made of heavy logs chained together and topped with a platform on which the driver stood4 ,the purpose of this implement was to use the weight of the drag to break up the soil clods4 ,after this was finished1 a field still needed to be worked once more before planting1 this time with a harrow4 ,the harrow resembled a large1 spike-toothed rake1 with two sections1 each containing four rows of teeth4 ,passed over the field1 it stirred up the ground and continued the pulverization of the soil to make a mellow1 friable seed bed4#bj ,these chores were exacting and time-consuming4 ,neal ,bailey1 who has spent many of his #ff years in working fields around ,floris1 estimated that a man and strong team could harrow or drag but a ten-acre field in about #f-a_/b hours4 ,plowing took even longer4 ,most of the land was hard to plow and we had to start as soon as possible in the spring in order to get through before it got too hard and sometimes we didn't make it1 wrote ,wilson ,mc,nair4 ,the majority of farmers could plow only an acre or acre and a half in a day's time4#ba ,fairfax ,county's soil 7principally ,chester loam1 a clay soil with a slightly acidic base7 was deep1 fertile and1 as ,joseph ,beard put it1 adapted to growing the kinds of things cows like to eat at a reasonable price4#bb ,because it was somewhat acidic1 the soil benefitted from the addition of lime and1 of course1 needed other fertilizers4 ,fertilization techniques had been known for hundreds of years 7,george ,washington burned oyster shells to obtain lime for his fields71 however1 their benefits were not always fully understood4 ,most farmers spread manure and some guano on their cropland1 but correct chemical balances for specific crops were achieved only infrequently4 ,often the small landowner did not have spare fields to lie fallow for a year--the ideal situation for soil enrichment4 ,we spread some lime a time or two1 but not nearly enough1 admitted ,wilson ,mc,nair4 ,we got burned lump lime and dumped it on the ground in piles of one bushel and when it had slaked we spread it with a shovel4 ,the spreading itself could be a problem1 especially when the earliest trucks began to be used in the mid-#aibjs4 ,a truck hauling seven or eight tons of lime would bog down in a wet field3 ,the only way you could get out was to dump the lime1 and if you dumped the lime you were in the hole you got stuck in4 ,thus1 a lack of understanding of soil building techniques was coupled with the physical difficulty of fertilization1 to inhibit the optimum efficiency of the land in the early #bjth century4#bc ,with the soil prepared1 the crops could be sown4 ,in the fall1 generally between mid-,october and ,thanksgiving1 winter wheat was planted4 ,a drill or mechanical planter drawn by horses was used1 which could be adapted for use with oats1 barley or rye4 ,the area had once been a principal wheat-growing region1 but in the early #bjth century dairymen cultivated wheat chiefly for the straw which was used for bedding4 ,in the mid-#aicjs1 however1 the availability of certified seed 7seed which was grown to be of a uniform and established varietal type1 much as genetically pure livestock was bred7 raised the quality of ,fairfax wheat and slightly increased the grain's marketability4#bd ,edith ,rogers1 a long-time ,floris resident and for many years a member of the ,fairfax ,county ,board of ,supervisors1 grew wheat on her family's farm to use in chicken feed1 and to have milled into flour for home use4 ,it was ground at the ,herndon ,milling ,company4#be ,like the use of certified seed1 increased understanding of fertilization and crop rotation practices boosted production of wheat per acre1 yet it never gained prominence as even a secondary crop4 ,in large part this was due to the fact that wheat was a less desirable ingredient in cattle feed than was corn or even soybeans4#bf ,corn was planted in the spring1 generally in late ,april4 ,again a drill was employed1 which1 planting two rows at a time1 enabled the farmer to plant about ten acres in one day4 ,the wide variety of uses for corn made it ,fairfax ,county's most important grain crop and a #aibf report on the area's agriculture observed that nearly every farm has more or less corn4#bg ,not only was the grain a chief ingredient in the dairy cattle's concentrate or feed mixture1 but it was used to feed horses1 chickens and to fatten pigs near butchering time4 ,the leaves and stalks were ground for ensilage or stored in the shock for dry fodder4 ,during the #aibjs1 ,county ,agent ,derr promoted a continual campaign to improve the area's corn production and even introduced a new variety1 dubbed ,fairfax ,county ,white ,corn1 because of its local success4 ,he also worked to increase yields of other popular strains1 notably ,reid's ,yellow ,dent4 ,in a report on his work in this field in #aibe1 ,derr shows his methods to be not far removed from the early genetic experimentation of ,gregor ,mendel4 ,for the past four years the writer has assisted one of his best demonstrators in improving his crop of ,reid's ,yellow ,dent ,corn4 ,the first year the best #ej ears were planted in #ej separate rows and at harvest time the best yielding #aj rows were selected for the next year's work4 ,this work was continued1 each year the number of rows being reduced4 ,this year the results show a very uniform type of corn4444#bh ,soybeans began to be introduced into the area during this period and ,fairfax ,county farmers also sowed various grasses for summer pasturage and to make hay for winter feeding4 ,timothy and clover predominated among pasture crops4 ,some farmers persisted in raising alfalfa1 despite ,h4 ,b4 ,derr's repeated protests that it was unprofitable on the county's lime-poor soil4#bi ,a few ambitious farmers even experimented with grasses attempting to find those which produced the highest milk yields and one went so far as to have a special ladino clover seed brought from ,oregon because he felt it increased the richness of his milk4#cj ,as with wheat and corn1 improved varietal types and stricter control over the uniformity of the seed greatly aided the cultivator4 ,illustration3 ,spring plowing on the ,mc,nair farm near ,floris4 ,the serene aspect of the pre-mechanization farm is evident in this photograph taken in the first decade of the twentieth century4 ,photo courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,naturally1 the farmer's work only began with the sowing of the seed1 for activity continued throughout the year4 ,the work of calving1 of pruning orchard trees1 digging garden beds1 and trimming cattle hooves occurred in the spring4 ,in early summer the corn was thinned from four to two stalks per hill1 by using a sharp stick to dig the stalks out4 ,then1 toward the end of ,june the winter wheat was harvested4 ,cut with a binder and tied in bundles1 it was shocked 7put in stacks of ten to twelve bundles1 wigwam fashion1 with a bundle on top to shed water1 or stacked on poles in a mound with the outside sloping a bit to let the rain run off7 and left to dry in the field4 ,if threshed by hand after about a month it had to be gathered and taken to the barn for further drying4 ,in the #aibjs1 however1 only a few farmers still wielded the flail2 most threshing was done by steam and later gas-powered threshing machines which travelled from farm to farm4 ,wilson ,mc,nair described these cumbersome and sometimes dangerous machines this way3 ,the thresher was run and pulled by a traction engine4 ,they moved slowly only about #b mi4 an hour4 ,the engine had a water tank mounted on each side in the rear to carry water while it was moving from one place to another4444 ,the engines all had whistles and they would blow them every once in a while when they were on the road so we would know they were coming4 ,we had to haul up some wood to fire the engine before we threshed4444 ,in later years we had self-packing and weighing threshers with blowers that moved the straw further from the thresher4 ,one time ,mr4 ,hornbaker threshed for us4 ,we had a small engine and thresher that was pulled by a team4 ,while we were washing up for dinner some one looked up and saw smoke1 on the other side of the barn where the thresher was4 ,all hands ran up there and pulled the thresher out of the way and saved the wheat that was threshed1 but the straw burned up4 ,a spark from the engine had fallen into the straw4#ca ,during the summer months of the cultivation process1 insect control was also a major consideration4 ,by the late #aicjs a few large farms1 such as the ,harrisons1 could hire an airplane to dust their crops1 but modest farms of necessity relied on hand labor for this1 as most other chores4 ,as 444 new varieties of clover1 alfalfa1 and other plants came to be used1 seems like the insects came along with them1 lamented one farmer4#cb ,the ,japanese beetle1 introduced into ,america in the #aibjs1 wrecked particular havoc with the crucial corn crop4 ,the ,japanese beetle was just awful1 recalled ,ray ,harrison1 it would eat the tassel up which pollinated the corn 444 then would get right into the ear of the corn and go right down into the shuckings4#cc ,against these pests1 and the inevitable destruction of wildlife1 weather1 and weeds1 the farmer had to maintain an eternal vigilance4 ,much of the growing season was spent in monitoring these destructive forces4 ,the benefits of this watchfulness became apparent with the harvest4 ,as mentioned above1 wheat was the earliest crop reaped but the major harvesting was done early in ,september4 ,corn was cut and shocked at this time1 and the large task of filling the silo was undertaken4 ,to do this stalks and leaves of the corn were chopped by an ensilage cutter4 ,like the thresher1 this machine was generally owned by an outside agent2 it travelled from farm to farm to process each farmer's fodder4 ,the early cutters were powered by steam1 but like numerous other farm instruments1 gasoline-driven equipment was developed during ,world ,war ,i4 ,on a large farm up to twenty men were needed to keep a threshing machine or ensilage cutter going4 ,bundles of corn were chopped by the machine and then conveyed to a fan which blew the ensilage through a pipe into the silo4 ,there one to four men tamped it down and guided the nozzle on the blower pipe to insure even distribution4 ,it was dirty work1 the corn stalks oozing juice and sticking as tenaciously as burrs to the clothes1 hands and hair of those working in the silo4 ,a small landowner might complete the silo filling process in a day1 but for large farms it often took the better part of a week4#cd ,just as the spring brought forth a burgeoning activity1 so did things happen with a rush in the fall4 ,haying was done just before the corn harvest1 in the hot1 late summer days which would cure the new-mown grass in the field4 ,to cut the hay the county's farmers often used a one- or two-horse rake with a single attachment to raise or lower the rake's teeth when passing over a meadow4 ,the dried hay1 with its almost overpoweringly sweet smell1 was lifted by forks into a wagon1 tramped down1 then transported to fill bursting barns4 ,the least mechanized farms forked the hay into the lofts by hand but later barns were equipped with a mechanical fork for lifting the hay4 ,haying had to be done at precisely the right time or the grass would not cure properly and the hay would spoil4 ,the combination of heat1 hard1 backbreaking work1 and the necessity for hurry made haying a particularly fatiguing time4#ce ,most of the harvest was used right on the farm4 ,like manure1 which was recycled to enrich fields and gardens1 the grain and hay crops went to nourish the farm's dairy animals4 ,little was marketed and little was wasted4 ,that proved to be the best thing you could do1 noted ,holden ,harrison1 grow as much of your own feed for your cattle as you could4 ,you sold your 444 crop production through your milk can4#cf ,illustration3 ,a shock of wheat on the ,ellmore farm near ,floris4 ,on this particularly successful farm the wheat was sold for seed to help improve the stock on other area farms4 ,photo in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,this mechanical hay loader on the ,harrison ,brothers' farm near ,floris dates from #aice4 ,photo courtesy of ,holden ,harrison4 ,the fruits of the year's labor came not only from the hay fields but from garden and orchard1 whose abundance had to be gathered1 preserved and stored in the late summer season4 ,fairfax ,county had once been a major truck farming section but the onslaught of insects and competition from large commercial orchards 7such as those in the ,shenandoah ,valley7 had relegated this produce to the realm of home use4 ,the ,a4 ,s4 ,harrison farm included plum1 apple1 peach and cherry trees and ,margaret ,mary ,lee recalled that cherries1 pears and apples grew in her family's orchard4 ,sometimes pears and apples were made into cider but most of the fruit was dried or canned for winter use4 ,many farmers made the extra effort to keep bees under their fruit trees because they aided pollination and produced honey from the blossoms4 ,the ,lees were among those who enjoyed the soft hum of the bees among the orchard trees4 ,margaret ,lee especially liked to recall them darting busily between the fragrant white sheets1 when the washing was hung in the yard4#cg ,the vegetable garden1 too1 had a prominent place in the farm scheme4 ,elizabeth ,rice noted that everyone had a good garden1 growing such things as sweet corn1 limas1 string beans1 potatoes1 tomatoes1 and asparagus4#ch ,others mentioned lettuce1 herbs and popcorn in the family vegetable patch and many farms had grape arbors4#ci ,like other areas of cultivation1 the garden plot required care and attention for three seasons of the year4 ,the round of soil preparation1 planting1 nourishing and harvesting added additional responsibilities to the multitude of duties which already crowded the sunlight hours4 ,still1 the rewards were great3 self-sufficiency1 economy1 and the enjoyment of the earth's fresh bounty4 ,with the harvest over the farmer would fill the less hectic winter hours with the unending minutia of the farm4 ,fence and equipment mendings1 cutting ice from ponds and rivers1 chopping wood1 and grubbing up trees all had a part in his busy life4 ,another burst of activity occurred in early winter when animals were butchered for the year's meat4 ,most farm families bought their beef in ,herndon1 but nearly everyone kept hogs for home consumption4#dj ,neal ,bailey1 a veteran of many local butcherings1 described them in this particularly detailed manner3 ,two to three meat hogs per year were raised and slaughtered1 all about ,thanksgiving4 ,farmers used to do everything by the almanac4 ,two men would grab a hog and throw it on its back and cut the jugular vein with a butcher knife4 ,the pig was thrown then into a scalding trough--a metal trough with water placed over a wood fire burning in a trench4444 ,in the old days1 the local farmers heated rocks red hot and threw them in a big barrel of water4 ,it was a day's work to haul rocks for this4 ,the hair was scalded and scraped off4 ,then the hog was gutted4 ,old folks used to take the insides and make chitlins out of them4 ,i never ate them myself4 ,the hogs were hung up overnight in a shed or in a tree where dogs couldn't get it1 to let the carcasses cure4 ,the skin was left on the carcass1 and next day1 it was cut up and salted down in a box4 ,it was kept tight so flies and mice couldn't get in4444 ,anything that was left in spring was smoked to preserve it through the summer4#da ,illustration3 ,a small orchard apiary kept to provide honey and aid pollination of the fruit trees4 ,photo in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,each family preserved its own meat and as ,emma ,ellmore related1 everybody had his own pet recipe 444 for mixing the salt and the brown sugar--and some smoked the meat and some didn't4 ,lard had to be rendered for storage in the cellar1 sausage hand-ground and canned or frozen1 the heads boiled until the meat left the bones1 then chopped and pressed into a pan with the pot liquor to make headcheese4 ,butchering time seems to have been an especially unforgettable occasion1 for its details stand out sharply in the minds of many4 ,after butchering each year1 ,mother made 444 buckwheat cakes to eat with fresh sausage1 reminisced ,margaret ,peck4 ,baked on a long black griddle1 over a wood stove1 spread with homemade butter and topped with corn syrup1 they were the right beginning for a winter day4#db ,for ,floris residents1 the smells and tastes of a time seem to whirl the memory backward with particular acuity4 ,even in the hectic activity of harvest1 a farmer was obliged to move through the evening routine of milking1 feeding and bedding his animals4 ,with these tasks completed1 and a final check on the barns to see that all was snug1 the farmer's day was nearly complete by about #f3jj4 ,he ate a hearty supper1 then read ,the ,southern ,planter1 and possibly mended farm machinery or did a little work in the barn4#dc ,for those who arose at #d3jj a4m4 in all kinds of weather1 sleep came early and the house was usually dark by #i3jj p4m4#dd 99 99 99 99 99 ,in all of this activity of cultivation1 the rush of harvest1 and regularity of day-to-day chores1 the farmer worked1 not alone1 but in conjunction with his family4 ,unlike the industrial worker1 whose employment was discrete and separate from his home life1 the farmer's home was his workshop1 and his labor directly connected to his sustenance4 ,his family was an integral part of this scheme2 far from being removed from the household's form of support1 they were intimately bound up in it4 ,wife1 husband1 children and grandparents all contributed in their distinct sphere4 ,the term family farm was no idle denomination1 but a recognition of the importance the entire family played in the smooth operation of the farm4 ,the relationship of a farm husband and wife was in many ways a truer partnership than that of the urban marriage4 ,a farmer needs a wife like he needs the rain1 is an old farm saying1 expounded for decades in the farmer's almanacs4 ,it has now been collaborated by rural sociologists to show that farm efficiency was based largely on the partners' shared duties4#de ,the farmers themselves seemed to realize this4 ,in a #aicb nationwide survey of factors which farmers regarded as most important to their success1 co-operation of wives was ranked second4#df ,the activities of rural men and women were co-equal1 not identical4 ,women rarely worked in the fields except in the press of harvesting when they might drive a horse to pull up the hay fork--what we've all done1 ,i guess1 agreed one group of ,floris women4#dg ,they only occasionally aided the men in the barn4 ,edith ,rogers remembered working with the stock as did ,margaret ,mary ,lee1 who helped with milking and also recalled washing the milk storage tank and other equipment4 ,this pleased the local milk inspector who told her1 ,when women are in the barn1 ,i know the equipment is clean4#dh ,except for such intermittent work1 the outside duties were left to the men4 ,instead1 most women's activity was to be found in the farmhouse and garden4 ,her responsibilities encompassed the expected areas of housekeeping1 decorating and sewing1 and often the less obvious work of bookkeeping or lawnmowing4 ,the farm woman's most demanding task probably centered around the preparation and preservation of food1 a vitally important function1 for to waste or misuse food was to negate the hard labor of a year4 ,in the current era of convenience foods1 the time-consuming nature of cooking is easily forgotten4 ,just operating a wood-burning stove was a complicated task1 attested to by the directions for laying a fire in a contemporary cookbook4 ,to build a fire1 first let down the grate1 and take up the ashes and cinders carefully to avoid raising a dust1 sifting the cinders to use in building the fire2 brush the soot and dust out of the upper part of the stove1 and from the flues which can be reached2 be sure that all parts of the ovens and hot-boxes are clean2 if there is a water-back attached to the stove1 see that it is filled with water2 if it is connected with water-pipes1 be sure in winter that they are not frozen2 brush up the hearth-stone4 ,lay the fire as follows3 ,put a few handfuls of dry shavings or paper in the bottom of the grate2 upon them1 some small sticks of pine wood laid across each other2 then a few larger sticks1 and some cinders free from ashes2 a few small lumps of coke or coal may be mixed with the cinders4 ,open all the draughts of the stove1 close all the covers1 and light the fire2 when the cinders are lighted1 add fresh coke and coal gradually and repeatedly until a clear1 bright fire is started2 then partly close the draughts4 ,to keep up a fire1 add fuel often1 a little at once1 in order not to check the heat3 letting the fire burn low1 and then replenishing it abundantly1 is a wasteful method1 because the stove grows so cold that most of the fresh heat is lost in raising the temperature again to the degree necessary for cooking4#di ,,inventory ,,of ,,the ,,estate ,,of ,,george ,w4 ,,kidwell ,december #i1 #aibe ,,article ,,value4 #h ,grade ,guernsey ,cows1 #dj4jj each #cbj4jj #ab ,holstein ,cows #dhj4jj #a ,bull #ej4jj #a ,holstein ,calf #aj4jj #b ,black ,heiffers1 #dj4jj each #hj4jj #b ,small ,black ,heiffers #cj4jj #b ,black ,horses #ajj4jj #b ,double ,sets ,harness #be4jj #ae milk ,cans #ae4jj #b ,milk ,buckets #a4jj #a ,strainer 4#be #acc ,shocks ,fodder #ci4ij #abj ,barrels ,corn #cfj4jj #f #b_/c ,tons ,hay ,bailed1 #bj4jj ,ton #acc4cc #ffjj ,lbs4 ,loose ,hay 4#ge #di4ej #bj ,tons ,ensilage #dj4jj #afj ,bu4 ,wheat #a4dj per ,bu #bbd4jj #a ,high ,wheel ,wagon #be4jj #a ,truck ,wagon #bj4jj #a ,top ,wagon #aj4jj #a ,manure ,spreader #ajj4jj #a ,hay ,ladder #aj4jj #a ,blizzard ,ensilage ,cutter #ae4jj #a ,gasoline ,engine #bj4jj #a ,milk ,wagon #aj4jj #a ,platform ,scale #aj4jj #a ,set ,single ,harness #a4jj #a ,buggy #b4jj #a_/b ,ton #af4jj ,rock #i4jj #a ,oil ,drum 4#ej #a ,one ,horse ,wagon #b4jj #a ,basket ,sleigh #c4jj #a ,top ,wagon #c4jj #a ,smoothing ,harrow #e4jj #b ,single ,shovel ,plows #a4jj #a ,single ,cultivator 4#ej #a ,oliver #b ,horse ,plow #b4jj #a ,spring ,tooth ,harrow #e4jj #a ,set ,blacksmith ,tools #be4jj #a ,lot of ,lumber at ,mill ,house #dj4jj #a ,lot of ,tools and ,repairs in ,mill ,house #e4jj #a ,cut off ,saw #a4jj ,contents of ,well ,house #ae4jj #a ,dort ,automobile #ajj4jj ,contents of ,garage #be4jj #a ,lot of ,ladders and ,contents of ,wood ,house #be4jj ,contents of ,tool ,house #be4jj #a ,grindstone #b4jj #a ,iron ,boiler #e4jj #a ,wheelbarrow #c4jj #a ,hay ,rake #bj4jj #b ,mowing ,machines1 #e4jj each #aj4jj #a ,riding ,cultivator #e4jj #a ,corn ,planter #bj4jj #a ,lath ,mill and ,bench #a4jj #a ,grain ,drill #hj4jj #a ,hay ,tedder #be4jj #a ,dish ,harrow #a4jj #a ,three ,horse ,plow #e4jj #a ,binder #e4jj #a ,note dated ,aug4 #cjth1 #aiba payable #c yrs4 after date #ejj4jj ,interest on above note from ,aug4 #cjth1 #aibd1 to the present time #f #ch4cc ,cash in ,herndon ,national ,bank #ija4hh ,cash on ,savings ,account ,farmers ,mechanics ,national #fhe4fj ,cash on ,savings ,account ,the ,potomac ,savings ,bank #edi4hj ,liberty ,bonds #bjj4jj ------ #efcj4ei ,this inventory1 attached to the will of a small farmer1 shows the diverse equipment found on the #aibj's farm4 ,illustration3 ,plan of the family farm of ,mason ,f4 ,smith1 drawn by ,mason ,smith1 ,jr41 for a #d-;,h ,club project4 ,the farm was bought in #aicb by ,floyd ,kidwell and now constitutes the nucleus of ,frying ,pan ,farm ,park4 ,from ,mason ,smith1 ,jr4 ,livestock ,record ,books in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibi1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,though the wood-burning stoves often imparted a special flavor to the food prepared on them 7for example1 one farm cooking devotee opined that no waffles could taste like those from a wood-burning stove#ej71 the stoves were fearfully hot in the summer and needed constant refueling and expert attention to heat evenly4 ,few ,fairfax ,county farm women had the luxury of electricity in their kitchens until well after #aice4 ,statistics show that only #fe of farm women cooked with electricity even in #aidj4ea ,in addition to the large regular meals required by a hard-working family1 the farm woman prepared the gargantuan harvest meals shared by all who worked in the fields4 ,cooking these meals in the late summer heat was a chore which took several days4 ,an ordeal one veteran called it and enumerated some parts of the expected menu3 corn bread1 hot biscuits1 pork shoulder1 pressed chicken1 fried chicken1 vegetables and pie4 ,we'd put food enough together for them--and did they eat6#eb ,even at other times of the year1 a farm wife needed to count on unexpected visitors and accommodate her activities to an unforeseen need to entertain4 ,her adaptability is attested to by ,joseph ,beard who described the open farm hospitality of the era3 ,when anybody came around to your farm in those days1 when dinnertime came1 you'd say1 ',well1 it's time for dinner4 ,let's go eat4' ,it didn't seem to matter if you had somebody drop in on you on short notice4 ,women1 ladies1 mothers1 wives1 were accustomed to this kind of thing4 ,it never seemed to upset them4 ,they just took it in stride4 ,they put on another plate and said1 ',we haven't got much1 but you're welcome to what we have4' ,they'd go on like this4 ,they would bring out the best they could find4 ,that was the kind of condition that prevailed4#ec ,the lady of the house in this period did not merely cook her family's food2 she was instrumental in its production and processing4 ,the family garden was generally her responsibility4 ,it was she who planted the early radishes1 herbs1 flowers and all the multitude of summer vegetables in the cool1 moist spring soil1 weeded and nurtured them through the summer months1 and finally gathered them in the lingering ,indian summer days4 ,if there were daughters in the family1 they aided her in this as in her other activities4 ,when the produce was finally all picked1 peeled and cut1 she combined them with vinegar1 sugar1 and spices to preserve the vegetables as pickles1 jelly or canned goods4 ,it was warm and tiring1 but highly rewarding work4 ,never will ,i forget the pungent fragrances that pervaded the air when it was catsup or pickle-making season1 wrote ,lottie ,schneider4 ,when our mothers made apple butter in great kettles each child took a turn at stirring the delicious mixture4 ,the wonderful fragrance made the task easier even though the thickening ingredients sometimes sputtered and caused burns as they popped out on the hands who used the stirring paddle4#ed ,the pantry shelves filled with glass jars displaying their highly colored contents produced feelings of pride and plenty in the farm woman4 ,poultry keeping also fell to the farmer's wife4 ,there were a sizable number of commercial poultry farms in the county--it was in fact the area's second most important farm industry--but most dairy and general farms kept just enough for their own use4#ee ,egg collecting1 feeding and cleaning of the chicken house and yard1 even killing1 dressing and plucking the poultry were done by female members of the farm family4 ,thrifty women saved the feathers for pillows and coverlets and nearly all sold their excess eggs to the hucksters who travelled from farm to farm buying surplus goods4 ,these peddlars also bought rabbits1 turkeys1 and other poultry1 as well as home-churned butter from the farms4 ,this was yet another area in which women utilized and processed the raw materials of the land4 ,twice a week the cream that had been skimmed and saved was churned 7generally in round barrel churns with wooden paddles71 salted1 and packed in stone jars to be picked up and transported to the ,alexandria and ,washington markets4 ,one of the early hucksters was ,earl ,robey who collected eggs and chickens once a week4 ,he travelled with #b horses hitched to a covered wagon1 wrote one farmer4 ,in later years he had a model ,t truck4 ,the money made by the women was theirs to keep1 for running the house and personal expenses1 and the austerity or comparative comfort of a farmstead was often the direct result of the energy and efficiency of the farm woman4#ef ,the rural woman's place was respected and secure on the farms of fifty years ago4 ,the farmer might consider himself the overall manager but he recognized his spouse's vital contributions4 ,mutually they both decided to make things go and they did go1 wrote one #aicjs farm boy of his parents4 ,mother did not feel inferior to father and she never felt that he expected her to feel so4#eg ,if the woman's role and duties were firmly set in this rural society1 then so was her status4 ,an additional responsibility was that of caring for children1 but in the farm family this was more clearly a joint obligation of the father and mother than in families in which the male parent left home to work4 ,too1 children were more closely tied to the family as a working unit2 they felt both the necessity of aiding their parents with the running of the farm and the pride of contributing in a real sense to the family's well-being4 ,of course1 farm children attended school1 but they also shared the pattern of their parents' life4 ,with father and mother they awoke in the early hours of the morning to help with barn or household chores3 ,it didn't make any difference how small they were1 they got up at six o'clock4#eh ,many learned to milk before the age of ten4 ,on weekends1 summer holidays and after school1 they were also expected to help on the farm4 ,both boys and girls performed the unending job of gathering firewood for the kitchen stove4 ,carrying water was another constant chore which often fell to the family's children1 for as late as #aidj nearly #dj of the county's homes still lacked running water4#ei ,farm youngsters learned to drive a team and ride horseback at an early age1 and this enabled them to take a horse to be shod1 fetch a mower section from the general store1 or run other unexpected errands4 ,margaret ,lee stated that as a girl she used to hitch up a mule and buggy each ,monday to take the family's laundry to be washed by a local ,negro laundress1 and pick it up again on ,thursday4#fj ,girls also helped with the dishes1 fed chickens1 and cooked while boys tackled plowing1 threshing and animal husbandry4 ,one woman recalled the special satisfaction she felt when1 at the age of thirteen1 she shocked an entire field of wheat4#fa ,by doing these chores and errands1 farm children were not merely assisting in the farm operation4 ,in the emulation of their parents' activity1 they benefitted from a kind of on-the-job training which both sharpened their skills for a later farm career and furthered their identity with the family group and farm life in general4 ,the farm child's close connection to his parents' life and the necessity for performing a variety of chores also acted in some measure as a force for social control3 the child who worked with his parents was expected to act in a manner acceptable to them4 ,furthermore1 the close-knit nature of the community reinforced the parents' values when their offspring were away from home4 ,a farmer was always busy1 and his kids didn't run the streets1 noted ,joseph ,beard4#fb ,another native of northern ,virginia explained the prevalent philosophy in more detail3 ,papa was a firm believer that work was a therapy that kept young people out of mischief4 ,it was unthought of for youngsters to get into serious trouble in those days other than smoking corn silk or grapevine1 and that was a punishment in itself4 ,all were assigned specific chores and the youngest started out picking up chips and other small pieces of wood from the 'woodpile' for kindling to start the fire in the kitchen range at daylight in the morning4444 ,as we grew a little older bringing in the firewood was added to the list of chores and when you grew big enough to chop and split cordwood1 usually around the age of #aj-ab years1 one found the chores around the home were endless4#fc ,illustration3 ,rebecca ,rice1 daughter of ,c4 ,t4 ,rice1 canning fruit in her home near ,oakton1 ,virginia4 ,note the ice box and wood burning stove1 standard features of the early #bjth century kitchen4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,reports1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,elizabeth ,harrison in her room on a farm near ,herndon1 ,virginia4 ,she refurbished the room herself as part of a #d-;,h project4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,reports1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,the round of chores might seem endless1 but farm kids had their fun1 too4 ,joseph ,beard and ,richard ,peck both recall swimming in ,horse ,pen ,run and ,peck also reminisced about fishing in the local streams4#fd ,margaret ,lee was sometimes treated to a baked sweet potato after school2 she rode the family mule for recreation4#fe ,at ,halloween1 much secret giggling went on as plans were afoot to take an outhouse and sit it on the school porch1 or sneak all of the milk cans out of the dairy and set them outside4#ff ,skating on the baptismal pond of ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church1 and neighborhood events such as picnics1 watermelon feasts and oyster suppers also lent excitement to the child's life4 ,perhaps the most pervasive enjoyment came from the ever-changing delights of the countryside itself4 ,wrote one resident of the ,herndon area3 ,we could ramble through the woods1 finding huckleberries1 wild flowers1 sassafras roots and stems1 chestnuts and lovely mosses4#fg 99 99 99 99 99 ,although children provided a great deal of supplemental labor on the county's small farms1 the hired hand was also an important part of the community's work force4 ,one local resident estimated that approximately half of the farms in the ,herndon area used hired labor1 and this figure is collaborated by the agricultural census of #aidj4 ,other evidence shows that the largest single expense 7about #ch of total farm expenditures7 for the owner of thirty or more acres was hired help4#fh ,in ,fairfax ,county1 as in most of the ,south1 this hired labor was composed almost entirely of the community's black residents1 though occasionally a family would employ a white man4 ,the ,ellmore family1 who often had a white man as their hired help1 was such an exception4#fi ,illustration3 ,a homemade sled used for hauling manure to the fields4 ,note the two young boys who1 by driving the sled1 shared the family's responsibility for the farm4 ,photo in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,extra help was engaged in several ways4 ,larger farms frequently kept one or two men throughout the year1 sometimes supplying them with a house and their noon meal as well as a salary4#gj ,on most farms1 however1 extra help would be hired at particularly busy seasons by the day or the week4 ,in the summertime you'd get seasonal help1 gather them up here and there1 wherever you could1 stated ,holden ,harrison4 ,if you could carry those men1 at least the best ones1 over the winter1 then you'd have a good force that you could depend on for your summer work1 your planting and harvesting4#ga ,in some cases the hired man would come with his team of horses for which he received additional wages4 ,in another variation groups of workers would organize into crews to perform a specific function 7for example1 to fill a silo7 and travelled from farm to farm accomplishing this special task4#gb ,many of the laborers in the ,floris area came from ,willard1 a community of both whites and blacks1 just over the ,loudoun ,county line4 ,about #he of ,fairfax ,county's black population owned no land in #aicd and supported themselves solely by agricultural labor4#gc ,unlike this large landless majority1 many of ,willard's families owned three to fifteen acres of land4 ,most of these families grew vegetables on their land and nearly all kept a cow4#gd ,a few black families tried to support themselves by truck gardening1 a difficult task when competing with larger more economical farms4 ,one such farmer1 ,ernest ,e4 ,webb1 struggled to maintain his children by selling vegetables in the city market4 ,biweekly he took his goods by wagon across the low1 unstable ,chain ,bridge and along ,canal ,road to the markets in ,washington1 but for this long1 exhausting trip his profits were slim3 ,we made enough to come back home1 feed the horses1 and feed ourselves a little for another trip4#ge ,to eke out an existence1 most blacks had to supplement any farming income they might have by working as agricultural laborers4 ,those laborers who did not have steady employment had to wait for work until they were needed for a specific job4 ,when a farmer wanted extra help1 he went to the black community1 or sent word by someone else1 and detailed the number of men needed and the job to be done4 ,in the spring my father would go up there to ,willard or send me up there to see if ,i could get three or four fellows to help get the spring work going1 remarked ,holden ,harrison4 ,maybe you could get them and maybe you couldn't4#gf ,sometimes there was a labor shortage1 but frequently more men wanted work than there were jobs to go around4 ,several area residents remembered that if word got out that ten men were needed for a job1 often fifteen or more would show up4#gg ,this was especially true during the agricultural depression of the #aibjs and #aicjs1 which hit blacks far worse than the county's white population4 ,the blacks' landholdings were of inferior quality and generally too small for efficient operation1 and this1 combined with their meagre operating capital and inadequate reserves1 made the black agriculturalist more dependent than ever on work from the large landowner4#gh ,the hired man was expected to arrive in time for the early morning milking and work the lengthy fifteen-hour day alongside the farmer4 ,his chores ranged from making hay to cutting wood and building fences4 ,neal ,bailey recalled that he spent his entire first day as a laborer driving fence posts with a #af-pound hammer4 ,the standard salary was #a4jj to #a4ej per day plus all he could eat for lunch4 ,some farmers paid by the job rather than by the day though they found the latter system preferable4 ,when the help was not so concerned with completing a task rapidly1 farmers believed it produced a better quality work4 ,occasionally the white farmers shared or traded work with their black counterparts4 ,more frequently1 hired hands worked for a share of the fruits of their labor4 ,at butchering time1 the hired help might go home with sausage1 side meat 7bacon7 or a pork shoulder for his pay4 ,at berry season they picked a farmer's blackberries or wild cherries for half of the take4#gi ,the women and children of the black communities in ,fairfax ,county also worked4 ,black women took in laundry1 picked fruit and sometimes came to the white farmer's houses to help with canning or meat preservation at butchering time4 ,one woman worked as a midwife2 according to ,margaret ,lee1 the only one in the area4 ,she delivered ,miss ,lee's younger sister around #aiac4hj ,children as young as nine would thin corn or pluck potato bugs off the dark1 leafy plants for #ej;c a day4 ,girls used to pick berries and pull field cress when it was going to seed1 and some children worked in the farmhouses running errands4#ha ,the ,ellmore family often had a young boy to help do odds and ends1 and another ,floris resident noted that there was some twins of about twelve years old and we needed a little help so ,i took one of them in the house and my brother had the other out to help him with things4#hb ,neal ,bailey recalled going out to help his father cut corn at a very young age and being told to keep working--you have no back1 even when it felt as if it were breaking4#hc ,within these labor relationships the white employer retained the most control since he set wages and hours1 and because he worked with the knowledge that the black families were dependent on him for employment4 ,yet the blacks had their influence too1 for the larger landowners needed their labor to keep the farms operating smoothly4 ,the farmer's dependence was apparent in instances such as that related by ,ray ,harrison1 who remembered one ,christmas night when no help at all showed up4 ,that night he milked fifty-two cows by hand1 something he could not afford to do every day4#hd ,in numerous ways the hired hands exercised some control over their working conditions4 ,for example1 seasoned workmen reserved the right to break in a field hand new to the neighborhood1 thus both initiating him into local work patterns and assuring that his expectations and treatment corresponded to that of the veteran help4#he ,in times of intense activity1 the labor supply would be short and the workers raised their prices accordingly4 ,one farmer recalled that during an exceptionally busy silo-filling season the help were jacking up the price 444 ten cents an hour about four times in one day4444 ,they were putting pressure on because they thought they had the leverage there4 ,in this case the farmer called their bluff and sent the workers home1 but in many instances1 the laborers held sway and received higher wages during peak work periods4#hf ,the white attitude toward their black workers seems to have been paternalistic1 as was the pattern of most racial relations in the post-bellum ,south4 ,though area farmers maintain that their hired laborers were liked and respected--as much a part of the neighborhood as anyone else--in conversation capable workers were referred to as boy or by the old plantation epithets of ,aunt and ,uncle4 ,a hearty noon meal was part of the hired man's pay1 but the help ate outside by themselves1 rather than with the family4#hg ,moreover1 rather than admit his need for the laborers1 the white employer sometimes viewed his hiring in an altruistic light4 ,i remember my brother went over to these colored people that had been working for him at different times1 in the middle of the winter1 and told them to come over and cut some wood1 and he paid them for it so that they would have something1 because they were pretty bad off4 ,so he just made work for them1 stated one county woman4#hh ,undoubtedly1 charitable motives were truly meant1 but the outcome was a paternalistic attitude which failed to recognize the mutual dependence of land and labor4 ,this reliable supply of labor eliminated the county's need for migratory workers1 and also reduced the amount of tenancy since most farmers found labor enough to manage all of their acreage4 ,nevertheless1 during the period between #aiah-aidj1 about #aj-ab of the white farm population and #b of the black were tenants4#hi ,statistical evidence shows over half of the tenants to be cash croppers in #aibe and #dj in #aidj4 ,many historians believe this to be the least beneficial system for the tenant as his obligation was to pay the landlord a fixed rent on the land regardless of the success of his crop4#ij ,however1 ,joseph ,beard stated that most of the tenants with whom he had contact when he was county agent in the late #aicjs were sharecroppers4 ,by this system1 the renting farmer supplied his tools and labor1 the landlord furnished the land1 and the crop was split4 ,fairfax ,county never harbored the kind of perpetual tenancy described by ,james ,agee's ,let ,us ,now ,praise ,famous ,men1 in which families lived in squalor and humiliation with little hope of pulling their way out of debt4 ,this occurred more frequently in the one-crop areas of the deep ,south where exhausted soil and crop dependency made for a high debt risk each year4 ,beard maintained that the sharecroppers of the late #aicjs were respectable people1 merely renting land until they could afford to purchase their own4 ,in several instances1 they were young local couples who went on to buy their tenured land and to become established members of the community4#ia ,still1 at best1 any tenure system was a demoralizing one for the renter because his profits were consistently skimmed off to the landlord4 ,,part ,i--,,notes ,continuity #e ,interview with ,joseph ,beard by ,elizabeth ,pryor1 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 notes from interview with ,margaret ,mary ,lee by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 ,all transcripts and notes from interviews used in this paper are deposited in the ,fairfax ,county ,library ,virginiana ,collection 7hereafter cited ,virginiana74 #f ,notes on interview with ,elizabeth and ,emma ,ellmore by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,march #b1 #aigh4 #g ,interview with ,holden ,harrison1 ,ray ,harrison and ,virginia ,presgraves ,harrison by ,elizabeth ,pryor1 ,chantilly1 ,virginia1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #h ,notes on interview with ,john and ,edna ,middleton by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,february #bd1 #aigh4 #i ,interview with ,joseph ,beard and ,holden ,harrison by ,elizabeth ,pryor1 ,floris1 ,virginia1 ,march #f1 #aigi2 ,wilson ,day ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember1 unpublished manuscript1 n4d41 copy courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder2 author's conversation with ,rebecca ,middleton1 ,floris1 ,virginia1 ,april #d1 #aigi4 #aj ,john ,middleton_/,netherton1 ,february #bd1 #aigh2 and interview with ,joseph ,beard by ,nan ,netherton and ,patrick ,reed1 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,november1 #aigd4 #aa ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #ab ,floris ,producers ,active1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,january #bb1 #aibe4 #ac ,lottie ,dyer ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia 7,marion1 ,virginia1 #aifb71 #aj and #cj4 #ad ,notes on interview with ,richard ,peck by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,february #bc1 #aigh2 notes on interview with ,virginia ,mc,farland ,greear by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 and ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #aj4 #ae ,elizabeth ,rice to author1 ,wilmington1 ,delaware1 ,january #cj1 #aigi4 #af ,beard_/,netherton_/,reed1 ,november1 #aigd2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh2 ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ag ,agricultural ,census1 #aibe2 and ,federal ,crop ,reporting ,service1 ,virginia ,farm ,statistics1 #aice-aicf 7,richmond1 #aicf74 #ah ,ibid42 and ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #ai ,lehman ,nickell and ,cary ,j4 ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county 7,charlottesville1 #aibd71 #bi-dj2 notes on interview with ,neal ,bailey by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,december #ab1 #aigh2 ,fairfax ,farmer ,threw ,away ,his ,plow in #aibh and ,amazing ,results ,have ,been ,revolutionary1 ,richmond ,times-,dispatch1 ,september #ag1 #aiea2 and ,annual ,reports of ,county ,agricultural ,extension ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibh1 #aibi and #aicb1 in ,virginiana4 #bj ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #ba ,ibid42 and ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #bb ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bc ,derr ,reports1 #aibh1 #aicb2 ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember2 and ,joseph ,beard quoted in ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bd ,ibid4 #be ,notes on interview with ,edith ,rogers by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 n4d4 7c4 spring1 #aigh74 #bf ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bg ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 ,rogers_/,netherton2 ,derr ,report1 #aibf1 #i4 #bh ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 #b4 #bi ,agricultural ,census1 #aibe2 and ,derr ,reports1 #aiba and #aibd4 #cj ,fairfax ,farmer ,threw ,away ,plow4 #ca ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 and ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #cb ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #cc ,ibid4 #cd ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 notes on interview with ,joseph ,beard by ,elizabeth ,pryor1 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ce ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #cf ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #cg ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh2 ,elizabeth ,rice to ,mary ,scott1 n4d4 7c4 fall1 #aigh71 copy courtesy of ,mary ,scott4 #ch ,elizabeth ,rice to author1 ,january #cj1 #aigi4 #ci #d-;,h ,record ,books1 copy in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agricultural ,extension ,agent2 ,derr ,report1 #aibg2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 and ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #dj ,rogers_/,netherton2 ,greear_/,netherton1 ,march #bc1 #aigh4 #da ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #db ,margaret ,peck quoted in ,out of the ,frying ,pan 7,herndon1 ,virginia1 #aifd71 #d4 #dc ,j4 ,middleton_/,netherton1 ,february #bd1 #aigh4 #dd ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #de ,see ,hills ,southern ,almanac1 7,virginia ,fire and ,marine ,insurance ,company1 #aibi72 ,j4 ,h4 ,kolb and ,edmund ,s4 de ,brunner1 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society 7,boston1 #aice71 #cf-cg4 #df ,ibid41 #cg4 #dg ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #dh ,rogers_/,netherton2 ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 #di ,juliet ,corson1 ,miss ,corson's ,practical ,american ,cookery 7,new ,york1 #ahhf71 #d2 and ,adeline ,goessling1 ,the ,farm and ,home ,cook ,book 7,chicago1 #aiai74 #ej ,frances ,darlington ,simpson1 ,virginia ,country ,life and ,cooking 7,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifc74 #ea ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute1 ,the ,housing of ,virginia's ,rural ,folk 7,blacksburg1 #aidj71 #bf4 #eb ,rebecca ,middleton quoted in ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #ec ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #ed ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #cj4 #ee ,derr ,reports1 #aibf1 #aibg2 nearly all interviews collaborated this information1 see especially ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #ef ,greear_/,netherton1 ,march #bc1 #aigh2 ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #eg ,unidentified #aicjs farmer quoted in ,kolb and ,brunner1 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society1 #cc4 #eh ,ibid42 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #ei ,,vpi1 ,housing1 #bf4 #fj ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 #fa ,ibid42 ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #fb ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #fc ,edwin ,w4 ,beitzell1 ,life on the ,potomac ,river 7,abell1 ,maryland1 #aifh71 #acj4 #fd ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #fe ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 #ff ,ibid4 #fg ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #ca4 #fh ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh2 and ,w4 ,c4 ,funk1 ,an ,economic ,study of ,small ,farms ,near ,washington1 ,d4,c41 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture ,bulletin #hdh1 ,june #bb1 #aibj4 ,this study concludes that the farmer with thirty or more acres spent #ch of his revenue for labor1 as compared with #aj for feed1 #aa for marketing and #c for insurance and taxes4 ,see ,table ,,iv of this study for a complete breakdown4 #fi ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh4 #gj ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ga ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #gb ,ibid4 #gc ,ibid42 and ,william ,edward ,garnett and ,john ,w4 ,ellison1 ,negro ,life in ,rural ,virginia1 #ahfe-aicd1 ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute ,bulletin #bie1 ,june1 #aicd4 #gd ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 and ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #ge ,dana ,gumb1 ,pioneer ,recalls ,mc,lean1 ,echoes of ,history1 7,march and ,may1 #aigb71 #bh4 #gf ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #gg ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 and ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #gh ,garnett and ,ellison1 ,negro ,life in ,rural ,virginia1 #ac4 #gi ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #hj ,lee_/,netherton1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 #ha ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #hb ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 interview with ,edith ,rogers by ,patty ,corbat1 ,craig ,smith and ,phyllis ,hirshman1 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 #hc ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #hd ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #he ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #hf ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #hg ,greear_/,netherton1 ,march #bc1 #aigh2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #hh ,rogers_/,corbat1 et al41 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 #hi ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #ge-gf2 and ,agricultural ,census1 #aibe4 ,nickell gives a #ac tenancy and lists #age out of #cjd tenants to be working on a cash-tenant basis4 ,the ,agricultural ,census for #aidj also shows a #aj tenancy figure4 #ij ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 ,for a grim but revealing view of what tenancy could mean during this period1 see ,james ,agee and ,walker ,evans1 ,let ,us ,now ,praise ,famous ,men1 7,new ,york1 #aifj74 #ia ,harold ,barger and ,hans ,m4 ,lansburg1 ,american ,agriculture #ahii-aici 7,new ,york1 #aige71 #bab2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 ,,part ,,ii ,change ,in its seasonal cycle of activity1 the close and interdependent family relationships1 and the singular self-motivation of the farmer1 the early #bjth century farm carried on many of the traditions of the past4 ,except for the change from slave to free labor and the marginal use of mechanical equipment1 these elements made up a world in which the farmer of #ahij1 #ahgj1 or even #ahej would have felt comfortable4 ,but running concurrently with these expected qualities of rural life were major changes which jarred and fractured the constant trends of farming4 ,change in attitude1 technology or society occurs during all periods1 but the #aibjs and #aicjs were a particularly dynamic time in the field of agriculture4 ,advances in the understanding of plant biology1 animal husbandry and soil conservation1 together with higher living standards through rural electrification and improved communications1 were a cause for optimism about the future of the family farm4 ,yet these advances irrevocably altered the familiar rural life patterns4 ,to maintain his own station within this changing world1 the farmer's outlook and methods would also have to change4 99 99 99 99 99 ,perhaps the most obvious modification of the traditional methods of farming was the increased mechanization of many farm functions during the early part of the #bjth century4 ,not only were plows improved 7by the addition of a vertical disk which made for deeper cutting and more thorough turning of the soil7 and heavier harrows developed1 but gasoline-powered machinery began to be widely used4#ib ,the diesel tractor had actually been available as early as #aije1 but was not generally adopted until ,world ,war ,i at which time military experimentation improved the engine's construction and worker shortages made the labor-efficient machinery especially valuable4 ,the introduction in #aibd of an all-purpose tractor1 which could cultivate as well as prepare the soil1 increased the machinery's usefulness and gave an additional thrust to its popularity4#ic ,the tractor was meant to replace the work of draft horses1 the large1 gentle creatures who1 along with oxen and mules1 had supplied the farm's power for centuries4 ,the saving the new machinery incurred was chiefly in time1 an intangible element of economics which farmers were just beginning to consider in their appraisal of income and farm value4 ,often the use of a tractor cut work time by half or more4 ,ray ,harrison recalled that it took five horses and three men several days work to clean out the trees and brush for a potential field2 his brother could do it with only one helper in a single day4#id ,illustration3 ,a broadcast harvester capable of picking four rows at a time4 ,this mechanical picker was developed by a county farmer1 ,h4 ,c4 ,clapp4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aiba1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,wheat being mechanically harvested1 c4 #aibe4 ,few farms could afford the luxury of such equipment at this time4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,the early tractors were not without their problems4 ,initially their wheels were of steel1 which packed down the wet earth making plowing difficult1 or lost traction and became mired in the ever-present red mud2 the addition of spiked wheels or heavy chains helped only a little before pneumatic tires were introduced in #aicb4ie ,the machinery was also expensive and complicated to repair4 ,few farms were as fortunate as the ,harrisons' on which one brother had taken numerous mechanical courses and had even worked in a tractor repair shop4#if ,for farmers who could not always correlate time savings with financial advantage1 the large capital outlay seemed unnecessary or even unwise4 ,as the machinery was best adapted to large farms and intensive cultivation1 this was especially true in situations where the farmer did not feel overworked1 or held few ambitions to expand production4 ,thus1 ,fairfax ,county farmers were slow to embrace the newfangled technology4 ,a #aibd survey of the county showed that only #aj of the farmers owned a tractor despite ,county ,agent ,derr's assertion that the cutting of wheat with the tractor had been found the most economical way for many reasons4 ,the principle being rapidity and saving of labor4#ig ,as late as #aicf ,derr wrote that the majority of the small farmers could not afford to purchase mechanized equipment and were compelled to continue with their horses4 ,the cost was partially offset by machinery loaned by the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture 7,,usda71 for example1 a seed corn grader and wheat smut treater which travelled like a missionary 444 from farm to farm in their crop improvement work4#ih ,nevertheless even men such as ,a4 ,s4 ,harrison1 one of the area's most progressive farmers1 were hesitant about the new machines1 as ,holden ,harrison relates3 ,he knew ,i was sort of a tractor bug1 and one day he called me in and he said1 ',now son1 now we don't use tractors out here1 we grow the feed for the horses 444 we do our farm work with horses4' ,but that very spring it got so hot that an old broken down tractor that ,i rounded up did more work than the twelve horses we had4#ii ,economics1 custom and suspicion of objects so divorced from nature's cadence reduced the farmers' enthusiasm for new machinery4 ,mechanized milking equipment was also held in suspicion initially4 ,milking machines were developed around #aijj1 but a prejudice against them lasted well into the #aibjs4 ,older cows1 accustomed to hand milking1 did not like the sound and feel of the machines and many farmers contended that they impaired the milk-producing capabilities of some animals4#ajj ,separators were likewise mistrusted by some who felt that they skimmed the cream inadequately4 ,moreover1 most of the dairy equipment required electricity for its operation and for many years this was not readily available in the area4 ,these factors kept milking machines from being swiftly adopted in ,fairfax ,county4 ,conversations with farmers of the inter-war period indicate that such equipment was not generally acquired until the mid #aicjs4#aja ,farmers learned of the new labor-saving devices by word of mouth1 through agricultural organizations1 catalogs and manufacturer's salesmen4 ,the latter could be a nuisance to the already preoccupied farmer1 but he also acted as an invaluable informational source4 ,one dairyman explained3 ,that was a very useful service that salesmen performed4 ,salesmen sort of get a black eye from some quarters but they kept the farmers up to date on the new machines4444 ,we had a very good tractor with steel wheels1 and a salesman came in and said1 ',i'm representing ,goodrich ,rubber ,company4 ,we're making tractor tires now and if you'll let us put a set of tires on your tractor we'll let you try them out1 and if you don't like them1 we'll take them off and go back home with them4' ,so we did1 we tried them and they worked4#ajb ,the new equipment1 attachments and improvements could be bought on credit1 or by deferred payment 7that is1 extended credit7 until a crop was harvested4 ,this was frequently necessary as the machinery was costly4 ,joseph ,beard indicated that a tractor cost about #fjj to #hjj in #aicj4 ,the ,sears and ,roebuck catalog for #aibh offered an electric milker for #ade 7including a #c_/d horsepower engine7 and a harrow attachment to be used with a tractor for #fj4 ,cream separators ranged from #db4ie to #ajj without a motor1 which could cost as much as #cj4jj4 ,don't make a horse out of yourself1 the catalog cajoled4 ,but with the additional cost of parts1 maintenance and fuel1 a farmer earning only #a1jjj annually could at best hope to equip his farm only gradually4#ajc ,to offset costs1 farmers retained their old tools while gradually acquiring up-to-date equipment4 ,an inventory of the equipment on a fifty-acre farm shows the mix of old and new owned by the typical farmer of this transition period4 ,in #aibh the farm of ,george ,w4 ,kidwell near ,hunter was equipped with harnesses1 a two-horse plow1 and blacksmithing tools1 but also a gasoline engine1 an oil drum and automobile4#ajd ,ultimately1 of course1 the machines were of tremendous advantage to the large and specialized dairyman4 ,they speeded and streamlined the twice-daily milkings1 efficiently strained and separated the milk while warm4 ,later1 the machines cooled the milk to the optimum temperature required to retard spoilage4 ,this latter development was an especially noteworthy improvement over the old well or ice-water coolings4 ,similar advances were made with electric incubators and chicken feeders for poultry specialists and improved spraying equipment for orchardists4 ,warren ,mc,nair was a pioneer in the ,floris neighborhood in the use of mechanized hatcheries1 establishing one which was powered by coal before ,world ,war ,i4 ,like the dairy equipment1 poultry technology offered efficiency and improved production4#aje ,illustration3 ,a tractor-drawn drill which could plant four rows at a time4 ,this snapshot shows a black agricultural laborer planting soybeans1 which were used as high protein livestock feed4 ,photo in ,annual ,report of ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 #aibb1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,wilson ,d4 ,mc,nair aboard a ,row ,crop #gj tractor1 featuring rubber tires1 c4 #aidj4 ,in the background is the farm's chicken house4 ,growing poultry and eggs was the specialty of this farmer4 ,photo courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,along with a slow-growing recognition of the advantages of automated farm equipment came a quantum leap in knowledge of the agricultural sciences4 ,some experimentation in plant and animal breeding was attempted around the turn of the century1 but the real impetus for extended research was the passage of the ,smith-,lever ,act in #aiad4 ,in ,virginia the work was undertaken at the ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute 7,,vpi7 in ,blacksburg4 ,the early efforts of the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture were enlarged at this time and1 most significantly1 were made accessible to individual farmers through the county agricultural extension program4 ,interconnected with the state agricultural colleges1 the program used representatives known as county agents to advise and educate the farmers4 ,working on a personal level1 they were able to1 in the words of one ,fairfax agent1 bring the college to the people4 ,as a result of the improved access to information1 new ideas on breeding1 animal care1 soil improvements1 and planting almost inundated the farmer4#ajf ,of special importance was an increased understanding of livestock breeding and a change in the desired criteria for a prime animal4 ,as more and more emphasis was placed on pragmatic qualities1 the old show points of stature1 color or markings lost prestige next to reproductive capacity or productivity4 ,one ,maryland farmer who marketed his products in the same areas as ,fairfax dairymen1 stated the case emphatically4 ,what does a man want a cow for8 ,milk6 ,and to get milk you've got to have a 444 female animal with some size to her1 strong bone1 a good bag and a big barrel--a real machine 444 producing quality milk4#ajg ,a ,fairfax ,county poultry raiser concurred4 ,complaining to the editor of the ,fairfax ,herald in #aibf1 he wrote3 ,as is now being done1 fowls are being judged by the show standard rather than from a utility standpoint4 ,as one member of the ,poultrymen's organization present stated 444 one of his birds won the blue ribbon as the best marked bird in her class but shortly after the fair he sold her in the market owing to her being such a poor layer4#ajh ,actually some disagreement occurred over exactly which qualities should be stressed in breeding4 ,experts in animal husbandry found that cross-breeding often produced the highest yield of milk1 a conclusion which was at odds with those who wanted to emphasize pure-bred stock4 ,in ,fairfax ,county1 ,h4 ,b4 ,derr followed the latter persuasion4 ,in the end both parties hoped to achieve the same result3 a controlled breeding program which would allow the farmer to predetermine the type and characteristics of the stock on his farm4 ,to improve the county's stock1 farmers were urged to breed their livestock with purebred animals whenever possible1 and keep accurate records of milk and egg production4 ,an especially successful tool was the establishment of ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,associations which tested the yield and butter fat content of each cow's milk4 ,the aim of these organizations was to identify the high and low producers in a herd so that poor producers could be sold and breeding done to best advantage4 ,agricultural ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr moved quickly to establish these groups in the county4 ,by #aibj two of the fourteen ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,associations in ,virginia were in ,fairfax ,county1 and the result was a continual improvement in the stock owned by ,fairfax farmers4 ,derr reported with pleasure that within the first year of the program #ae of the cows were eliminated and replaced by better stock and that one dairyman said the first month's test paid for the year's work4#aji ,similar improvements were taking place in the grading and standardization of seed4 ,when ,derr first arrived in ,fairfax ,county in #aiag1 he complained that it was the dumping ground of about as bad a lot of seed as he had ever seen4#aaj ,old or genetically mixed seed yielded poor crops and ,derr organized volunteer farmers to help test new strains as well as established varieties in the area's soil4 ,the experimentation for crop return and quality and controlled breeding done at the ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute and similar institutions increased the variety of seed available and made for highly predictable returns4 ,an additional help was the increased dependability of seed distributors4 ,holden ,harrison recalled that ,southern ,states ,cooperative was particularly conscientious in this regard4 ,other seed companies had begun to improve their seed stocks1 but ,southern ,states put the emphasis on it4 ,the seed wheat we got from ,southern ,states outproduced any other that we could find4#aaa ,whereas traditionally many had merely been saving the most likely ears of corn or a random bushel of wheat for seed1 the farmer now demanded certified seed of a variety most responsive to his area's soil type and weather4 ,agriculturalists were also making huge strides in understanding the physical needs of animals and disease prevention4 ,the discoveries about bacterial and viral infections made by medical researchers during the #aibjs and #aicjs were beginning to be understood in veterinary circles and applied to animal care4 ,mastitis and chicken cholera were among the common diseases brought under control by new drugs4 ,county agents carried medicine and veterinary equipment with them using it both in emergency cases and to instruct farmers in sanitation and preventative care4#aab ,health standards1 especially for dairy products sold in ,washington1 ,d4,c41 had been stiffened during the first ,world ,war1 and it was important for the farmer to understand disease prevention not only to save his animals but to keep his produce marketable4 ,illustration3 ,soybeans on a demonstration field showing the improvements made by the addition of lime to the soil4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,veterinarians abounded in the area1 but were called in generally for required tests 7such as tuberculin7 or when the situation was really grave2 most farmers relied on their own experience for delivering calves or treating common ailments4#aac ,among the prominent vets in the county were ,dr4 ,harry ,drake1 ,dr4 ,bernard ,poole and ,c4 ,l4 ,kronfeld4 ,all of these men made house calls1 bringing medical kits and medicine with them4 ,their fee was #b4ej per visit which included the price of follow-up medicine4 ,perhaps because this fee was prohibitive to some1 or through a desire for self-reliance1 farmers often neglected to call the veterinarian until an animal was critically ill4 ,the farmer in what ,i suspect was fifty percent of the cases lost the animal anyway after the vet got there1 acknowledged ,joseph ,beard1 because so many times instead of having preventative medicine 444 they never called him until things were in very bad shape4 ,i suspect that the vet would have been able to save so many of the animals that he didn't by virtue of the fact that he didn't get there on time4444 ,they weren't interested in prevention2 they were interested in the cure4#aad ,the farmers were not entirely to blame since preventative medicine was a new concept1 the benefits of which were not always immediately obvious4 ,county agents ,derr and ,beard both waged exhaustive battles to convince local agriculturalists of the advantage of vaccination and show them the proper methods of inoculating their own animals4 ,derr found the farmers unwilling to do their own vaccinating1 preferring to rely on specialists2 yet with classic inconsistency they were also reluctant to call in a veterinarian for such a purpose4#aae ,in the end1 the agents found that1 like many other progressive techniques which seemed new and unsubstantiated to the farmer1 demonstration worked better than rhetoric4 ,an example of this occurred in #aibf when a farmer let some cattle onto a pasture1 believed to be infested with a calf disease known as blackleg4 ,when one of his best calves died1 he panicked and turned to the county agent4 ,the farmer's animals were all inoculated1 as were those on several neighboring farms1 and there were no further losses4 ,this incident has done more to place confidence in vaccinations than several years' talking could do1 wrote a pleased ,h4 ,b4 ,derr4 ,there are no more doubting ,thomases in that community at least4#aaf ,similar work was undertaken to convince orchardists and crop producers of the advantages of preventative spraying to eliminate bacterial diseases and aid in insect control4 ,the county's production of fruits1 vegetables and grains had suffered less from direct neglect than from ignorance of proper care4#aag ,the value of chemical pesticides was just beginning to be understood 7their use would not reach major proportions until the years after ,world ,war ,,ii7 and ,joseph ,beard noted that the agents were frequently bombarded with all these new advertisements coming from the supplier or chemical company4444#aah ,the agents refrained from recommending products that had not been tested for at least three years at the ,state ,agricultural ,experiment ,station1 insuring some safety in the pesticides1 though ,beard admitted that the principles of chemical buildup were not yet recognized4#aai ,slowly word travelled through the county of the advantages of protecting crops from disease4 ,by #aicj the program was progressing nicely1 as ,derr reported to the state agency4 ,driving through the county one day1 he met a successful orchardist whom he had previously urged to use fungicides4 ,derr1 the farmer remarked to him1 you sure keep me busy2 every time my wife sees your spray notices she makes me get the machine out and go to work1 but it surely does pay to spray4#abj ,here too the farmer relied on his own verification and judged personal experience stronger than the words of experts4 ,illustration3 ,a wild cherry tree destroyed by web worms4 ,insect pests such as these were a chief reason for the decline of orchards in the area4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in this period of exciting and crucial advances in agricultural knowledge1 the individual landowner was sometimes at a loss to1 in his parlance1 separate the wheat from the chaff4 ,radio programs1 bulletins from the ,,usda and ,,vpi1 local newspaper columns and talks by visiting experts all vied for the farmer's time1 as did the news in ,the ,southern ,planter1 ,country ,gentleman and ,farm ,journal1 favorite periodicals in the area4 ,these programs came so rapidly the farmers just about got familiar with one until another appeared1 ,derr reported in #aicf4 ,as one farmer put it1 'just one durned thing after another4#aba ,furthermore1 the information was often confusing1 at odds with the handed-down teachings of generations1 or juxtaposed with other advice with which it was dramatically opposed4 ,the ,herndon ,news-,observer1 for example1 carried several articles on scientific feeding in its early #aibe issues and advocated crop rotation and strict attention to cleanliness4 ,only a year later1 however1 it printed a column advising farmers to feed kerosene and lard to hens to rid them of vermin4#abb ,in an even more blatant example1 this paper contained an article written by ,virginia state dairy specialist ,john ,a4 ,avery1 which counseled area farmers to increase their dairy herds2 the same edition ran a piece by ,h4 ,b4 ,derr which bemoaned the surplus of milk then glutting the ,washington market4#abc ,it is not surprising that the farmer1 caught in the midst of a bewildering amount of concrete advice and misinformation1 sometimes preferred to stick to his ancestors' ways4 ,thus1 the old adages--that corn should be planted when the leaves were as large as squirrel's ears1 or that when a hen's comb isn't bright red1 it isn't laying--were relinquished with reluctance4#abd ,the only consistently accepted source on scientific farming seems to have been ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute's ,handbook of ,agronomy1 which more than one farmer stated he held in one hand while directing the plow with the other4#abe ,a particularly difficult question for the farmer to consider was the problem of specialization4 ,general farming had been the rule for so long1 and one-crop systems had such a reputation for running farms into debt1 that many were doubtful of the advantages of specialization4 ,here1 too1 they received mixed signals4 ,on one hand farmers were advised to sink their all into poultry or dairying1 only to hear that to concentrate too completely on one area would limit their self-sufficiency and mitigate the integrated quality of the farm4 ,in an increasingly technical world1 however1 specialization had many attractions4 ,expensive machinery needed to be purchased for only one kind of production1 the farmer could cut down the vast influx of information to only those subjects which directly interested him1 and the methods of mass production1 first pioneered in factories1 could be applied to his concentrated effort4 ,moreover1 specialization in market commodities produced the cash which had become ever more important to buy equipment1 pay taxes and purchase manufactured goods which were no longer made on the farm4 ,in the end1 ,fairfax ,county farmers generally effected a compromise3 while focusing on one aspect of farming1 they retained many of the advantages of the general farmer4 ,vegetable gardens1 poultry houses1 orchards1 and sometimes sheep all kept their place on the family farm4 ,even ,c4 ,t4 ,rice1 who liked to refer to his farm as a milk producing plant1 with little time or space for anything else kept a few chickens and hogs4#abf ,an early specialization in the county was truck gardening4 ,the long growing season and potential markets in ,alexandria and ,washington in theory seemed to point to success in this field4 ,the list of vegetables and fruits grown for the commercial market was impressive and included potatoes1 corn1 tomatoes1 spinach1 black-eyed peas1 parsnips and rhubarb1 apples and several varieties of berries4#abg ,one man even grew artichokes1 making quite a substantial profit1 but decided to move his operation to more productive soils in ,new ,jersey4#abh ,yet those who attempted raising large quantities of these crops found it difficult to show clear profits4 ,fruit growers had to compete with the world-famous produce of the ,shenandoah ,valley1 whose strong cooperative organization gave an added advantage to the area's natural abundance4 ,hay and forage grains were of decreasing importance in a country rapidly becoming enamored of the automobile4 ,in addition1 a slump in farm prices had begun in #aibj-ba1 the after-effect of the inflated agricultural revenues of the ,world ,war ,i years4 ,a study of small truck farms in the ,washington1 ,d4,c4 area showed that despite intensive labor and a double cropping system1 a farmer was often clearing only #ejj annually by raising produce for the city markets4 ,the study concluded that it took the best management and a considerable knowledge of farm practice and markets to till such a farm to advantage4 ,on the smallest farms it was only the exceptional farmer who could make more than a living without any outside source of income4#abi ,marketing the produce was a special problem of truck farming4 ,the vegetables had to be delivered and sold at the peak of their ripeness and their highly perishable nature made this somewhat difficult in the days before refrigeration4 ,it was generally undesirable to sell through a middleman1 and therefore the farmer was responsible for personally marketing as well as raising his produce4 ,moreover1 the trip to ,washington was tedious and time consuming1 especially in the early #aibjs when the condition of the area's roads was at a notoriously low point4 ,one market farmer's trip was described in this way3 ,he planted all sorts of garden produce and he had what you'd call a market wagon2 it was a covered wagon4444 ,during the day he would fill that wagon with his produce and in the evening he would hook his 444 two horses to the wagon to get to ,washington4 ,he'd aim to get there by six o'clock in the morning when the markets opened4 ,he would sell his produce as much as he could directly from the wagon 444 to individuals at the old ,center ,market4444 ,they paid a higher price4 ,if he had any left over he had to sell it at whatever he could get to the people who owned the stalls4444 ,it took him three or four hours 444 to sell his load of produce4 ,then it was the next night before he came home4#acj ,conditions at the city markets were also less than perfect as large companies tried to dump cheap produce from outside areas on the ,washington consumer4 ,not only did they compete with the local farmer for the lowest prices1 but they misused the stall space itself4 ,even when a new market was built in #aicc1 this remained a problem4 ,one irate farmer angrily stated to the editor of the ,herndon ,news-,observer that the large retail trucks held all the available spaces while the area farmers stand out doors 7sic7 all day and part of the night1 trying to eke out money for taxes1 interest and other arbitrary costs4 ,the streets were filthy1 he continued1 and the market protection itself inadequate4 ,the only pretense of shelter barely covers the sidewalk1 leaving the farmer's truck or car outdoors where produce is in danger from heat1 cold1 or rain4#aca ,partially because of these problems1 the specialty which gained in distinction and profitability at this time was dairy farming4 ,there were several additional reasons for this4 ,the land itself was well adapted to the raising of milk cows2 its gently undulating terrain--which formed numerous natural water depressions--coupled with the abundance of small streams or runs1 made water easily available4 ,to the dairy farmer who must water his stock regardless of seasonal conditions1 this was essential4 ,as previously mentioned1 ,fairfax ,county also possessed soil types which worked up well and produced high yields of the pasturage and ensilage crops required to support large dairy herds4 ,and1 one observer noted1 the weather was favorable for the dairy industry3 ,the winters are relatively short in ,fairfax1 thus allowing cattle to stay out often until the latter part of ,november1 returning to pasture by ,april or ,may4#acb ,these natural assets tell only part of the story for1 as stated above1 ,fairfax ,county continually produced well above the state per acre average in both corn and orchard fruits and its market crops were considerably varied as late as #aibj4 ,although dairying required more capital initially and more land than did market gardening1 it held an advantage in that the plummeting farm prices did not affect milk products as disasterously as crops4 ,the really great asset that the ,fairfax ,county dairy industry possessed1 however1 was its proximity to the large milk-consuming markets in ,alexandria and ,washington1 ,d4,c41 and the speedy access afforded by rail lines connecting the two areas4 ,where truck farmers needed to sell their produce personally in order to make the best profit1 milk producers sold to distributors1 who collected at the depot1 making rail transportation a feasible marketing device4 ,in the earliest days of the century milk was shipped by boat to the city markets1 but the lack of river access for many farms and the ease of spoilage on this slow mode of transportation retarded the growth of the commercial milk market4 ,it was not until the old and unreliable steam railway lines1 such as the ,washington and ,old ,dominion ,railway1 were converted to electricity around #aiab and refrigerated cars were widely used1 that the shipment of milk became really profitable4#acc ,communities such as ,floris1 situated only a few miles from the ,herndon depot1 began to flourish as dairy centers when only a few years earlier poor transportation would have made marketing of such a highly perishable product unthinkable4 ,so successful and rapid was the dairy boom that by #aibd over #a1hjj gallons of milk were shipped daily from the county to ,washington1 and its production was the highest in ,virginia4#acd ,other factors served to enhance the burgeoning dairy industry4 ,around #aiaj milk pasteurization and bottling plants were established in ,washington4 ,this created a large market for whole milk1 which had formerly been held in suspicion by many people who believed milk to be a carrier of disease4 ,another important aspect was the well-directed efforts of the two county agricultural extension agents who1 in addition to introducing the previously mentioned ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,associations1 encouraged the use of pure-bred bulls for breeding1 often acquiring the free loan of ,,usda animals for the purpose4 ,the use of these bulls was an added incentive for farmers to pay the nominal fee and join the ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,associations1 since membership was required in order to borrow a government animal4 ,by these methods and repeated admonitions to get out of the scrub class and join the pure-bred bunch1 the county agents helped ,fairfax farmers develop so fine a reputation for quality dairy cows that buyers came from many states to procure these high-testing animals for their farms4#ace ,another factor affecting the rise of dairying in ,fairfax ,county was the early formation of the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association4 ,the organization had been informally started in #aijg as a clearinghouse for grievances among some producers in the vicinity of ,washington1 ,d4,c41 but for many years it amounted to little more than an occasional general meeting for the purpose of some united effort toward raising the price of milk4#acf ,in #aibj it was incorporated and a full-time manager employed4 ,each member paid a fee of one cent per gallon of milk sold 7a fund which was accumulated and refunded when a farmer left the organization7 and the ,association handled the business of selling to the distributors in ,washington4 ,by such collective action the dairymen were able to control milk prices more effectively1 and their unity assured a measure of security against unscrupulous action by distributors4 ,in the early years of ,fairfax ,county dairying this was a very real threat as former ,association member ,holden ,harrison attests3 ,there were four or five principal distributors in ,washington4 ,i don't know whether they got together on this or not1 but to start out with they had a two price program4 ,they paid you more in the winter than they did in the summer4444 ,the dairy farmer was at the mercy of the milk distributor then4 ,they set prices just as low as they thought the best dairyman could continue to produce4444 ,the distributors were about to starve the farmers out1 that's what brought it around4 ,we weren't getting a fair deal4 ,so when we formed this ,association the management of the ,association could say1 ',we've got these farmers lined up4 ,they pretty well depend on us and we can pretty well tell them what to do4' ,through that leverage they could pretty well tell the distributors what to do1 too4#acg ,the ,association furthered its prestige--and its bargaining power--by waging a battle against bootleg1 or uninspected1 milk being brought into the area from ,pennsylvania and ,new ,jersey4 ,it had the additional advantage of stabilizing prices so that the farmer with only a small amount of milk for the market could compete with the larger producer whose more economical methods had previously allowed him to undersell his smaller neighbor4 ,better methods of testing and pasteurizing the milk were also concerns and the cooperative used its muscle to negotiate loans for its members4#ach ,furthermore1 in the late #aibjs1 the ,association became concerned about the drop in prices due to an overabundance of milk in the area and developed a system of handling the surplus4 ,it eventually built itself into a position where the ,association itself either rented or purchased a plant that could take care of surplus milk4441 stated ,holden ,harrison4 ,this surplus milk was processed into cheese or butter or ice cream or maybe even powdered milk4444 ,they had a plant in ,frederick1 ,maryland1 and they would divert whatever amount of producers' milk to ,frederick to the processing plant and keep it out of the hands of the distributors4#aci ,this action had the double advantage of avoiding waste and preventing a profit-lowering glut of milk4 ,by #aibg the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association was the largest farmer's cooperative in ,virginia4 ,it included #he of the ,washington area producers in its membership1 despite the effort of distributors to dissuade some of the better producers from joining4 ,they exercised bargaining control of over #b1ejj1jjj annually4 ,though they never actually went on strike1 their large membership fund gave them a strong bargaining position4 ,the distributors knew when that fund accumulated to a good-sized sum that we weren't just a fly-by-night outfit that could be pushed around1 that we had resources we could rely on4#adj ,furthermore1 the organization wisely kept its clout by avoiding political issues and exercising minimum control over individual methods of production4 ,its purpose was to streamline the commercialization of a farm product1 and in this effort it was highly successful4 ,northern ,virginia's reputation for dairy excellence grew both in local circles and throughout the state as a result of published census reports and statewide comparisons of milk volume and butterfat content4 ,the #aibe agricultural census shows ,fairfax ,county to be the largest producer in the state1 with average yield per cow #gj above the statewide figure2 in #aidj this margin was even greater4#ada ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,association #a1 based in the ,herndon area1 had especially impressive results4 ,in #aice1 for example1 it had the second highest overall average in ,virginia and included four of the state's five most productive herds4 ,in #aicg the county's high-testing cow1 a ,holstein owned by ,dr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,huddleston1 gave #b1jca pounds of milk 7#h4f pounds to a gallon7 per month to a statewide average of #fbj4adb ,as a result of these impressive showings1 many local farmers shied away from general farming and began to put their energies into milk production2 new farmers were drawn to the area specifically for the possibilities in dairy farming4 ,of ten families interviewed in the ,floris area1 all save one connected their family's removal to ,fairfax ,county to the combination of transportation ease and excellent prices afforded by the ,washington milk market4 ,in this period there was an immigration of farmers from other parts of the country1 particularly in the ,valley of ,virginia1 who did not have an opportunity to market their farm products and their livestock very readily up there in the ,valley1 related ,joseph ,beard1 444 the ,southern ,railway1 the ,richmond1 ,fredericksburg and ,potomac ,railways were quite an asset to people who wanted to market their farm products so a lot of them moved up here4#adc ,many of the newcomers became outstanding in the field of dairy husbandry1 for example1 ,c4 ,t4 ,rice1 a celebrated dairy owner of the ,oakton area1 whose animals consistently scored highly on milk production4 ,he came to the county in #aiae but threw away his plow during the #aibjs to concentrate solely on dairying1 citing erosion problems and the more constant income of dairying as his reasons4#add ,so widespread was this tendency to embrace dairy farming that a traveller riding through the county in #aicj sensed that it is not farming country at all1 because there is very little planting done4 ,we saw few fields in which a crop had been recently harvested 444 it is apparently a grazing country4#ade ,despite its spectacular achievements1 the ,fairfax ,county dairy industry did not rise with an unchecked ascent but suffered a certain share of problems and setbacks4 ,in one sense its very success was its worst enemy4 ,although many farmers continued to focus on dairying1 by #aibf there was a surplus of milk on the ,washington market and the county agent noted that it appears as if we had sufficient dairies4#adf ,still1 while prices dropped steadily between #aibf and #aice1adg farmers continued to increase their yields in hopes of increasing profits by shear quantities of milk sold4 ,one county farmer commenting on the futility of this1 remarked3 ,we were getting about #be;c a gallon for our base milk4 ,seventy-five gallons a day at #be;c a gallon wasn't paying the interest and the mortgage on his farm loan4 ,so we decided in #aibh that we would put in some more cows and get a little extra money to help pay off this mortgage and this loan4 ,so we started shipping1 instead of #ge gallons of milk a day1 #ij to #ie gallons of milk a day4 ,then milk went down from #be;c a gallon to #bb;c a gallon4 ,well1 we couldn't do that1 so we put some more stalls on the barn and built a new silo and put in enough cows to ship #abe gallons of milk a day 444 it was only netting us #ah to #ai;c a gallon 444 the more we worked1 the more we produced1 and the harder we worked1 it seemed like the less net income we had4#adh ,against this turn of events the state agricultural service advocated poultry and truck farming for those entering the county and urged a more uniform distribution of the county's cattle4 ,some farmers had too few cows for even their own use4 ,others had too many and no feed4 ,a few good cows well kept1 rather than a large number poorly fed1 will bring in a steady income1 that will do much for our farmers in their present conditions1 advised ,county ,agent ,derr4#adi ,he also hoped to see farmers concentrate on the butterfat content of their milk and to increase their production of cream for which there was a continual market2 the skim milk left after the removal of cream could be fed to calves1 pigs or children4 ,most often ,derr cautioned against the dangers of complete specialization at the expense of an integrated farm in which each facet of the farm was both aided and benefitted by every other part4 ,the old slogan1 'the cow1 the sow and the hen1' is a very true one1 he wrote1 especially in the ,south4#aej ,derr did well to emphasize the quality of milk products4 ,a #aicb ruling in the ,district of ,columbia requiring a #d butterfat content in milk sold there occurred just as ,derr was complaining that with many the quality of the milk is not such a vital question as the quantity4 ,holstein cattle1 which gave higher yields but less rich milk than did ,jerseys or ,guernseys1 predominated in the county1 making the new demand a difficult one to meet4 ,in desperation some farmers tried cross-breeding the two strains with mixed results2 the inevitable outcome was to compromise the county's movement towards establishing herds of pure-bred animals4#aea ,the mixing of breeds to increase butterfat content was not the only element which undercut the breeding program4 ,one problem1 the selling of highly profitable animals1 was yet another hazard of success4 ,owing to the excellent reports being made by our cow testing associations1 numerous buyers from other states have come into the county and by paying almost fabulous prices have taken away quite a number of our best animals1 ,derr wrote in #aibf4 ,in some cases this has proved a costly undertaking for our dairymen1 as by bringing new animals into their herds 444 either ,t ,b or abortion has been introduced4#aeb ,another factor working against pure-bred stock was the depression1 which for farmers encompassed not only the #aicjs1 but the entire period following the deflation of ,world ,war ,i prices4 ,with less cash available1 many farmers bought poor quality bulls rather than invest the money for a pure-bred animal4#aec ,notwithstanding these setbacks1 dairy farming continued to be ,fairfax ,county's predominant 7and most prestigious7 industry during the #aibjs and #aicjs4 ,indeed1 it flourished well into the #aiejs and was eclipsed only by the overwhelming spread of urban workers into the area in the second half of the century4 ,until this development occurred1 it was the dairy farmer's life which set the style and pace of life in the county4 99 99 99 99 99 ,mechanization and specialization of the family farm did not necessarily lighten the farmer's workload4 ,an electric machine could cut several hours per week off milking time1 but this time gain was offset by the hours spent on sterilization and maintenance4 ,threshers eliminated the time-consuming chore of hand-flailing the grain1 but the farmer still had to cut and stack his harvest1 and it took several men a number of days to run the machine4 ,the grower was at the mercy of the machine's owner as to the day and time he was able to thresh2 here again1 he lost a measure of independence4#aed ,the excellent efforts of the ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,associations also produced work for the farmers1 especially those unaccustomed to bookkeeping4 ,the landowner who had kept his records in an old shoe box was now expected to record the precise weight and butterfat content of the milk given by each cow1 as well as the market value1 number of days tested and amount and cost of grain fed the animal4 ,the data shown in the ,herd ,record ,books belonging to ,c4 ,t4 ,rice reveal them to be complex documents which required in addition to the above information1 hereditary records1 descriptions of physical features1 and yearly and monthly production averages4#aee ,the efforts were rewarding1 of course1 but1 added to the farmer's already overloaded day1 the recordkeeping could be burdensome4 ,both ,agents ,derr and ,beard complained constantly of the farmer's reluctance to keep records and in their attempts to increase the area's professional methods and pride1 they stressed the need to keep accurate accounts of the farm's transactions4#aef 99 99 99 99 99 ,the advent of technological application in the farming sector was a cause of both optimism and disquiet4 ,it eliminated some drudgery1 it streamlined and modernized1 but it also uprooted traditions and added financial and emotional burdens to the already pressured farmer4 ,to cope with the new agricultural methods and outlook1 farmers increasingly chose to relinquish some of their independence and band together to solve their problems4 ,illustration3 ,hard ,work ,made ,easy and ,quick wrote a local farmer on the back of this photograph4 ,the mechanical hay loader eliminated the taxing work of pitching hay into a barn loft1 c4 #aice4 ,photo courtesy of ,holden ,harrison4 ,,part ,,ii--,,notes ,change #ib ,barger and ,lansberg1 ,american ,agriculture1 #ahii-aici1 #bab4 #ic ,ibid41 #bja-bjb4 #id ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ie ,ibid42 ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 ,barger and ,lansberg1 ,american ,agriculture1 #ahii-aici1 #bab4 #if ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ig ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #ge-gf2 and ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 photo section4 #ih ,derr ,report1 #aicf4 ,in #aidj there were still only #bih tractors in the county4 ,see ,agricultural ,census1 #aidj4 #ii ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ajj ,barger and ,lansberg1 ,american ,agriculture1 #ahii-aici1 #bba2 ,richard ,peck was among those in the ,floris vicinity who believed that the early machines ruined a good cow2 see ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #aja ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 ,the ,harrisons bought their equipment quite early--around #aibd2 ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh2 ,j4 ,middleton_/,netherton1 ,february #bd1 #aigh2 ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh4 #ajb ,advertisements in ,herndon ,news-,observer2 and ,holden ,harrison quoted in ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ajc ,author's conversation with ,joseph ,beard1 ,april #be1 #aigi2 and ,sears and ,roebuck catalog1 #aibg-aibh4 #ajd ,inventory of property of ,george ,w4 ,kidwell1 ,april #f1 #aibh1 ,fairfax ,county ,will ,book ,liber #aa1 #cdc-cdd4 #aje ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember2 and notes on conversation with ,joseph ,beard1 ,april #af1 #aigi4 #ajf ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 ,congressional ,record4 #ajg ,russell ,lord1 ,men of ,earth 7,new ,york1 #aica71 #hj4 #ajh ,poultry ,men ,confer1 ,fairfax ,herald1 ,february #bf1 #aibf4 #aji ,virginia ,agricultural ,advisory ,council1 ,a ,five ,year ,program for the ,development of ,virginia's ,agriculture 7,richmond1 #aibc71 #bi2 and ,derr ,report1 #aibj4 #aaj ,derr ,report1 #aibf4 #aaa ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #aab ,derr ,reports1 nearly every year4 ,see1 for example1 #aicb1 #aa4 #aac ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #aad ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #aae ,derr ,report1 #aicb1 #aa4 #aaf ,ibid41 #aibf1 #h4 #aag ,ibid41 #aibe1 #f4 #aah ,beard_/,netherton_/,reid1 ,november1 #aigd4 #aai ,ibid4 #abj ,derr ,report1 #aicj1 #bi4 #aba ,ibid41 #aicf1 #af2 and notes following interview1 ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #abb ,farm ,notes and ,scientific ,feeding1 ,january #bb1 #aibe2 and ,rid ,houses and ,hens of ,vermin1 ,october #ba1 #aibf2 all in ,herndon ,news-,observer4 #abc ,ibid41 ,april #ad1 #aicb4 #abd ,bailey_/,netherton1 ,december #ai1 #aigh2 and ,the ,southern ,planter1 ,april1 #aicj4 #abe ,statements of ,holden ,harrison and ,joseph ,beard in ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #abf ,the ,way ,out for the ,farmer1 ,washington ,star1 ,june #ai1 #aicb2 ,agricultural ,census1 #aibe2 ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #ga2 ,a ,unique ,fairfax ,county ,farm1 undated newspaper clipping 7c4 #aide7 belonging to ,mrs4 ,mary ,scott2 ,elizabeth ,rice to author1 ,wilmington1 ,delaware1 ,january #cj1 #aigi4 #abg ,funk1 ,an ,economic ,history of ,small ,farms ,near ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #d4 #abh ,derr ,report1 #aice1 #aj4 ,mr4 ,d4 ,h4 ,mc,aslan made about #ejj the first year from a #adc investment4 #abi ,funk1 ,an ,economic ,history of ,small ,farms ,near ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #f-g2 ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county2 and ,derr ,report1 #aibg1 #ac4 #acj ,description of ,a4 ,s4 ,harrison by ,holden ,harrison1 ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #aca ,fairfax ,farmer ,states ,facts1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,march #a1 #aicd4 #acb ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #bi-cj4 #acc ,nan ,netherton1 ,donald ,sweig1 ,janice ,artemel1 ,patricia ,hickin1 and ,patrick ,reed1 ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia3 ,a ,history 7,fairfax ,virginia1 #aigh71 #dhj-dhc4 #acd ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #bf-bg4 #ace ,pure ,bred ,bulls1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,may #ag1 #aibh1 #a2 and ,derr ,report1 #aibf1 #f4 #acf ,history of the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,may #d1 #aicc4 #acg ,ibid42 and ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #ach ,william ,edward ,garnett1 ,rural ,organization in ,relation to ,rural ,life in ,virginia1 ,virginia ,agricultural ,extension ,station ,bulletin #bef 7,blacksburg1 ,may #aibg71 #aa2 and ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #hc4 #aci ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #adj ,garnett1 ,rural ,organization in ,relation to ,rural ,life in ,virginia1 and ,ibid4 #ada ,agricultural ,censes1 #aibe1 #aidj4 ,the #aidj figures show milk production per farm in ,fairfax ,county to be #djj above the average in the state4 #adb ,derr ,report1 #aicg2 and ,state ,dairy ,herd ,improvement ,association1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,august #h1 #aice4 #adc ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #add ,fairfax ,farmer ,threw ,away ,his ,plow in #aibh and ,amazing ,results ,have ,been ,revolutionary1 ,richmond ,times-,dispatch1 ,september #ag1 #aiea4 #ade ,oliver ,martin1 ,on and ,off the ,concrete in ,maryland1 ,virginia and ,west ,virginia 7,washington1 #aicj71 #bf4 #adf ,derr ,reports1 #aibf1 #f1 and #aibg1 #ac4 #adg ,milk prices dropped from #d4je per #ajj gallons in #aibj to a low of #b4aj in #aicb4 ,by #aice they were still low1 but had risen some to #b4be4 ,the prices given are ,july figures2 ,january listings were generally a bit higher4 ,see ,virginia ,farm ,statistics 7,richmond1 #aicf71 #ei4 #adh ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #adi ,h4 ,b4 ,derr1 ,helping ,farmers1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,april #ad1 #aicb2 and ,derr ,report1 #aibg1 #ac4 #aej ,derr1 ,helping ,farmers4 #aea ,derr ,report1 #aicb1 #e4 #aeb ,derr ,report1 #aibf1 #f4 #aec ,derr ,report1 #aicb1 #f4 #aed ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember2 and #afth ,census of the ,united ,states1 #aidj1 ,agriculture--,volume ,i1 ,statistics for ,counties 7,washington1 #aidb74 #aee ,c4 ,t4 ,rice ,herd ,record ,books1 #aibc-aicg1 in possession of ,mrs4 ,mary ,scott4 #aef ,derr and ,beard ,reports1 nearly every year1 see especially #aibf1 #aicb4 ,,part ,,iii ,professionalization and an ,increased ,standard of ,living ,specialization1 whether in truck farming1 dairying or poultry raising1 streamlined the farmer's work and gave him an in-depth body of knowledge in a particular field4 ,this expertise made for occupational prestige and increased status in non-farm communities2 acknowledgment of the farmer as a professional developed markedly during the #aibjs and #aicjs4 ,detailed knowledge had been essential to the general farmer but it was not widely recognized as a specialized skill4 ,the professionalization taking place was also due to the farmer's own recognition of his unique role and his attempts to enhance it through farmer's clubs1 educational opportunities and community projects4 ,it also reflected a larger concern in the nation with upgrading standards and promoting solidarity among discrete occupational groups1 a remnant from the movement towards efficiency and proficiency of the ,progressive ,era4#aeg ,an important advance for the farmer was the increased opportunities in agricultural education4 ,the ,hatch ,act had provided for agricultural programs to be established in the ,land ,grant ,colleges1 and ensuing legislation in #aiag called for farm courses to be added to the high school curriculum4#aeh ,this significant step was resisted for a short time in ,fairfax ,county1 where the school board preferred to teach ,latin rather than agriculture in the schools1 a policy held in disdain by local farmers3 ,latin was of no use unless you want to go around the barn and swear at some creature in an old language4#aei ,when vocational training was finally adopted in #aiai1 the chances for farm children to keep up with the burgeoning technology and sharpen their acquired skills were immeasurably increased4 ,in ,virginia practical skills were taught but so were a program of social studies dealing with the quality of life in rural areas1 focusing on problems of transportation1 recreation1 resource protection and consumption patterns4#afj ,such official sanction for agricultural education was a recognition that farming was not merely a plodding or unskilled activity1 but an exacting science which required intelligence and application to master4 ,extensive study of agriculture in high school or college was the ideal1 of course1 but a number of programs were developed to further the established farmer's basic skills4 ,ray ,harrison went to ,baltimore to take a farmer's course in veterinary medicine and ,wilson ,d4 ,mc,nair travelled all the way to ,new ,brunswick1 ,new ,jersey1 to learn the most advanced methods of poultry farming4 ,mc,nair later enrolled in a two-year course at ,,vpi4 ,another farmer1 ,fred ,curtice1 from the ,navy area1 had degrees from ,cornell ,university and took veterinary courses from ,george ,washington ,university4#afa ,the county agent also designed extension schools for interested farmers4 ,in ,february1 #aicc1 for example1 a two-day poultry school was attended by #ge farmers who heard reports by local farmers1 talks by experts from ,,usda and ,,vpi and workshops on topics such as ,egg ,grading1 ,growing the ,pullets1 and ,the ,poultry ,outlook for ,virginia4#afb ,less intensive programs were also offered1 such as the free showing of a dairy-oriented film1 ,safeguarding the ,foster ,mothers of the ,world4 ,a profitable evening is promised1 announced the film's advertisement1 especially to those interested in the economical production of milk by up-to-date methods4#afc ,illustration3 ,the ,fairfax ,county ,grange meeting at a schoolhouse near ,fairfax1 c4 #aidj4 ,photo1 ,library of ,congress4 ,perhaps of even greater benefit to the farmer's image and expertise was the growth of local farmer's organizations and cooperatives4 ,the largest and most prominent nationally was the ,grange1 a farmer's association initially started in ,washington1 ,d4,c41 in #ahfg4 ,fairfax ,county boasted four chapters of this organization1 formed in the late years of the #aibjs4 ,the ,grange interested itself in agricultural activities and civic matters and it was upon its recommendation that the county agent was appointed4#afd ,of more immediate concern1 however1 were the local farmer's clubs1 and the unofficial associations of orchardists or dairymen who met to discuss surpluses1 crop problems or the need to advertise4 ,the farmer's clubs were the outgrowth of community groups which sprang up spontaneously in the county from the mid-nineteenth century on1 but which were expanded and formalized by ,h4 ,b4 ,derr in the mid-#aibjs4 ,as he described them they were unique in their plans in that they are composed of twelve families and they meet once a year at each home4444 ,they meet in time for dinner and after dinner 444 the men go over the farm and discuss current farm problems4 ,then they return to the house and listen to some speaker who has been invited for an informal talk4#afe ,broadening and sociable1 the clubs became an outstanding feature of ,fairfax ,county farm organization4 ,the minutes from the meetings of ,farmer's ,club #a1 which was based in ,herndon and was made up predominantly of members from the ,floris area1 show the variety of subjects discussed4 ,a meeting in ,march1 #aiba1 included a lecture on contagious abortion 7a disease chiefly affecting dairy cows74 ,road conditions were discussed in ,april1 #aibd4 ,problems of milk cooling and the effectiveness of the agricultural high school were topics in ,march1 #aibh1 and the following month state legislator ,h4 ,e4 ,hanes addressed the club on farm issues and voting procedures in the upcoming elections4 ,the club members also joined together to buy seed in quantity in order to reduce cost and effort4 ,informative as the meetings were1 of equal importance was the bond of friendship and professional affiliation which the farmer's clubs fostered4 ,by working closely with men of similar interests1 a network was built up which increased the agriculturalists' pride and effectiveness2 not only could the farmer identify with the attitudes and problems of his associates1 but could work with them to fulfill mutual needs4 ,the sincere respect felt among members of this group is shown in the following tribute1 written after the death of one associated farmer1 ,s4 ,l4 ,chapin3 ,be it resolved3 ,that we pause to drop a tear of sympathy and love1 to express in our humble way the deep feeling of our loss4 ,bold and fearless in the expression of his opinion1 kind and considerate at all times1 and under all conditions4 ,his life and association with his fellow men were full of love and tenderness4444 ,to his bereaved family we tender our deepest sympathy and may the recolections 7sic7 of his cheerful disposition ever remain fresh in our memories1 as we recall many pleasant incidents of his associations4#aff ,as farmers organized1 they reinforced their own values and occupational identity1 and what is more1 they combined their efforts to work for the change they sought most4 ,the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association is an obvious example of this4 ,smaller cooperatives1 many of them outgrowths of the farmer's clubs1 sprang up throughout the county1 though none of them had the longevity or impact of the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association4 ,a ,floris ,milk ,producers ,association was founded in #aibe to operate and repair milk collecting trucks and the ,dairy ,marketing ,company and ,fairfax ,county ,farmer's ,service ,company 7which featured cooperative buying of seed7 started a few years later4 ,none of these bodies remained permanent features of the area's organizations1 but all helped the farmer to see the advantage of collective effort4 ,the professional attitude adopted by the farmers' groups is evident in the stringent standards required in their service contracts4 ,no longer was an informal gentleman's agreement sufficient4 ,farmers expected seed to be of a certain weight and quality1 milk to be delivered at a coolness satisfactory to the dealer1 and sanitary measures to be strictly followed4#afg ,in effect the cooperative movement enlarged the farmer's working partners to include not only his family and hired labor1 but the community as a whole4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,the ,floris ,home ,demonstration ,club1 #aicj winners of the ,county ,championship for most effective club4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,reports1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,a #d-;,h ,club display at the county ,achievement ,day1 showing the stress on nutrition of the ,oakton and ,pope's ,head ,clubs4 ,photos in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aicj1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,a community fair1 c4 #aibb1 similar to those held in the ,floris area4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibb1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,a suggested model farm for ,fairfax ,county developed in #aibd by ,county ,agent ,h4 ,b4 ,derr4 ,the model includes crop rotation1 annual budget and a schedule of livestock feeding and purchase4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibd1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,women and children were also encouraged to professionalize4 ,working jointly with the agricultural agent was a home demonstration agent who gave advice1 lectures and demonstrations geared toward increased economy and convenience for the homemaker4 ,home ,demonstration ,clubs were organized in each community to acquaint farm women with the newest research on food preservation1 household efficiency and organizational skills4 ,courses in fancy needlework and cake-baking were sometimes featured but the home demonstration agents' work more frequently took a pragmatic bent4 ,the seriousness with which the homemaker was regarded1 and the new image of professionalism which she hoped to evoke is evidenced in the schedule of classes led by agent ,lucy ,blake in early #aich3 ,january ,home ,lighting and ,wiring ,february ,the ,homemaker as ,planner--,her ,job and the ,planning ,center ,march ,schedules and ,deadlines ,april ,citizenship ,may ,the ,homemaker as ,handyman ,june ,the ,homemaker as ,buyer#afh ,in addition1 the clubs raised money for neighborhood beautification and worked on community projects4 ,the ,floris ,club annually canned fruits1 vegetables and meats for a hot school lunch program and also donated their time to serve it4 ,as in the more male-oriented ,farmer's ,clubs1 the organizations fostered pride and identity among the farm women1 as well as concretely improving conditions on the farm4#afi ,the home demonstration agent also ran the county's #d-;,h clubs1 branches of a nationwide organization founded in #aijc4 ,four-,h members dedicated their heads1 hearts1 hands and health to improving rural conditions2 the club's goal was to give practical training to children whose life was likely to be spent on the farm4 ,boys were schooled in agronomy1 mechanics and animal husbandry and pursued individual projects in these fields4 ,girls also worked both with groups and individually in such areas as food for health1 clothes remodeling and room improvement4 ,summer camps1 rallies and fairs were also sponsored by #d-;,h ,clubs4 ,at one camp1 held near ,woodlawn1 the week-long program included workshops in canning1 basketry and utilization of dairy products1 a sidetrip to see fireworks1 and those perennial camp favorites of swimming1 weenie roasts and stunt nights4#agj ,illustration3 ,the #d-;,h ,girls ,camp at ,woodlawn4 ,fewer boys were able to attend such camps since their labor was needed on the farm4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,the cream of the crop of ,fairfax ,county girlhood on a float meant for the ,piedmont ,dairy ,festival parade4 ,photo in ,h4 ,b4 ,derr ,report1 #aicj1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,the #d-;,h ,clubs never caught on in ,fairfax ,county to the satisfaction of the home demonstration and agricultural agents4 ,the past year has not been a banner year for club work1 wrote ,derr in #aibf4 ,four clubs were organized 444 but the agent is inclined to think that with a number of members this was done to be excused from a study period4 ,the small amount of work done on their projects seems to substantiate this belief4#aga ,the clubs grew slowly partly because they overlapped the work of the ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school and the ,future ,farmers of ,america ,club1 founded in #aibg4agb ,there is also some evidence that parents were reluctant to release their children from farm work to attend meetings4#agc ,for those who did join1 the meetings seem to have been fun and profitable4 ,not only do you learn from #d-;,h how to make a home and a living1 an enthusiastic member commented in #aicc1 but you also learn how to make life worthwhile4 ,we now realize more than ever our duties1 as the child of today will be the adult of tomorrow4#agd ,as is evident in the above quotation1 groups such as the #d-;,h or ,future ,farmers of ,america encouraged a child to identify with and improve on rural life4 ,these organizations not only stressed occupational pride1 but benefitted the community by training leaders who had early experience with professional farming techniques4 99 99 99 99 99 ,aside from the need to influence milk and produce prices1 two chief concerns of the farmer's organizations were the establishment of electricity throughout the county and the improvement of the area's roads4 ,the move towards rural electrification was a popular one across the nation1 cited continually as the one item most useful to the farmer for advancing mechanization and of greatest importance in raising the farm family's standard of living4 ,with electricity the family could use a radio1 rid themselves of smoky kerosene lighting and enjoy the use of more efficient and cleaner stoves and refrigeration4 ,the pragmatic desire for electrical equipment to operate milking machines and water pumps was intensified by advertisements such as one which appeared in the ,herndon ,news-,observer claiming that electricity would make life convenient and happy as well as add fifteen to twenty years to the farm woman's life4#age ,unfortunately1 the route to establishing electrical facilities in the county was not an easy one4 ,some farmers used small gasoline engines to produce power1 but these1 the contrariest little machines1 were unreliable and frequently too weak to run milking equipment4 ,derr reported that #ih of the farmers desired this convenience but the expense seemed prohibitive4 ,commercial electric companies were reluctant to build lines through sparsely settled areas1 and the farmers were forced to finance their own power plants4 ,in #aicc the federal government began a program to subsidize local electrification programs and make them financially viable the only drawback being the undue amount of red tape to go through involved in qualifying4 ,the cost of building new lines was found to range from one thousand to two thousand dollars a mile1 stated a discouraged ,derr4 ,we were hardly prepared to be told that the farmers 444 must organize a farm cooperative 444 borrow the money from the ,government and build their own lines to be self-liquidating in twenty years at #c interest4#agf ,difficult as the process seemed1 the farmers had little choice if they hoped to electrify their neighborhoods4 ,in this instance1 an organization was not only an advantage for success in furthering the community's amenities1 but a necessity4 ,that the ,floris community was one of the earlier areas to enjoy the benefits of electrification was a result of great effort on the part of its citizens4 ,a franchise for an electric power plant was granted to ,herndon in #aiae but never materialized1 and prior to #aibd the nearest generating operation was in ,alexandria4#agg ,a group of farmers from ,loudoun and ,fairfax ,counties1 headed by ,a4 ,s4 ,harrison1 hired an engineer and travelled throughout the ,dranesville ,district to encourage farmers to contribute time and money towards an electrical plant4 ,eventually they raised enough cash to form a stock company and a power line was built between ,alexandria and ,herndon1 and subsequently on to ,leesburg4#agh ,the initiative shown by the ,floris farmers was rewarded by a distinct advantage over non-electrified communities4 ,as late as #aidj over #ce of the county's farms were without electric power4 ,a survey conducted in that year showed these non-electrified areas to be the least productive1 and most depressed in morale and way of life4#agi ,water and sanitation systems were also difficult to establish despite concerted efforts by the home demonstration agents4 ,slightly over #aj of the county's farm homes contained complete water systems in #aicb1 though a larger percentage had partial plumbing facilities4 ,even in #aidj1 only #ai of the homes in the ,dranesville area 7and #dj in the county as a whole7 boasted running water4 ,low as these figures seem1 however1 they were the highest in the state4 ,because good water was abundant in the area1 farmers saw less need to campaign for extended water mains or sewer lines1 in spite of their advantages for health and convenience4 ,it was not until the population boom of ,world ,war ,,ii that really modern utilities were established in the county on a large scale4#ahj ,of greater significance was the effort to better the county's road system4 ,southern roads in general--and ,virginia's in particular--had been notorious since their inception for ruts1 abrupt endings and1 especially1 mud4 ,in #aiah there were only a few miles of surfaced road in ,fairfax ,county1 and any roadbuilding or repairs were made at the discretion of individual landowners4#aha ,the inconveniences caused by the poor roads became legendary4 ,one woman remembered the roads being so rough that eggs would break on the way to market1 and another1 ,emma ,millard1 stated that conditions were bad enough that you would lose your boots when you went through so much mud and had to go back and retrieve the boots4#ahb ,when automobiles became more common on the county's thoroughfares1 they increased the problem of dust1 deeply worn grooves and splashing muddy water4 ,at the same time they pointed up the necessity for improvement4 ,the early solid tire vehicles could barely operate in the thick red ,virginia mud1 thus greatly retarding transportation of produce and milk4 ,if you had three drops of rain on the road1 the tires started spinning and you couldn't go anywhere much without chains1 recollected one early farmer4 ,every truck carried a set of tire chains in the event it rained4 ,in the summertime if it rained1 you stuck right on the first little grade you hit4 ,not until #aibb did farmers attempt to haul their goods in trucks1 and even then they broke more axles than anything else4#ahc ,farmers were acutely aware of the situation and some of their earliest united efforts were focused on road improvement4 ,records of ,farmer's ,club #a show the topic to be the subject of discussion at several meetings a year1 beginning in #aiji4 ,initially they tried only to interest the county in undertaking repairs but as conditions worsened1 the landowners began to appeal to county judges and the ,board of ,supervisors for bond issues to surface ,little ,river ,turnpike and other main roads4 ,resolutions1 such as the following from a ,herndon-based club1 were regularly sent to government officials3 ,resolved3 ,that we1 ,farmer's ,club #d 444 favor petitioning the circuit judge of the county to order an election for the purpose of determining whether bonds shall be issued for the sum of #ej1jjj for the construction of a macadam road from ,little ,river ,turnpike at ,chantilly to the ,leesburg ,pike at ,dranesville1 and as much more as possible4#ahd ,in some cases the clubs even worked together to build their own roads4#ahe ,after ten years of pressure by farm groups1 a bond issue was presented to the voters to pave the ,leesburg ,pike1 the road from ,chantilly to ,herndon which ran through ,floris1 and a thoroughfare extending beyond ,herndon to ,mock ,corner4 ,the weight with which area residents viewed this issue is shown in a statement made by the ,herndon ,chamber of ,commerce3 ,if this bond issue fails1 it will be the greatest calamity that has befallen this community in many years4 ,happily the bond issue did pass and this1 plus the statewide road program sponsored under the leadership of ,governor ,harry ,f4 ,byrd from #aibf to #aicj1 eliminated the bulk of the road problems4 ,only a few years later1 in #aibh1 ,fairfax was one of the foremost counties in ,virginia in the area of transportation1 with over #afj miles of surfaced roads4#ahf ,illustration3 ,improved and unimproved roads in the ,herndon area1 c4 #aicj4 ,note that the only surfaced roads ran between ,herndon and ,centreville4 ,map surveyed by the ,office of the ,county ,engineer1 ,fairfax ,county4 ,copy courtesy of ,library of ,congress ,map ,division4 ,illustration3 ,stuck in the mud on one of the county's roads1 c4 #aiaa4 ,photo1 ,virginia ,department of ,highways and ,transportation4 ,surfaced roads were an obvious boon to marketing but they also had a number of unexpected positive effects4 ,conscientious and efficient as the farmers had tried to be1 the county had worn a rather untidy appearance for several years4 ,a traveler observed that the fences are not as trigly mended or the buildings as trimly painted as in the ,shenandoah ,valley4 ,a haystack is merely a pile of hay and not a neatly fashioned cock4444#ahg ,county agent ,derr also admitted that in at least #ge percent of the farm homes there is little or no attention to the improvement of the home surroundings4 ,the extension service worked valiantly to mitigate this problem by offering courses in landscaping and home maintenance1 but to their surprise they found that the chief stimulus to home improvement was the repair of roads4 ,those areas which appeared most untidy were found on unimproved thoroughfares1 which ,derr maintained had a depressing effect on the farm family4 ,there is a direct correllation 7sic71 he noted1 between the improvement of the roads and the painting and fixing up of things around the house4#ahh ,another beneficial side effect of the surfaced highway network was the birth of the roadside stand for selling surplus produce1 dairy and poultry products4 ,there were some distinct advantages to the stands1 as farmers could sell directly to the customer without the costly use of a middleman1 and did not have to transport his goods to city consumers4 ,a count made in #aicg found #baj roadside stands in the county4#ahi ,earlier1 the ,herndon ,news-,observer had reported the success of the new markets which lent themselves to the disposal of second-grade products or fruits and vegetables too ripe for distant shipping and had grown to an unusual business 444 for the farmers fortunate enough to live along popular highways4 ,business indeed seems to have been brisk2 by #aibf the farmers were pocketing over #b1jjj per month from the roadside markets4#aij 99 99 99 99 99 ,new discoveries in technology1 educational opportunities and a refurbished transportation network were naturally considered advances in their time2 they could be loosely headed under the term progress4 ,but progress does not run along a perfectly straight path1 rather it dips and weaves ignoring some people and places in its circuitous route4 ,consequently1 many of the changes so eagerly embraced by the farmer of modest means were the very factors which eventually crowded out the family farm4 ,the farmers of ,fairfax ,county were for the most part unaware of their impending doom1 being instead optimistic and relatively prosperous during the #aibjs and #aicjs4 ,but the small1 varied and preindustrial farm could not compete for long against the lure of city wages1 highly mechanized and specialized farms1 and the inroads of the city into rural areas4 ,mechanization most drastically altered life on the family farm4 ,work rhythms and patterns1 previously geared to hand labor1 were disrupted1 and even the sounds on the farm changed4 ,older cows1 for example1 disliked the noise of the electric milking machines1 and ,wilson ,mc,nair wrote that horses were generally scared of traction engines with their hissing steam1 etc4 ,when the engine met a team it would stop and one man would lead the horses by the bridle past the engine4444 ,at the railroad crossing in ,herndon there was a bell that rung when a train was coming4 ,our pony1 if the bell was ringing when we crossed the track coming home would break into a dead run4 ,you couldn't hold her4#aia ,to the interim farmer1 caught between completely automated equipment and the tradition of hand labor1 the change in work habits1 knowledge and goals could be more than vaguely disquieting4 ,as mechanization increased1 many began to speak of agriculture in industrial terms1 believing that factorizing the farm would solve its problems4 ,this meant dispensing with any unnecessary tasks1 such as raising sheep or making soap1 and as much as possible replacing manpower with machinery4 ,technical terminology started to creep into farm talk4 ,c4 ,t4 ,rice referred to his dairy as a milk producing plant1#aib ancient terms such as culling became selective breeding1 and even the animals were referred to as machines1 which if poorly constructed must be 444 discarded by the good breeder4#aic ,to independent-minded farmers1 who1 as ,sinclair ,lewis had observed1 jealously guarded the ability to escape the mill and turmoil of the city1 this industrialization seemed the ultimate compromise4 ,the findings of the ,commission to study the ,condition of the ,farmers of ,virginia 7#aicj7 show the rural values of a most fundamental character to be those most prized by the agriculturalist3 ,among these are3 a7 ,the advantages of the country for bringing up a family 444 a greater sharing of responsibilities1 a closer knit1 more stable family life4444 b7 ,the satisfactions 444 of contacts with forces of nature1 of caring for plants and animals1 and of seeing them grow4444 c7 ,greater freedom from various types of restraints1 including somewhat greater control over time and freedom of personal action2 also less intense struggle to keep up with or ahead of others4444 d7 somewhat greater freedom from illness1 together with a better prospect of attaining old age4 e7 ,greater security against unemployment as well as less prospect of falling into absolute want4#aid ,yet in the post-,world ,war ,i period the farmer had increasingly to commercialize and mechanize his business to remain solvent and to citify his life1 destroying in numerous instances the standards he held dear4 ,i used to 'farm' some and made money at it2 now ,i'm 'engaged in the pursuit of agriculture' and can't make ends meet1 commented one ,u4 ,s4 ,secretary of ,agriculture1 echoing the sentiments of many small landowners4#aie ,the new farm mechanization was1 in many cases1 not particularly well adapted to the family farm in this period4 ,gasoline-powered tractors1 harvesters and other equipment worked most economically on the large1 level acres of midwestern farms1 and the east coast farmer with modest landholdings could not hope to compete on the market with the streamlined efficiency of western farms4 ,mechanized farming was also capital intensive4 ,besides the initial cost of equipment there were expenses for maintenance and fuel4 ,whereas the farmer had been able to raise feed for horses or mules inexpensively1 he could not grow gasoline4 ,farmers usually had to borrow money to purchase equipment and sometimes they over-indulged4 ,i know one or two that did1 said ,joseph ,beard4 ,when you have several thousand dollars invested in machinery1 and you only use it three1 five1 ten1 fifteen days a year1 the rest of the time it's sitting idle 444 it would have been 444 better if they had hired their work done from someone else rather than put that much into it4#aif ,more cash was needed to buy manufactured goods as the farm became less self-supporting1 but prices for raw materials remained low during the agricultural slump of the #aibjs and #aicjs4 ,agriculture was much less distressed when the farm was a self-supporting home1 reflected the ,washington ,star3 ,but when factories began producing commodities in quantity the farmer could buy them easier than he could make them at home4 ,at first glance this looks like an admirable situation4 ,but the hitch arose when the farmer found himself unable to maintain a fair basis of exchange4#aig ,the result was that many farms of long-standing ownership had to be mortgaged4 ,in the space of one year 7between #aibd and #aibe7 county mortgages rose a dramatic #cj and by #aidj they had risen another #bj4aih ,worse yet1 a small but significant number of farmers and farm laborers were beginning to leave the countryside altogether to work in the city4 ,illustration3 ,the ,kidwell farm and ,floris vicinity shown in an aerial photograph taken in #aicg4 ,photo1 ,national ,archives and ,records ,service4 ,the county's improved transportation system was partially responsible for this4 ,access to markets had been facilitated by surfaced roads but an easy avenue to city jobs was also opened4 ,short and regular hours1 higher pay and city amenities were strong attractions to the farmer who had had to work from daybreak to backbreak for a scanty living4#aii ,in recognition of this problem1 ,derr wrote plaintively in his annual report of #aibe3 ,the worst feature is the fact that our small farmers in the main have such a hard time to get along that many of them are actually training their children along more lucrative lines1 and occupations other than farming4 ,many of these farmers have sold their farms or abandoned their leases and moved into the cities and are earning more money per day than they made per week in the country4 ,another important factor in this exodus from the farm is the fact that so many of our farm boys with good health and strength1 and not afraid of hard work are making good in the city4#bjj ,continuing on1 ,derr quoted one discouraged farmer3 ,one of my daughters is making #bb dollars a week1 and my wife is talking of getting a job too4 ,my wife can earn more in the city than ,i am getting so ,i guess ,i will take care of the house and let them go to work4#bja ,ironically1 additions such as electrification1 intended to improve the rural standard of living1 seem to have done little to check the migration4 ,,usda and ,united ,nations studies show that the very amenities which should have made life in the country more attractive often resulted in a large flow of the population towards urban areas1 a trend which continues today in developing countries4 ,even increased education1 which had as its goal professional quality in agricultural training1 sometimes simply broadened the farmer to possibilities outside his own realm4 ,sociologists and agriculturalists have found these repercussions puzzling and have not discovered clear-cut reasons for them4 ,perhaps with country and city life being ever homogenized by the use of radios1 automobiles1 consumer goods and the interflow of people1 the step of leaving the farm to try city life seemed less foreign and formidable4 ,in ,fairfax ,county the proximity of ,washington and ,alexandria made it especially tempting4#bjb ,it was not only farm owners who left home for city jobs1 but the farm laborers4 ,the effect of this exodus was devastating to the county's small farmer4 ,initially the scarcity of help meant cutting back additional farm activities1 the products of which were not earmarked for the market4 ,rebecca ,middleton remembered1 for instance1 that farmers stopped raising their own hogs chiefly because of the difficulty of hiring laborers to help with butchering4#bjc ,as labor shortages grew1 the available help raised their prices significantly1 eventually outpricing themselves for most farmers4 ,as ,joseph ,beard observed1 this trend did not affect ,fairfax ,county in a really dramatic way until after ,world ,war ,,ii1 by virtue of the fact that most farmers raised anywhere from two to five children4 ,most every farmer's hired hand raised from two to five children4 ,now there just wasn't room on this farm to employ ten to twelve children4 ,with such large families the drain to ,washington did not so clearly affect the farms at the outset4#bjd ,nevertheless1 the trend retains its significance1 for the high cost of labor1 which contributed greatly to the demise of the self-supporting farm1 had its roots in the optimistic improvement of transportation systems in the second and third decades of the century4#bje ,the improved roads carried yet another liability3 an increase in land value and the consequent rise in taxation4 ,in #aibc the average acre in the county was worth #e to #aj2 it had more than doubled in value by the end of that decade4#bjf ,taxes rose accordingly4 ,the editors of the ,fairfax ,herald complained in #aibf that in addition to the cost of living which had risen #gh from #aiac1 they paid federal taxes which were #bjj over the pre-,world ,war ,i figure4#bjg ,the farmer also carried the burden of cost for his much-desired roads4 ,in addition to bond issues1 there was a ,virginia state gasoline tax which fell heavily on the farmer with his gas-driven machinery and need to haul produce to market4#bjh ,taxation1 like labor1 machinery and manufactured goods1 called for additional cash1 which was more and more difficult for the family farmer to raise4 ,there's only one thing that has driven the dairy industry out of ,fairfax ,county1 and that's taxes1 concluded ,holden ,harrison4 ,the land was suitable1 the location was suitable1 but who's going to run a dairy on #aj1jjj an acre land8#bji 99 99 99 99 99 ,an editorial in the ,fairfax ,herald for ,september #f1 #aice1 reflects well the changes seen on farms of the depression era4 ,housewives throughout the county are becoming more and more incensed over the steadily rising prices of foodstuffs1 particularly meats4444 ,in many places housewives are actually boycotting merchants who attempt to sell meat at the present price level4 ,the blame for the present rise in prices lies directly at the door of the ,raw ,dealers and ,brain ,trusters4 ,these smart young gentlemen had a theory and in pursuance of that theory they slaughtered a great number of hogs1 in order to keep prices at an unnaturally high level4 ,they succeeded only too well4#baj ,that the farm family was no longer raising its own meat1 that they had lost a good deal of control over the quality and availability of their daily necessities1 that housewives viewed themselves as important and cohesive enough to organize a boycott1 that farm commodities were no longer strictly under the regulation of the farmer1 and that the government's interference was beginning to be questioned and resented were signs of radical change in rural economic and social structure4 ,the farmer was no longer so isolated1 nor so overtaxed with sheer physical labor4 ,the price he paid for these advantages was diminishing control over a way of life which had begun to slip away4 ,,part ,,iii--,,notes ,professionalization and an ,increased ,standard of ,living #aeg ,thomas ,a4 ,bailey1 ,the ,american ,pageant 7,boston1 ,d4 ,c4 ,heath1 #aiff71 #daf4 #aeh ,united ,states ,congressional ,record1 #aiad1 #aiaf1 #aiag4 #aei ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #afj ,kolb and ,brunner1 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society1 #dbd4 #afa ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember and ,fred ,curtice1 ,fairfax ,dairy ,farmer1 ,washington ,post1 ,october #bd1 #aigh4 #afb ,poultry ,school at ,fairfax1 ,february #af1 #aicc2 and ,two ,day ,poultry ,school a ,success1 ,march #b1 #aicc1 both in ,herndon ,news-,observer4 #afc ,advertisement in ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,june #d1 #aibe4 #afd ,beard_/,netherton_/,reed1 ,november1 #aigd4 #afe ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 #ad2 and #aicg ,report4 #aff ,minutes of ,meetings1 ,farmer's ,club #a1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,october #a1 #aiji to ,january #ac1 #aice1 copy courtesy of ,rebecca ,middleton4 #afg ,dairymen to ,meet1 ,fairfax ,herald1 ,august #cj1 #aice2 ,floris ,producers ,active1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,january #bb1 #aibe2 ,derr ,report1 #aibg2 for an outstanding example of a contract such as the one described1 see contract between ,burden ,s4 ,athey and ,windsor ,lodge ,farm1 ,huntley1 ,virginia1 ,may #ca1 #aicc1 in possession of ,mrs4 ,mary ,scott4 #afh ,lucy ,blake ,report1 #aich1 #g4 #afi ,see all of the annual reports of home demonstration agents1 especially ,sarah ,e4 ,thomas ,reports1 #aicc and #aicd2 and ,lucy ,steptoe ,report1 #aicf4 #agj ,for #d-;,h ,club activity1 see annual reports of home demonstration agents2 and ,the ,short ,course1 ,fairfax ,herald1 ,july #af1 #aibf4 #aga ,derr ,report1 #aibf4 #agb ,floris ',aggies' ,organize1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,january #ac1 #aibf 7sic1 #aibg72 and ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #agc ,influence of ,club ,members1 ,herndon ,news-,observer4 #agd ,muriel ,wheeler1 #d-;,h ,record ,book1 ,herndon ,club1 #aicc1 in #d-;,h ,record ,file1 in ,virginiana4 #age #aeth ,census of the ,united ,states1 ,agricultural ,summary1 #aicj2 ,kolb and ,brunner1 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society1 #chg2 and advertisement in ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,march #bf1 #aibe4 #agf ,derr ,report1 #aice1 #ac2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #agg ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 and ,rita ,shug1 ,the ,town of ,herndon1 unpublished monograph1 ,george ,mason ,university1 ,may1 #aigc1 #h4 #agh ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #agi ,,vpi1 ,housing1 #bf4 #ahj ,ibid41 #ad and #bf2 ,farm ,home ,water ,supply for ,fairfax ,county1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,june #bc1 #aicb2 and ,netherton1 et al41 ,fairfax ,county1 #eai4 #aha ,fairfax ,county ,board of ,supervisors1 ,historic ,progressive ,fairfax ,county in ,old ,virginia 7,alexandria1 #aibh71 #ce2 ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #ahb ,greear_/,netherton1 ,march #bc1 #aigh2 and interview with ,emma ,millard1 by ,dana ,gumb1 ,november #ae1 #aigb4 #ahc ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #ahd ,minutes of ,farmer's ,club #a2 and ,resolution of ,farmer's ,club #ad1 n4d41 copy found in ,minutes of ,farmer's ,club #a4 #ahe ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 #ad4 #ahf ,publicity ,committee of ,herndon ,chamber of ,commerce1 ,facts ,regarding ,bond ,issue ,every ,voter ,should ,know1 #aibd1 copy courtesy of ,holden ,harrison2 ,robert ,t4 ,hawkes1 ,jr41 ,the ,emergence of a ,leader3 ,harry ,flood ,byrd1 ,governor of ,virginia1 #aibf-aicj1 ,virginia ,magazine of ,history and ,biography1 ,,lxxxii1 ,july #a1 #aigd1 #bha2 ,historic ,progressive ,fairfax ,county1 #ce4 #ahg ,agnes ,rothery1 ,virginia3 ,the ,new ,dominion 7,new ,york1 #aidj71 #abd-be4 #ahh ,derr ,report1 #aibe4 #ahi ,lucy ,blake ,report1 #aicg1 #g4 #aij ,improved ,highways are ,big ,aid to the ,farmer1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,december #cj1 #aibf4 #aia ,mc,nair1 ,what ,i ,remember4 #aib ,a ,unique ,fairfax ,county ,farm4 #aic ,cows ,like ,machines1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,april #bh1 #aicb4 #aid ,report of the ,commission to ,study the ,condition of the ,farmers of ,virginia to the ,general ,assembly of ,virginia 7,richmond1 #aicj71 #ce2 and ,lord1 ,men of ,earth1 #adg4 #aie ,jere ,rusk quoted in ,joseph ,schafer1 ,the ,social ,history of ,american ,agriculture 7,new ,york1 #aicf71 #aei4 ,this book also contains an excellent summary of the problems mechanization produced for the small farmer4 #aif ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #aig ,the ,way ,out for the ,farmer1 ,washington ,star1 ,june #ai1 #aicb1 section #g1 #c4 #aih ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #ec2 and ,agricultural ,censes1 #aibe and #aidj4 ,the figures are #ba4i mortgaged in #aibd1 #bh4d in #aibe and #cj4be in #aidj4 #aii ,j4 ,middleton_/,netherton1 ,february #bd1 #aigh4 #bjj ,derr ,report1 #aibe1 #h4 #bja ,derr ,report1 #aiba1 #a4 #bjb ,national ,rural ,electric ,cooperative ,association1 ,proceedings of ,long ,range ,study ,committee ,i-,,iii1 ,november #aifg-,march #aifh1 7,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifi72 and ,rural ,electric ,fact ,book 7,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifj74 #bjc ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bjd ,beard_/,netherton_/,reed1 ,november1 #aigd4 #bje ,see ,ibid41 ,derr ,reports1 #aibf and #aibh2 and ,schaefer1 ,the ,social ,history of ,american ,agriculture1 #afb4 #bjf ,virginia ,agricultural ,advisory ,council1 ,a ,five ,year ,program for ,development of ,virginia ,agriculture 7,richmond1 #aibc71 #ag2 and ,fairfax ,county ,land ,record ,books1 #aicj-aica1 in ,virginiana4 #bjg ,tax ,rate1 editorial in ,fairfax ,herald1 ,april #bc1 #aibf4 #bjh ,hawkes1 ,harry ,flood ,byrd1 #bha4 #bji ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #baj ,editorial in ,fairfax ,herald1 ,september #f1 #aice4 ,,part ,,iv ,the ,new ,deal ,one of the most important changes to influence farming in the years between the two world wars was the new interest the government took in agriculture and its problems4 ,for many years the nation had considered agriculture to be not just the fundamental1 but the ideal way of life4 ,it was with a start1 therefore1 that people began to realize1 soon after the turn of the century1 that rural population was in fact decreasing1 and that farm life fell short of the rosy dream of pastoral independence so cherished by ,americans4 ,a survey of farm conditions undertaken during the administration of ,president ,theodore ,roosevelt revealed that many rural areas lacked the most basic amenities offered in cities and that low farm prices retarded the agriculturist's efforts to better his condition4 ,farm conditions improved during the ,world ,war ,i years when the cries of ,feed the ,world expanded markets and expectations4 ,inevitably1 though1 this increased agricultural production became a liability1 for when the ,european and domestic markets shrunk at the close of the war farm prices fell drastically4 ,many farmers1 hoping to offset the low prices with higher yields1 took advantage of the new technology to produce bumper crops2 the result was an additional surplus and even lower prices4 ,throughout the #aibjs1 the farm situation remained critical4#baa ,the stock market crash of #aibi marked an extension and exacerbation of the grim farm conditions rather than a sudden decline4 ,it rocked the farmer's market1 of course1 by further decreasing the amount of raw products being sold2 unemployed workers bought less of everything1 and often kept gardens themselves4 ,more crucial than the crash of #aibi to the farmer's well-being in northern ,virginia were two severe droughts1 one in the late #aibjs and the other in #aica4 ,the latter was particularly harsh4 ,wheat planted in ,october did not come up until ,april1 and one woman recalled that the cherry trees failed to blossom until the late fall4#bab ,thousands of tons of hay and grain feeds had to be brought in from other parts of the country to feed the livestock1 at enormous cost to the farmers4 ,the combination of these unfortunate elements meant more mortgaged farms and tighter belts for the county's farmers4#bac ,relief came in the form of the ,agricultural ,adjustment ,act 7,,aaa7 which went into effect in the spring of #aicc4 ,one of the earliest of ,franklin ,roosevelt's ,new ,deal policies1 it offered a radically new approach to farm recovery4 ,whereas earlier governmental policies had relied on tariffs or half-hearted attempts to buy up surpluses to protect farm profits1 the ,,aaa promoted a scheme of artificial scarcity4 ,this was accomplished by price supports and through elimination of price-depressing surpluses by paying the growers to cut down their crop acreage4 ,payments were financed by taxing food processors1 such as millers1 who in turn shifted the burden to the consumer4#bad ,many of the ,,aaa provisions were aimed at the large producers of the lower south and midwest1 but they also had their effect in areas of smaller farms such as ,fairfax ,county4 ,few county citizens were in absolute want during the ,depression1 in part because the effective work of the ,maryland and ,virginia ,milk ,producers ,association insured steady milk prices4 ,yet these and later policies were embraced as being the only available hope for turning around the farm situation4 ,they were distressed enough so that they were willing to cooperate in a considerable degree with anything that would help them out4#bae ,implementing the programs created some initial problems4 ,a system of acreage allotment had to be devised for each farmer1 and this involved setting up an intricate bureaucracy which included a county committee 7made up of three local farmers71 new responsibilities for the county agent1 and close association with representatives of the new federal programs4 ,confusion existed about the allowances made in the act for home consumption and the process by which allotments were decided4 ,to arrive at the allowances for wheat1 for example1 the farmer had to complete two forms1 on which it was necessary to compute his average yield for a three-year period 7#aicj-aicb7 then adjust it to relate to a five-year nationwide average2 this figure1 reduced by #ae to #bj percent was his allowed production4 ,the ultimate decision was made by the members of the county committee who had been elected by the taxpayers4 ,i've often wondered whether our judgment was accurate enough to really be used1 but it was used1 commented ,holden ,harrison who sat on the board4#baf ,the ,,aaa county committee sought to be equitable in its determinations1 but as in any process which tries to fit a series of requirements to individual cases1 the decisions sometimes seemed arbitrary or unfair4 ,derr cited a case resulting from the ,potato ,act 7which required a farmer to pay a penalty for yields exceeding his allotment7 in which an older couple had had poor luck with their potatoes for the base years2 they almost wept when they learned that their future lease would be only forty bushels and they would have to pay a tax on what they sold over that amount4#bag ,snags also occurred in the administration of the farm loan program1 designed by the government to aid farmers in the purchase of seed and fertilizer4 ,not only were elaborate accounts of mortgage1 store and personal debts1 unpaid taxes and notes required 7sometimes for a loan of #be4jj71 but repayment of the loan was set for dates such as ,july #a1 when the crops were not yet harvested and ready cash was scarce4 ,as a result1 much of the money designated for aid to ,fairfax ,county was never applied for4#bah ,to the farmer1 accustomed to deciding for himself what and when he would plant1 and unfamiliar with the niceties of bureaucratic finagling1 the government sometimes seemed more geared to interference than assistance4 ,in reality1 the programs affected ,fairfax ,county less than other parts of northern ,virginia4 ,statistics from the ,virginia ,department of ,agriculture and the ,,usda show that only #ga wheat adjustment contracts were taken out in ,fairfax ,county in #aice1 compared to #bcc for ,fauquier ,county and #cea for ,loudoun ,county4 ,as each of these neighboring counties contained over #b1jjj farms1 these are small figures indeed4#bai ,the federal government set few limits on milk or poultry production1 the county's two main economic sources1 so the benefits of the ,,aaa programs were often indirect4 ,the principal effect was to force farmers to set aside about #ae of their land from wheat or corn production4 ,because ,fairfax ,county farmers marketed little of their grain production1 the outcome was that they received a bounty for planting another crop on this acreage1 or allowing it to lie fallow and be fertilized4 ,the policy resulted in a strong soil improvement program in the county1 which was additionally aided by the cooperative buying power of the county committee4 ,this meant1 for instance1 that purchases of lime needed to improve ,fairfax ,county's acidic soil could be had for #c4ej a ton1 the cost at the quarry1 plus handling charges4#bbj ,of even greater benefit to ,fairfax ,county farmers was the moratorium on mortgage and even interest payments during the ,depression's most severe period4 ,individual banks1 such as the ,national ,bank of ,leesburg1 which held many farm mortgages1 also voluntarily followed the government's policy of leniency on collection of farm debts4 ,this relieved much of the stress on the area's producers1 allowing them to retain their land and1 in some cases1 even improve their holdings4#bba ,the ,depression years saw the advent of a radical new policy of government influence in farm affairs4 ,where laissez-faire had been the federal rule 7and the farmers' desire71 a control was now exercised over production1 marketing and farm improvement4 ,though the farmer might believe this mitigated his independence and tied his judgment to that of an impersonal bureaucracy1 he was forced to accept ,uncle ,sam's interference4 ,the role of the government in designing agricultural policy proved to be a lasting one1 still felt by the farmer of the #aigjs4 ,,part ,,iv--,,notes ,the ,new ,deal #baa ,barger and ,lansburg1 ,american ,agriculture1 #ahii-aidi1 #gb-aab4 #bab ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi2 ,rogers_/,corbat1 et al41 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 #bac ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bad ,bailey1 ,the ,american ,pageant1 #hdb-dc4 #bae ,rogers1 ,corbat1 et al41 ,june #ab1 #aigj2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 ,joseph ,beard quoted in ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #baf ,wheat ,production ,control ,plan1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,july #bg1 #aicc2 ,wheat ,allotment ,based on ,averages1 ,ibid41 ,august #ag1 #aicc2 ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bag ,derr ,report1 #aicf1 #d4 ,the ,potato ,act1 which would in fact have been disasterous for small farmers1 was actually before any crop was harvested4 ,however1 its effect was still to create some hostility to government programs among farmers4 #bah ,derr ,reports1 #aicj1 #aica1 #aicd4 #bai ,virginia ,farm ,statistics 7,richmond1 #aibf1 #aicj1 #aicf74 #bbj ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #bba ,ibid4 ,,part ,v ,community ,beyond the family1 with its special working relationship1 the neighborhood community was the chief social unit for the farmer4 ,it made available services the family could not provide for itself and added sociability and security to the farmer's life4 ,it also had some influence on the tenor of his work because a dynamic community spirit prompts individual enterprise4 ,the ,floris neighborhood on which this study is focused was such a vigorous community4 ,fairfax ,county was filled with similar crossroads which gave an identity to each farming area and1 with post office1 blacksmith and general store1 fulfilled the farmer's simple requirements4 ,floris seems to have shown an outstandingly progressive impulse1 however1 and a social interaction which made it an area of particular cohesiveness and community longevity4#bbb ,the root of community interaction is neighborliness--an interest in and concern for other people4 ,villages contain the same variety of human relations and personality as large cities1 with the advantage that the smaller number of people are more easily known and understood4 ,there could be irritating aspects to this 7privacy was not always available in abundance7 but also a warm familiarity4 ,the people of ,floris were so well acquainted that each man's favorite kind of pie was community knowledge4#bbc ,lottie ,schneider1 who grew up near ,herndon1 gave a charming description of village life in her book1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia3 ,everyone was interested in his neighbor4 ,we shared our joys and sorrows1 were sympathetic to each other4 ,when we went down the street we knew everybody and would stop to greet each other4 ,there was a village atmosphere of friendliness and kindness4 ,how often ,i pause over every memory and savor again the charm of the friendly neighbors1 the school and church relationships1 the simple everyday happenings which like a weaver's shuttle steadily wove the lights and shadows into the tapestry of life4#bbd ,neighborliness went beyond social interaction2 it was also the basis for mutual aid and cooperation4 ,work on hauling projects1 barn raisings and emergency assistance was readily available4 ,if somebody got sick and couldn't milk his cows1 why the neighbors would go over and help him1 related ,joseph ,beard4 ,i remember the neighbor next door to me had the flu1 and everybody thought he was going to die and the snow was about twenty inches deep4444 ,there was a wife left there with three 444 small children1 not of school age4 ,my father not only did our work1 but he went over and did their work too4#bbe ,mutual assistance1 concern and hospitality were the bedrock of community relations4 ,illustration3 ,a map of the ,floris community1 c4 #aicj1 drawn from memory by ,joseph ,beard4 ,rapid communications made information on everyone's activities neighborhood knowledge4 ,county agent ,derr noted that it was remarkable how rapidly news travels1 whether good or bad1 and that this was in fact an asset to his work4#bbf ,the postal agent and telephone operator were two other information catalysts4 ,the postmaster1 ,thomas ,walker1 was notorious for reading the postcards which passed his way1 and often called the recipients to inform them of impending visits by relatives1 or tidings of birth or death4#bbg ,telephone lines were put up in #aiaf1 strung on trees1 just old poles up and down the road#bbh and this greatly speeded channels of gossip and necessary information4 ,the telephone operator worked from her own bedroom and was the source for all the latest news4 ,if you didn't know what was going on in the neighborhood1 all you had to do was ask the telephone operator1 one ,floris resident observed4 ,she knew everything4#bbi ,in a more pragmatic sense the operator was depended upon for help during emergencies4 ,the fear of isolation1 a chief liability of rural areas1 was much reduced by the improved roads and telecommunications of the first decade of the #bjth century4 ,the telephone operator was particularly helpful in locating rural doctors when they were needed in an emergency4 ,like the veterinarians1 doctors were not relied on for minor illnesses but were called on in extreme cases4 ,jack ,day and ,william ,robey were among the doctors who travelled by horse and buggy 7and later in early model ,fords7 to make housecalls4 ,they were loved and accepted by the community3 ,we thought of a family doctor about like we did our minister4#bcj ,fees were usually #a4jj for a housecall though farmers would sometimes offer a bushel of corn or a chicken in payment for their treatment4#bca ,the doctors contributed a great deal to the well-being of the community4 ,rural families1 however1 were resourceful in finding home remedies for many ailments4 ,some of these were long-respected herbal preparations1 but others were used more because of tradition than effectiveness4 ,frances ,simpson described the special folk medicines of her family near ,herndon3 ,when an epidemic was reported in the village during the winter1 she prepared the dreadful smelling asafetida bags which she tied about our necks under our dresses4 ,they were supposed to ward off diseases4 ,when my sisters and ,i had colds1 mutton tallow plasters were put on our chests and fastened to our underwear4 ,these sticky1 clammy plasters were worn until all signs of cold had disappeared4 ,sulpher and molasses by the spoonful were given in the spring 'to help clear out our systems4444' ,calomel was an often used remedy for the liver until the doctor forbade its use4 ,my mother had a bad case of erysipelas and her leg was in a fearful state4 ,nothing seemed to help it4 ,one night she dreamed my sister ,dora1 who had recently died1 came to her1 told her to make poultices of cabbage leaves wrung in hot water and apply them to her leg4 ,she followed instructions and in due season her leg was healed4#bcb ,illustration3 ,g4 ,ray ,harrison1 c4 #aibe4 ,photo courtesy of ,ray ,harrison4 ,illustration3 ,the ,harrison family's mule team on a shopping trip to ,herndon about #aiad4 ,a young ,ray ,harrison is riding in the wagon4 ,the stores in ,herndon provided basic supplies and services for the ,floris community4 ,photo courtesy of ,ray ,harrison4 ,the ,floris community was an early outgrowth of a mining settlement near ,frying ,pan ,run4 ,robert ,carter1 of ,nomini ,hall in ,westmoreland ,county1 owned the land which he believed contained rich copper ore4 ,though roads were built and several mining attempts made1 the mineral proved to be of poor quality4 ,the access offered by roads built by the miners 7for example1 ,west ,ox ,road on which ,frying ,pan ,farm is located7 opened the area to agriculture4 ,the first permanent community was formed by a group of ,baptists1 who successfully petitioned ,carter for permission to build a church on his property4 ,one of their early churches1 a simple1 frame structure built in #agia1 still stands near the center of the community4#bcc ,the origins of the area's unusual name are obscure--some believe either ,indians or early miners who camped in the vicinity mislaid a frying pan and named the creek after their loss4 ,others feel that the circular shape of a round pool into which the run flows influenced its appellation4 ,until #ahgi the community at the crossroads of the ,west ,ox and ,centreville ,roads was also called ,frying ,pan1 at which time it was thought too undignified a name4 ,it was rechristened ,floris1 according to one source1 after the prettiest girl in the neighborhood4 ,another story relates that summer boarders near ,frying ,pan ,post ,office thought such a lowly name would cause ridicule among their city friends4 ,they called the town ,floris1 which means flower in ,latin1 to tone up the image of their warm weather resort4 ,by the time of the name change1 the village had expanded somewhat from an #ahja description of four log huts and a ,meeting ,house1#bcd but it retained its small personal character4 ,in the #aibjs and #aicjs it consisted of a blacksmith shop1 general store and post office1 a boarding house1 three churches and two schools1 as well as the surrounding farms4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the focal point of the ,floris community during this period1 and the factor which gave it a countywide importance1 was the ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school4 ,the school was the result of the ,smith-,hughes ,act1 passed in #aiag to organize agriculture and home economics courses on the secondary level of education4 ,h4 ,b4 ,derr tried unsuccessfully for two years to establish such a course in ,fairfax ,county but met with little support from the members of the school board1 who favored traditional academics4 ,it was finally through the farmer's clubs and community leagues 7forerunners of the ,,pta71 especially those in the ,floris area1 that ,derr was able to convince the county of the program's potential4 ,by #aiai farmers and merchants had donated some #ag1jjj to start construction of a building1 and in honor of the special efforts of agriculturalists in ,floris1 it was decided to locate the school there4#bce ,illustration3 ,a sketch of the plot of land originally deeded to the school board in #ahgf by ,george ,kenfield for a ,floris school4 ,fairfax ,county ,deedbook ,h-#e1 p4 #fag4 ,illustration3 ,mr4 ,jack ,walker1 the engineer in charge of the construction of the ,floris ,school #aibj4 ,copy of photo in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school under construction1 c4 #aibj4 ,note the tennis game being played in the front of the old building4 ,copy of photo in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,the ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school was the third to be built in ,virginia4#bcf ,it was extended from an existing1 two-year high school1 founded in #aiaa1 but the property on which it was built had actually been deeded to the school board over forty years earlier4 ,in #ahgf ,george ,kenfield deeded about six acres of land to the ,frying ,pan ,school ,association and the property remained in school use through several owner changes4#bcg ,one- and two-room schools stood on the land until #aiaa when a larger building was completed4#bch ,the citizens of ,floris had worked together to raise money for the vocational school2 they also contributed their skills and time to its construction4 ,under the direction of two 7often dissenting7 contractors1 a ,mr4 ,sheffield and ,jack ,walker1 pupils and parents helped to raise the three-story brick structure1 and later to build a smaller agricultural shop a short distance from the main schoolhouse4 ,the school was open to the entire county but the immediate community continued to feel a special interest in it4 ,the ,floris ,home ,demonstration ,club served hot lunches in the school for many years and around #aibd they sponsored the hiring of a music teacher at their own expense until the county and state finally gave support to the teacher4#bci ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school was an immediate success4 ,in #aibd it had #aej pupils1 evenly divided between primary and secondary grades1 and hailing chiefly from the ,herndon area4 ,students walked or rode horseback to reach their classes2 some1 such as ,virginia ,presgraves ,harrison from ,loudoun ,county1 boarded with local families4#bdj ,the high school offered the standard curriculum courses of ,english1 ,american and ,european history1 algebra1 geography1 physics and chemistry4 ,courses in higher mathematics 7plane geometry and trigonometry7 were optional as were ,english history and foreign languages4 ,the school differed from the county's other secondary institutions in the varied agriculturally oriented courses it taught4 ,boys learned the principles of agronomy1 animal husbandry1 soil control and veterinary science1 and were expected to put the theoretical knowledge into practice with test animals and acreage on their home farms4 ,they also sharpened their skills in agricultural shop courses4 ,under the guidance of ,ford ,lucas and1 later1 ,harvey ,d4 ,seale1 they were taught carpentry1 motor repair1 blacksmithing1 indeed1 everything from building chicken coops to how to put a roof on a barn and keep it from leaking4#bda ,classes for the girls also stressed the relationship between theory and practice4 ,the rudiments of nutrition1 food preparation1 fabric and clothing construction1 were carried over into ,hominy ,hall1 a house owned by ,william ,ellmore1 which housed the kitchen and serving areas for domestic science courses4 ,the girls spent several hours a week in this building1 gaining proficiency in the work which would probably occupy most of their lives4 ,like the majority of the students' homes1 ,hominy ,hall had no running water1 and baking was done on a large1 wood-burning stove4#bdb ,the classes were taught by1 among others1 ,may ,calhoun and ,louisa ,glassal4 ,elizabeth ,ellmore1 principal of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school in #aibi-aicj1 noted that because of the school's personal nature the teachers had a fair amount of leeway in the character and depth of the courses they taught--as much1 in fact1 as their students would allow them4#bdc ,one early teacher found the pupils very apt indeed1 with abilities equal to those of the town children she had previously taught4 ,stated ,lulah ,ferguson3 ,so far as the interest was concerned you'd find that maybe those children in ,falls ,church were a little more interested in affairs in general1 a little better informed generally1 than these were1 but so far as their attitude towards studying or wanting to know1 you wouldn't find any difference4 ,these country children were really just as eager or maybe more so than some of the small town4444#bdd ,illustration3 ,the championship girl's basketball team of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school1 #aibd-aibe4 ,illustration3 ,the ,floris ,follies1 a minstrel presented at the ,floris school in ,march1 #aici4 ,such activities were usually staged to benefit a community activity4 ,photo courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,illustration3 ,the students of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school1 #aibd4 ,identified in ,july1 #aigj1 as follows3 ,top row left to right3 ,jay ,leith1 ,warren ,rosenburger1 ,jessie ,torreyson1 ,george ,t4 ,mc,whorter1 ,,iii1 ,marie ,poland ,bonde1 ,stella ,sibley ,jones1 ,eunice ,milam ,middleton 7teacher71 ,audrey ,barton1 ,kelsie ,hornbaker2 ,second row3 ,irving ,mc,nair1 ,louise ,melcher ,ritter1 ,kate ,patton ,kincheloe1 ,sarah ,patton ,middleton1 ,rebecca ,middleton1 ,bradley ,shear1 ,gilbert ,presgrave2 ,third row3 ,amy ,rogers ,nixon1 ,elsie ,andrews ,brown1 ,georgeanna ,brogden ,harrison1 ,camilla ,carson ,harnsburger1 ,kneeland ,leith1 ,irene ,rogers ,deuterman1 ,welby ,nalls1 ,wade ,bennett2 ,fourth row3 ,frances ,leith ,greenwade1 ,lena ,andrews1 ,gladys ,robey ,embrey1 ,emma ,ellmore1 ,gem ,thompson1 ,alan ,allison ,fleming1 ,howard ,armfield1 ,george ,harrison1 ,allan ,shear1 ,edgar ,reeves2 ,fifth row3 ,sue ,creel1 ,grafton ,utterback1 ,richard ,lee1 ,john ,keyes2 ,sixth row3 ,william ,mc,whorter1 ,martha ,smith1 ,harriet ,moulthrop ,cheek1 ,erline ,bready1 ,oliver ,keyes1 ,withers ,murphy1 ,charles ,austin1 ,john ,hessick1 ,joseph ,beard2 ,seventh row3 ,ruth ,higdon1 ,rosalie ,smith1 ,eleanor ,bowers ,matthews1 ,mary ,smith ,douglas1 ,daniel ,nalls1 ,ralph ,armfield1 ,turner ,hornbaker1 ,frank ,kidwell1 ,carroll ,murphy2 ,eighth row3 ,bessie ,beard ,garrett1 ,ruby ,hyatt1 ,gladys ,utterback1 ,elma ,middleton ,nalls1 ,ned ,sutphin2 ,ninth row3 ,katherine ,hummer1 ,bernice ,west1 ,lillian ,adrian ,munday1 ,ruby ,ambler ,bocato1 ,elizabeth ,powell ,austin1 ,mae ,blevins1 ,virginia ,presgrave ,harrison1 ,dora ,cox ,robey1 ,kathlene ,adrian ,presgrave4 ,photo courtesy of ,emma ,ellmore4 ,studious or not1 the ,floris pupils also had their share of fun at school4 ,richard ,peck recalled playing several pranks during school hours1 such as catching copperhead snakes and letting them loose in the classroom1 or mixing together soil samples painstakingly collected for ,county agent ,derr4 ,much to the mischievous students' hilarity1 a puzzled ,derr remarked1 ,i had no idea the soil was so uniform out here4#bde ,though afternoon farmwork occupied most of the pupils' spare time1 some extra-curricular activities were also offered4 ,plays were given annually by the senior class1 an example being the #aibe production of ,home ,times billed as very attractive by the ,herndon ,news-,observer4#bdf ,the ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school also boasted highly competitive athletic teams1 especially in basketball and track4 ,for a school of its size1 it showed unusual competence and enthusiasm1 winning both boys' and girls' county basketball championships several years running4 ,in #aibh their track team competed with #hjj high schools in the state1 finishing fifth overall and claiming two of the seven records which were broken4#bdg ,in this1 as in the academic standing of the vocational school1 the community's dynamism and interest influenced its high degree of excellence4 ,graduation exercises were also community events4 ,the students worked for weeks planning a memorable evening for proud parents1 friends and relations4 ,the #aibg graduation from ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school featured an invocation by ,reverend ,glenn ,cooper of the ,floris ,methodist ,church1 valedictory and salutatory addresses given by ,virginia ,presgraves and ,joseph ,beard1 respectively1 and a talk on the promising future for farmers by ,professor ,walter ,newman of ,,vpi which the local paper described as worthy of the attention of any farming community in our state4 ,these formalities were followed by musical selections1 including a duet by ,gilbert ,presgraves and ,joseph ,beard1 who sang the school song1 ,our ,old ,high4 ,next came the presentation of diplomas in a most pleasing fashion4 ,wrote the ,herndon ,news-,observer3 ,each student was complimented on his success while his classmates were roused to great hilarity by some well-directed humor4#bdh ,illustration3 ,a maypole dance held at the ,floris ,elementary ,school in #aibc4 ,celebrations of this sort were held each ,may #a4 ,miss ,katie ,grok is the teacher on the right4 ,photo courtesy of ,margaret ,mary ,lee4 ,illustration3 ,a #aiaj photograph of the ,floris ,elementary ,school1 built in #aijj4 ,the building was replaced by a two-year high school the next year4 ,copy of photo in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school graduated its last class in #aicj4 ,the previous year the school board had voted to consolidate the county's schools4 ,the school consolidation movement was aimed principally at small one and two-room schoolhouses2 by combining these local institutions1 better facilities could be afforded and1 consequently1 teachers of high caliber attracted4 ,the county's farm families had clamoured for just such a reorganization for many years1 but the measure was contingent on the availability of good roads because rural children would have to travel some distance to the new district schools4 ,the purpose of the judgment as passed did not really pertain to the ,floris ,school1 yet it came under the school-board's jurisdiction and consequently the ,floris ,high ,school pupils were moved with those of ,forestville to join ,herndon ,high ,school4#bdi ,agriculture courses were also offered at ,herndon ,high ,school1 for example1 in #aicc1 #dc boys were enrolled in farm-oriented programs4 ,yet1 the closing of the ,vocational ,high ,school was a decisive loss for ,floris4 ,the school had been built and maintained by local money and labor and was thus a strong focal point in the neighborhood4 ,it had encouraged community self-esteem and the area's pride had been reflected in the strong academic programs the school produced4 ,the district high schools were less personal in nature and broader in scope2 they did not so accurately fulfill an individual locale's needs4 ,an illustration of this was the rigid adherence to school attendance regulations at ,herndon ,high ,school4 ,whereas a neighborhood school would often allow a farm boy or girl to be excused from classes during peak work periods of harvesting or butchering1 the new consolidated schools were less flexible4 ,in one case a student who persisted in helping his family was continually kept behind and never did graduate4 ,like other progressive movements1 consolidation of rural schools advanced the quality of life in only some areas4 ,it made available more modern equipment and a wider range of teachers and curriculum1 but in social relations and community benefit1 the advantages were not so clearcut4#bej 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,the ,home ,economics and ,future ,farmer's ,club of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school in the mid-#aibjs4 ,photo courtesy of ,emma ,ellmore4 ,the other main institutions which gave character and definition to the ,floris community were the churches4 ,there were three places of worship there in the #aibjs and #aicjs1 all of them protestant4 ,the old ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church had been a continuous congregation since the mid-eighteenth century4 ,they were the least social and most dogmatic in their religious practice2 members of the other churches used adjectives such as old school or hard-shell to describe the ,baptists4 ,after the turn of the century and during the ,depression1 the ,baptist ,church was less regenerative than the others in ,floris and most of the members were older people4#bea ,less doctrinaire1 the ,floris ,methodist ,church and ,floris ,presbyterian ,church1 were a more active part of the community4 ,the church buildings1 with their large seating capacity1 made natural auditoriums for farmers' meetings1 lectures and entertainments4 ,the two churches cooperated in sponsorship of an ,epworth ,youth ,league1 which1 though it held its ,sunday night meetings in the more centrally located ,methodist ,church1 was non-denominational in character4 ,the ,reverend ,glenn ,cooper reported in #aibg that the ,floris ,league1 being an independent and a community organization does not take up any denominational work1 but is interested in local charities and its own entertainment4#beb ,the ,presbyterian and ,methodist churches also worked together in planning holiday programs and avoided conflicts by considerately scheduling their important festivals on different dates4 ,at ,christmastime1 they were especially careful to plan their carol programs so that the entire community could attend both services4 ,as there was a great deal of intermarriage between the two churches1 this also reduced family strife4#bec ,both groups welcomed members of other faiths4 ,one ,presbyterian recalled an occasion when his father greeted a new family just moving into the neighborhood and invited them to attend the local services4 ,this man said1 ',well1 you know ,i'm a ,roman ,catholic4' ,my ,dad said1 ',it doesn't make any difference what you are1 we'd sure like to have you come if you can4' ,this was the general attitude4#bed ,indeed1 so ecumenical had the organizations become that the ,general ,conference of the ,methodist ,church became somewhat alarmed4 ,as early as #aije this body noted that although its members were leading quiet1 orderly lives and attended church services frequently1 still the congregation was not satisfactory in some very essential respects4 ,our people have been in the past and are now very negligent and indifferent as to the duty of informing themselves about our doctrines and church policy1 stated the minutes of the church's quarterly conference4 ,there must be a more general study of the church discipline and a larger circulation and a close and careful reading of our church papers4#bee ,the churches were rarely used for political purposes4 ,instead1 the farmers relied on their farmer's clubs to exert this kind of pressure and seemed to feel that the religious bodies should concentrate on paving the spiritual road to heaven rather than the connecting road to the market4 ,in addition to the regular activities of ,sunday school1 ,bible classes and regular worship services1 however1 these institutions fulfilled a strong need for fellowship and social interaction4 ,sunday school picnics and ice cream socials were perennial favorites sponsored each summer by the churches4 ,the picnics were frequently held on attractive parts of neighboring farms1 or sometimes as far away as ,seneca or ,great ,falls4 ,each family would bring a large hamper of food1 but the fried chicken1 watermelon and pies were spread out on the tables to be shared by everyone4 ,while the parents gossiped or talked politics1 the children played and sometimes went swimming4 ,these picnics1 like other community events1 were held jointly by the ,methodists and ,presbyterians4#bef ,the ice cream socials1 however1 were another story4 ,here a mild rivalry set in as ladies vied with one another to produce the most admirable cake1 and even a slight competition arose over the ice cream4 ,an area resident confided that there was some speculation about which denomination's members owned cows giving the creamiest milk1 thus producing the most sinfully rich ice cream4#beg ,no doubt this comparison diminished in importance when one was faced with the wide variety of homemade flavors1 using fresh fruits and extracts4 ,sometimes in early summer the socials would feature strawberries along with the ice cream4 ,on a quiet summer evening1 with the fireflies flickering like beacon lights and a whispering breeze lapping at tableclothes and skirts1 these must have been particularly pleasant events4#beh ,significant holidays also brought about special church programs4 ,at ,easter the churches were banked with flowers and a singular rejoicing occurred1 and on ,mother's ,day an appropriate program was offered4 ,the #aibf service included a suitable sermon and original ,mother's ,prayer by the minister and several selections by the choir1 among them ,when ,mother ,sang to ,me1 ,don't ,forget the ,old ,folks1 and ,our ,mother4#bei ,the year's main celebration was1 of course1 at ,christmas4 ,each church had a ,christmas tree1 cut by an adult1 but decorated with feet and almost miles of popcorn strings by the neighborhood's young people1 including those just returning home for the holidays4 ,the warm ambiance of these services is evident in the following description1 recounted by ,joseph ,beard3 ,they always had the little people from what you consider the primary grades on up to sixth or seventh grade recite some little poem or some story or something of this kind4 ,you nearly always had a chorus or choir1 small1 of people in the neighborhood that would sing ,christmas carols4 ,you always had a minister who read or recited the ,christmas story from the ,bible4444 ,the churches were lighted with oil lamps1 and they would put candles on the ,christmas tree1 wax candles and they would light those wax candles and then blow out the lights4 ,it's a wonder we never set the church on fire4444 ,but there would be this beautiful tree with all these lights on it1 and hidden down under the tree somewhere would be a great big crate of oranges4 ,santa ,claus usually came in and 444 he would ring sleigh bells and walk down through the aisle and make some kind of remark4 ,he would have a sack on his back4 ,this always held tiny little sacks of candy4 ,they started with the smallest children and gave each one of them one orange and one sack of hard candy4 ,they went on up the line as far as the oranges and the candy lasted4 ,if you didn't have a crowd even the adults would get a sack of candy and an orange1 but if you had a large crowd1 why it stopped at whatever age it ran out along the line4 ,this was an affair at which the program would probably take an hour1 an hour and fifteen minutes4 ,but it was cold in there you know 444 they'd have a great big1 old pot bellied stove1 but it was in one place in the church4 ,everybody couldn't sit around that stove1 so you sat there in your overcoats sometimes4#bfj ,illustration3 ,miss ,gladys ,thompson and the ,floris ,community ,orchestra1 #aibi4 ,the members at this time included3 ,front row3 ,haley ,smith1 ,louise ,cockerill1 ,louise ,mc,nair2 ,second row3 ,richard ,peck1 unidentified1 ,miss ,gladys ,thompson 7director71 ,jack ,patton1 ,mary ,peck1 ,franklin ,ellmore2 ,back row3 ,helen ,presgraves1 ,ethel ,andrews1 ,mary ,win ,nickell1 ,elizabeth ,ellmore1 ,helen ,peck4 ,the old car in the background is the one in which ,miss ,thompson first traveled4 ,note the old four-room schoolhouse also in the background4 ,photo courtesy of ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,other groups offered activities to fill the farm family's leisure hours4 ,an elementary school teacher who taught music as a sideline1 ,gladys ,thompson1 organized an orchestra about #aibh4 ,it consisted of her violin pupils and other musically inclined citizens and was called the ,floris ,community ,orchestra4 ,twelve violins1 and mandolins1 saxophones1 piano1 drums and banjo made up the group which played for school plays and community events4 ,they also put on an annual recital and one year even gave a vaudeville show4 ,i remember she used to fill up her small one-seated roadster with music students going to practices and performances1 fondly wrote a member of the orchestra1 ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder4 ,one of my greatest pleasures was clambering into the rumble seat with my violin4#bfa ,musical groups also sprang up spontaneously4 ,one1 which ,joseph ,beard referred to as a little old hillybilly band1 included besides himself on fiddle1 ,virginia ,presgraves 7piano7 and her uncle ,austin ,wagstaff on ukulele4 ,richard ,peck played banjo and saxophone for the group4 ,they played together over a period of several years1 using no sheet music1 but becoming so comfortable with each other's playing that they could anticipate the variations and style of their fellow musicians4 ,they practiced in the schoolhouse1 playing country tunes such as ,camp ,town ,races1 ,old ,black ,joe1 and ,shortnin' ,bread for their own amusement4 ,they rarely entertained an audience4#bfb ,sometimes too the school or an unofficial group sponsored musical events1 a notable one being the concert by ,al ,hopkins and his ,buckle-,busters1 a celebrated country band from ,north ,carolina4#bfc ,in addition1 serious organizations like the ,farmer's ,clubs1 ,community ,league or church-affiliated women's clubs1 mixed work and play by sponsoring picnics1 quilting bees1 and oyster suppers4 ,the record made of a pleasant outing by ,farmer's ,clubs #a and #d to the ,great ,falls in #aiac was typical of many excursions in later years3 ,it goes without saying that all present had a very enjoyable day4 ,the children spent much time on the swings and ,merry-,go-,rounds while the older members spent the day in viewing the falls4444 ,while still others enjoyed fishing4#bfd ,home ,demonstration ,clubs also put on their share of entertainments1 with buffet suppers and skits1 rounding off one year with a husband-calling contest4#bfe ,even the business meetings themselves were social occasions at which dinner and friendly conversation were mixed with more critical concerns4 ,oyster suppers were a regional specialty held all over the county1 of which ,floris sponsored its share4 ,they were often money-making events 7as were the ice cream socials7 at which dinner cost from twenty-five to fifty cents and featured stewed and fried oysters4 ,lottie ,schneider recalled the bustle of preparation for an oyster supper given in ,herndon1 involving the setting up of tables and benches and flower arrangements1 and the difficult choice to be made between fried or stewed oysters and the many different relishes brought by each lady4#bff ,the suppers in fact generally held an overabundance of food4 ,again1 ,joseph ,beard described the scene3 ,there were always a few who didn't like oysters and they always had ham for those4444 ,anything that you would have in a farming neighborhood like that1 when you sat down to eat it was just like having a ,thanksgiving dinner4 ,everything from sweet potatoes to scalloped potatoes to macaroni and cheese to string beans to corn-on-the-cob to tomatoes would be served4 ,most anything that could be raised or produced in a vegetable garden or in a truck patch they'd bring4 ,then we had custard pies and lemon pies and apple pies4444#bfg ,the money made at the oyster dinners was used for school projects1 to buy church furnishings or aid in mission work4 99 99 99 99 99 ,professional interest and pleasure were likewise combined at the various fairs held in the area during the late summer4 ,the county sponsored a fair at ,fairfax ,courthouse until #aicc which featured new farm machinery1 exemplary produce and livestock1 and a gay carnival atmosphere4 ,the ,herndon ,news-,observer gave a colorful account of the county festivities in its ,september #bc1 #aibf edition3 ,the first day was largely devoted to judging1 the second day saw a large picnic by ,dranesville farmers1 the ,county ,chamber of ,commerce and the #d-;,h ,clubs frolicked on the third day while the visible and invisible empire of the ,ku ,klux ,klan held sway on the last day4 ,good racing cards filled much of the afternoon4 ,the prizes were more substantial and the performances proportionally good4 ,every exhibit building was loaded with all varieties and grades of exhibits1 while the livestock was as equally interesting in its magnitude and diversification4 ,the flower department was carried partly out of the building where loving hands had specially devoted time and energy toward perfection4 ,the woman's department1 with nearly a thousand entries1 was a wonder of culinary art4 ,the poultry building with every squeek and squawk imaginable1 fairly dazzled the farmers and their friends1 who came to see what ,fairfaxians and their friends are doing4 ,certainly no other fair in ,virginia presented an arena of keener competition and the prize winners deserve to be most highly congratulated4444#bfh ,the midway was a swirl of ferris wheels1 merry-go-rounds and every variety of game by which you might separate yourself from surplus funds4 ,the region boasted a similar fair held generally in ,prince ,william ,county and having the dual purpose of promoting and celebrating the dairy industry4 ,the ,piedmont ,dairy ,festival1 as it was called1 was modeled after the famous ,shenandoah ,apple ,blossom festival and was jocularly known locally as the ,cow ,blossom festival4#bfi ,floris itself held a substantial fair in the years following the decision to stop running a county exhibition4 ,it grew out of the yearly ,flower and ,vegetable ,show which had been sponsored by the #d-;,h and ,home ,demonstration ,clubs and took place on the school grounds4 ,the community divided itself into committees which met year-round to plan the produce and homemaking judgings1 livestock shows and entertainment and the result was an event of countywide interest4 ,a program from the #aici fair lists among the categories three summer squash1 best adult clothing1 best buttonhole1 and best ,holstein heifer4 ,prizes consisted of cash 7usually one to two dollars7 or practical items such as five gallons of fly spray4 ,ironically the award for the best team of draft horses was three gallons of oil4#bgj ,a good deal of pride in everyday achievements resulted from the contests4 ,elizabeth ,rice1 writing of the excitement caused by the fairs1 recalled the year she entered a devil's food cake in the county exhibition and received the blue ribbon and a prize from ,swann's ,down ,company of a cake mold1 measuring cups1 spoons and a box of ,swann's ,down cake flour4 ,i still feel 'up' over it1 she concluded4#bga ,others took their entries a little less seriously4 ,emma ,ellmore remembered the year her mother simply cut a tangled mass of clematis from the back trellis1 stuck it in a white vase and entered it in the flower-arranging contest1 to win a blue ribbon from judges who admired its exceptional artistry4#bgb ,the day was concluded with a tournament1 in which the neighborhood's young manhood vied with one another for the honor of crowning their lady queen4 ,lance in hand1 ,sir ,lancelot or ,sir ,frying ,pan rode at a gallop on a steed 7often a draft horse7 attempting to spear a ring suspended above the track4 ,the winner reigned at the square dance that evening which capped the day's entertainment4#bgc ,blue ribbons and fair championships were respected and admired by the neighbors and gave the recipient a certain amount of status4 ,in a community in which no one had much ready money1 this evidence of leadership or skill counted for a great deal4 ,one person suggested that a large family gave a farmer a certain standing among his peers1 and that homemaking was equally respected with the outdoor work4 ,a clever manager was perhaps most admired of all4 ,as ,joseph ,beard remarked3 ,there are some people who have very little money1 but have the ability to use it in the right place at the right time and get a great deal more out of it than others4 ,i suspect that the person that had the highest standard of living with what they had to do with was respected more than any one thing4#bgd ,farmers from the ,floris area also held private entertainments1 such as the ,peck family reunion of #aibg1 or the bridge parties which became so fashionable in the late #aibjs and #aicjs4#bge ,on rare occasions they travelled to ,washington to see a show or to shop4 ,more often they went to ,herndon which had long catered to the farmer's needs4 ,stores1 grain companies and mills1 blacksmith and livery stables built their business on fulfilling the farmer's everyday requirements1 while ice cream parlors and movie theaters provided pleasant distractions4 ,the latter was an especially popular form of entertainment for young couples on dates4 ,frances ,simpson recalled the excitement of going to the movies and the unique personality of the ,herndon theater3 ,what a fascination was that theater or 'movie hall' as it was called4444 ,it was a real treat to go with our friends to the movies at the movie hall1 not that we always saw one when we got there4 ,sometimes the reel would break1 other times a tremendous storm would come up and the electric power would be shut off1 leaving the player piano to carry on alone in the darkness while we crept home with flashlights1 and more than once an angry skunk sought refuge under the movie hall causing the audience to disperse in three minutes flat4 ,still1 it was great fun4#bgf ,all of these community events--ice cream socials1 fairs1 ,community ,league meetings1 and school events--were attended by the whole family4 ,social activities were less strictly drawn along age lines than they are today2 young and old enjoyed the same amusements4 ,the ladies chatted while preparing the dinners at ,farmer's ,club meetings1 and the children came along and played together4 ,funerals and weddings were also family events for children were expected to learn of life's joys and sorrows through participation4 ,this too encouraged community cohesiveness1 as all parts of the society were included in its rituals1 and children learned at an early age that they played an active role in the neighborhood's well-being2 there was a place for them within the community which would last the length of their life4 ,strong evidence of this community identity is seen in the large numbers of ,floris young people who1 even in the face of urban opportunities1 elected to stay on the family farm1 or chose careers in the agriculture-related fields of veterinary medicine1 extension work or fish and wildlife protection4#bgg 99 99 99 99 99 ,floris and the other closely knit agricultural villages of ,fairfax ,county were exceptionally unified and supportive4 ,yet even these communities had fringe groups1 which were not entirely fulfilled within the neighborhood or accepted by the majority of farmers4 ,in some cases1 this was caused by under-stimulation and exasperation at the slow patterns of rural movement4 ,we were bored to tears1 wrote one ,floris resident of the long ,sunday afternoons spent discussing nothing but politics4#bgh ,more frequently an individual was ignored or shunned by the society because of personal problems which had become a community nuisance3 drinking1 drugs or sexual indiscretions4 ,the families of such social deviants were pitied and aided1 but the offending individuals were avoided--,to whatever extent we could we would ostracize them4 ,in one extreme case the neighborhood took the law into its own hands and lynched a man suspected of rape4 ,this man may have been innocent as you look back on it now but they thought he did it and they got rid of him right then1 related one local citizen4 ,they just wouldn't put up with that4 ,it just wasn't tolerated1 that's all4#bgi ,the largest group outside the community's mainstream was the black agricultural workers4 ,except in the realm of employer_/employee relations they had little social intercourse with their neighbors4 ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school was not open to ,negro students and the schools that were available to blacks were much inferior to those which taught white children4 ,no high school existed at all for the blacks and the one-to three-room schools that existed were in the most dilapidated condition1 with no water1 heat or adequate toilet facilities4#bhj ,edith ,rogers made a revealing comment about the quality of the teachers when she stated that she knew of one that had a degree4#bha ,in extension activities blacks were also often overlooked4 ,the first black #d-;,h club was organized in #aicd without the help of the county agent's office1 and it was only after two years of exceptional work that he belatedly recognized its existence4 ,the colored club at the ,vienna ,school was organized1 but we did not expect much from it1 ,derr reported in #aicf4 ,a few days ago we were considerably surprised to have the ,principal of the ,school send in her report 444 ,nearly every colored boy and girl nine years up to eighteen did some work 444 ,taking it in we feel it is a credible showing for a colored school that has not received its full share of assistance in club work4#bhb ,black activities in churches and farmer's clubs were similarly ignored4 ,some black families appear to have been respected for their industry or farming ability4 ,the ,george ,coates family near ,floris was one4 ,white neighbors exchanged work and admired the ,coates progressive techniques1 but still never went so far as to sit down to dinner with them4#bhc ,blacks were excluded from the area's fairs1 socials and concerts1 except in rare cases when a rope kept the audience segregated4#bhd ,among themselves they1 of course1 had their own entertainments1 but in general the broader opportunities and amusements of the county were closed to the blacks4 ,in the inter-war period another group was increasingly on the fringe of the established community4 ,these were the urban migrants who came along the new roads and railroad lines1 seeking an escape from city stresses4 ,the earliest to arrive were summer residents1 then came the part-time farmers who wanted country air but city pay4 ,finally the unabashed suburbanite who looked only for a quiet place to rest between bouts of urban employment moved in4 ,nearly all came seeking how they could benefit by living in the country1 not what they could contribute to it4 ,at first county residents welcomed this influx with open arms2 they saw the expansion as a boon to employment and markets4 ,only later did they begin to realize that1 in small ways and large1 the forces of economic expansion would alter the shape of their community4#bhe ,those who migrated chiefly in order to farm were welcomed by the county farm families1 but those who were unaccustomed to country ways caused some problems for the rural folk4 ,an editorial in the ,fairfax ,herald for ,april #bc1 #aibf1 bemoaned the loss of many of the county's lovely wildflowers1 for the suburban residents frequently ignored trespass rules to pick the flowers4#bhf ,also alarming were the differing habits and manners of the city migrants and threat of an infiltration of unusual and often undesirable people4 ,hearing rumors that a nudist colony was to be established in the county's ,dranesville ,district1 the ,herndon ,news-,observer declared stoutly ,we have a lot of objectionable people in the county1 who have spilled over from ,washington1 but we will at least require that they bring their 'duds' along before they can hope to experience a cordial reception4#bhg ,a more critical matter was the importation and propagation of insects from the city1 such as the oriental fruit moth1 which thrived in the carelessly kept backyard plantings of suburbanites and then wreaked havoc in commercial orchards4 ,county agents ,derr and ,beard spent considerable time advising these newcomers and helping them plant their gardens4#bhh ,aside from these minor alarms1 the urban influx had really serious consequences for the farmers of ,fairfax ,county4 ,as the numbers of non-farm residents grew1 political interest lines began to be drawn and in some cases the farmers began losing control over local governing policies4 ,this did not happen in all areas2 for example1 the ,county ,board of ,supervisors consisted solely of farmers well into the #aidjs4 ,however1 in some vicinities there were definite political repercussions from the suburban population1 such as in ,herndon1 which although commercially oriented1 had always been sympathetic to the farmer's views4 ,in the years after the arrival of the electric trolley1 city workers and farmers battled at the polls over mayoral candidates and council representatives2 by the #aibjs the town council was dominated by businessmen and professionals4#bhi ,this growing tendency towards political alienation for the farmer was foreshadowed in a letter of complaint written by the ,farmer's ,club #a to the ,governor of ,virginia in ,october1 #aiji3 ,the attention of the ,fairfax ,farmer's ,club ,no4 #a has been called to the fact that the delegates from this county to the ,farmer's ,national ,congress are not farmers1 one being ,sheriff of the ,county1 the other a merchant--both reputable citizens but neither interested directly in agriculture4#bij ,like the other changes shaking the farmers' world1 the loss of government influence created a disturbing sense of impermanence and estrangement4 ,this1 coupled with the previously mentioned tax rise 7which was exacerbated by the influx of people1 all purchasing land and creating a rise in prices due to demand7 indicated to the farmer that he was losing control over a world which had for generations remained secure and settled4 ,ultimately1 these forces crowded him out altogether1 and simultaneously destroyed most of the pastoral communities to which the suburbanites had hoped to escape4 ,,part ,v--,,notes ,community #bbb ,for an extensive study of community relations1 see ,kolb and ,brunner1 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society1 #ge-aci4 #bbc ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bbd ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #ce4 #bbe ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bbf ,derr ,report1 #aicj1 #af4 #bbg ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh4 #bbh ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bbi ,ibid4 #bcj ,ibid4 #bca ,andrew ,m4 ,d4 ,wolf1 ,country ,medicine in ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia1 at the ,turn of the ,twentieth ,century1 unpublished monograph1 ,january #bc1 #aigf1 copy in ,virginiana1 #e-f4 #bcb ,frances ,darlington ,simpson quoted in ,out of ,frying ,pan1 #bf4 #bcc ,louise ,ryder1 ,some ,thoughts about ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church1 unpublished monograph1 ,june1 #aigb2 and ,how ,frying ,pan ,park ,got ,its ,name1 ,fairfax ,herald1 n4d4 7clipping71 and miscellaneous notes on ,frying ,pan by ,louise ,ryder1 ,june1 #aigg1 courtesy of ,louise ,ryder4 #bcd ,john ,davis quoted in ,ryder1 ,some ,thoughts about ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church1 #d2 ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia2 and ,ryder notes4 #bce ,derr ,reports1 #aiai and #aibe2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #bcf #adth ,census of the ,united ,states1 #aibj1 ,national ,archives and ,records ,service4 #bcg ,fairfax ,county ,deed ,books1 ,liber ,e-#f1 #dh-ea2 and ,liber ,h-#e1 #faf-fag4 #bch ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #gj-ga4 #bci ,ibid42 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi2 ,floris ,home ,demonstration ,club1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,march #aj1 #aicb2 ,howard ,simmons1 ,history of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school1 unpublished monograph1 n4d41 copy courtesy of ,elizabeth and ,emma ,ellmore2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 and ,gladys ,t4 ,spencer to ,mrs4 ,ernest ,ryder1 ,february #ae1 #aigi1 copy courtesy of ,louise ,ryder4 #bdj ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 ,nickell and ,randolph1 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county1 #ga2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh2 ,greear_/,netherton1 ,march #bc1 #aigh4 #bda ,simmons2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bh1 #aigi2 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #bdb ,simmons2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bdc ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bdd ,interview with ,lulah ,ferguson by ,steve ,matthews1 ,falls ,church1 ,virginia1 ,august #af1 #aiga4 #bde ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #bdf ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,march #ab1 #aibe4 #bdg ,simmons1 ,floris ,retains ,high ,rating at ,blacksburg1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,april #bj1 #aibh4 #bdh ,commencement ,exercises in ,our ,county ,high ,schools1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,june #af1 #aibg4 #bdi ,simmons2 ,minutes of ,farmer's ,club #a1 ,june #f1 #aiaj2 and ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bej ,rogers_/,corbat1 et al41 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 #bea ,ryder1 ,some ,thoughts ,about ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi2 and ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #h4 #beb ,floris ,united ,methodist ,church3 ,an ,historical ,account1 #ahia-aigd1 7,herndon1 ,virginia1 #aige71 #dj4 #bec ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bed ,ibid4 #bee ,floris ,methodist ,church1 #bc4 #bef ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 ,peck_/,netherton1 ,january #bc1 #aigh4 #beg ,telephone conversation with ,louise ,ryder1 ,january #be1 #aigi4 #beh ,ibid42 ,r4 ,middleton_/,netherton1 ,february #bd1 #aigh2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bei ,ellmore_/,netherton1 ,march #b1 #aigh2 and ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,may #ac1 #aibf4 #bfj ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bfa ,gladys ,spencer to ,louise ,ryder1 ,february #ae1 #aigi2 and note to author by ,louise ,mc,nair ,ryder1 n4d41 7spring1 #aigi74 #bfb ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi 7notes taken after interview72 and ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 #bfc ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 and ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #bfd ,farmer's ,club #a1 ,minutes1 ,august #ba1 #aiac4 #bfe ,lucy ,steptoe ,report1 #aibd4 #bff ,schneider1 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #bg-bh4 #bfg ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bfh ,fairfax ,county ,fair1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,september #bc1 #aibf4 #bfi ,derr ,report1 #aica2 and ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #bgj ,program1 ,fifth ,annual ,floris ,community ,fair1 ,thursday1 ,august #bd1 #aici1 copy in ,beard ,report1 #aici4 #bga ,rice to author1 ,january #cj1 #aigi4 #bgb ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bgc ,nearly everyone spoke enthusiastically of the ,floris fair4 ,see especially ,harrison_/,pryor1 ,february #e1 #aigi2 ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi2 ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bgd ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bge ,family ,reunion at ,floris1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,may #e1 #aibg2 ,events in ,floris1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,march #ba1 #aice4 #bgf ,simpson1 ,virginia ,country ,life and ,cooking1 #eb4 #bgg ,among those who chose such careers were ,joseph ,beard and ,john ,beard 7county extension agents72 ,franklin ,ellmore1 on the staff of ,virginia ,polytechnic ,institute2 ,chester ,mc,laren1 head of agricultural education at ,virginia ,polytechnic ,institute2 and ,jack ,patton1 of the ,fish and ,wildlife ,commission in ,north ,carolina2 see ,ellmore_/,middleton_/,pryor1 ,march #h1 #aigi4 #bgh ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #bgi ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bhj ,e4 ,b4 ,henderson and ,edith ,hussey1 ,history of the ,fairfax ,county ,branch of the ,,naacp1 ,october1 #aife1 #g-h4 #bha ,rogers_/,corbat1 et al41 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 #bhb ,derr ,report1 #aicf4 #bhc ,beard_/,harrison_/,pryor1 ,march #f1 #aigi2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #bhd ,peck_/,netherton1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 #bhe ,see1 for example1 ,the ,future of ,fairfax ,county1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,october #bj1 #aibg4 #bhf ,editorial1 ,fairfax ,herald1 ,april #bc1 #aibf2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,january #bc1 #aigi4 #bhg ,the ,nudist ,camp1 ,herndon ,news-,observer1 ,october #h1 #aicc4 #bhh ,derr ,report1 #aicg2 and ,louis ,a4 ,stearns1 ,the ,present ,state of the ,oriental ,fruit ,moth in ,northern ,virginia1 ,virginia ,agricultural ,extension ,bulletin #bcd4 #bhi ,netherton1 et al41 ,fairfax ,county1 #dhc4 #bij ,farmer's ,club #a1 ,minutes1 ,october #ba1 #aiji4 ,,part ,,vi ,frying ,pan ,park ,the population boom of the post-,world ,war ,,ii period 7with the consequent demand for land71 the huge jump in land taxes1 and competition from larger1 more efficient farms1 spelled doom for the family farm in ,fairfax ,county4 ,the county's farmers had spent much of the inter-war period adjusting to the new agricultural modes1 but they could not adapt to the burgeoning metropolitan area's desire for expansion4 ,the construction of ,dulles ,international ,airport in the late #aiejs further depleted the county's agricultural areas1 wiping out both the ,willard community and much of the farmland around ,floris4 ,even those farmers who had noticed the trends of twenty years felt a nagging sense of loss and resentment at the passing of their traditional way of life4#bia ,frying ,pan ,park is an attempt to give citizens a glimpse of their heritage by recreating the familiar patterns of family farming4 ,its location 7near the corner of ,west ,ox and ,centreville ,roads7 in the still-quiet ,floris center makes it ideal for interpretation of the more tranquil past4 ,the park's purpose is primarily educational and historical1 however it also offers recreational activities4 ,these include equestrian facilities1 bridle paths and nature walks1 as well as the model farm4 ,the idea for such a park began in #aieg when ,joseph ,beard1 then the county agent1 began proposing uses for the old ,floris ,school property which was no longer needed by the county schoolboard4 ,he advised the ,fairfax ,county government that the land and school buildings be established as a youth center4 ,as such1 it would be available to the ,future ,farmers of ,america1 the #d-;,h ,club1 scouting groups1 and similar organizations to stage fairs1 hold meetings and provide recreation4#bib ,this proposal was accepted and in #aifj the land was deeded to the ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority whose powers of police protection and maintenance were superior to those of the individual young people's organizations4 ,an independent citizen board was also established at this time and the ,park has been continually administered by the ,park ,authority and ,frying ,pan ,park ,supervisory ,board4#bic ,the latter consists of representatives of agricultural1 homemaking and youth organizations such as the ,agricultural ,extension ,advisory ,board1 the ,fairfax ,county ,granges and the ,future ,homemakers of ,america4 ,under their direction1 the #d-;,h not only began to clean the grounds1 but staged a few tentative activities4 ,the early success of the events1 coupled with a growing interest in the park by equestrian groups1 led the ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority to acquire bits and pieces of adjoining property throughout the #aifjs and #aigjs1 enlarging the original holding of #d4ci acres to #hg4f acres4 ,they also constructed several buildings for use in livestock exhibitions and horse shows4#bid ,a model farm1 strongly advocated by the county agent1 ,grange and other farm-oriented groups was also proposed in this first decade4 ,a dearth of development money and popular pressure to expand the equestrian facilities combined to delay its inception4#bie ,illustration3 ,master plan of ,frying ,pan ,park showing ideal arrangement of the model farm1 exhibition halls1 and equestrian facilities4 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority1 #aigd4 ,in #aife the ,park ,authority bought the ,floyd ,kidwell farm next to the original school tract which consisted of some #dj acres with several farm buildings4 ,the ,kidwells had owned the property since #aicd2 their farm being the very sort of family operation that proponents of the model farm project hoped to show4#bif ,money was still scarce for the farm's development1 however2 therefore1 most of the land was earmarked for equestrian use--only a third was set aside for the model farm4 ,additional acreage1 purchased in #aigd 7and again in #aigg7 and the acquisition of the ,kidwell farm buildings made more extensive and authentic cultivation possible2 the farm was finally established in #aigd4big ,because the land was pieced together from numerous sources1 the farm is presented as a representation of small-scale farming in the county1 not an exact recreation of the ,kidwell farm4 ,in its patchwork composition1 it echoes the trends of the county for few farms stayed intact during the fluctuations of the #aibjs and #aicjs1 but were added to or diminished depending on the cash flow4 ,model farms originated in ,scandinavia1 where entire villages were preserved during the late #aith century in order to save the folkways which were rapidly eroding in the wake of industrial development4 ,in this country the earliest efforts at such preservation took place in the #aidjs4 ,they had only scanty growth until a thoughtful article by ,marion ,clawson was published in ,agricultural ,history in ,april1 #aife4 ,this piece alerted preservationists and historians to the possibility of such projects and influenced the establishment of nearly one hundred such open-air museums1 among them the ,national ,park ,service's ,turkey ,run ,farm near ,mc,lean1 ,virginia4#bih ,frying ,pan ,farm differs from most of these restorations in its portrayal of #bjth century farming1 a time and way of working that many older people can still recall4 ,rather than show the slow and hand-operated life of a pre-mechanization farmer1 ,frying ,pan ,farm shows the farm in a dynamic transition4 ,in the words of the supervisory board1 it recreates a time that had not given up the idea of home-cured meats1 home vegetable gardens1 home orchards1 apple butter1 sorghum molasses 444 but it was considering the use of farm tractors1 milking machines1 and tractor-drawn equipment4444#bii ,the farm thus portrays crop and pasturage rotation1 and some mechanized activity with a #aidj tractor1 yet the farmer harvests his grain with a horse-drawn binder4 ,most of the equipment is from the pre-,world ,war ,,ii period and animals have been chosen or bred to conform to those available in the #aicjs4 ,a volunteer program1 established in #aigf1 aids the farmer in tending the large vegetable garden1 and the livestock which consists of poultry1 hogs1 rabbits1 goats1 sheep1 dairy cows and draft horses4 ,frying ,pan ,farm cultivates corn1 wheat and hay crops and includes a late-#aith century farmstead1 a frame barn1 shed1 henhouse1 and rabbit hutch and a machine and separator shed4 ,an orchard and additional crop acreage and fencing are planned4 ,far from being a zoo or a site of isolated craft or mechanical demonstrations1 the farm is operated daily as if agriculture were its only aim4 ,crops are grown not merely for show but to feed the animal stock and manure is used to fertilize garden and grain fields4 ,the visitor who stops by the farm does not see a prearranged interpretive display1 but chances on the farmer performing that day's necessary work3 milking1 haying1 repairing fences1 or plowing4#cjj ,illustration3 ,laura ,parham and ,kim ,stanton work in the vegetable garden at ,frying ,pan ,farm4 ,volunteers do much of the garden work at the site4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority4 ,illustration3 ,this early threshing machine is one of the pieces of period equipment owned by ,frying ,pan ,farm4 ,photo1 ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,the farmyard at ,frying ,pan ,farm in early fall4 ,the barn houses livestock such as horses1 pigs1 sheep1 goats1 and dairy cows4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority4 ,the farm boasts one structure not properly belonging to it1 but nonetheless most relevant to the interpretation of early #bjth century farm life3 the ,moffett ,blacksmith ,shop4 ,the shop was owned by ,henry ,moffett and stood in ,herndon for #gj years1 from #aijd until the ,frying ,pan ,park ,supervisory ,board bought it in #aigd4 ,at this time the shop was torn down and reassembled near the model farm as a memorial to their former chairman 7and donor of the funds to save the ,moffett ,shop71 ,hatcher ,ankers4 ,henry ,moffett1 realizing that the advent of the tractor and automobile would eliminate the need for his business1 displayed considerable foresight by collecting blacksmithing tools all over the ,washington area4 ,his shop now houses some of this equipment and another portion is in the ,smithsonian ,institution1 though ,moffett no longer does any smithing4 ,the park offers courses in ornamental iron working at the shop4#cja ,the presence of the ,moffett ,blacksmith ,shop at ,frying ,pan ,park emphasizes the interdependence of farmer and smith4 ,the machinist of his day1 the blacksmith repaired wagon tongues1 and mended heavy plows and other farm equipment4 ,as late as the #bjth century1 the smith produced tools1 and ornamental items in addition to his steady business of shoeing horses4 ,his work required a sensitive understanding of farming and the quirks and habits of the farmer and his animals4 ,henry ,moffett himself owned a farm1 giving him special insight into the agriculturalist's needs1 a factor which may have been partially responsible for the comparative success and longevity of his business4 ,i had more trade than any man around here1 ,moffett admitted4 ,during the ,depression we showed more profit per man than any other business4 ,blacksmithing was a trade which required skill1 but also courage1 to wield heavy instruments1 work with molten metals and face stiff competition and the sometimes ugly customers4 ,henry ,moffett seems to have combined these qualities with a rare integrity4 ,when competition became keen among the many ,herndon forges1 ,moffett refused to resort to the accepted practice of defaming the other smiths to build up his own business4 ,stated ,moffett1 ,i figured if ,i can't make it without bringing somebody else down ,i shouldn't bother4#cjb ,illustration3 ,the farmer's house at ,frying ,pan ,farm4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority4 ,illustration3 ,two young girls meet two young goats at an exhibition at ,frying ,pan ,park4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority4 ,illustration3 ,john ,hopkins1 a park employee1 demonstrates the use of period blacksmithing tools in the ,moffett ,blacksmith ,shop4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority4 ,illustration3 ,pat ,middleton1 a contestant in a #d-;,h ,club fair1 held at ,frying ,pan ,park4 ,copy of photo in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,illustration3 ,a cattle judging on the grounds of the ,floris school1 #aiej4 ,the shed1 built in #aiah1 was used continually in the early twentieth century to house exhibits and fairs4 ,copy of photo in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,the continuance of farming and limited blacksmithing in the ,floris area provides a continuity with earlier eras that is also reflected in the equestrian and youth activities of the park4 ,the site of the old ,floris ,school was used during the #aicjs for the ,floris ,community ,fair and has for several decades been the site of the #d-;,h fair1 which features many of the same activities as earlier exhibitions4 ,a description of the #d-;,h fair of #aigf reads much as the accounts of #dj years previous3 ,highlight of the opening ceremonies on ,thursday evening1 ,august #e1 will be a goat-milking contest4444 ,the program will open #g3cj p4m4 with the posting of the colors by twenty #d-;,h members on horseback4444 ,projects on exhibit will include everything from animals to a rocketry display4444 ,six performances of local dance and instrumental groups have been scheduled and square dancing will take place at #b p4m4 ,saturday4 ,horse shows will run continuously in the park's two rings during both days4444 ,in addition the ,extension ,homemakers ,club will present more than #bj working crafts exhibits on how to make everything from cottage cheese to doll-house furniture4444#cjc ,in addition1 several minor judgings are held each year4 ,during #aigj for example1 events at the park included a poultry judging1 four dog shows1 four sewing club events and one rabbit show4#cjd ,agriculturally oriented youth groups are also encouraged to meet at the park1 and the master plan for development of ,frying ,pan ,park calls for space for home economics and mechanical shops1 areas for crafts instruction1 an agriculture library1 and dormitory rooms4 ,in all of these pursuits1 ,frying ,pan ,park carries on the traditions of professional training in the field of agriculture established by the ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school4#cje ,the use of park space for equestrian activities likewise mirrors the county citizens' continued interest in rural pleasures4 ,the horse shows and facilities are the park's most popular feature1 drawing over a thousand people per day for some events4 ,fifty-five equestrian events were staged in #aigf1 and the schedule now includes three ,class ,a weekend shows sponsored by the ,american ,quarterhorse ,association1 and judging for points in dressage1 jumping1 and other standard events4 ,the construction of an indoor show ring was begun in the summer of #aigi1 and is expected to further expand the park's activities1 especially providing space for winter shows4 ,the park also expects to continue its program of week-long camps for pony clubs1 and its extensive network of bridle paths4#cjf ,frying ,pan ,park is unique both in its attempt to interpret a style of living which has not yet completely vanished1 and in its combination of educational and recreational facilities4 ,its aim is not merely to display old-fashioned implements or provide for the enjoyment of a special interest group4 ,rather it seeks to maintain a tradition of interest in rural life and culture by continuing to pursue it actively4 ,the trials1 hopes1 and quiet pleasures of the countryside can be best appreciated where the farm is a living entity4 ,the richness of the farmer's achievement is evident to the park's visitors through fairs1 horse shows1 and simply in gazing at a lushly billowing field of corn4 ,illustration3 ,dressage competition at ,frying ,pan ,park1 #aigh4 ,equestrian activities have proved to be among the most popular events at the park4 ,photo1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,,part ,,vi--,,notes ,frying ,pan ,park #bia ,netherton1 et al41 ,fairfax ,county1 #edd-efh2 and ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #bib ,joseph ,beard to ,w4 ,t4 ,woodson1 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,march #bf1 #aieg1 copy in ,frying ,pan ,farm files1 ,fairfax ,county ,park ,authority 7hereafter cited as ,,fcpa74 #bic ,copy of deed1 ,december #f1 #aifj1 in ,land ,acquisitions files1 ,frying ,pan ,farm1 ,,fcpa2 and telephone conversation with ,joseph ,beard1 ,april #bf1 #aigi4 #bid ,additional land was acquired as follows3 4#igbf acre on condemnation award from ,floyd ,lee1 ,july #e1 #aifb 7cost #a1bej72 #ch acres bought from ,floyd ,kidwell1 ,june #bf1 #aife 7cost #a1ejj per acre72 #e4bgga acres on condemnation award from ,emma ,neal ,lee1 ,january #bi1 #aife 7cost #c1ieh72 #c4efhd acres 7including house and outbuildings7 bought from ,floyd ,kidwell1 ,march #bf1 #aigj 7cost #cd1bge72 #ai4jgff acres bought from ,annie ,may ,poole ,whittier1 ,september1 #aigd 7cost #hj1aba4gb72 and #ba4fchih acres on condemnation award from ,robert ,e4 ,clark1 ,may #ca1 #aigg 7cost #agc1jjj74 ,it is interesting to note the rise in land prices during these years4 ,see ,land ,acquisitions records1 ,,fcpa4 #bie ,beard_/,pryor1 ,february #bg1 #aigi4 #bif ,see deed between ,asa ,e4 ,bradshaw and ,floyd ,kidwell1 in ,fairfax ,county ,deed ,books1 ,liber ,l-#aa1 #big4 #big ,memorandum from ,frying ,pan ,park ,supervisory ,board1 ,april1 #aigb2 notes from ,farm ,committee1 ,june1 #aigb2 and ,proposed ,plan for ,kidwell ,farm1 ,frying ,pan ,park1 ,january1 #aigd1 all in ,frying ,pan ,park files1 ,,fcpa4 #bih ,john ,schlebecker1 ,living ,historical ,farms3 ,a ,walk into the ,past 7,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aifh71 #e-af4 #bii ,memorandum1 ,april1 #aigb4 #cjj ,interview with ,john ,hopkins1 farm manager1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 #cja ,henry ,moffett3 ',a ,mighty ,man1' ,washington ,star1 ,april #ah1 #aigf2 notes on interview with ,henry ,moffett by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 n4d41 7#aigh74 #cjb ,ibid4 #cjc #d-;,h ,bicentennial ,fair at ,frying ,pan ,farm1 ,fairfax ,journal1 ,august #f1 #aigf4 #cjd #aigj ,annual ,report1 ,frying ,pan ,farm files1 ,,fcpa4 #cje ,master ,plan1 ,frying ,pan ,farm1 #aigg1 copy in files1 ,,fcpa4 #cjf ,annual ,report1 #aigf1 ,frying ,pan ,park2 untitled memorandum1 ,may #c1 #aigd1 both in files1 ,,fcpa2 and ,hopkins1 ,march #f1 #aigi4 ,,bibliography ,manuscripts and ,interviews ,all transcripts and notes from interviews are in the ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,bailey1 ,neal4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,december #ab1 #aigh4 ,beard1 ,joseph4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton and ,patrick ,reed4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,november1 #aigd4 ,beard1 ,joseph4 ,interview by ,elizabeth ,pryor4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,january #bc1 #aigi1 and ,february #b1 #aigi4 ,beard1 ,joseph and ,holden ,harrison4 ,interview by ,elizabeth ,pryor4 ,floris1 ,virginia4 ,march #f1 #aigi4 ,carey1 ,patricia ,m4 ,a ,selected ,bibliography of ,resources on the ,history of ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia4 ,unpublished monograph1 ,catholic ,university1 #aifj4 ,deed ,books1 ,fairfax ,county1 ,libers ,e-#f1 ,h-#e and ,l-#aa4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 ,fairfax ,county ,courthouse4 ,derr1 ,h4 ,b4 and ,joseph ,beard4 ,annual ,reports of ,county ,extension ,agents1 #aiah-aidj1 in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,ellmore1 ,elizabeth and ,emma4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,march #b1 #aigh4 ,ellmore1 ,elizabeth and ,emma and ,rebecca ,middleton4 ,interview by ,elizabeth ,pryor4 ,herndon1 ,virginia4 ,march #f1 #aigi4 ,ferguson1 ,lulah4 ,interview by ,steve ,mathews4 ,august #af1 #aiga4 ,greear1 ,virginia4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,march #bc1 #aigh4 ,harrison1 ,holden and ,ray1 and ,virginia ,presgraves ,harrison4 ,interview by ,elizabeth ,pryor4 ,chantilly1 ,virginia1 ,february #e1 #aigi4 ,land ,books1 ,fairfax ,county #aicj-aica in ,virginiana ,collection1 ,fairfax ,county ,public ,library4 ,lee1 ,margaret ,mary4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,oakton1 ,virginia1 ,march #bh1 #aigh4 ,mc,nair1 ,wilson ,d4 ,what ,i ,remember4 ,unpublished manuscript in possession of ,mrs4 ,louise ,ryder4 ,middleton1 ,john and ,edna4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,february #bd1 #aigh4 ,millard1 ,emma4 ,interview by ,dana ,gumb4 ,november #ae1 #aigb4 ,minutes of ,meetings1 ,farmer's ,club #a4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,october #a1 #aiji to ,january #ac1 #aice1 in possession of ,rebecca ,middleton1 ,herndon1 ,virginia4 ,peck1 ,richard4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,february #bc1 #aigh4 ,publicity ,committee of ,herndon ,chamber of ,commerce4 ,facts ,regarding ,bond ,issue ,every ,voter ,should ,know4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 #aibd4 ,copy in possession of ,holden ,harrison4 ,rice1 ,elizabeth4 ,letters to author1 ,january and ,february1 #aigi4 ,rogers1 ,edith4 ,interview by ,patty ,corbat1 ,craig ,smith and ,phyllis ,hirshman4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 ,june #ab1 #aigj4 ,rogers1 ,edith4 ,interview by ,nan ,netherton4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 n4d4 7c41 spring1 #aigh74 ,ryder1 ,louise4 ,some ,thoughts ,about ,frying ,pan ,baptist ,church4 ,unpublished monograph1 ,june1 #aigb4 ,scott ,collection4 ,letters1 ,herd ,record ,books and ,memorabilia of ,c4 ,t4 ,rice4 ,oakton1 ,virginia4 ,shug1 ,rita4 ,the ,town of ,herndon4 ,unpublished monograph1 ,george ,mason ,university1 ,may1 #aigc4 ,simmons1 ,howard4 ,history of ,floris ,vocational ,high ,school4 ,unpublished monograph1 n4d4 ,copy in possession of ,elizabeth and ,emma ,ellmore4 ,spencer1 ,gladys ,t4 to ,mrs4 ,ernest ,ryder4 ,february #ae1 #aigi4 ,copy in possession of ,louise ,ryder4 ,will ,books1 ,fairfax ,county1 #aibh4 ,fairfax ,virginia1 ,fairfax ,county ,courthouse4 ,published ,works ,agee1 ,james and ,walker ,evans4 ,let ,us ,now ,praise ,famous ,men4 ,new ,york3 ,dodd1 ,mead and ,company1 #aifj4 ,bailey1 ,thomas ,a4 ,the ,american ,pageant4 ,boston3 ,d4,c4 ,heath1 #aiff4 ,barger1 ,harold and ,hans ,m4 ,lansburg4 ,american ,agriculture1 #ahii-aici4 ,new ,york3 ,the ,arno ,press1 #aige4 ,beitzeel1 ,edwin ,w4 ,life on the ,potomac ,river4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 privately published1 #aifh4 ,corson1 ,juliet4 ,miss ,corson's ,practical ,american ,cookery4 ,new ,york3 ,dodd1 ,mead and ,company1 #ahhf4 ,country ,gentleman4 ,february and ,march1 #aice4 ,fairfax ,county ,board of ,supervisors4 ,historic ,progressive ,fairfax ,county in ,old ,virginia4 ,alexandria1 ,virginia3 ,newell-,cole ,company1 #aibh4 ,fairfax ,farmer ,threw ,away ,his ,plow in #aibh and ,amazing ,results ,have ,been ,revolutionary4 ,richmond ,times-,dispatch4 ,september #ag1 #aiea4 ,fairfax ,herald4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia1 #aibe-aice4 ,federal ,crop ,reporting ,service4 ,virginia ,farm ,statistics1 #aice-aicf4 ,richmond1 ,virginia1 #aicf4 ,fifteenth ,census of the ,united ,states3 ,agricultural ,summary1 #aibi-aicj4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aicj4 ,floris ,united ,methodist ,church3 ,an ,historical ,account1 #ahia-aigd4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 privately published1 #aige4 ,funk1 ,w4 ,c4 ,an ,economic ,study of ,small ,farms ,near ,washington1 ,d4,c4 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture ,bulletin #hdh4 ,june #bb1 #aibj4 ,garnett1 ,william ,edward4 ,rural ,organization in ,relation to ,rural ,life in ,virginia4 ,virginia ,agricultural ,extension ,station ,bulletin #bef4 ,blacksburg1 ,virginia1 ,may1 #aibg4 ,garnett1 ,william ,edward and ,john ,w4 ,ellison ,negro ,life in ,rural ,virginia1 #ahfe-aicd4 ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute ,bulletin #bie4 ,june1 #aicd4 ,gilliam1 ,sara ,k4 ,virginia ,people1 ,a ,study of the ,growth and ,distribution of the ,population of ,virginia from #afjg-aidc4 ,richmond3 ,virginia ,state ,planning ,board1 #aidd4 ,glasgow1 ,ellen4 ,barren ,ground4 ,richmond3 ,hill and ,wang1 #aicc4 ,goessling1 ,adeline4 ,the ,farm and ,home ,cookbook4 ,chicago3 ,phelps1 #aiai4 ,gumb1 ,dana4 ,pioneer ,recalls ,mc,lean4 ,echoes of ,history4 ,march and ,may #aigb4 ,hawkes1 ,robert ,t41 ,jr4 ,the ,emergence of a ,leader3 ,harry ,flood ,byrd1 ,governor of ,virginia1 #aibf-aicj4 ,virginia ,magazine of ,history and ,biography4 ,volume #hb1 ,number #c1 ,july1 #aigd4 ,henderson1 ,e4 ,b4 and ,edith ,hussey4 ,history of ,fairfax ,county ,branch of the ,,naacp4 ,privately published1 #aife4 ,herndon ,news-,observer4 ,herndon1 ,virginia1 #aibe-aidj4 ,hill's ,southern ,almanac4 ,richmond3 ,virginia ,fire and ,marine ,insurance ,company1 #aibi4 ,kolb1 ,j4 ,h4 and ,edmund ,s4 de ,brunner4 ,a ,study of ,rural ,society4 ,boston3 ,houghton ,mifflin ,company1 #aice4 ,lord1 ,russell4 ,men of ,earth4 ,new ,york3 ,longman's ,green and ,company1 #aica4 ,martin1 ,oliver4 ,on and ,off the ,concrete in ,maryland1 ,virginia and ,west ,virginia4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 privately published1 #aicj4 ,miller1 ,john ,c4 ,the ,federalist ,era4 ,new ,york3 ,harper and ,row1 #aifh4 ,murphy1 ,arthur ,morton4 ,the ,agricultural ,depression3 ,a ,proposed ,measure for ,its ,relief4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,catholic ,university1 #aibf4 ,national ,rural ,electric ,cooperative ,association4 ,proceedings of the ,long ,range ,study ,committee ,i-,,iii4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 ,november #aifg-,march #aifh4 ,netherton1 ,nan1 and ,donald ,sweig1 ,janice ,artemel1 ,patricia ,hickin1 ,patrick ,reed4 ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia3 ,a ,history4 ,fairfax1 ,virginia3 ,fairfax ,county ,board of ,supervisors1 #aigh4 ,nickell1 ,lehman and ,cary ,j4 ,randolph4 ,an ,economic and ,social ,survey of ,fairfax ,county4 ,charlottesville1 ,virginia3 ,university of ,virginia1 #aibd4 ,out of ,frying ,pan4 ,herndon1 ,virginia3 privately published1 #aifd4 ,rasmussen1 ,wayne ,d4 and ,gladys ,l4 ,baker4 ,price-,support and ,adjustment ,programs from #aicc-aigh3 ,a ,short ,history4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 #aigi4 ,report of the ,commission to ,study the ,condition of the ,farmers of ,virginia to the ,general ,assembly of ,virginia4 ,richmond3 ,state ,department of ,agriculture1 #aicj4 ,richmond and ,danville ,railroad4 ,country ,homes ,near the ,nation's ,capital4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 #ahhh4 ,rothery1 ,agnes4 ,virginia3 ,the ,new ,dominion4 ,new ,york3 ,d4 ,appleton--,century ,company1 #aidj4 ,rural ,electric ,fact ,book4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aifj4 ,schaefer1 ,joseph4 ,the ,social ,history of ,american ,agriculture4 ,new ,york3 ,mc,millan ,company1 #aicf4 ,schlebecker1 ,john4 ,living ,historical ,farms3 ,a ,walk into the ,past4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,smithsonian ,institution1 #aifh4 ,schneider1 ,lottie ,dyer4 ,memoirs of ,herndon1 ,virginia4 ,marion1 ,virginia3 privately published1 #aifb4 ,sears1 ,roebuck and ,company4 ,catalogue4 ,chicago1 #aibg-bh4 ,simpson1 ,frances ,darlington4 ,virginia ,country ,life and ,cooking4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 privately published1 #aifc4 ,sixteenth ,census of the ,united ,states3 #aidj ,agriculture4 ,statistics for ,counties4 ,volume ,i4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aidb4 ,stearns1 ,louis ,a4 ,the ,present ,state of the ,oriental ,fruit ,moth in ,northern ,virginia4 ,virginia ,agricultural ,extension ,bulletin #bcd4 ,thompson1 ,e4 ,p4 ,the ,making of the ,english ,working ,class4 ,london3 ,penguin ,books1 #aiff4 ,united ,states ,census of ,agriculture1 #aibe3 ,statistics for ,virginia4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aibh4 ,united ,states ,congressional ,records1 #aiad1 #aiaf1 #aiag4 ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture4 ,abandoned or ,idle ,farms3 ,statistics for ,counties and ,summary for the ,united ,states4 ,washington1 ,d4,c43 ,government ,printing ,office1 #aidc4 ,virginia ,agriculture1 #aijj-aieh4 ,handbook of ,information4 ,blacksburg3 ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute1 #aifj4 ,virginia ,agriculture ,advisory ,council4 ,a ,five ,year ,program for the ,development of ,virginia's ,agriculture4 ,richmond3 ,state ,department of ,agriculture1 #aibc4 ,virginia ,farm ,statistics4 ,richmond3 ,virginia ,department of ,agriculture and ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture1 #aicf4 ,virginia ,polytechnical ,institute4 ,the ,housing of ,virginia's ,rural ,folk4 ,blacksburg1 ,virginia1 #aicj4 ,washington ,evening ,star4 ,washington1 ,d4,c41 #aibi1 #aicb1 #aice4 ,wilkinson1 ,charles ,kirk4 ,reminiscences of ,sherwood ,farm and the ,surrounding ,area4 ,yearbook of ,historical ,society of ,fairfax ,county1 ,virginia1 ,inc4 ,volume #i1 #aifd-aife4 ,work ,progress ,administration of ,virginia4 ,part ,time ,farming in ,virginia4 ,richmond3 ,division of ,rural ,research1 #aich4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,underlined passages are indicated by underline4 ,punctuation has been corrected without note4 ,the following misprints have been corrected3 buildings corrected to building 7page #a7 acomplishing corrected to accomplishing 7page #bh7 missing c added 7page #bi7 for corrected to from 7page #eh7 commuity corrected to community 7page #fi7 ,febrary corrected to ,february 7page #hj7 mongraph corrected to monograph 7page #hj7 innnocent corrected to innocent 7page #ajh7 familes corrected to families 7page #aji7 politlcal corrected to political 7page #aaj7 alientation corrected to alienation 7page #aaj7