almost entirely farming and domestic services, crop failures
necessarily cause migration to other localities, and as Washington and
Baltimore are not far distant and offer higher wages and sometimes
more attractive occupations, there can be no doubt that the decrease
is principally due to the migration to those cities.


INDUSTRIES.

Agriculture, in many of its important branches, is by far Loudoun's
leading industry, and is being annually benefited by the application
of new methods in cultivation and harvesting. The farmers are thrifty
and happy and many of them prosperous.

During the Civil War agriculture received a serious set-back, as the
County was devastated by the contending armies, but by hard work and
intelligent management of the people the section has again been put
upon a prosperous footing.

The agricultural methods in use throughout the County are very
uniform, notwithstanding the fact that there are a comparatively large
number of soil types in the area.

A system of general farming, with few variations, is practiced,
although some of the soils are much better adapted to the purpose than
are other soils of the area. The system of rotation practiced consists
of drilling in wheat and timothy seed together on the corn stubble in
the fall, and sowing clover in the following spring. The wheat is
harvested in the early summer, leaving the timothy and clover, which,
after obtaining a good growth, is grazed or cut the next year for hay.