situation is less difficult; but with the large farms it is often
impossible to secure sufficient labor, especially during harvesting.

The total and average expenditures for labor on farms in 1899,
including the value of the board furnished, was $292,150, an average
of $149.97 per farm and 93 cents per acre.


FERTILIZERS.

Commercial fertilizers are used extensively throughout Loudoun. These
consist chiefly of phosphatic fertilizers, although some nitrogenous
mixtures are used. Barnyard and green manures are employed to a
considerable extent. Lime is applied freely to many of the soils. It
is brought into the area in cars, hauled from there to the farms by
wagon, and thrown in small piles over the land, the usual application
being twenty-five or thirty bushels to the acre. It is almost always
put on the land in the fall, and after becoming thoroughly slaked by
air and rain, is spread over the land as evenly as possible.
Applications are made every fifth or sixth year. Where farms are
situated at considerable distances from the railroads but little lime
is used on account of the difficulty of transportation.

The total amount expended for fertilizers in 1900 was $107,490, an
average of $55.18 per farm and 34 cents per acre and amounted to 3.8
per cent of the total value of the products. In 1879, only one other
county in the State, i. e., Norfolk, spent as much for the enrichment
of its soils. The amount expended for fertilizers in that year was
$133,349.