he sidewalk, leaving the
farmer's truck or car outdoors where produce is in danger from heat,
cold, or rain."[131]

Partially because of these problems, the specialty which gained in
distinction and profitability at this time was dairy farming. There were
several additional reasons for this. The land itself was well adapted to
the raising of milk cows; its gently undulating terrain--which formed
numerous natural water depressions--coupled with the abundance of small
streams or "runs," made water easily available. To the dairy farmer who
must water his stock regardless of seasonal conditions, this was
essential. As previously mentioned, 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 herds. And, one observer
noted, the weather was favorable for the dairy industry: "The winters
are relatively short in Fairfax, thus allowing cattle to stay out often
until the latter part of November, returning to pasture by April or
May."[132]

These natural assets tell only part of the story for, as stated above,
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 1920. Although dairying required more
capital initially and more land than did market gardening, it held an
advantage in that the plummeting farm prices did not affect milk
products as disasterously as crops. The really great asset that the
Fairfax County dairy industry possessed, however, was its proximity to
the large milk-consuming markets in Alexandria and Washington, D.C., and
the speedy access afforded by rail lines connecting the two areas. Where
truck farmers needed to sell their produce personally in order to make
the best profit, milk producers sold to distributors, who collected at
the depot, making rail transportation a feasible marketing device.

In the earliest days of the century milk was shipped by boat to the city
markets, 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 market. It was not until the old and unreliable steam
railway lines, such as the Washington and Old Dominion Railway, were
converted to electricity around 1912 and refrigerated cars were widely
used, that the shipment of milk became really profitable.[133]
Communities such as Flori