engaged, he allotted three acres of corn land. These farmers were not
allowed to devote their entire time to crop-raising. The livestock as
we have seen was allowed to run at large in the fenced ranges. In a
letter dated June 14, 1614, Gov. Dale reported that he had set the
colonists to the task of "husbanding our corne securely, whereof wee
have above five-hundred acres set, and God be praised in more
forwardness than any of the Indians that I have seen or heard of this
yeare."

When Capt. Argall, as deputy governor superseded Dale in May, 1617,
George Yeardley having been acting governor from April 11, 1616, he
reported that the colony had about four hundred people but not over
200 fit for husbandry and tillage. As for livestock, they had 128
cattle, 88 goats, and a large number of hogs. As to cattle there were
about "fortie bulls and oxen but they wanted men to bring them to
labour and irons for the ploughs and harnesse for the cattell." They
had tried again to grow some small grains.

Thirtie or fortie acres wee had sowne with one plough, but it
stood so long on the ground before it was reaped it was most
shaken.

This was a pitiful showing for the ten years that had elapsed since
Capt. Newport established the colony. It had been a decade of
frustration and heart-breaking disappointments, a decade of gruelling
toil and misery. No blame should be attached to the colonists. They
were thrust into a situation for which they were woefully
unprepared.

Virginia was destined to develop agriculturally. Attempts to suppress
that industry only served to prolong the colony's troubles. There
were no natural resources except the forests in the tidewater region;
no Indian trade of any great value; no gems to be picked up at will;
no minerals to be exploited. When the situation seemed most hopeless,
the culture of a crop new to English farming completely changed their
mental and pecuniary outlook. Despair changed to violent optimism.
John Rolfe is generally credited with having been, in 1612, the first
Virginia planter to engage in the growing of tobacco. Governor Dale
at the time frowned on its culture and ruled that two of each man's
allotment of three acres of land should be seeded to corn. Hence the
change in governorship was a momentous event.

CHANGE IN POLICY

When Sir Thomas Dale left, in 1616, George Yeardley took over the
management of the colony as Acting Governor. He lost no time in
putting a