The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-06-05
,fFrom tue Country Gentieman.1
yirpinfn and Her Agriculture.


appears in your issue OF March 25th, beaded
g Notes in Virginia, Georgia, and South
Carolina which is go utterly unjust that,
az in some measure The representative OF
Virginia agricuItureyaDd Virginia interests,
/ ain constrained tosnotice 1t briefly. The
routeeover which this writer seems to have
passed does not lie in the best section OF the
State, and, even il it did, no one whirled
rapidly by railroad over it is competent to
form Just estimate Of the agriculture OF
whole State.
AS to the stock, OF which lie first speaks,
it is emily necessary to quote from Dr. 10
ring, member OF Congress from Massachu-
sets, who attended our State Fair last DC
tober. In letter to his constituents, pub
lished soon after his return to Washington,
lie saws he was surprised at the fine stock
exhibited, and says it compared very favor
ably with the stock he had seen at the fairs
OF the northern and eastern States. DIR.
Loring is Judge Of stock, and it Is not to
be supposed that he was disposed to give to
Virginia more than her due share OF praise
in this particular. Almost all this stock
came from Virginia, particularly the cattle,
horses, and sheep.
The writer saws that the climate is in our
favor, but that our soils are deficient. NOW,
we have as good lands as those OF New
York, which he lauds; and as good farms
can be found in Virginia as in New York.
No finer lands can be seen in the United
States than in the yalleys-much OF PED
mont, the James River valley, and other
river valleys OF Virginia.
This writer says wagons IN tue state itrc
a rarity, and carriages unknown. Ihls
statement is utterly untrue. We may not
have so many carriages as the northern
States, but we probably have fully as many
wagons, because all portions OF our State
are not so much intersected with faiiroaas
as those of the North, and it IS necessary TO
use wagons more in getting our produce TO
railroads and markets.
Does this writer know that Virginia pays
as much, il not more, thX TO the Unllea
States Government than the whole New
England States, and this though our State
was the battle-ground in our late unfortu-
nate war, and. came out or the contest
Scared and stripped OF almost everything
but the lands? This fact is most striking,
when we know that the population OF the
New England States is nearly three times
as much as that OF Virginia. The assessed
value of the taxable property in Virginia IS
1920, 000, 900 1--WE have no large cities to swell
this argregate), and this after the destruc-
ton OF most OF our stock and burning OF
many houses during the war.
Our tobacco crop in 1860 aggregated 49,
900, 900 pounds, this including the present
Virginia and the State Of West Virginia.
Since the war the average crop has been
about 100000 pounds, and in 1877 the
crop is estimated at 100000 pounds. Our
wheat and corn and hay crops are large,
and steadily increasing. Our Wheats make
the best flour in the Union, aid our brands
OF flour are famous in foreign markets.
Commodore Maury, in his Physical Sur
vey of Virginia. says that the census OF 1880
and 1860 show that Virginia increased her
property in ten years S360,05O,O0e. Ihls
will be found to compare iavorabiy with
most OF the northern Statcs-pcrhaps with
any but New York, and perhaps Pennsyl-
vania-with their rapidlv-increaSing cities OF
New York and Philadelphia, during tins
period. Though our ante-belten prosrerl-
tv exceeds that OF the present (for we are
vet suffering from the effects OF the war;. it
shows what Virginia is. capable OF. The
mineral resources o! Virginia are believed
to be as great us THOSE Of any State east OF
the Rocky Mountains, and probably as great
rs anv western State. Our timbers are
abundant and very valuable. As fruit
State none SURPRISES it. and none, probably,
equals it.
at the United States Pathological ENhi-
billion held in Richmond some years since
our State carried of the premium for
pears, even from California, and at the
last exhibition, held in Baltimore, Flr-
GINA carried off the palm for fruus.
AS 10 our schools and churches, Il
reference to my first annual report viii
show that our present school system Is an
excellent one, and carried out with great
faithfulneSs and activity, and though Or
naniZed only in 1870, is educating now 2O0,-
900 children, while IN 1860 the puphc
schools then educated only g., 900
Our Senator from Virginia, Hon. j. w.
Johnston, makes this statement: " Viz
einia is not only not inferior to her sister
States Of the North in respect to educa-
tional advantages, but far superior to most
of them" He shows from reliable sources
that Virginia has more students at her COL
le.es than Massachusetts, OF Connecticut,
or Ohio, or Pennsylvania, and nearly as
many as New York. (See my report, page
1881
AS to churches, which this writer says
are so few IN Virginia, the United States
census tables show that in the southern
States there is one church for every five
hundred and eighteen Inhabitants, while in
the New England States there is one church
for every six hundred and forty-thrce in
habitants. We make the comparison with
New England States, because they are gem
eralv considered as distinguished for their
HIGH moral character and thrift. The same
census shows also that there is less pduDer'
ism and crime in the southern States than
in New England. Now Virginia, it should
be remarked, almost certainly contains as
many churches as any OF the southern
States, and probably more.
- III. POLLARD,
State Commissioner of Agriculture.
Richmond, "a, April 1.
In one OF your late numbers was dole
full letter concerning the condition Of Eir-
ginia. Living, as I do, not far from the
Rapidan river, l can state that the farms
along that stream, and for four miles IN
either direction, are rich and productive,
and do not have in general that tumble
down appearance spoken OF by your late
correspondent The losses incurred during
the war greatly reduced the peoples means,
but now they are rapidly recovering.
Land along the Rapidan can be bought
from twenty-five to thirty dollars per acre,
and not WORKOUT land either, but as good
as can be procured east OF the Blue Ridge
Labor is cheap (and thieyish),
and can be procured from eight to ten dol
lars per month.
The great drawback is the want OF near
markets, and another is the rank dishonesty
of the negro population. Depredations are
common. / have had to keep my grain in
the building sleep in, in order to protect
it. But this last winter was Il severe one
20 ha ny annOnnt nf tho 6r0npht OT