The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-10-30
Superintendent Pess. OF Richmond, and
HardaWay, OK Petersburg. 60. 81.

superintendent Peay, Of Richmond, ant
Hardaway, Of PetersbnTg. II
! !, hsszso i THIS THE BIG lDAY. ;4:ss fs.s
| iTheelpublic Offices; banks, depots, &c.
will be closed t0.day.5 ~ II lHCp4
The delivery OF mai!-matterwill be sus
pended from 1880 Am. to 5IP. NJ. TIT
carrieiswilI make their morning trips as
usualii but mails arriving subsequently, wiT
ba delivered, at the post-ofice. Collections
fromfstar letter boxes as'5:45 A. Msand AS
2. MI ] sfii ta IasngIg3GiJ go .eIG. s.
TheIploughineimaichwiil take place at II
O'Clock to-day i'm rear OF the Grand Stand.
About $50 personsof from Kentucky and
Ohipj; Brought here hy Ma5or Hotcbkiss,
visited the graun ds:yesterdaY. j..
Meeting OF the Agricultural Eocfety.
Atmeetlng OF the Virginia Agricultural
Society was held last night. Major A. Fl.
Drewry presided, Gwith Colonel w. e.
Knight as secretary.
General LIE DUO, Commissioner OF Agri-
culture ;oi the, United States. being present,
was invited-to a seat near the Chair. There
were about sixty members present.
The question forofilscussion was 'tThe
cheapest and most effective method OF i'm
proving impoverished lands" ~
Major W. T. Sntberlin, Of Danvile, began
the discussion. He said that a very excel.
lent way OF improving poor lands was to
use fertilizers, but a more etiectual way is to
plough the land and plant pea-vines upon
it, and turn them under ground. If there
/ is no Improvement in the land at the first
crop try it again. The second crop Will
nearly always prove successful He had
tried this upon some OF his lands and round
it to work well. He also said that clover
similarly used would answer quite as we'll.
/ Mr.. J. Rosenscrait Jones, of Brunswick,
| in giving his views upon the question, ad-
vocated the cultivation OF grass, and spoke
not from experience but from observation
will produce tobacco will produce grass,
and fine soil can be made upon poor land
by cultivatiug grass. .
General LIE Due being called upon, said
that when passing through Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and New Jersey the farmers
there were busy using lime upon their
farms to make them fertile. He stated that
the land which produces good and thought
fu men is the land Of all others. In regard
to wbeat he said follow its history back and
you will find that it will not grow with
profit upon poor land, or upon sandy flats,
but il any leguminous plants are put upon
those lands it will make wheat grow. The
pea plant is better than clover for this pur-
pose, and to make the pea grow on sandy
lands place lime or Wood-ashes upon the
ground. Five hundred pounds OF this to
an acre will stimulate an enormous guam
tity OF land which is well drained. Pea
vine is not ibe only good plant. There is i
weed called the beggar-lice, which
grows in our fields, and is most
valuable article for this purpose.
The question among the poor cultiyators
OF land is. what must they do to make
money. 1t is something [ would like to
draw your attention TO. You should create
new industries in your country and make
upon your farms all that which is made by
the western people upon theirs, such as sll-
gar, sorghum, NC, which has grown to be
such great and profitable staple with them.
He was listened to throughout with atten-
tion. He was followed by Professor Pur-
year, OF Richmond, who made an interest
ing address upon the same subject.
THE LATE FIRE At WEST P0INT.-The
Richmond fremen, comprising the detach-
ment from Steamer Firc:Engine Companies
Nos. l and =, commanded respectively by
Captains Snead and Paul, and in charge OF
First Assistant Engineer Watt Taylor, re-
turned to the city Yesterday morning from
West Point by the mail train, which reach
ed here shortly after 10 O'Clock. A special
telegram from West Point printed in the
Dispatch yesterday morning gave n gen.
eral idea Of the fire; bat the reader cannot
form a JUST appreciation or the difficulty or
putting out fire when it gets into lot Of
cotton. Tt blazes up when the bale has
been fairly soaked in water, and not
even an expert fireman is fully satisfied
that such Il fire has been completely
extinouished until the cotton has been
opened and every fibre completely
drenched with water. The fire in the cot
ton at West Point Was confined, as we have
said, to about two hundred and fifty bales,
most OF which was either burned or in
iured by smoke and water. When the Rich
mond firemen arrived the two streams from
the steamships Lucille and Richmond were
taken off and the fire-engine put to work.
The natives we're amazed at the power OF
The stream which turned over the cotton
and put out the fire as fast as it came TO
sight. The men worked at it all night
that is, from the time they reached West
Point until breakfast-time yesterday morn-
ing, s,arding in the sloppy cotton. The
damage was no greater than that which
places the flooring Of the wharf was burned
through. The men worked under many
great difficulties, but, as usual, did all and
more than was expected OF them. The fiat
upon which the steamer was carried 10
West Point was backed down upon the
track Immediately adjacent to the fire. and
the supply of water was taken from the
river under the trestling upon which the
car stood. -..
Yesterday Colonel Douglas sent the fol-
lowing note to the chairman OF the Commit
tee Oh the Fire Department:
WEST POINT, VA, October 80.
Captain Charles +. Taylor, Chairman Fire
Committee, Richmond: =.
Please to accept for yourself, Captai1
Aipslie, Captain Taylor, and men, my most
sincere thanks for the prompt and efficient
aid rendered this company.
t.8 II. T. DOUGLAS.
Superintendent Richmond, York River and
Chesapeake Railroad.
A WoULD-BE TUG-Bo&r CAPTAIN.-Ees
terday morning William. Wood alias Wood
ward was before the Police Court, charged
with taking the tus-beat Petersburg and
using it for mercenary motives without the
consent OF the owner. 1t seems that sew.
eral days ago Captain MorecoX, tae owner