The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-17
A Notable Address.


r Hon. George B. Loring, q. s. Commissions
OF Agriculture, delivered on the 5th attic AT
lanta Exposition an address which set .f,,tl
e the grand development of this country in /,
IS very striking light, strengthening his state
# ments by lndubitable statistics, and PREDICTING
l. future even more wonderful than Optimism
6 has yet dreamed. He presented an sexhibit O
s the cotton, corn, wheat, oats and, tobacco
e crops showing an increase in agriculture
r products OF l00 per cent, in ter, years :. He
e noted the increase of our beef lard and pork
a exports. He traced the growth Of American
manufactures, embracing cotton, WOOL silk,
shoes and leather, iron and steel with tables Oh
, astonishing figures. He alluded to the d1vis-
!. ION OF farms which is going. ON in the South
e and he attached special stress to diversified
3 farming as conducive to the PROSPERITY OF com
3 munities. The Commissioner referred to hor-
tlculture and gardening, and quoted from a
paper printed in Amesbury, Massachusetts,
, the following story "a aa.I ! al ssssszas,a1 A
Charles W. Woods, in Oldtown, has one
{ OF the prettiest places in the town, and he
makes 1t profitable to farm He has but
twelve acres, and upon these he has set out
SIX hundred trees-pear, apple, peach, ounce
and plum trees He has a great variety of
grapes, gooseberry, raspberry and blackberry
vines, He has gathered one hundred barrels
of pears. For twenty barrels of BARTLETT
apple and peach treesdldnot bear much. He
had two acres in onions, from which he gath
ered one thousand bushels; one acre devoted
to cabbages yielded five thousand heads, and
when brought to market he realized seven
cents per pound. Two tons of squashes, three
tons of turnips three tons of beets, ten tons of
carrots, two hundred bushels of the choicest
potatoes, for which he obtained the highest
market price, were part of the products He
| nj y,
asparagus, $50 worth of the cultivated dande-
lion, aud for melons, grapes, berries and other
| products not enumerated the sum of $500. Mr.
/ Wood has labored every day upon his farm
and his untiring industry has brought his
land to state Of the highest cultivation He
can attest that a.wel managed farmHwill' pay
a handsome return" - .1i
| Mr.. Loring is in favor of his department be-
| ing made an independent branch of. the Coy
eminent, and states in forcible manner his rea-
sons as to some of the matters which come
under the care of this bureau. -
"The viticulture and grain growing of the
Pacific coast the supplying OF the arid regions
with artesian wells, the mode of conducting
forestry schools and experiment, stations in
Europe, haYe all been submitted 70 competent
agents for examination and report The
question of cattle disease on board The steams
ers transporting cattle to Europe has been
presented to the Privy Council in England
and much has been done to satisfy the English
public that American animals shipped are
free from contagious diseases l have taken
especial care that the seed distributed by the
department shall be of the best quality The
Agricultural Department should undoubtedly
be the nucleus around which can be gathered
those associate industries which depend on
agriculture for their existence, and in turn
make agriculture profitable and il many sec
tions possible. Statistical returns OF our man
ufactures, 18th an illustrative display of their
products, would do much to unity and devel-
op the manufacturing industry OF our country.
The organization, cost expense and methods
of our various means of transportation would
do much to establish uniform SYSTEM of land
and water carriage among us. Accurate sur
veys and returns OF our mineral land, with the
industrial processes employed in. working
them, are OF vast Importance. A well organ
lied and consolidated inquiry into the extent
OF contagious diseases among animals, the
best method of prevention and extirpation,
cannot be too thoroughly and promptly Or
gained"
The speaker concluded with certain obser-
vatioas which are entitled to careful consider
alton on the part of those who would inau-
gurate politics tending to reduce the wages of
American workingmen and lower the quality
of our citizenship
'The encouragement of all Industrial en-
growing out of the relations existing, between
the producing classes here and the system of
state and society in which they live. In Eng
Of E 9dl fern es5ehleattad for the jnsnfftq
5000 acres, on which men of skill and sexper
rience, who in America would conduct farms
of their own and could not be hired at anv
price, may be had in abundance for foremen at
from twelve to fourteen shllings or from three
to four dollars a week, they boarding them
So1y of
the great towns of England and France are
equally insufficient-an adult earning in Eng
land under the best circumstances about eight
dollars per week, and in France from seventy
to eighty cents per day of twelve hours. A
careful investigation into the system of small
andholding in France has satisfied Mr. How
ard, an agent sent there to investigate it by
the Londen Farmers Club, that such system
is failure and contrary to the social and civil
system there. And DR.. Playfair speaking of
England, says; "Our country has shown lit
tie inventiveness, and made little PROGRESS in
the peaceful arts since 1862" Not so, how
ever, here. America Is the paradise of the
small landholder. Labor is SO well reauited
that its earnings constitute large share of
the deposits in our savings banks. The inven-
tive are devoted to the business of easy and
profitable production. A woman with her
needle earns mere pittance in a long and
weary day, in which necessary toll and CON
finement destroy that very physical energy
for which she depends for a subsistence With
sewing machine she easily earns an ample
income. A machipist with the tools of half a
century ago could reap but small reward;
and no farmer could afford to pay the current
prices for agricultural labor IN harvest time
were he thrown back upon the scythe, the
sickle and the fail. Bnt man armed with
ingenious machinery becomes hundred-handed
and can earn accordingly. AS becomes part
Of society in which he can exercise his
taste as well as supply his wants.. 1t is not
the cost of mere subsistence that we are to
calculate in this country, but the amount OF
comfort and taste which every man can reach
good food, good clothing, a good dwelling
adorned simply or deliberately according to
his means. Fortune does not smile on all men
here, it is true, but when she does smile, the
cheer which follows in this country is unsur
passed. Applause. Aided by the arts of
life which surround him. the American takes
his place in society, performs his civil duties,
pays his taxes, aids his churches, builds his
school houses, educates his children, builds
and beauties his home, and endeavors to per
form his part in life with no recognized bar
rier between him and the object of his ambi
ton, which industry and perseverance cannot
overcome. For him, for his opportunity, for
his Inheritance as a citizen and laborer in
| this republic, | would encourage every indus
| try, stimulate every mental andss moral facul-
| ty, and build upand support every Institution
which can aid him in his work." Applause.
|
Gen. Sherman, in his annual report to the 4
Secretary Of War, requests that officer to re /
commend to Congress the enlargement of the
army, SO that each of the 400 companies msY
contain 81 enlisted men, commanded by three
commissioned officers. He regards the Conf
panies as now constituted too small for effed
tive service on the frontier, and the transport
tatien of so many separate organizations adds (
largely to the cost of the campaigns againstg
the Indians. The proposed change would
raise the enlisted force to 26,660 med, which
maximum maxim ng number apob allow allowed undghe
law. Gen. Sherman further recommends the
enlistment of force of none mbatants, such
as clerks, prison guards, hesstal stewards and