The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-01-05
farnl aud Gardem. /
conducted by DR.. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Condition of Agriculture in
Virginia.

al dCI IeQu lrlIS Cne COMMISSIONERS OF Ine
Revenue to furnish the Commissioner OF
Agriculture statistics of our annual crop
productions crops raised, arabic and
wood land, areas planted. yield per acre,
number of stock, sc. This would give
the commissioners of revenue not much
additional labor, and furnish valuable in
formation to the State-information we
need for financial and other purposes
We wish to know whether we are advanc-
ing or retrograding in our productions
If advancing, it will be encouraging to
our farmers and to those seeking new
homes; if retrograding, we should seek
the cause and endeavor to apply the
remedy. This Department has frequent
inquiries from parties outside the State
about our crop productions, yield per
acre, &c., to which no reply can be made.
Two winters ago senator requested the
Commissioner to furnish the Senate the
crop productions of the State for ten
years before and ten years subsequent to
the war. I could only refer to the re-
ports of the United States Commissioner
of Agriculture and to the census reports,
the former of which are guesses, and the
latter inaccurate, very much so I know
IN reference to one crop particularly
tobacco. Our census reports, as is known.
are made once In ten years. The bill re-
ferred to for the two first sessions of the
Legislature was not even reported by the
House Committee on Agriculture, to
whom 1T was referred, and at the last ses-
sion it was passed by the House with lit
tie or no opposition, but lost in the Senate
for want of time. [ refer to this subject
in the hope that another Legislature may
see the Importance of this subject, and
mature the measure. A very intelligent
member of our late Legislature said to
the writer that he considered it one of
the most important bills before that
body. The Legislature of Virginia has
too long neglected to give its fostering
care to the great cause of agriculture,
and it is to be hoped that the farmers
will now call their attention in some de-
clded manner to this subject. And in
this connection, [ may say that the farm
ers of this State, and of the Union, are
too Indifferent to Governmental protec-
ton and fostering OF the predominant in
terest of the country. While the United
States appropriated only $204,000 in
1873 for its Department of Agriculture
land for thirty-eight years, the time of
its existence, has cost the Government
onlyk$3 6,000); France, for agriculture
and commerce, expended in 1877, twenty
and half million dollars; Prussia, for
agriculture, more than two millions and
half; Italy, for same, two millions and
three-quarters; Russia, for agriculture
and public lands, nearly fifteen millions;
Austria and Hungary, for agriculture
i've and half millions; Sweden, six and
a half millions; Great Britain, about
three-quarters of million dollars. In
the same year the great United States
expended $l74,6S6. Speech of Hon. II.
q. Davis in the United States Senate,
January, 1870. Our Department of
State expended last year more than
seven millions, and the Treasury De-
partment' a hundred and sixty three
millions of dollars
If the farmers in their State organiza-
tons and oranges, and clubs, would agi-
tate the subject, and instruct their repre-
sentatives to seek sufficient appropria
tons to make the Department of Agri
culture generally and widely useful, the
matter could be accomplished. AS it is
we have no experiment stations" which
have been found so useful in GERMANY
insufficient means to conduct experiments
IN Washington. under the directions Of
the efficient Gf he had sufficient appro
priations) Commissioner of Agriculture. {"
and entirely inadequate funds for print
ing agricultural reports. Not one farmer
in ten thousand ever sees the reports Of
the commissioner. Only very limited
number of copies are distributed to their
representatives., and these are all the
farmers get.* Then only a few seeds can
be sent out, and no opportunity is given
for testing their purity, as is extensively
done In Germany and other countries.
The Commissioner in his last report
dwells particularly upon the necessity of
an experimental farm near Washington.
and the Importance of sufficient labora-
tory to test the value of the various min.
erals with which the States and Terri
torres abound, to make analyses of the
grams, grasses, and edible roots, which
would be criterion for their FEEDING
value. Millions of dollars are no doubt
annually wasted by hap-hazard feeding
and a well equipped laboratory would aid
the farmers IN many ways; among others
1t would be entirely appropriate and very
useful to assist the different State De-
partments in the analyses of the MANY
fertilizers which are flooding the country.