The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-06-25

moved towards Franz Dy sentiment or
tender gratitude. She was taken to the
mansion while an express-messenger
FASTENED to the city to find physician.
CTo be continued.)
The Crops in the State.
The June bulletin from the Virginia
Department of Agriculture, Randolph
Harrison, Commissioner, gives some in
teresting facts in regard to the existing
condition of crops throughout the State.
Upon the returns, based upon reports
from SO, counties, the commissioner esti-
mates the wheat crop-acreage and con-
dition considered-at 30.72 per cent. of the
average yield-or less than one-third. So
far as this section is concerned, the COM
missioner has struck pretty near the mark,
the estimates of the best farmers from
actual observation being just about the
same figures. Upon this basis the proba-
BILE yield in bushels is put at 2, 1854.
The probable yield of the United States
will be about 1851 ,O0O, 900 bushels, or about
152, 200, 900 less than last year and 100,-
000,0 900 less than the average. To supple
ment this shortage is an estimated surplus
of 6O,000O0O bushels left oyer from last
year, so that taken altogether the present
crop and surplus will give us just 49,
100000 less than the average. The wheat
prospects in England and France are rep
resented as very favorable, tho the criti-
cal period has yet to be passed through.
The condition of the Rye crop is put at
1886 per cent, whilst the average of the
oat crop will be about IS per cent.
The corn crop promises favorable. The
acreage sown is between three and four
per cent. above the average, whilst the
present condition is rated at $685. per
cent. 1t is believed that the crop from
age.
Clover is put at SO per cent, timothy at
IS and orchard grass 77.66. The Commits
sioner gives some timely suggestions in
regard to the hay crop which it would be
| well for our farmers to carefully read. He
says:
| The time of hay-making is at hand. and
a word of counsel to the farmers of Vir-
ginia on this important subject will not
| be out of place. The questions, WHAT
| shall we grow for market ?''-s'What crop
| is there any profit in ?'' have been occupy
| ing the minds of farmers more and more
as prices of almost every description of
produce have been tending downwards for
| several years past, and the problem, : How
| to make agriculture remunerative ?'' has
become more and more difficult of solution.
| The fact that the districts in which the
most attention is paid to grass-growing
| are the most prosperous and those in
| which land sells the highest, and the
| additional fact that hay, good hay. is
always in demand, almost always brings
good price however low other farm pro-
| duce is, must have forced itself upon the
attention of every observing farmer. And
| yet how few Virginia farmers have taken
| advantage of this observation At the
present time, when everything else is de-
pressed, hay is selling at extravaganza fig
ures. A pound of good timothy hay is
now worth more than pound OF corn,
| while it represents less than half the cost
of production.
Now, who is getting the benefit of these
| flush times for hay makers? Not many
Virginia farmers Some of them are
buyiaag provender for their own use, and of
the few who sell, a very small proportion
get the top price. 1t is good hay, choice
hay, that fills that bill, and this kind
comes, nearly all, from the west and from
the N Orth-a little from Virginia.
The amount of money that goes out of
Virginia for the purchase of hay is very
great. l have been trying to find out how
much-have written to leading merchants
in the principal cities to get statistics on
the subject, but have not obtained them
vet. 1t would doubtless startle many Of
our citizens to see what tribute we are
paving for an article which could be raised
at home of just as good or better quality.
If the soil of Virginia was like that OF
Florida or southern Georgia, 1T would be
idle to attempt to compete with Ohio in
growing hay; but 1 have seen as fine tim
othy, orchard grass and clover in Virginia
as any State in the Union can produce.
Instead of buying, we ought to supply the
States south of us with hay.
A prominent merchant of this city asked
Eme why it was that the quality of Virginia
hay (timothy) was so inferior to that
brought from the West that ours was
generally foul with weeds and briars, and
the stems of the timothy so large, coarse
; hard and dingy that stock rejected much
of it? Ny answer was that the fOulness
and coarseness was due to the careless
preparation Of the land and insufficient
uuantity of seed, the hardness to moving
: too late. and the dinginess to that and toe
much exposure of the grass after cutting
The time for spring seeding has passed
long ago. but preparation can now bt
made for seeding next fall. The land car
, be thoroughly cleansed. gotten in the finest
! filth. ready to be well fortified and soweC
with liberal allowance of good seed-not
less than three or four gallons of timothy
seed per acre, instead of one or two, which
+ is the quantity usually sowed.
Does that quantity of seed appear ex
trayagant and wasteful? Since writing
ssthree or four gallons" l learn from Col
F. G.. Rufin that Mr.. John Hart, of Able
marie, recommended him to sow three
l pecks of timothy per acre-not with grain
D but by itself-that by this method he Mr.
Hart) had met with signal success in rails
ing timothy on his farm adjoining SCOTS
Z vile, having made as much as Z 900 lbs
I on measured acre. Col. Ruffin had re
peatedly tried this and now recommend
J, the method as the best one OF making
choice hay. Instead of a comparatlvel.
. sparse crop of coarse reedy stalks, mixet
Q with weeds, there will be circumstance
{: fayoring) dense growth of fine stems
i tender and succulent. if properly cured
: and crowding out most of the filth that i
inevitable where the ground is rich AM
;, the crop thin.
g But as seed time is now so far off, it wi
better suit the season to return to tn
point whence set out and speak of cut
. ting and curing the grass we have, an
d postponing until September the considers
Il ton of how much seed we shall sow.
Just few words on the theory an
!, practice of hay-making.
1t is we'll said in an admirable little boo