Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-05
The Department of Agriculture.
KING GEORGE COUNTY. Dec. 81. 1889.
To he Ellor Of ne Dispdloa:

The Department of Agriculture.
KING GEORGE COUNTY. Dec. 81. 1889.
To the Elaor Of he Dispatch:
The Legislature in the performance of
the responsibility that they have assumed
In deciding 10 elect the Commissioner of
Agriculture should divest themselves of
sentiment and rise above personal SYM
patty, or bias. in the fulhllment of this
grave duty; let rs bear no more indlf-
ference expressed "a 70 who flls the Office,
it is one Of too great Importance.
It is to be presumed that there was mo-
tive in prescribing by enactment OF law
that the members of the State Board of
Agriculture should be appointed by the
Governor and not elected by the people,
possibly with the hope that the appointees,
unbiased and uutrammelled by anxiety in
cidcnt 10 the gaining or losing votes by
the policy they might pursue, would fear
lessly suggest and advocate plans that
would attain the end Of henefung the
farmers and ameliorating the conditions
that Cypress them.
The unanimous request on the part of
the farmers that the Commissioner OF AZ
riculture should be a practical farmer IL
Wise and a legitimate one and an equitable
one and it should meet wltha generous re-
suOnse and construction az the hands Of
the Legislature without bubble or ira
yesty.
If the Dispatch reports him correctly the
| honorable Senator from IOudoun has seen
proper to state upon the foor OF the sen
ate that "he didn't believe the Agrcuitu-
raj Department Of tho State was OF any
benefit to tho people" II he conscien-
tiouslv believes this, and the facts IN the
case will sustain HIM in such belief, then
! it is eminontly proper for him TO boldly
proclaim it, and he j. only dong his duty
to his constituents in using hi5intiuence to
bring into ridicuic with o view Of abolish
| ing the incubus. do not think that the
facts in the case VIII sustain HIM IN ms
! belief, nor do / think that even small
minority Of tho intelligent farmers in the
State agree with him in his belief.
Next April the Agricultural Board OF
| Virginia Will have been in existence two
years. We have barely had time to break
ground and TO seed q crop; certainly not
yet bad time 20 harvest one.
When the board first met they found to
| greet them no wcll-equippod bureau with
the machinery oiled and running smooth
| w. There were no policies, no precedents,
no customs of former administrations to
illumine their pathway-the past a hiaul,,
with only the Meme, nete teaei, nptdrSn
lplacaSded upon the wall as ronnlscence
| Of its existence, the present chaotic. ne
ten gppointecs, fresh from the people,
| horny-handed soa5 OF toll, bowed down
with the responsibility they had assumed,
apprcciatIng and feeling chat having put
| their hands 10 the plow they couid not
| look hack-thcy mnst .urn true IurroW.
a straight one and clean Jne. on they
would have 20 return home Inundated and
| chagriued (aTmers are very sens. tFcJ.
Each Of the ten Was fre ghted with CHUNKS
Of common sense. blocks OF minnie posi-
bilities. crude ids and. with the modesJy
characteri,tic OF farmers. each waited. 20
hear what ms ne.ghbor bal 20 say, hut
each relgously tenacious OF the conNlc-
ton that what he had to propose was tho
real thing 10 attain tue end.
Was it TO bo expected that we would
concentrate nc once and agree upon a den
! ni;e policy Docs even tho Legislature,
that wise body ol experienced statesmen
| with learned aud conservative iaWy ef5 90
| guide and direct tAe enactment o. laws
always agree and continue agreed for
twonty-iour hour NJ ume:
The field was a wide one, the grievances
many ard burdeusome. Op0n when one
would We agree To crystalline and make III
tensive our efforts 90 remedy:
Our duties prescribed by enactment or
law were faithfully set in motion. Over3OO
analyses Of brands Of iertrzcrs 20 protect
farmers from spurious and worthless COM
|
II the farmers. not after but before they
bgd occasion to use them on special crops.
Of the new departure We have carefully
studied and discussed tho question OF the
continual SIR nsqge in real estate values
IL the country, and 10 stop this, and Tor
other and manifest reasons, We lnaugu-
rated Plan for the encouragement of I'M
migration, ard rs a result tAocefrom SEQ
report of our agent tor inlaigr3t non JUDGE
| Charles GTattan. who says: Already JUST
| N the infancy OF the plan We can safely es-
tunate that 1000 families have come n
within the year. Putting the influx Of
values at $4,000 10 the family. 1t means
| - 900. 900 taxable values. rG6, 600 paid this
| wear and every succeeding year into the
State. and $4,000 into the county trea-
slrv."
With the purpose OF advertising the
| mineral wealth Of Virginia tho board TO-
moved the Office Of the department 10 the
| business centre OF the CITY, ordered re-
arrangement aud classification OF The
| epccimeus of ores in POSSESSION OF the de-
partment. and they have every reason 10
| balioye that as "a result OF this change, and
| in placing the cabinet where 10 Is easily ac-
ccssible 10 those interested, a great I'M
| patus has been given 20 investments III
o. development OF the IMMORAL resources
OF the State.
Further than this we homo to suggest ~
en- carly dRy for The consideration and ap-
uroval of the Legislature a plan by which
The people of the State may have the bene-
fits incident TO and resulting from good
county roads. and proper and equitable
system OF drainage. and 10 educate them
b. q series of farmers Institutes. advising
anl teaching them OF new ana advanced
methods of rotation IN aud cultivation OL
crops. Of improved and labor-sayins ma
ch nery, Of economical and available RENE
dies for the ravages OF insects, OF Amos OF
fruits and vegetables best adapted 20 tho
different sections of the State, and OF the
best modes Of securing ana preserving the
same for market.
OF the $50 900 granted TO US during the
last two years We have thus tar conducted
operations at only an actual cost I'm round
numbers) Of $500 70 the State, having
covered into the Treasury the sum oi
81. 800 derived from fees for analyses OF
fertilizers. together with $4,000. an unex-
pended balance OF our first years appro-
pr,ation. which, III tho innocence OF our
cuileless country minds, we were nursing
AMI saving, with which to promote our
schemes, when. 70 our ast0nlshment, at the
enl Of the fiscal year Auditor Marye IN
formed us that we were no longer legally
entitled TO it.
In reply to the fling at the board that
"uany of whom are Republicans" surely
the Agricultural Department is not re-
sponsible for this. IL IS q feature q tninb
wise and eau table one) introduced by
the Legislature into the law, and Of course
recognized and complied with by the
Gouernor in his appointments, and 1t gives
me sincere pleasure 20 state that OF my col
lea tles upon the board none are more &C
tive. wise, and energetic IN trying TO accom-
pli b the end for which we we're appointeC
than are some ofthe Republican appolntees
and, further, that the hydra-head OF part
san politics has never yet shown itself II
the deliberations Of the board. We are q
band of brothers, of one purpose, singulal
and determined, and Il is sad 10 think tina
none of us ara Of any account. 81.
never worked harder IN my life Iwitl
no paw than l have 10 achieve good tol
the farmers out Of this agricultural
department, and il is rather wesryin.
to nave the experienced, astute, and IN
fuential Senator from Loudoun intimate
that We are of no account. He migh
modify hisststement in so far that ne DC
lieves that the misguided Board OF Ayr
culture are at least trying 10 accomplish
some GOOD :. WELLFoRD CoRDN.