The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-26
THEFARMERS INSTITUTE.
SECOND AND LAST DAYS SESSION An
INTERESTING ONE.
Sheep Husbandry and Produce Discussed
An EngIishman's Able Address-The TX
pertinent Station ExpIained-True Bill
Against Thomas McCrakcn.


The second and last days session Of the
Farmers Institute was largely attended and
equally as interesting as the first Sheep
Husbandry was the subject assigned DIR. D.
A. Reid. of Madison. who unable to attend
sent paper, the reading Of which was as
signed 10 General James &. Field. Follow
ing the paper Mr. William Mann. an English
gentleman residing in the county, made what
many pronounced the most interesting talk OF
the session on sheep growing in Virginia.
Mr. Mann had lived near Hawks Bay, in
the Northern Island of New Zealand, where
he had observed the sheep industry very
closely. andlgave facts from his experience
which were evidently interesting 10 the lar
mers present He regards Virginia as very
well adapted to sheep husbandry. and men
toned broomsedge as about the only draw
back. except dogs, which the raisers encoun-
ter.
DR.. r. b. Galloway. of the Section Of Mycol-
DIV Of the United States Department of Agrl-
culture. read a long and important paper on
the diseases of plants and their treatment
Professor Atwood Of the Virginia Expert
uent Station. spoke on the same subject. In
regard TO the Bordeaux mixture his expert
ments had shown that il was not necessary to
make the compound as strong as the regular
formula makes it.
THE EXPERIMENT STATION.
Colonel II. NJ. Magruder. of the Experiment
Station. gave an interesting resume OF the
work of that institution, and what IT proposes
20 do for the farmer, One OF the city papers
having referred TO these institutes without
conceding TO DR.. John Il. Page the credit OF
having organized the first ever held III W.
pinia (Which he did in 1850 the
Hon. b. johnson Barbour said that
DIR. Page felt the slight. and Mr.. Bar
aa1
recitIng that this institute fully and cordially
conceded TO Dr. Page the honor of having or
ranized the first assembly Of the kind ever
held in Virginia. DIR. Page was AT the time
professor in charge of the agricultural school
Of the University of Virginia. -,
Pearson. Of Vineland, n. j.. read a paper on
American Grapes and Wines and AdolPh
Russow, superintendent Of the Monticello
Wine Company. and A. l.. Holiday, con-
tinued the discussion.
Mr. Joseph Wallerstein of Richmond, APP
peaed to the farmers TO turn their attention
TO small things. the raising OF potatoes,
onions. beans. DC.
In the one item Of beans he said imports
were made last year to the value of sl,2OO,OW.
A million dollars worth of onions and poia-
toes TO like value. were brought here from
foreign countries, not by any means because
these countries are better adapted 10 the
growing of these vegetables. He said also
that it was not question of pauper labor Tor
il costs lust as much there as here TO produce
these articles.
PREPARATION OF PRODUCTS.
II was due to the fact that the farmer over
looked these small things AZ unproiltable,
when in fact they pay better than wheat. lie
also urged that the farmers prepare their
products betterf for the market. Ow garden
beans. though no better than the Virginia
product, bring q per bushel, while Virginia
beans bring but little more than half
that the total difference being that
the one is skilfully PREPARED for the market
and the other is not. The firm of which he
was a member brought from California 100000
pounds Of lima beans. for which the grower
gets about three and half cents per pound.
These could be grown here Just as well as
in California. General Field asked Mr..
WalcrsteD if the commission merchants did
not discriminate against the Virginia lfarmcrs
III favor of the Northern producers. and cited
The fact that he could not sell 10 II Richmond
seed dealer the potatoes produced from seed
bought of that dealer for any reasonable
prices Mr.. Wallerstein replied that
as long as Virginia farmers 60 to seed
dealers and ask for Northern seeds
just so long would those seed dealers
have to keep the Northern goods He said
further that nearly every farmer asked for
Northern seed and of course rs long as they
did so the seed dealer would have no sale or
use for Virginia seed.
After the reading Of paper by Mr.. Corbin
on Farmers Institutes the meeting adjourned
sine die.
FEATURES OF THE INSTITUTE.
There has been noticeably little of the
lamentatiOn over hard luck and oppression
which usually characterizes the farmer.
While the Commissioner of Agriculture did
say something about the farmer being prcyed
upon by others, the way in which he SAID
il and the soundly sensible views of his speech
left the brief lamentatiOn without snivellng
tone. The farmer. he SAID, Is seeking his own,
and To keep 1t is organizing. He Will seek his
own without trying TO deprive any other class
of any right or lust privileges. Tie spoke of
the advantages of climate IN Virginia. which
was the only lack of many of the dissatisfied
farmers Of the Northwest. These farmers
were doing well. as far ~ he could Judge by
the letters he received from them. They
never said they We're not making money. but
many did say that their only reason for de
string change of habitat was that the climate
was so rigorous. Why do they prosper when
our people do not. Because through insti.
flutes they had learned how to farm profitably.
and with the disadvantage of a bad climate
beat us with our good one
This view of the question was evidently not
entirely new to the attendants on the lnsti-
tute, for they devoted themselves to study
of the new and improved methods of which
the lecturers discoursed with a zeal that was
not newborn. Ii was noticeable that the
best farmers present Were the best listeners:
but IL must be said al the same time that the
shiftleSs farmer was not very well represented
in the attentive audience that faced the stage
during the several hours of each sitting. The
men who most needed instruction, like the in
different schoo-boy. was out or playing
truant
HORSE BREEDING.
The subject of Horse Breeding drew 10 the
Opera-Housea large audience, which followed
the speakers with unhasging interest.
Mr.. FOXhall A. Dangerield said that the
value of the horse interests in America has in
creased more in the past decade than in the
hundred years preceding il. In many States
the increase had been almost inconceivablc.
In time past Virginia has stood al
the very front in the breeding of
horses of many classes and her buxom
and beautiful daughter. Kentucky. can
not even now forget what she owes 10 her
mother. Much of the soil Of Virginia is well
adapted TO the breeding of every class of
horses Much of the western and south
western part of this State has natural blue
grass equal to any in Kentucky. The Valley
OF Virginia could scarcely be surpassed for
horse raising, but the pillow and the hankering
OF the Dutch farmer after wheat at eighty
cents bushel is mighty rough on blue grass.
Piedmont Virginia .and the scope of country
from this city intersecting the valley in the
glorious little county of Clark constitutes an
almost perfectly adapted region for the bust
ness. There was never a more beautiful
nursery for young stock than the
rolling and well watered pasture lands
This reOiop KppfpeEvfc 49,,