The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-31
VIRGINIA AGRICULTURE.

The exhibit Of natural products at the Fair
1. sufficiently varied 10 show how richly
blessed Virginia is in soil and climate. and
| how abundant and magnificent are the agri-
| cultural returns Of intelligent labor applied TO
| our lands. Search the whole face Of the
| North American continent, without even
emitting The State of California. famed a. 1t
is by the genial airs of the vast Pacific, and
there will not be found n tract OF
country Of the same extent as that
included in the limits Of this Common
wealth which combines more natural
advantages than the Old Dominion. From
the line Of islands lying off the eastern coast
of the counties Of Accomac and Northamp-
ton to the furthest chain Of the Alleghanies
on the western border, there is hardly anacre
| of ground which has not a special value OF It's
own. Wheat. corn, oats. barley. tobacco,
| cotton. hay, fruits, timber, all. II they receive
the proper degree Of attention. can DO made
TO increase the wealth Of the owners OF the
| soil By the bountifulness Of their growth.
Agriculture in the general sense is as yet in
its infancy in Virginia II we measure it not by
the excellence of the crops. but ~ the dispro-
portion between the quantity which Is annually
produced aud the quantity which might be
produced if TIE resources of the State were
fully utilized. Among the most interesting
features of the Exposition two years ago were
the exhibits of n number of counties which
had the wisdom and enterprise to make a
complete presentation OF all that their fields.
their gardens and their forests Afforded for
a.. q n .La o1pof,rt and tho nrgfpgtfou
Of man. In the minds of many who made an
examination Of these county exhibits the
thought Involuntary arose how few OF the
articles represented in the collections were
turned TO account as a means Of adding TO
the wealth of the counties to which these col
%lections belonged. Suppose the soil Of OHIO
Pennsylvania. New York, Connecticut. Eng
land, france had been endowed with the
same variety of production. would one of
these natural resources have remained un-
utilized. We venture TO say not one.
So tar as its purely material affairs have
been concerned. it has been a serious dlsad-
vantage to Virginia that 1t has always been q
distinctly agricultural State. and not like
Ohio. for instance. a State with mixed manu-
featuring and agricultural interests. Our peo-
pie have been content to cultivate a few
cereals and one great staple. 1t Is only IN re-
cent years that organized attention has been
paid TO the Investigation OF our agricultural
pursuits. Stock-raising. trucking and fruit
growing have received a notable impulse
since the war. The day must come when a
thousand and one new interests. sprlnging
H.. 4 I- a. III ill 1..x-4 Al. ,,snIa
Of our farmers from the ancient agricultural
ruts. This day will be FASTENED by the con-
struction Of additional railways between the
North and the South. the West and our sea-
board, and the increased rapidity of inter
communication which will follow.
AS the case now stands. there is only a diff
ference Of twelve hours between central Viz
ginia aud New York. the greatest market for
every sort Of natural product III the Western
Hemisphere. If Mr.. Edison shall succeed in
introducing the rate of speed which he claims
he can 90 on oil railways, by his electrical
continuance, this State will occupy the local
relation to New York city that New Jersey
does now. Its obvious destiny is to be-
come the great fruit orchard. vegetable
garden and stock farm of the United
States. When that contamination is
reached, the cultivation of tobacco will have
declined to very insignificant proportions.
and every graduation Of this decline Will be
marked by the increased prosperity which
will be observable in every other branch of
our agricultural interests. From the begin
ming, tobacco has been the chief agricultural
product of the State, aud it is largely due
to this staple that a considerable proportion
of the Commonwealth nearly three hundred
years after it's first colonization hast the appear
ance at one and the same time of a decayed
community and a newly settled country.