The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-12-14

Tue "'Itcf IN y rue tDfs IAN OF man
" miles in one of The beat counties in Pied
e mont Virginia saw not one field care
y fully and thoroughly prepared ia
. wheat. The result Is low yield and tn
in country where the lands are especial
adapted to wheat and where large field
have In late years averaged forty an
forty-f0ur bushels to the acre. The con
trast between Eastern Virginia and tn
d Valley is mared; the latter Is fair illus
traiion Of the advantage Of thorough an
judicious preparation of the soil, resulting
in larger crops and in the continued fer
tility of the land. As a class, NiIgini
farmers .hink too much Of the acreage o
the crops they are planting and too LITTLE
about the thoroughness of cultivation. Ii
is the big crop IN the number of acres
planted, not the big crop on each acre Of
land
The report Of the department Of agri-
culture is most humiliating. Virginia ia
only credited with an average Of nineteen
bushels Of corn TO the acre, twelve bushels
Of oats, nine and one-half bushels of
wheat and less than ton of hay. If is
believed that this is too low an estimate,
but no candid investigation will fail to
reveal the fact that the crops Of Virginia
are today cut short more than one-half by
bad farming We need deep blowing and
and subsoiing and thorough puyerization
Of the soil before planting, and also all
appreciation of the Dutchman's maxim
"Cutivate only so much land as you can
manure" A most interesting set Of ex-
periments have been concluded at Cornell
University in which it was demonstrated
that thorough cultivation OF the soil pro-
duced as good results in increased Yields
as manuring. !
The lack Of intelligence in our farming
operations is no more forcibly illustrated |
than in our Indifference to the sources of
knowledge. At its last session the Vir-
ginia legislature seriously questioned the
of doing away with the Office
of commissioner of agriculture entirely
and it was gravely doubted whether such
Office was OF any advantage. The commits
sionership was actually made temporary
office, with the possibility of its dscon-
iuuance in two years. Not one cent of
money was appropriated from the treasury
or the salary of the commissioner or for ;
he work of his office, but a very precari-
'us existance was provided for him by
flowing him a stipulated amount out of
ny surplus from the tags on fertilizers,
nd providing that any deficit must be
Orne by his already modest salary.
The Virginia State Horticultural Society :,
sked for state aid, but received none
he University of Virginia, The leading
lucational institution in the South,
ldertakes no courses in agriculture.
nd all this in state that has 1870, 900 :.
rmers, with annual farm products worth
er $50, 0O0,00
France, perhaps the most intelligent in
d successful country in the world in be
riculture and horticulture, spends near 90
81 ,OO0,0O0 per annum to educate her I'm
'mers Look at the states of the Union pa
1T have outstripped Virginia and see
at they are doing. Ohio appropriated
t year $ll 200 to the encouragement of
riculture and to the State Horticultural 70,
ciety; the last appropriation Of New col
rk was $ll9,5O0, California SAL 900, i'm
,souri $4,000, Illinois $37 1920, besides sal
cial appropriations of $225.0O to the an,
te board of agriculture he,
compare the methods Of farming in aPl
Sc states with those in Virginia, and it ant
lot hard to learn what is lacking. Iowa L.
annually spent $4,000 in farmers in dig
utes for ten years past in order to
,h her farmers; Wisconsin has during A
same period spent $4,000 per annum
the same purpose, One result of thescj
enditures is that whereas neither state
years ago shipped butter or cheese "' c
side the state, Iowa now ships $4,000
worth Of butter and cheese and Wis
sin lS,OO0,0OO. NN she
he State of Virginia has more to gain Tel
giving encouragement TO agriculture pm
horticulture and by Offering induce g.
IS to immigrants than, any of these are
es, for, as has been shown, there are 49,.
ireds of thousands Of acres of unim- mai
ed aud undeveloped land in her con- conf
which are yielding no tax or II very "iIi
nsiderable one. Much of this land is '"''
and will grow all the crops of the a
'erate. zone, while the lands along the 'o'o
of the Blue Ridge are capable of ye"'
ing the best winter apples and com
hes In the world, and pay better NV II.
is, all things considered, than any "e'
: agricultural lands in the United Gu d
IS. BY wise and progressive system ~ 3
&c part OF the state these lands would "So'
led and planted and become a source
'enue to the state; as il is now they ""'
little or none OF 1.-The burden OF taxa w I"
which falls nrsctic,,,v q, ,,o III COMP
ire titled, and they are depressing P''"'
siue OF oil Of all lands in Virginia. ae0''
Id make plea for the education OF 'oa' a..
rmer Of Virginia 1t is not fair to con
him to compete with the iutelli- Wv"