Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-03
The Department of Agriculture.
OFnr the DlsnatchD

CFor the DispatchD
Tho people Of Virginia are now greatly
interested in the senatorial race, put l
assert that the apple crop is Of infinitely
moro Importance Having able repre-
sentatiyes in the Congress is Of great ad-
vantage but the raising Of sheep is much
greater.
sincerely believe that Virginia has
the ideal climate and soil Of the Conti-
nent. ana that there are greater advan-
taees here than anywhere else. This is
especially true OF the country south or
James river. The soil i'm large par oil
il is red clay: the river and creek bot
toms is the alluviuip Of 500 years, and Is
incxhaustible The uplands grow hne TO-
bacco. and wheat. oats. and corn, Wheh
properly pioughed and MANFRED. There
are crops in this country this year OF
thirty and forty bushels of wheat TO the
acre. and the wheat makes the most per-
feet head.
Wages are low but rising every year.
owing TO the constant and natural Dram
to the cities. Domestic service Us rude
and very ignorant. but cheap. II VIII
have TO be- instructed and trained by lh5
masters. but it is better in every way
i'm temper. i'm cleanliness, i'm docility-
than tho Swedes. and Danes. and NorWe-
eians 7 have seen i'm ladies' houses i'm the
Northwest. We have climate. soil, hcallh'
and products to draw population II we
had any means Of making known our al
yantages / do not want some or the
foreign population. The Latins and the
Slavs are not desirable, but the intell-
gent industrious. God-fearing Yankee OF
the Tdahos-the Dakotas of the Rocky
mountains-would come here I'm colonies,
If they only knew what they can get by
coming. ! fully appreciate how very poor
our people are. and how little money they
ever see. A very dear friend of mine
for n long time used 10 send two eggs
to the post-ofice To pay for her letters,
and see every Sunday at my church the
marks Of hard living and hard Work on
the women.
They are losing the form and grace OF
their mothers. and i'm another generation
will become worklugwomen, wives, ana
mothers of wOrllingmen.
Sow. work is healthy physically ana
morally. Idleness is Il baue TO society
and 10 the individual. But too much
work. too hard work. will I'm the md
lower the standard Of living and injure
the standard Of morals and OF vitality.
Poverty cannot be cured by the state.
Industry and frugality are the only cures
for that But the State can DO something
TO help the social order. We have im-
meuse quantities of waste land. We want
horses and mules. cattle hogs. and sheep
If we had plows and saws and hammers
and cultivators we would DE better paid
for our labor, for we eXpend as much
labor to raise one barrel Of corn as under
proper conditions would produce ten DaI-
rcls. SO a man works for one tenth Of
what he ought 10 get. II We could sell
our surplus acres and convert them inlo
stock and implements, we would hc
changing our dead capital into productive
capital, and We could pay ourselves good
wages for our own work. There IS no
more industrious. frugal, self-denying
worklngman than the Virginia farmer
who works his own or rented land. lie
is sober he is intelligent, he is honest
but he is handicapped so much Tor want
of stock and tools that he can't work TO
half advantage.
Now, the way to supply him with them
IS TO sell the surplus land. To do that
requires buyers. To get buyers You
must let them know what you have to
sell. The Department OF Agriculture
ought to 10 that. but the Department OF
Agriculture has no money Its income
is derived from the tax on fertilizers, and
after the expense Of inspecting ana ANA
lying fertilizers is paid little Is left Tor
| the diffusion of Information The tax
on fertilizers produces 5000 per annum,
and the expenditure Of this sum for ana
| lysis Of samples seems 10 me 10 be UNI
reasonable. and it ought TO be inspected
and analysed Itself.
L do not know whore the money from
/ Virginia taxation goes. AT one time
was well informed on that subject, but 1
am not now.
The State ought 20 give the Department
| of Agriculture $4,000 a year. IL would be
wisely expended by the Commissioner
who is "A broad. earnest. intelligent, hon
/ est. and energetic man.
l am a very young farmer and
haven't time 10 learn by experience.
| l haven't got twenty years 10 Ioo6 fer
ward To. and there are many more ike
me. I want TO know the best apples
pears. p.ums, and grapes FOR my
neighborhood / rely almost altogether
on the Southern Planter 10 has been my
| wade mecum for the last three years.
| But the old farmers require more than
we young ones 90 They want 20 know
! the very latest ideas ON the subject OF
! their labors. Some orchards last year
/ made $50 Der acre from york lmperldl
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