The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-12
A TIDE OF
lMM|ICRA ANTS
tNevtt Before Were So Many
People Seeking Homes iii RITZ
raj Districts Of Virginia.
ANNUAL REPORT NOW READY
Commissioner Of Agriculture
Koiner Treats Variety Of Sub
iects in Annual Publication.


now of tho press and ready for dis
tributlon among tho farmers OF the
state, nearly thirty thousand Of whom
last yenr received tho publication. Tns
last Issue, like those that have preceded
It. Is d most valuable work, containing
a vast fund Of information on a variety
OF subjects, every one OF which Is Of I'M
portance to those following agricultural
pursuits.
Each year that Mr.. Kolner has been
at tho head Of tho Agricultural Depart-
mert has served to give that officer
wider knowledge OF the work committed
to his care, and the old Commonwealth
and the farmers Of the State are now
rcaping benefits which are accrulng to-
them as a result Of the commissioners
z experience. Z, 81,
Never before IN the history Of the State
has there been such O tide Of imml-
grafton to Virginia & as during Commits
sioner Koiner's term of Office. The com
missioner has sent his literature through
out the West and Northwest, and keeps
up correspondence with prospective set
tiers, many Of whom eventually will To-
cate In this State. tits almost an every
day occurrence for. some wcsterner to
enter MIR. Koincr's office, Introduce him-
SELF as the man with whom the commits
sioner has been in correspondence, and
then state that he had taken that officers
advice. had pulled up his stakes a t, his
old home, and was now In Vtrglnia} for
tho purpose Of buying q farm and lo-
eating permanently
VARIETY OF SUBJECTS.
h A great variety, Of subjects are treated
In Mr.. Koiner's report for the past year!
Much attention ~. devoted to i've STOCK,
fruit culture, soil improvement. the judi
cious use OF fertilizersr and the dairy
business. Y while q variety Of other sub
etects touching upon agriculture IN all
Its branches, are treated
# Much valuable information is given as
to the treatment Of live stock. and att
Gtention ia called to5sthe Importance Of
feeding in the most economical way to
get the best results by the proper com.
4 bination OF feeds It Is shown that some
feeds are better suited for one kind OF
stock than others. Many farmers suiter
n great loss in their profits by careless
feeding This applies to all kinds Of stock
horses, cattle and swine.
The report contains q valuable treatise
on fruit culture and treatment OF many
OF the common diseases to which fruit
Is subject. One of ( the many illustra-
tons in the book Is that Of what may
be called the Challenge apple orchard,
The record sof this. orchard cannot y be
|abeaten probably fbYt any, stats. IN athe
Union From trees twenty years old there
was an average yield Of thirty buslcls OF
picked apples per tree. The commits
sioner expresses the opinion that vir-
ginia is forging ahead as tho greatest
ample state In the Union. The crop last
wear IN Virginia was estima ted at five
milton apples. GVirginiaapples sell for top
figures on every market. All OF the ar
ticles on horticulture are valuable to the
fruit grower. .5 81 .G {
SOIL IMPROVEMENT.
The portion of the report devoted to soil
improvement gives many helptIi and use
full suggestions as to the oest ana
cheapest means OF building up the sot
This department OF the puone,uo o. CON
tains many valuable articles on the use
of fertilizers.
An Industry which Is perhaps little
known as existing in this State is given
a place in the commissioners report. It
is that Of the canning industry, Which
| is thriving in many sections Of the State.
and which would find a place In many
other communities were the people fn-
miliar with tho manner IN which It y
conducted and the profits. derived from
1t, The report gives this information, ana
shows how the surplus fruit and ,veRe--
tables on q farm can be turned to profit.
IL
small canning factory on the place.
There are so muny useful articles In
the report that 1t Is impossible to refer
to them all. A great variety OF subjects
are covered. all of them Of interest and
value to the farmer in his everyday life,
Tho report is we'll illustrated. this being
a special feature Of the work.
FERTILIZER BULLETIN. &.
IN tho report Is also published fertilizer
bulletin No. II, containing the Depart
ment Of Elaboration analyses of the
brands OF fertilizer inspected In the State
during tho latter part of tho fall, cons
pared with the analyses as guaranteed
by the manufacturers u,
All OF the farmers who are on the
mailing list Of the department Will receive
a copy OF the report without requesting
that It be sent, Tho fact that any pub
licatIon from the department has boon
received Is evidence that the name OF the
person is on the mailing list, Those who
have never received either the fertilizer
bulletin or tho annual reports from the
commissioner can have their names
placed upon the mailing list by writing
Mr., Koiner to that effect
1t may DO several weeks before tho
work OF sending the reports to every one
on the mailing list has been. completed,
as this will necessarily depend upon the
facility with which the boolSbinders get
the work ont. The delivery Of each lot
from the binder Is sent from the de-
partment the day upon whict 1t Is re-
celyed. Heretofore. however, the binders
have only been ane to deliver about a
thousand or fifteen hundred copies per
day, ;s Il