The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-20
NOVEL WAY tn
REACH FARMERS
Train Leaves Richmond
Carrying Lecturers OH
Leading Crops.
COUNTRY MEN
FLOCK TO HEAR
Train Filled at Every Station and
Crowds Are Eager to Hear
Experts Tell of Methods
for Improving Crops.
Alfalfa, Tobacco,
Corn.

b i.
| day morning at o'clock with Com
| missioner G. w Koiner In charge. The
| train was special. furnished FREQ OF
charge by the Southern Railroad, and
on 1t were. besides tho commissioner
Professor w. w. Cobey and Professor
A. D. shamel. both tobacco exports
from the United States Department of
Agriculture; Professor j. M. Westrare
alfalfa expert, also from the United
States Department: and Messrs. James
Drake, J r. Hopper, and G. r. Green. 4
Of the Southern Railroad. The train,
which consisted of two coaches, was n
charge of Conductor j. r. Canada, who
had W. Y. Moles as his fAgman. ard
Robert Campbell as his engineer. The
runs We're made on schedule time, the
Southern giving excellent service.
The running of this train through
Virginia is due to the efforts of Com
missioner koiner. and the State Board
of Agriculture. the latter at the last
meeting having decided to try in this
State an experiment which in the Nortl,
and West had been undertaken with
great success The farmers Institutes
| Is no new thing in Virginia, Commits
sioncr koincr and tho Board having held
them In every section of the State, but
train. stopping at Important stations
In every county through which it was
scheduled to run. long enough for tile
| farmers ut such points to enter the
| coach and hear the lectures and Wit
| ness the demonstrations and illustrf.-
| tions. was until yesterday something
mat had never been attempted in the
Old Dominion. That the Innovation was
\ 2. tremendous success was clearly snow
by tho crowds which. packed i1to-s,the
coach at every station at which the
| train stopped yesterday, on its run from
Richmond to Danville. The time of arr
| rival had been advertised some days ina
| advance. and when the train pulled In
at each station at which ii was sche-
dnletl TO stop. crowd of farmers
| awaited 1t, and without loss of time
Commissioner Koiner invited them into
the coach. mt one end OF which the Ice
turers were stationed with their Charts
and apparatus.
Discussed Tobacco.
The subject discussed yesterday was
tobacco, and Professor Cobey and Profess
sor Shamel alternated in lecturing upoli4
this topic each thus relieving tile other.
an arrangement made necessary ON fc-
count OF the number OF lectures de-
livered on the trip. Each lecture was
limited to thirty minutes and In that
short space of time. the farmers were
given information which should be worth
thousands of dollars to them in improv-
| Ing tho quality and yield of tobacco.
The advice given to all of the farmers
was grow your own tobacco seed ani
save only the seed from the best plants.
The lecturers demonstrated that ii was
| possible to improve the quality OF the
r,,ntl ,;sI5 III,
out any extra expense. The difference in
the seed was responsible for the differ-
| ence in the quality of tho plants. The
heavy seeds produced the vigorous plants,
while tho light seeds germinated this
inferior plants. 1t was as essential to use
good seed In tobacco breeding" as 1T
| was to have fine animals 10 stock breed
Ing. A method of separating the light, or
poor seed, from the heavy, or good seed
was shown, and Its use explained. The
device ls very simple and quite within
the reach of any farmer, who IL only
fairly skilled could buy the necessary
materials and make the apparatus him
self. In order to demonstrate the differ
ence in the results obtained by using the
heavy seed instead OF the light seed. Com
missioner Koiner will. upon his return
| from this trip next week, separate the
X tobacco seed for any farmer who Will
ERsanhs him the seed. II should be sent ii
I a ackase plainly marked with the name
tantts address of the sender This advice
| given upon this point alone Is of inest-&
mable value to the tobacco grower and
| IL followed will bring him greater re-
| turns for his crop. All who heard the
lectures yesterday We're much pleased mt
| the practical nature of the talks. The a
/ two lecturers are young men who were
reared upon the farm and know tile
practical side of the question they dis
| cussed. Both have devoted themselves
to the study OF this subject until they
arc now experts, and are valued for
their Knowledge by the United States
Department. OF Asricultuw
Tobacco Is not tho only subject 10 be
discussed on the trip, which viii incl,,,lc
sections OF Virginia where tobacco Is NOT
y principal crop. and, indeed, sections h,
which the loaf is not cultivated. "Gtrowinss
Alfalfa" and .Cnra Breeding will be eS
the subjects lentured upon after leaving e
the tobacco section
Counties in the Itinerary.
The following counties win pe visited
and lecturei IN on this = trip Amelia,
| Prince Edward, Charlotte, Halifax, plts-
sylvanio, Henry. Campbell. Amherst,5g
Nelson. Nlbomarle, Qrnnge, e'ulpepec,
Tauauer, Prime Willians Warren,
Shenandoah, Rockinghanl plise, Augusta,
Rockbrtdge. I}otetourt and Roanoke &
Nearly i thousand miles Will be covered \
before the last lec.iire is delivered on
the afternoon of the a1t.,. THE train NIL y
stopl at tlfty-two stations al which lee
lures will hesdplivere, IiittaIng from tis K
Attendance SrstcrailN. "A here. wtlt not bstEs
less than hundred ftrnlnrsi present at
any lecture, 50 that over FIVE tho,issif,f
farmers Will heargthe subjects ,liscusaeei l3t
while several tiines nv many more vii 81.
through the medium Of these gain thf5 i
XlI.se