The Washington herald., 1909-06-06
RESOURCES VARIED
IN Old VIRGINIA
State Offers Fine OppOrtu-
nifty to Invest Money.
RICHMOND a SPLENDID CITY
Capital and Commonwealth Inviting
nS Places of Residence-Five Rivers
Drain Domain and Furnish Wa
ter POwer-IndustriaI Enterprises
Gather at Head of TIdewater.

Gather at Head of TIdeTvater.
An intimate acquaintance. or even q
cursory knowledge, Of the marvellous re-
sources OF America and the great move
ments that are taking place in the diff
ferent sections Of the United States, II
considered intelligently, viii convert any
pesSimist into a sane optimist Optimism
is good. but it Is superlative when based
on a knowledge Of real conditions.
II IS well within the mark to say that
no people in the whole world, or, for that
matter. no people who ever lived. have
possessed such a storehouse Of knowl-
edge on how to do things as the Ameri-
can people, The national government.
through its Agricultural Department and
other departments. are teaching the
American people the dignity Of produc-
ing things. The States. in their various
departments, are likewise adding empha-
sis TO the work Of the national govern
ment
There IS an inherent desire on the part
OF every man TO own land-to be a farm
Grand Of recent years there has been
a great tendency on the part OF the
people congested in the cities TO go back
70 nature. This tendency is so devel-
oped and has been so strong that our
new States in the West have grown as
Il by magic, and their great increase
IN population has not come from the
outside, but from within. because the
immigrant from foreign countries almost
invariably settles IN a cIty
II has been frequently commented upon
that people from the Eastern section Of
America 60 10 the West, In the more un-
settled sections, when they are offered
such vast possibilities for profitable in
vestments and competency Of livelihood
IN the Southeastern States, where civic
conditions are more stable. educational
equipment more general. church facilities
more extended, and neighborly Affiliations
more closely in touch.
Virginia n Case in Point.
point at issue right here is the STATE
Of Virginia, a state whose climate is all
that could be desired; whose summers are
tempered by the winds from the seashore;
whose autunIns are exhilarated with the
breezy airs Of the mountains. and whose
winters are modified by the influences of
the Gulf Stream. and whose soil is OF a
remarkable prOduCtiveness, and the dis
position OF the people most hospitable and
generous. The Virginians are not only
generous and hospitable, but they are en-
ergetic and aggressive.
Richmond is one OF the most prosper-
Gus cities in the United States. and a CITY
OF varied industrial activities. some OF
which have developed to the largest OF
. their kind in America. Richmond has
the largest baking powder factory in the
United States; Richmond has the largest
mandatory OF cedar products in the
United States; Richmond has one OF the
largest and most successful locomotive
works in the United States Richmond's
banks are noted for their strength. and
their capital is ample for all the necessi-
ties OF business in every emergency.
Paid Cash in Panic.
During the recent panic Richmond
banks paid cash; Richmond merchants
paid cash. There was a mutual conf
dence between the banker and his clients
based upon the knowledge on the part OF
the client Of the bankers moral integrity
as well as his financial integrity.
Richmond has a fine school system
both public and private. and clubs. hos
pitais, hotels, churches. and everything
that Is found in any modern progressive
city She has been a pioneer in many
things Richmond had the first electric
railway IN the world and this city IS
aggressive, wide awake and offers un-
usual opportunities for energy and capital
Farming lands in Virginia, when intelli-
gently handled, produce equal TO any in
this country.
In q book recently issued by the Hon
George W. Koiner. Commissioner of Ag-
riculture and Immigration, the following
statement IS made:
1t is both interesting and wonderful
70 note the productiveness of the soil IN
the trucking belt around Norfolk. Va. A
leading farmer and trucker saws: With
out doubt. the trucking lands around
Norfolk are the finest in the United
States"
Grows Fine Fruit.
Virginia is one Of the most highly
favored fruit-growing States in the Union.
Apples. peaches. pears. cherries, ounces.
plums. damsons. and grapes are in great
abundance. while the smaller fruits. such
as Strawberries. raspberries. blackberries.
gooseberries, and curranIs, are plentiful
The foothills Of the Piedmont and Blue
Ridge are specially adapted TO the apple
some orchards producing as much as
$3.50 10 $500 per acre. The peach. requiring
somewhat warmer climate, abounds
more plentifully IN Middle Virginia and
Tidewater.
Apples may be said to be the principal
fruit crop Of the State They are ex-
tensively grown. and there Is a yearly
increasing number Of trees planted. In
one Of the valley counties a seventeen
year-old orchard Of 1,150 trees produced
an apple crop in 1905 which brought the
owner $4,000; another of fifty twenty
year trees brought 500 II. z. Vande-
man. one Of the best-knOwn horticulture
lists in the country. says there is not in
all North America better place to plant
orchards than in Virginia. He says:
For rich apple soil, good flavor and
keeping qualities OF the fruit, and near