Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1909-07-23
KOINER SPEAKS IN
WILLIAMSBURG
Says MIR. Brown is Trying to
Mislead People in His State
mentS Over the State.

George w. Koiner, Commissioner
of Agriculture, spoke in the court
house at Williamsburg Saturday,
night. Although he notice was short,
Mr.. koiner had II fair crowd. lie
spoke as follows:
For ten yeaIs have served the
good people of Virginia as their
Commissioner of Agriculture. During
this entire time l have striven TO do
my whole duty To the farmers and
industrial interests of the state. Just
previous TO my entering this Office
the Legislature was on the eve of
abolishing IL, and Governor Tyler,
who appointed me, stated that unless
the Office was made more helpful To
the farmers OF the state than IL had
been, he would be in favor of the
next Legislatures abolishiug the
office. The revenue for the support of
the Agricultural Department had
dwindled To So, 200 per year. Being
n farmer myself and knowing how
some manufacturers had imposed
upon the farmers i'm selling them
adulterated Fertilizers, my first work
was To havo IA tonnage tax law regu-
lating the sale of fertilizers pepared
under my direction and introduced
In tlH Legislature and | personally
worked for il and secured the help OF
influence l could get was used. IL was
"A hard fight To procure the passage of
the bill.
This fertislizer law has saved the
farmers at least million dollars II
year in the purity of their fertilizers
The sales this year will amount To
some six million dollars. This law
has driven the fraudulent manufac-
turers out of business in this state.
The law has been strictly enforced
and each year about 200 different
brands have been analysed, keeping
five chemists busy in the laboratory,
in addition TO doing the pure food
analytical work. 1 also began the
holding of practical farmers insti-
tutes in every county in the state
from year TO year until the railroads
and steamboat companies have Civ
en- me institute trains and boats free
of cost To take the lecturers all over
the state and teach and stimulate
better farming among ouI farmers.
The farmers who have attended these
meetings-know how helpful and
beneficial TO aTgiculturein Virginia
these institutions have been.
l have published annually report
OF some 200 pages devoted To the dis
cussion of practical farm matters of
all kinds, including trucking, fruit
growing, stock raising, etc. Forty
thousand farmers received this report
this year and all this is free of cost
TO the farmres.
What is the result? Are our far
mers doing better farming during my
term OF officer The value of farm pro-
duets in 1900, when | took charge OF
this department, was $l29, 900, 900,
and in 1908 the value was
$20l, 900, 900, and grown on $50, 900
less acres. The truck industry has
increased in Virginia 800 per cent. +,
fruit growing 200 per cent, and stock
raising 80 per cent. Virginia is now
the richest state in the South except
Texas. Valuable and helpful litera-
true on all lines OF practical farm
work has been sent from time To
time by the tens of thousands to our
farmers free of cost. Last year more
than $4,000 letters pertaining TO
agriculture were answered from this
department. / have worked in season
and out OF season TO stimulate and
aid better farming in Virginia, and
with ten years of hard work and eX-
perience, feel that 1 am better quail
fled than ever before to help the
farmers of the state. One OF Vir-
ginia's ablest Governors said in his
message TO the Legislature: "Too
much cannot be said of the great ben
eft the farmers of the state have
derived from the Department of Agri-
culture under the able administration
OF G.. w. Koiner. If money value
cOuIu NC placcu oH IL, IL WOuiu reach
into the millions.
j have advertised Virginia in other
states and countries and thousands of
inquiries have been received every
month from homsekeeres and inves-
tors. Last year 1000 farms were
bought in this state by people who
live beyond our borders. Virginia
has increased in population l per cent
each year for five years, which is
more than any Southern state. Large
quantities of Literature descriptive oi
the state are being sent out each
month. There is now in the state
Capitol the prettiest agricultural
museum in the south, which is visit