The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-23
BILL WOULD UNITY
FARMING INTEREST
Committee Considers Measure
for United Board of
Agriculture.
ecausc OF the absence or Governor


Because OF the absence or Governor
Mann, consideration the Page
Adams bill tor the formation OF
United Agricultural Board was not
concluded last night. 1t will be taken
up again tomorrow morning by the
House Committee on Agriculture and
Mining. The subject has been OF SUI
ttcient interest to the Governor to In
spire a special message to the General
Assembly.
DR.. $. w. Fletcher. OF the virginia
Agricultural Experiment Station. was
on hand and did not exactly approve
| or the BILL. His work, he explained.
was entirely experimental and was
separate from that OF the Virginia
| Polytechnic Institute.
| Many other measures were consid-
cred by this committee at two meet
ings yesterday. No decision was
reached, as all the time was taken up
In talking. The Fitzhush- Myers bill
for the branding Of food which has
been in cold storage was argued. no
one appearing In opposition. Some
sort OF report on this is likely to be
made to the House to-day. Another
measurA was to require the testing OF
lime. Its patron is Mr.. Bowman. of
! Shenandoah.
| Lime for Agriculture.
a special hearing Is set for tonight
on the proposal to grind lime by con-
/ vict labor to be sold to farmers for
agricultural purposes. The last hear
| ing on this subject proved to be quite
/ lively, and 1t is said that some inter-
esting arguments are to be presented
/ tonight
I Delegates Roosevelt Page and Berke-
! lev D. Adams. the patrons of the House
/ raj to cd a spr
| Board, were present last night, as was
Senator Watkins, who, with Senator
Garrett, fathered the measure in the
| Senate. Some minor amendments adopt
! ed by the Senate Committee were ac-
cep:ed by Messrs. Page and Adams.
The bill proposes to establish CEN
! trail board to coordinate under one
head the various kinds OF work being
/ done in experimenting. demonstrating
ands educating the farmers and the
farmers boys of the State regarding
agricultural matters. The board is to
be composed OF the Governor. the SUI
Iperintendent of Public instruction, the
Commissioner of Agriculture, a Nom
Der Of the State Board Of Agriculture
1 the president of the Virginia College OF
Agriculture and Polytechnic Institute
a member OF the board OF trustees o.
that school, the general director OF
4 demonstration work of the United
States Department of Agriculture. no"
4 Dr. S. A. Knapp. and the Virginia direc'
tor of the same work. who is now T.
Sandy, of Burkevillc. This board is
to receive nothing but its travelling eA-
penses.
Would Prevent Waste.
4 Ten thousand dollars is to be APP
j propriated by the Board OF Education
|
$4,000 from the State Treasury. Uncle
:. sam IS expected to contribute literally.
So far as possible. the demonstration
wort, is to be left to the BlacksburG
, institution: the boys demonstration
; work to the Board of Education, and
the farmers institute work to the
Department of Agriculture. In few
J words the idea is to unity the separate
, forces so as to prevent waste ana 10
get the best results.
DR.. Fletcher said that the work UNI
I. der his care was that of experiment.
He does not teach, but seeks the best
methods of doing everything. Before
anything can be impaired 1t must first
be learned.
It. o. Sandy told of the work the
United States Department. of Agricul-
turo Is doing. II is now operating in
twenty counties. Under its direction
! some farmers are making four tons
Of hay TO the acre, while corn has
Welded as high as 1o7 bushels to the
) acre. With the boys tho average
yield of corn last year was tlfty-four
f bushels to the acre, whereas the
) acreage on the farms of the entire
state is but twenty-one. From 1000
to 1900 boys are now engaged in this
work.
I Mig Profits in Corn.
| The object OF the department IS GO
rot the farmer to do something for
4 himself. He produced some figures
given by a farmer at Chatham, who
plar:pd eight acres OF corn. His Item
lied cost account footed up Sl3.,ao