The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-08-28
potatoes. fruit. trucks, grass and cat
Let the plan BECOME Gcncr.

Let the Plan Become General.
Under this plan. which has been
carefully considered, the first thing
to do is to induce the farmers of tho
State to adopt improved methods OF
agriculture, and realizing the diffi->
Guilty OF influencing this most con-
servative class of the people to give
up the methods which they have al
ways used and which came down to
them from their fathers, while argu-
ments and figures are used on every
possible occasion, the principal re-
lance Is placed upon demonstration
work, that is. showing by the actual
production of crops all over the State
what can be done by improved me
thods.
have been travelling somewhat
about the state, and tho more see
of the good results of these methods
the more l want to talk about them in
this section. The main facts herein
given have been published in one form
and another In this department be-
fore, but IT. will not hurt to keep on
ringing the changes on the work.
Figures Tint Talk.
Some two or three years ago what
Is known as adult demonstration work
was commenced by the United States
Department of Agriculture and is now
being carried on In twenty-nine coun-
lies of the State, with the result that,
;he average production of corn has
been raised from about twenty-four to
;orty-one bushels to the acre To APP
preciate more fully this result 1t may
Sc we'll to say that last year the aver
age production of corn in the United
States was "a little over twenty-five
bushels to the acre, while In Illinois
1t was thirty three. and In the great
corn-rasing State of Iowa 1t was
.orty-one bushels to the acre, so the
average In Virginia. where the Improved
agricultural methods have been used.
mas reached that of the best corn
producing State in the Union, and II
this average shall prevail In Virginia
| 1t will increase the crop of corn IRON
between 47,ooO,o00 and 4s.ooo,oo0 TO
about 9O,000,000 bushels.
But this is not all The public
schools have taken UP the work. and
boys corn clubs have been organized,
and last year the average production
OF these boys was tifty-siX bushels to
tho acre. The boys made fifteen hush
els more to the acre than their fathers.
BECAUSE having no preconceived Ideas,
they followed objections, while the
men, unwilling to fully admit the wis
dom of the new methods. modified them
to their hurt. This year between
1900 and 1900 boys arc cultivating an
acre of land each by the new methods.
and remarkable results are in sight. A
great many of these boys. all of whom
are under eighteen years of age, Will
make over 100 bushels of corn to the
acre. and some OF them will measure
as much as $50 and 100 bushels to the
acre. These boys are scattered all over
the State, and when farmer upon
whom argument has no effect shall sec
his boy making foursand five times as
much crop as he does on the adjoining
land, he will want to know the reason
and will then adopt the improved meth
DDS.
Governor Mann. besides Offering a
cash prize of SIS to the boy making
the most corn In Nottoway. Will issue
certificates of distinction to all boys
making over fifty bushels OF corn to
the acre. When II Is remembered that
the boys cultiyattng these crops have
10 keep an accurate account az ex.
penses, work done. and fertilizers used
| the value OF the work to the bpyR can