The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-13
Con,rarntiye Figures.

UUUtVUV, itH4i
Comparative Figures.
Tho following are tho Increases IN
value OF crops within tho past nine
years. Wheat. $2,0oo.0oo; oats, $780,
600; hay. $3.ooo,ooo; tobacco, $1,000 900
potatoes, 31,20o,o00 peanuts, $1,000
900; all trucks, $s.000,o00: orchard
fruits, EooO,00O: dairy products. $5,-
100000: live stock, sso,ooo,0oo; forest
products $65ooooo: mineral output,
{8,0O0.000; miscellaneous crops not In
Guided above. 100000; poultry and
eggs, ss.ooo.ooo. u would make too
long story to 60 into details as to-
what Old Virginia raises. It Is sum
cicnt to say that from the seq to the
mountains almost everything that Is
necessary for the comfort OF man and
| beast cnn be taken from, tho soil OF
this state.
Mining and Manufacturing.
Within a generation Virginia has
become considerable mining State. In
1850 less than 10000 tons OF pig iron
| were made In the state. Last year $685.
900 tons were made. Thirty years ago
no coke ovens were in the State. Last
year 100000 tons OF coke were made.
a. generation ago only 10000 tons Of
coal were mined IN Virginia, but last
years output was close to 100000
tons. Tho iron ore mined has grown
from an insignificant figure twentq
years ago to 100000 tons last year. A
generation ago there were very few
cotton factories in the State, and no
In operation 100000 spindles and $500
looms. an Increase Of $50 per cent.
4 since 1900. The raw cotton consumed
\ last year amounted to 37,000,0oo
pounds, an Increase OF 14b per cent. in
nine years. That seems to be going
some.
With It's magnificent waterpowers
yet undevcloped It is believed that as
the days so by there will be more cot
ton factories in the State. and It may
1 be that within the next decade Vir-
4 cotton goods as 1t leads in many other
4 lines. Virginia folks are Just be-
ginning to catch on to this enterprise.
and there is no telling what they may
do in the next ton years.
Other Big Wealth.
In Charlottesville and at other
| points there are extensive wooden
mills. and some Of these mills are put
ting out cloths that charm the dressiest
OF men and women. Tho sheep In
dustry IS growing in the State. and
while It is q fact that It is at present
4 largely confined to the business OF fur
nishing mutton for tho table. the time
may not be far distant when Virginia
4 farmers may be growing sheep to fur
nish wool to many factories in the
4 cities and the towns within the bor-
4 dcrs.
So far have been talking only OF
the things that come out OF the ground
What about the wealth that comes out
OF the water? Well, that is immense.
There are in the state. or rather on Its
Il tn y,j1n nj
Il water area, lands that border on the
Atlantic, and include the noblest ex-
panses of Chesapeake Bay and It's vir-
ginIa estuaries. These waters produce
annually about s5.ooo.ooo worth o,
. oysters, crabs and fish. In the catching
and packing and canning. OF which
nearly s4.0oo.o9o is invested.
Forest Wealth.
IN the matter Of lumber 1t may b,
safe to say that Virginia Is furnishing
more lumber just now than any Stat,
along the Atlantic coast line save per
haps Georgia and Florida. That is be
cause Virginia soil has grown iunlbe
that is especially in demand. The oil
field pine OF the Southside section Il
said to be the only timber the oil AM
soap makers can find that will maxi
packing boxes that will keep" In TIL
tropical regions That explains VIII,
there arc SO many box shook factories
. in southside Virginia. Last year NOR
than two billion feet Of lumber wa
cut and manufactured in Virginia
: Considerably less than billion fee
were cut In 1900. Perhaps 60 pc
cent. of this timber was pine, ant
while 1t may not seem to be a goot
thing to cut out so much timber, ;
saving point is in the fact that tn
Virginia old field pine grows might!
fast. and tho probability is that with
. In a decade. certainly within twelv,
years. there will be more "sawable'
pine trees where the cutting and tn,
saving is being done to-day.
Virginia Bankers.
Now to accommodate all OF thi:
business. banks are a necessity, an,
q Virginia energy and enterprise hav
provided them. There is probably no
a county In the State that has not
S local bank to look after It's business
], and in many counties there arc severa
} local banks that are in easy touc
with the larger banking institution
!, of the cities. Some OF these are ma
tonal banks. some State banks an
some private banking institution:
The national banks in the State to
day have resources amounting t
t Sis, 100000. The State and privat
r banks have assets amounting to owe
! s5o,0o0,oo0. The deposits in the yir
5 Einia banks, national and State an
e private, are to-day something like
billion dollars.
Railway Growth.
The service and the good service Q
railroads are necessary to handle a.
; OF the big business outlined above, an
= the railway corporations have nc
d been slow to meet the emergency, a
K the following figures will show: I
! Sthe good year 1880 the total railwa
: mileage within the borders of Wiz
q ginia+was 1893 miles. Ten years late
: there were 1896 miles OF railway
t active operation. Last Septembe
: there were 4,54S miles In operation
! and at that date and since that dat
: not less thar 5000 workmen have bee
Q building new trackage in the Stat
. To-day there are not less than 500
= miles Of railway In operation With
:, the borders Of Virginia.
There Al Is always great deal {
kicking against the railroads. AS
matter of fact, wen a. politician Q