The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-18
EDITORIAL
The Farm s the Thing.

The awakening to the Importance of agricul-
tural development is worldwide" said +. O.
Sandy, the Virginia missionary TO farmers III a
leeent conversation VITA a representative OF this
newspaper. BY way of Illustration, Mr.. Sandy
mentioned that short time ago The King OF SIAM
who had learned of the movement in Virginia,
wrote to the Department of Agriculture in Wash
ington saying that if he could the services
of such instructors he had been reading about in
the Virginia campaign he would give HIM six thou
sand dollars year and travelling expenses. The
King was given the choice of two instructors, one
frem Virginia and the other from North Carolina.
But for reasons sufficient to himself he choose the
Tarheel and the teacher is at work in that
land, showing the natives how to make two blades
OF grass grow whore one grew before.
Mr. Sandy has the true missionary spirit Sew
eral years ago, he purchased farm in Nottoway
county and set about TO improve the land 1t was
about as poor as land could we'll be, but he enriched
il and kept enriching it and last year his corn
crop averaged 40 bushels to the acre This year
Ae expects to beat that record, but he is not yet
Ess44g cut the figures He mas cut five tons of hay
from an acre Of ground and he recently offered
$2T5, for cow. Now was that high price, seeing
that the COW gives seven gallons of milk day.
-- tt may welt asked why prosperous farmer
Is geiHg about the country leetHFiag aefieal
Mr.. Sandy has the missionary spirit He has dis
covered the means by which the farmers Of Vir-
ginia can improve their farms and their condition
IN life and he loves to pass the word around. lie
lis teaching the boys how to grow hundred
bushels of corn on an acre of ground, and some of
fhem are doing better than that. The missionary
says that they can just easily produce two
hundred bushels ON the same area. 1t in
credible but as the average for Virginia has been
twenty-five bushels a little while ago it would have
been said that hundred bushels beyond pos
sibiiity.
Sandy says that the awakening among the farm
of Virginia is the greatest poular arousement"
he has ever known, on any subject. The Farmers
ALLIANCE movement and the true silver movement
were tame in comparison. The farmers have discov-
zxrtd d gold mine their premises, so to speak,
and they are working their claims. Sandy recently
f.nnd large farm in Mccklenburg county con-
tanning same Of the finest bottom lands ever. The
owner WAS weli.to-do, but he had been making lit
4 lie or fu profit on his operations Sandy told him
the land was languishing for generous dose of
phosphoric acid The overs followed the doctor g
adsico 1t cost him twenty dollars an acre to buy
The rcdicne bu. he did il l1 he cut sixty dollars
worth Of hay from each acre thus treated and the
land was more than doubled in value.
IL Governor Mann, Commissioner Koiner Super
J intendent Eggleston and the Blackburg experts
Ebre all engaged IN the same missionary work and
there is an oldfashoned shouting revival through
y out the length and breadth of the State.
Il 1t means glorious things for Virginia. 1t means
\ bigger crops more prosperity for the farmer, and
4 shap enhancement in the value of farm lands. 1t
means better roads ard better schools less suicide
and more happiness IN the rural districts
There is good in all things. This evolution is
the outcome largely Of the "high cost of living.