Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-10-27

"But not only does Virginia derive
great increase from her coal produc
tons, but large part of the product
of West Virginia is marketed through
the ports of Virginia. At Norfolk,
Newport News and Hampton the coal
trade has more than doubled in the
last few years. The trucking indus.
try of the Tide Water section of the
State is simply marvellous. In the
two counties of Accomac and North
Hampton during the year 1909 there
there were marketed 532,517 bar
rels of potatoes and 67S,886 barrels
of sweet potatoes and 209,895 crates
of cabbages and berries. The can
ming industry has increased enorm-
ously and in one county alone a few
years ago the product amounted to
nearly one million dollars. The ag
gregate annual output of Virginia
farms, factories, mines and fisheries
is at least $4,000, 000,-an in
crease of nearly 500, 100000 since
the turn of a century. And she has
hardly begun to realize upon its nat
ural potentialities. Its 10000 square
miles support a population of only
1850, or almost so persons to
the square mile, while there are
nearly 400 persons to each of the
5000 square miles of that other Am
erican Commonwealth, Massachus-
etts. It's population of 100000
have nothing of the advantage that
Virginia possesses either as to latent
natural resources within itself or as
to closeness to food supplies and ma
terials for industry. With density
of population equal to that of Massa-
chusetts, Virginia would have 12,-
| 100000 inhabitants. 1t is capable
of making that number of people hap
| Ply as citizens Richard H. Ed
munds, Editor Manufacturers Rec
ord, Baltimore, Md.
Besides all this, Virginia possess
es 1885 square miles of water area
and over the Chesapeake Bay and
throughout it's tributaries is carried
yearly about $12O,O00,000 worth of
the country's foreign commerce,
while at least 100000 worth of
oysters, crabs and fish are gathered
from the waters of Hampton Roads,
the Chesapeake and the noble rivers
which empty into it.
"Of the total 25,O00,000 acres of
| the State about so per cent are in
farm lands, but only about SO per
cent of the farm acreage is improved.
In round numbers there are Il ,000,-
900 acres of forest land; 1900 square
miles of coal fields; while beneath
the soil which is giving up so much
in it's contribution to the wealth OF
the State, there are mines of iron
ore, pyrites, copper, slate, soap stone
asbestos, gold, silver, mica and alloys
of all sorts and descriptions.
Mineral waters of every kind and
description abound in this state. The
celebrated Buffalo Lithia waters, the
Chase City Waters and the waters
from the White Sulphur, Hot Springs
Healing Sweet Chalybeate, Allegheny
Springs, Crockett Springs and hun
dreds of others, have proved their
value to thousands of those who have
sought their healing powers.
| Building stones of superior quail
ity abound throughout the State. The
James River granite was used to
build post offices at Philadelphia and
Harrisburg. Buckingham slate is
now shipped to England in competi-
ton with the Welsh slate. Lime
stone abounds in the Shenandoah
Valley and Southwest Virginia. Cop
per ore is found in many counties,
tin in Rockbridge and Nelson, lead,
zine in a score of counties, white ar
senic is produced in Floyd county, as
bestos is found in a half dozen coun-
ties, and mica has been found in a
number of counties. Extensive de-
posts of pyrites have been developed
in Louisa county, while gold has
been found in many counties.
''The necessary training in his diet
to make a real Virginian has been
described by an author of national
repute; He must, of course, begin
on pot-iquor, and keep it up until
he sheds his milk-teeth. He must
have fried chicken, stewed chicken,
broiled chicken, and chicken pie; old
hare, butter-beans, new potatoes,
squirrel, cymins, snaps, barbacued
shoat, roas'n ears, buttermilk, hoe
cake. ash-cake, pancake fritters, pot
pie, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, June
apples, waffles, sweet-milk, parsnips,
artichokes, carrots, cracklin bread,
hominy, bonnyclauber, scrambled
eggs, goobspeas, fried apples, pop
corn, persimmons beer, apple bread,
milk and peaches, mutton stew, dew
berries, buttercakes, mush-melons,
hickory nuts, cartridges, honey in the
honey-comb, snappin' turtle eggs,
damsen tarts, catfish, cider, hot light
bread, and cornfeld peas all the time
but he must not intermit his bacon
and greens.