Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-09-15
States Farm Products VIII Be Exploited.

States Farm Products VIII Be Exploited
Mr.. James Stewart, Of Morgantown,
Director of the West Virginia Agricul-
tural Experiment Station, visited
Pittsburgh the other day, and contract
ed for liberal exhibition space in the
Land Show to be held there from Oct.
Il to 2S. Mr.. Stewart proposes to let
the world known that, as far as agri-
cultural and horticultural opportuni-
ties are concerned, no state in the
Union has any advantages over West
Virginia that are even worth speaking
of. He is qouted as saying:
"When it comes to variety of pro-
duct" said Mr.. Mr.. Stewart, "we've
got 'em all skinned by multiplied
miles. We have oil, gas, coal, timber,
apples-oh, apples to beat the band.-
and all other kinds of fruits; also live
stock, corn, oats, hay, wheat aud wool
You can hardly name any essential
thing we haven't got, and most of
what you would name we have more
than any other state or locality.
81 am particularly interested ia the
Pittsburg Land Show because it is SO
near us, and was so great a success last
year. One of the displays [ am think.
ing of making is of the quality of wool
which we grow on the backs of our
West Virginia sheep. Nothing like it
is produced anywhere else. We call it
Saxony wool. 1t is not common to all
parts of West Virginia, | regret to saw
because the sol! of the whole state is
not adapted to it; but this soil exists in
many of the counties, and in these is
produced the wool of which [ speak.
1t brings the very highest price, and
the market for it is ever active. Here
in your own county of Washington
adjacent to Pittsburgh, this favorable
soil stretches over from West Virginia.
and this explains why so much of your
Washington county wool ranks so
very high III the markets of the east.
~ am looking forward to great
future for West Virginin in the matter
OF wool growing, and feel justified in
this not only by the high character of
our own product, but by the fact that
have had great many letters from
western sheep growersparticularly from
Wyomlrg, making inquiries about the
prospects of sheep herding in our state,
Inc vast cattle and sheep grasiug
tracts OF the west are disappearing be-
tore the march of civilization and popu-
| lation. The farmers who are movin.
west ward, seeking land to cultivate,
are gradually possessing themselves of
those immense government ranges.
and 1t will not be many years until
they cease tie exist altogether. This is
foreshadowed in the letters [ have
mentioned. After while cattle and
sheep viii be raised in West Virginia
pennsylvania and elsewhere in the
east, as numerousIy ana as cheaply as
in the west. This is being brought
about by changing land conditions. or
course the sheep heruers and wool
growers of Wyoming, as well as every
other range-state in the prairies ana
the K ckies, are familiar with tue con-
ditions under which our state of Yves,
Virginia produces the finest quality of
SaXony woo' in the world, and conse-
quently, foreseeing how they are de.
stined to be hemmed in, they are
sagaciously reaching cut for share of
the wool-growing section of West Vir-
ginia.
| 81 am going to make a display of our
wool in your big Land Show, along
with some other important thing in.
Guiding our marvellous fruits. and
will open the eyes of Pittsburgh about
the manifold opportunities lying at
their doors in West Virginia. Ofcourse
we have immense sums of Pittsburgh
money invested in our state, but the re
is room for much more and this will
be made clear at the Land Show.