The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-19
RIVER EDGE TRACT
TO BE HIS HABITAT
Ed. Saunders, of Richmond, to
Furnish Big James River Plan
tation for Governments Use.
Experts Saw It-Splendid
Place for Experimental
Purposes.
nY FpANk :. wooDsoS.

me lnuICat4vstS are tnat within the
next year Uncle sam will bc happy
virginia farmer ana viii he piowing
and digging and sowing and reapinl;
on tile rich lands watered bv the his
tDric and majestic James River It Is
more than !iAcly that the Department
OF Agriculture OF the United States
government. now presided over by that
great national farmer. perhaps the
greatest IN some respects OF ali Ameri-
can ullcrs OF the soil tho Iionorao e
James Wilson Secretary OF Agricul-
turc. VIII ore long have charge or
River Edge one Of the historic plan
tatons on the lower James and Will
install the necessary paraphernuli,i
FOR experiment purposes ana put to
work the necessary labor, under cx-
pcrtg.
The IDEA is to make River Edge" a
government crperimcntal farm. or. an
the government ana the States which
have them call II, an Experiment Sta
ton. L. y Saunders. Jr.. of Richmond
tho owner of "Bucklands. famous
t.9o0-uerc plantation ~ Charles City
county mas recently bought River
Edge" which adioins "Bucklands," and
contains about 500 acres
Through Hon John Lamb. the Con
gresham from this district. who is the
chairman OF the House Committee on
T.
the Agricultural Department OF the
government the free use II River
Edge" FOR terms Of tive years or
more II Uncle Sam VIII make IL an cx-
pertinent station and a practical DEM
onstration farm. Secretary Wilson
thought so well Of the propos! lion
made him by Mr.. Saunders that he sent
two experts TO the farm TO examine
and report upon It's soil, It's location
IT. advantage and it's suitability for
The work contemplated. The experts
were taken in hand by Mr Saunders
when they reached H!ehmond, and he,
WIN ConGrcssmau Lamb. automobiied
them to Charles CITY county. where
ihcy made d thorough examination.
took down ~ binding writing Mr
saundcrS proposition. and returned to
Washington and reported fHvorably on
the lands ana the proposition. highly
recommending TO the honorable Secye-
larry OF Agriculture that the proposi-
ton b. accepted and work commenced
by the government at River Edge" as
soon as practicable. That IS the whole
story IN a nutshell. and now the matter
is up TO Secretary Wilson. who has am
ple authority 10 accept the proposition
and get busy al River Edge without
waiting TO consult Congress or any
ody else about II.
What Experiment station Work Is.
Tho Agricultural Department at
Washington has been carrying on for
years Il valuable work in the interes.
Of the farming population or tho
United States known as "oXpe rimcnt
station" work. Up TO short while
back this work. so far as the gov
eminent was concerned, Gonslsteu az
together OF editorial and compiling
work. AS explained by the depart
ment the result of the work is, or
heretofore has been. a subserieS OF
brief popular bulletins compiled from
the published reports OF the agricul-
tural experiment stations and kindred
institutions in this and other coun-
tries. The chief object of these publ
cations is to disseminate throughout
the country Information regarding
experiments at the different expert
mcnt stations, and thus to Gcquaint
farmers in Il general way with the
progress OF agricultural investigation
on its practical side.
The experiment editors and COM
pliers of these valuable bulletins, and
they undoubtedly are valuable. have
been in the habit of gathering all OF
their information from the different
State experiment stations and demon
stration farms. such as Virginia has.
in the trucking lands near Norfolk
and at SAKE. in Charlotte county, and
at Blackshprg, also from individual
cNperimenters like Captain Jack, OF
the Rappahannock River county, and
y. o. Sandy. OF Nottoway county. and
his little company of county demon
strators. and from experiment stations
In Canada and other foreign lands
when their reports were obtainable
Uncle sam His Own Experimenter.
However. two or three or more years
ago Secretary Wilson hooked about
with view of establishing in several
parts of the country experiment sta
lions of his own. where his experts
could do actual work: that is grow
crops. find out from experience the
best things TO grow. how to grow
them to the hest advantage and then
tell the farmers of the country things
they ought to know, after having OBJ
tanned practical informal on by his
own experimentation, and thus not
getting all of his valuable knowledge
second hand.
The stations so far established are
in the far West. and really they per-
tain more to the subject of irrigation
than to old -time farming, that is to
say. the demonstrations and expert
ments are made on irrigated lands
with the view of ascertainng what
products will thrive best in such lands
and what is the value of irrigation in
the arid lands anyhow. Within tho
past few months II has been whis-
Dered around that the government
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