The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-13
LANDS
DOUBLE N VALUE
WONDERFUL INCREASE IN AcRI-
CULTURAL PROSPERITY IN vrR-
GINA IN TEN YEARS.
REPORT OF MIR. KOINER
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
GIVES FACTS AND FIGURES TO
BACK AssERTIOys--A
SPLENDID REPORT.
REPORT OF MIR. KOlNER

The impressive assertion, backed
by facts and figures, that farm lands
In Virginia have doubled In value in
port of Commissioner of Agriculture
q. w. Koiner, submitted to Governor
Mann yesterday.
What is more, Commissioner koi-
ner ventures the opinion, substanti-
ated BY carefully complied statistics
that Virginia lands will double in
value again in the coming ten years.
Prices OF farm products. he asserts,
will never be cheaper. and energies
of Virginia farmers from henceforth
will be bent toward intensive farming.
\ Valuable Report.
Commissioner Koiner report. all
ways one of the most valuable and in
tercsting documents gotten out by the
State, will be issued shortly In at
tractive book form. Last year Co.
600 copies were printed. and these
were not nearly sufficient TO supply
the demand. The printed report il
really a. textbook on up-to-date
methods of farmin~ and is one of
the most highly appreciated docu-
ments that reaches the hands Of vir-
ginia farmers.
A few Of the more imro.fTnt data
CLEANED from the advance sheets of
the report will be of interest. The
value OF farm property in Virginia
today fs $3.50, 900, 900. There are 1884,
600 farms, an increase of $4,000 In
ten years. The average size of farms
has decreased from 245 acres In 1870
to Ios acres in 1912, which means
more intensive farming and conse-
quent greater prosperity to the sgri-
cultural classes. There were planted
trx rgvnxf ..i.. ~
In corn, 100000 acres in wheat. and
1896 acres of forage crops, which
includes alfalfa. This important crop.
which is rapidly growing In popu-
larity. of course receives large share
of attention in the report. There
are now 5000 acres devoted to the
crop, and one farmer with 500 acres
is the largest alfalfa grower in the
East, He Is the Western farmer who
recently came to this state and last
summer cleaned up 5000 In cola
cash on ms crop. -. = sa75's 50 ~"
Thousands Savec Farmers.
During the year the agricultural
department conducted lsa farmers
Institutes. attended by $4,000 people.
Fully 500, 600 was saved the farmers
CT the State during this sreaFzhy the
use Of the hog cholera serum. the
use Of which the department is add
yocating SO persistentiy. The depart
ment- sells this at COSTS cents a
desc To the farrner--and it has con-
Quoted an education~. campaign, with
the result that many prominent hos
raisers are now using the serum mere
~ as q precautionary measure on
valuable droSes OF hogs, seeing the
wisdom OF spending So cents as life
insurance on a porker worth any
where from $40 10 s3oo.
The report also deals with the work
of the department laboratory, one
so far as the farmer rs concerned.
This division analysed and reported
on 2.03s samples OF fertilizer, T2i of
food and 527 minerals.
Volume Ready Soon.
Commissioner Koiner expects TO
have the printed volumS ready for
circulation about the first of the year.
and he requests that all State farmers
who have not heretofore received the
report TO send in their names for his
mailing list. The book will be pro-
fusely illustrated, and no Virginia
farmer can afford to be without ii.
&c Ha4ssfssfeHef keiHef, ~ the way,
was the pioneer In the matter OF
illustrating his annual reports, a fea
ture which aids greatly in the eiuci-
dation of the subject matter A
number of other States--New York.
for smpie-have taken his reports
as models and have copied many of
originated.