The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-30
GRASS GROWING
IN Old VIRGINIA
Alta If a, the Coming
Money Crop of the
State.
SPLENDID YIELD IN
NOTTOWAY COUNTY
Farmers All Over the State
Becoming Enthusiastic Hay
makers-Demonstrator Sandy
Does Some Fine Demon
strating on His Own
Farm.
By FRANK s. woopsoN.

There ars some people in Virginia
who dislike very much to hear good
news about their own State, and do
not want to believe that which is good
when the news is forced upon them.
II may seem strang to the average en-
thusiast. ut the fact is am con-
stantiy receiving letters from dis
gruntled people who write TO ridicule
all the good reports OF Virginia pros
pNrity they read in the Industrial
Section. especially that which has
reference TO improved agriculture. bet
ter farming and increased yields. These
, letters are usually unsigned but some
are signed BY the writers.
/; One thing the brokers'. 70: such
they are seem TO take cspccially. de-,
! light in discrediting is the good story
! that is coming up from all parts OF the
+ state In regard 10 hay crops. have
such Il letter before me now and en-
closed with IT are clippings from TWO
newspapers which go to show that
certain farmers who ought to grow
their own hay arg regular customers
OF the feed stores. coming 20 town TO
| buy Indiana grown hay 10 feed their
I Virginia mules on. and then the letter
writer goes on 10 say that Nirg mia
is not Srass-growing State. and 'a!l
the hot air you can crowd into your
so-called Industrial! Section Will not
make IL So
Brighter Dny lin. Dnwncd.
The fact is that Virginia has not
been. under the old system OF farm
Ing. grass growing State. but 1t has
been improving wonderfully along this
line for the past severa! years and
this year the farmers of Virginia are
cutting more frst-class hay Than they
ever did before in the history OF the
state. and this is the encouraging
H..
croakers.
Thomas Q. Sandy and his forty odd
farm demonstrators are preaching ana
practicing this doctrine. and doing IL
TO Sood effect One Of the largest
farmers in Fluvanna county told me
two years ago that he never Kew
and never believed his farm would
bring hay until his SON. who is one
OF the county demonstrators operating
under SIR SANDY. convinced h!m by
making six tons to the acre. and now
this Fluvanna farmer buys no more
is seller Of hay himsel Reports
like this come from all over the State.
ard amy man who wants TO be con-
WINGED can readily obtain correct in
formation that will lead him to be-
lteve that the day is near at HI I'd
growing and hay selling State.
Weights and Mcasures Tint Tell.
Mr.. sandy has been cutting hay on
his farm in Nottoway county, and he
having told m. before hand that he
was going TO weigh 1t carefully. re-
quested him to give me the poeticu-
Jars. He has complied with my re-
quest. and his letter is herewith Civ
en-:
Il am sending you herewith cou-
pie OF pictures taken in the grass
! fields. one OF alfalfa and one of mixed
grasses. The alfalfa was cut the first
time. May II. and after drying thor
oughiy it was weighed as i, was
{ hauled into the barn. making a yield
OF 6,l25 pounds to the acre. On June
20 II was cut the second time, and at
ter drying sufficiently 1t was hauled
into the barn. making n yield of q
o25 pounds to the acre. The cost OF
this alfalfa per acre was S2S.34. this
included all of the work, fertilizers,
etc.
THE mixed grasses weighed at first
cutting 1.l74 pounds to the acre, of
thoroughly dry hay. as it was hauled
into the barn on May 81"
The seasons being propitious Mr.
Sandy will have four cuttings in all
and will doubtless make between sew
en- and eight tons to the acre, and
hay is bringing over $50 per ton too
What Sandy has done on his Motto
way county farm is being done in var
lOue paItS Oh tne Sldle ny GoOC fdrn-
ers who have followed the instruc-
tions and the methods laid down by
him and his assistant demonstrators
and can be done by hundreds of oth-
ers.
Whole state Getting in Line.
MT. Sandy writes further as fol-
lows:
81 find there Is more interest along
agricultural lines than ever before
The farmers are becoming thoroughly
alive to the great need of raising their
own hay. The demonstration work is
showing the people throughout Vir-
ginia and other States as we'll that
we can raise as fine grass. in the
Piedmont section especially, as any
where else. Last week l had four
men from Tennessee to come to my
farm studying the grass proposition
They went from farm to farm
throughout the state getting data
and then they were to so back TO
Tennessee and teach tho farmers
there how to do the same thing.
Alfalfa, am satisfied. is destined
to be the future grass crop Of the
State. In one county of Virginia we
had over 100 farmers work. 90 alfalfa
last year under demonstratsSn meth
DDS. Some eighty or ninety of these
men made a splendid success
"In Rockingham county we had
twenty.seven men raising alfalfa, and
twenty-five out of the twenty-seven
made a splendid success. This fall
we will have from 100 to $50 farmers
seeding alfalfa. from one to ten acres
each
I'VE expect to have forty five
this fall making demonstration ex-