The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-08
FINE SHOWING BY
VIRGINIA FARMERS
FARM PRODUCTS EXHIBITS THIS
YEAR FORTY PER CENT AHEAD
OF THOSE last YEAR.
VI SITOR S A VI Axe y
4. =. EXPERT SANDY GREATLY
PLEASED WITH THE EXHIBIT
No STATE IN UNION CAN
RE;sT vt. HE SAYS

The farmers Of Virginia are ahead
of the game when IL comes 20 rails
ing the finest crops IN the Union.
but little STOW when il comes TO
showing the world what they ar@
doing. This preface explanatory OF
the fact that the farm products dis
play Vas not ready for the pubic
yesterday. Some of the booths were
in shape and there were many Nisi-
tors to the building, bHt for the most
part IL was ~ scene of activities IN
cident TO preparation. Everything
will toe ready this morning, howeVw
and visit To the display Of Nlr-
ginia products will Wei repay the
visitor. whether he or she is Inter
ested in agriculture or not.
Ahead of Last Year.
Captain r o. Sandy, the expert
from the United States agricultural
department. who IS In charge Of the
/ building. stated Yesterday that forty
| two nf the fifty counties or the state
! are represented and well represented.
| THE showing Of agricultural prod acts
| thts year" Captain Sandy said. rs at
| least 10 per cent better, II not so.
| Visitors TO the fair three years ago,
! for example. who saw the corn eX-
| hlhited here then would be amazed
! at the showing made now. Corn has
| been made "A great feature of the
! exhibit this year, Taking II ny ana
| large. I 10 not believe there IN an
other state in the Union that can
| put up such an exhibit of agricnl-
| turai products az We nave mere from
! the soil of Virginia The hay snow
/ ing is uerfeetiy wonderfui---eVery va
| rietv known to the soil is exhibited
/ and in such perfection as Ia attained
/ in few II any NJ the states. the
| showing made by the boys corn Clubs
| this year is good. though tine boy
farmers had bad yexr for corn. ow-
| ing 10 the drought
Educational Exhibit. =
| Perhaps the most attractive feature
| Of the farm products exhibit IS tha'
| pertaining to the culture of Alfalfa.
| now acknowledged fy agricultural
| experts to be the best money-mh KING
| crop that can be grown III Virginia
Thr alta la exhibit forms the educa~
| tlunal feature Of The farms products
! exhibit and in its preparation Cap
| tain Sandy has been ably assisted by
! G. +. Koontz, agricultural director
! of the BurkeViIle high school. me
| booth Is decorated with charts. care
J fuzzy prepared; eHahaaStas AalaAais
! Instructions to farmers as to the care
| aud cultivation of this valuable for
| age crop, as well as facts and f1g-
ares showing what has been done by
| Virginlans with this money maker
Among the charts arc those showing
| the relative values of hay crops
| with alfalfa In d long lead: the meth
| DDS Of incubation: the essential con
| atttan FOR growing t'the crop the
! acreage IN Virginia and the tntte'
states; alfalfa AS a soil tmprover, tbs
| food value of one ton OF aliaHa
showing the constituents: alfalfa III
| A soil improver: results on the acre
basis: alfalfa diseases and treatment
and comparative tests of alfalfa VIII
other feeds.
Value Demonstration.
Growing in pots are shown th'
alfalfa plant in forty stages ranging
from the fifth To the sixtieth day, II
comes up on the fourth or NTH day
Iafter the seed is planted. In halfS
Iare shown the FIRST, second and thii'
. cutting Of the crop. From three u
five can be raised in one year 1nef
here In a root exhibit, demonstrating
. the growth of the plant below inc
earth in one to four years, speei'
ments of alfalfa seed from the ftrs
Stage, when they are fllied with TOT
eign substances. to the purified SEED
fare shown under q tripod magniti@r
| crown on unprepared soil and on tbs
properly prepared or inoculated soil
lind the comparison Is an education
in itself to the farmer. With alfalfa
bringing s22 to $2@ 4 ton. the vaiu'
ana Virginia lands capable of produc-
, ing three to five crops year. tn
value Of this educational feature tt
lfatr visitors can hardly be everest
mated.
one Of the charts demonstrating II
| facts and figures what has been don't
IN Virginia with alfalfa, shows thA
over Is 9-10th tons were raised II
less than two years on l is acre.
, isf land on the farm of Larick 4
Larfck, In Frederick county.
Another shows that over S-10tf
, tons of alfalfa was raised fiotn
, ga acres OF land in Loudoun counts
last year The acreage itr Virginia i
now about 5000 while IN the Unite
{ states there il a total of 2.o9f,00
acres devoted TO this crop alone.
----- NanscuCHt' Is Exhibit
The exhibit Of gIausemont count
, 8 one Of the rnost interesting
= Instructive in the building, 1t is "a
charge OF Paul s. l}landford agri
/ ulturaI director IF the Aansenon,
/ high school, aud Mr.. Blardford ex
, plains te the visitors that his count
ased tho rast season ! zoo .ee0 bush
els Of the huge Irish potatoes show
IN the booth for which the farmer
] receive 800. coo. Two bales Of cot
ton are shown. raised on a ten-acr
field the plot yielding 1900 pound
! TO the acre. The fine co eNhlbite'
made 100 bushels To. the acre, an
:. anleHg other .ttfngs Displayed b
- r'e~ '~ctsA pre two 20 p and water
irh toy al HapIay