The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-12
IMMENSE WEALTH
IN VIRGINIA SOIL
Farm Lands Will Double
Again in Value in Decade,
Predicts koiner.
NO MORE LOW PRICES
Increasing Interest in Alfalfa,
Fruit and Trucking
Crops.

| Impressive indeed are the figures as
| to the growth In yield and In value
! of the products Of Virginia farms. anc
as to the wealth Of agriculture In TINS
State as contained in the annual re-
port OF the Department OF Agriculture
10 the Governor, made public yester-
day.
Farm lands in Virginia have doubled
! in value within ten years. Commits
| sioner George w. Koiner says they VIII
| do so again in the next decade. The
; day of low prices for products Of the
! land has gone forever. he says. and
| the problem OF the future will be
! how to increase yields SO as to take
care of larger population. In this
| work the opportunities of Virginia
are great.
More Farms; Smaller Size.
The value of farm property in Nir-
linia is no less a sum than s630.000,00
There are $4,000 farms in this State.
an increase OF 10000 in ten years. The
average size of farms has decreased
from PAS acres in 1870 TO l06 acres to-
day. This means greater cultivation
and intensive farming.
In Virginia there were this year l.
soc. 900 acres in corn, 100000 acres In
wheat, $4,000 acres in hay and oth-
er forage crops OF every 100 farms in
| the State, eighty nine grow corn. Mt
ty-eight grow potatoes. forty-three
raise hay and forage. thlrty-hVe haVs
wheat, twenty-four grow tobacco and
| twenty produce oats.
! Improvement of soil remains the
! biggest question with the farmers oil
Virginia, and possesses the greatest
| interest. 1t Is the theory Of the de-
! partment that no matter what the
/ h..y a
raise a little more. No limit has eveI
! been found in the possibilities Of pro
| auction of an acre of land.
Some Big Yields
| In the two counties of Accomac anc
| Northampton this year 100000 barrels
/ of potatoes were grown and shipped
| out. Norfolk County produced l.o0o.ooU
| barrels. One farmer received 5000
| for one and one-half acres of cucum-
bers and another got $4,000 for four
| acres.
| Interest in alfalfa constantly grow.
There are now 5000 acres devoted 10
| its cultivation in Virginia, one man
| with 500 acres being the largest grow
| err in the East.
| During the year the department,
conducted l64 meetings called farmers
!, institutes. They Were attended by &c.
| 100 people. 1t IS thought many people
| are reached by the magnetic influence
of the human voice who are not
touched by literature.
Fruit is occupying foremost place
in Virginia. The work of the VI!
ginia State Horticultural Society re
ceives special commentator
It is believed 100000 was savet
during the year to farmers by the US.
Of hog cholera serum. which the de-
partment sells at cost
The departments laboratory analysed
2.o3S samples OF fertilizer. 124 OF food
527 of minerals. thirty of lime and sixt,
OF alcoholic beverages 4 total of ST.
593 was collected in fines from ferti
| lizer manufacturers for marketing
goods in nonconformity with the law
In his letter OF transmission of tn.
| report TO the Governor, Presiden
Berkeley D. Adams. OF the State Boarc
OF Agriculture. comrlends the work o.
Commissioner ko!ner