The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-10
FREAKS OF NATURE
N FARM PRODUCTS
SPECIMENS OF CURIOUS AND
ABNORMAL yIELDs WE'LL
WORTH VISITORS TIME
SOME FINE EXHIBITS
DISPLAY or RELLwooD FARM Ar
TRACING MUCH ATTENTION
THE SUCCESS oF A CHEs-
TERRIFIED BOY. ~
SOME FINE EXHIBITS

Even Ii the visstor 10 the state fair
is not Interested in agriculture he can
spend an interesting hour In the farm
products building viewing the freaks
Mother Nature has produced. as wei
as the special exhibitions OF frnhs
and vegetables In which the old lady
has excelied herself on virginia soil.
And there are some rare and wonder
full specimens. II ore Is really inter
ested in Nirginia's crowning glory
the produetiveness of her soil--he can
put In day and the time VIII be wei
spent TIE gentlemen In charge OF
the exhibits~~f0rty counties are
represented-are plain. substantial
Virginia farmers-~the best fellows in
the worid--and they never tire IF
showing visitors there the specimens
OF their county products. 1t Is pleas
ure to mingie with them.
Art in Agriculture.
There is another striking feature
about the Agricultural display, too
the artistic taste displayed in the ar
rangement of the exhibits and the de-
coration OF the various county booths
Those who entertain the idea that the
man who follows the pillow has no
sense Of the artistic need only, to
stroll through the farm products
building To be undeceived. In fact, II
is not exaggerating In the least to say
that many Of the farm exhibits dis
play more taste, artistic skill and
neatness than some Of the hrag booths
In Industrial Hall. and the farmers
themselves did the decorating with no
outside aid~they didn't have the help
OF the women folks, The display IT.
self ia the finest ever brought together
ia the State.
Eut---referring to the specimens az
the unusual growth on Virginia soil
Nansemond county exhibits a bunch
OF rye seven feet tall with eighty
nine stalks grown from one grain.
Paul S. Blandford. the clever gentle
man In charge of the exhibit also
takes some little pride in showing q
sar of watermelon preserves twelve
years old that lis really remarkable.
On the green rind is carved dogs,
horses tart3se hGaehos af grapes atGe
these heing packed SO as 10 be seen
through the exterior If the Jar. Re-
narka Bile ingenuity and cieverness is
shown both In the carving and the
arrangement.
Amelia county displays a siameae
twin squash that is "a curiosity
Meckienburg takes pride in show
ing a sugar beet weighing IA IL
pounds Mecklenburg also displays
prize winning lot of bright leaf to-
bacco that is IL JOY forever.
Roanoke county shows = red ami
white squash weighing ninety pounds
Fairfax county booth has two in
teresting novelties, a purple pickle
cabbage and q display Of thirts-twt
varieties ST. whee*s @rh srewn4ia+ 4 sfa'
county.
Southampton boasts Of a white
pumpkin weighing over q hundred
pounds.
Gloucester departs little from the
beaten path and shows some Of the
products Of her nsheries-4a real dia-
mond back terrapin, worth its weight
In gold. all varieties eff fish, crabs
oysters and clans.
Louisa follows quit and shows sont
9ne specimens Of fren, copper stht
lead ore
The champion exhibit Of them tat
is mat of Bellwood farm In Chester
field In this big booth over 6vt
hundred varieties If farm products
are SNOWFALL splendid specimens
AMI all grown on BelNood farm
Among other things in the Bellwooe
farm exhibit there Ia Is beet weigh
ing eighteen pounds; suntioWef
seventeen inches In diameter and
alfalfa eight feet high In the agEFe-
gate.
1t is Of interest to note that this
training his seventeen year-old son
Ral~h, In the way he should so. and
Ralph has now reached the point
where he is txce1line his father. an
admission which tho father candidlH
makes with q smile If pride Three
years ago Ralph won the prize al
: fhs royE CORN CtUfg for ne rTETr~-
yield per acre and got q trip to Wash
ing1on. Last year. AT the PETERSBURG
fair, he won both the prizes In the
boys and mems clubs in every class
for white corn. At the present state
fair he has so far captured the ten
ear class Of white corn In the mems
class, cleaning mp all competitors. lie
also won second prize IN the men s
class on white corn for six stalks,
first for twenty ears in the boys
class, white zen ri. and first In the five
ear boys class This remarkable
work la+a4s-A.efra accomplished nA-suil
that. a few years age. would hardly
grow weeds. AMI In The face az an
unusual droughth--a poor corn 4ea3.
All OF Chesterfield IS iroud Of Ralph
Beilwood and MS wenderful success
IAN object lesss1n 10 every farmers
son in Virginia