The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-03

stock on short rations. There Is no
reason for Virsinia's dependence upon
outside hay. Much less reason the, abe
| should not grow more hay for market.
1910 Census stntisttcu.
inc following figures from the De-
partmenet OF Agriculture report. and
averages based thereon, will afford a
OASIS for defining the South's peculiar
position IN this business OF growing
hay:
In 1904 the United States produced
So'oSe'ozs tons OF 1000 pounds each Of
nay The acreage employed aegregut-
I'd 3s.asS.6o2 acres. and the farm vsiu.
per ton on December /, 1904, averated
so,'2. Six years later. in 1910. 46,sy1,-
oVV acres were devoted 70 hay and
oo'9' 5000 tons were cut therefrom.
comparatively speaking, this was a
smaller yield than that Of 1901 since
the acreage was greater. Each acre
rom which hay was harvested in 1905
theoretically produced l,5l7 tons. In
is!o the yield on this basis was but
d'''o TONS. In the same year the aver
ase farm value per ton reached the
figure Of s1236
IL no other evidence was for,hcom-
ing this should prove conclusively that
the demand for hay to-day is far In
excess OF that six years ago. With a
totai yield little greater than pro
duced In 1901, prices In 1910 avarnced
oo per cent. more than those realized
IN the earlier year.
OF this production in 1910 the State
OF New York contributed the banner
amount, G,S5l.00o tons Virginia. on
me oth=r hand, although her total
area Is nut one-seventh less than that
Oh New York. produced only 5G5. 0Oo
tons. virginia was also only sixteen
places from the bottom of the column
The States separating Virginia from
inc end OF the list, and tn. thousand
ions produced by each, follow: South
Dakota. ioS; New Mexico. i07; Mary
iahd, 3s3; Arkansas. 2S4: North Caro-
INA, 262: Arizona, H.; Alabama. l72:
Mississippi. 142: Georgia, ICE: Della
ware, 10; North Dakota. 1903; South
carolina, 81; Rhode Island IA; Louis
lana. IA. and Florida, 25.
win three exceptions only these
states all belong In distinctly South
arn group Admitting that, because Of
open weather throughout most of the
year the cattle men and stock rails
ers do not need TO stall feed 10 an
extent necessary at the North, yet IN.
pare fact that every one OF these, States
Is now importing hay. straw and other
dry forage in large quantities is sutfi
cieht Justihcation for tho claim that
mora hay or forage of some kind
should be grown by their agricultur-
lists.
In Florida the hayless condition Of
the farms retards the best develop
ment OF the soil. Stock to make AMI
ma! manure for fertilizing cannot be
Kept because imported hay is 100 Gu
pehslVe TO feed them and most OF thu
native grasses furnish good feed only
on the range. This Is equally true In
other States bordering the Gulf md
south Atlantic. Permitting cattle 10
run in the woods all winter loses to
their owners what TO the minds Of
many farmers constitutes an important
item in refunding live stock board
DIS, !. e.. the manure.
Where Virginia SuIpasses.
The showing In acreage and pro-
duction for Virginia and the South is
not as commcndatory as 1t should be.
There was one instance however, in
which this State surpassed New York
and most of the remaining country at
large. This was In prices. On Decem-
Der !, 1910. Virginin's farmers received
q farin value credit per ton OF Sli.46,
New York, on the other hand. was
credited with an average valuation OF