The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-09
FARMERS And THE
INSTITUTE S TRAIN
sportation Lin es
Came to Aid of Agri-
cultural Department.
HISTORY OF THE
SCHOOL ON WHEELS
Railroad Magnates Who See
Visions More Progressive Than
Hidebound Lawrnakers-State
Agricultural Departments
Limited Source of
Revenue.
BIZ rR..NK $. woopsoN.

1t was four years ago. believe. that
Che Department OF Agriculture and
Immigration, through the aid of the
railroads inaugurated the Farmers
Institute trains. and there Is no tell
Ing tho good that has been accom-
plishcd by them In that time At an
carly date l. am going to gather som
STATISTICS. and 1t can BIO done, to show
how many miles thcse trains have
travelled over Virginia. how many
people they have reached and how
fow dollars they have cost the State
and how very many they have cost
tho railroads and how few they have
cost tho farmers who have been the
benenciaries. It may be remarked
right hero that the Agricultural De-
: partne nt never could havc inauKnr-
ated this good work aud never could
have carried 1T through hut for the
help OF the railroads And 1t may be
FTeli enough to say right here. too
tina: the railroads would not have con-
tfnued their help in tho work II they
hRd not believed il to be a mighty
TSod thing for the railroads as well
as for the farmers and for the State
In general However. the railroads
have TO wait n good long time to sec
the benefits coming their way, and
hence they deserve all the moro praise
for coming to the rescue of the agri.
cultural department and making the
institute train possible.
With the above paragraph as an
Introductory I want to talk a little
while about the farmera' Institutes
In general and the institute trains il,
particular.
Agricultural DEPARTMENT.. Revenue.
Tho State hoard OF Agriculture after
tindinS out what a good thing the
farmers institute, is begged the
Legislature for moro funds to perfec,
the institution and to enable the COM
missioner under the direction of the
board to hold Institutes In every part
OF the state that the farmers of the
railway limos we'll an iInrnediately
on the same may set the benefit OF She
valuable instruction afforded by pro
perly conducted Institutes, but the
5 Legislature turned tho board down and
said 10 that body you must do the best
you can on the rcyepue you get from
tho fertilizer tax and from tho limo
brand tax. that is. You must paddle
your own canoe.
This fertilizer tax is a special tar
of 16 cents per ton. levied on all fer
tilfxers sold u me farmers OF Vir-
Einia, and tho brand tax is a spe-
cial assessment OF SIS on each brand
of fertilizer and each brand of limo
sold within the State. that 81 when
tho. manufacturers of these articles
1 give their products name, they pay
IS for the privilege and the money
Koes TO tho Agricultural Department.
Now everybody knows that the fcrtif-
izcr maker and the lime manufactures
ls going to add this 15-cent tax to
the price Of every ton of fertilizer
he sells In Virginia, and the SIS brand
tax to the cost OF his lime and so in
the final analysis the farmer himself,
thu only buyer of fertilizers and the
principal buyer OF lime, pays the tax.
rk,eaH Il.
parfInent has to 1.-Two upon Ia that de-
rived from these taxes, practically paid
by the farmer himself. and II totals
not over $4,000 a year. No special
appropriation is made by the State to
tho department to carry on its WORK,
and all OF the expenses OF the depart
ment must be paid ont of that $40, 900,
which, as above shown, is really paid
by tho farmers direct.
The Departments EXPENSES,
Now let's see how this money is to
be expended. The entire expense OF
tho department must be paid out or
this fertilizer tax fund. that being alb
solutely its only source OF revenue.
This. OF course. includes the salary of
tho commissioner and his entire office
force. and the small per diem ana
travelling expenses of the Agricultural
Board. The enormous printing bill,
which is really the heaviest outlay,
must be paid out of this fund. The
salaries and travelling expenses or ten
district fertilizer inspectors. which the
law calls for, must be paid also. Tne
sum OF $4,000 for a special handbook
{ to be sent out OF tho State to adver-
tise Its resources must be paid Tho
Legislature has turned down all propo-
sitions to make appropriations to adj
vortiee tho waste lands of Virginia, and
the Agricultural department Ia thus
In n., "a lIttln N or
advertising, and mighty little II is. too,
on $4,000 The expenses of four expert
mental farms, from $4,000 to $4,000
each, must bo paid and the law re-
quires tho board to pay tho Norfolk
County truck experimental station tho
net sum of $4,000. and also contribute
$1,000 to the support of the State
horticultural Society. AS stated, the
printing bill is the biggest item OF
ALL for the law, as well as effective
work, requires vast deal of printing.
Monthly bulletins to be sent to 10000
or more farmers, the illustrated year
book, thousands upon thousands OF
circulars OF information and other
things have to be printed and circu-
lated, and so after all OF these things
which the Legislature requires the do
partment to provide for arc paid for,
the pitful sum OF $4,000 is lett for In
stitute work.
Men Who Sec yisions.
It was simply ridiculous 10 attempt
TO- do that kind of work all over Vir-
ginia for that aum OF money, and so
the transportation lines came to the
rescue, Tho officials of these lines are
mon OF broad vision and can see a mil
lion miles farther into a glorious fu-
turo than the average legislator can.
These high railway officials have also
travelled come, and they have seen what
In, "a Sfafn
;trayel is something that tho average
Virginia LEGISLATOR needs above ali
1oatiasssd pa Sssth Rass,A