Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-10-23
Shepherdstown Jefferson County, Thursday October g. 1913
The Shenandoah Valley.

Mr.. Edgar Howard. editor of the COL
umbus (Nebraska) Telegram, accompani-
ed Hon. Vim. ]. Bryan in his trip TO sew
eral towns in the Shenandoah Valley some
weeks ago, and writes as follows to his
paper:
The Shenandoah Valley is not more
beautiful in song and story than close
inspection renders il TO the eye at this
time of the year. travelled two hundred
miles up and down that valley last Sat-
urday and Sunday, in company with
Secretary Bryan, and | confess that the
beauty of the landscape was enough to
win both OF US away from political sub
iects. No more interesting incidents
connected with the great civil war are
centered in any other section OF the South
than cluster within this famous valley. II
seemed to me that Congressman Brown,
of Virginia, or Major Hemphill, who made
South Carolina famous by his editorial
genius, and who is now electrifying and
enlightening Philadelphia with the same
magnetic current, constantly pointed from
the car windows 10 some vale or some
summit where had been enacted an event
of the war which lives upon and glorifies
the pages of best American history. MOI
so much could | become interested in
the deeds of valor on the battlefield as in
the magnificence of landscape which
now, thank God, bears little trace OF the
saddest and yet the most glorious carnage
in the annals of mems efforts TO destroy
each other. We who live in the western
corn-beIt have imbibed the belief that all
Virginia is rocky succession OF noun
tains and hills, incapable OF producing
enough OF corn to feed an average OF one
hog TO each farmer. II is mistake. In
the Shenandoah Valley saw large fields
of corn, and some of it looked good for
sixty bushels per acre. Shamefully con-
spicuous are the dead and dying apple
trees, some Of them perhaps fifty years
old, and none of them capable OF produc-
ing good apples. But the shame OF the
legacy OF interior orchards is obliterated
by the thousands of acres OF new or
chards, planted under scientific direction
within very recent years. In many o.
these new orchards the farmers are ex-
perimenting with alfalfa. 1t seemed
strange to me that the farmers here shoulc
speak of alfalfa as an experiment, for In
deed never saw soil nor climatic condi-
ditions more favorable TO the most valuable
member of the clover family. lfeel impell-
ed to the prophecy that alfalfa is destined
to toregenerateVirginia, ,agriculturally speak
ing, and that within the near years one vii
no longer hear about the "baren hills
of Virginia, be cause the poorest soil or
any hill will be so enriched and reviviiieo
by the soil-food OF alfalfa roots that i
will be capable of rewarding the labor o.
the farmer abundantly when he shall fol-
low alfalfa with any kind OF grain. Anc
as 10 fruit-why, we grow apples in Ne
braska and in Idaho, and they look like
good apples, too, but lack always tha
magnificence of flavor found in every
Virginia apple which has a chance againS
the insect en- emy. Virginia apples vii
have protection against that enemy very
soon. Prejudice against scientific agrl'
culture and horticulture no longer pre-
walls, and very soon the farmers will o'
growing apples as free from blemish a.
are the cheeks and the lives OF Virgin;
maidens. was told that when the frs
apple tree spraying outfit was brought to
Virginia by progressive farmer th'
spraying machine was regarded as ar
evil device, and the owner OF it lunatic
and that within three days after its arrival
il had been thrown into the ditch, and
its owner into the asylum. But the ap-
ple-sprayer is here now, and the altalts
era is almost at hand, and these twair
will some day carry Virginia to place ir
agriculture and horticulture just as gooo
as that now occupied by her place in the
column OF democratic majorIties. was
surprised 10 find that the prevailing price:
for the best agricultural lands down here
are not up TO the selling price Of land il
Nebraska corn-belt. was told that tht
best lands here seldom sell above Sl3'
per acre, and the greater acreage at fa
less than 500 per acre. Some OF my
Nebraska friends who are buying OIL
lands in California, and mining lands II
Montana, might with profit investigate
these cheap Virginia lands. RemembeI
that have told you Virginia will be re-
generated by alfalfa and apples-and ven