The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-06-07
SOMETHING MORE ABOUT
DEMONSTRATION WORK

DEMONSTRATION WORK
Continued From First pagcD
boy always shirkcd the lob of keen
ing the stable fall OF litter TIL tho
demonstration agent explained tho
value Of the liquid manure. and how
TO save II. Now that boy Is keeping
me stable full OF leaves and Hitter. so
that there Is more manure saved than
ever before on that farm. and the boy
rs sure OF enough for his acre. An
other boy always talked of the time
when he would be free TO go TO town.
since he has become Interested I'm the
Corn Club. and Is working to build ur
AN acre OF land. he has other things
To think OF.
one or the boys was figuring up with
the county agent the cost. of preparing
his seed bed. He had broken II In IA.
winter with two horses, taking cigh;
hours, and costing $3.50. then Ia the
spring 1t was refaliowcd with on.-
hors' plow In twelve hours. at II cost
OF $3.50. When the boy saw the fig
ures he was astonishcd ~ did not
krow IL cost more to plow with one
morse thnn II Gocs with two horses
he exclaimed. The agent assured him
such vas the case. and told him OF Il
boy who used a disk harrow Instead
OF onc-horso plow to prepare his
seed bed. doing better work In abou;
"nc-third tho time and at half the cost.
The bog wont TO his father, and now
I've rides a disk harrow AZ proud AS :,
boy can be. rake out your pencil anI
figure what that Is worth to all coa-
cerncd. tie boy, his father and the
State
You could See many things like
that IL you went with the dcinonstra-
t!on agent from farm to farm. The
cagcrncss OF the boys. and their In
tcrcst in the club would quickly lead
try bog is bundle OF untold posi-
b!litles. ana that the Corn club Is a
wonderful invention for turning these
possibilities Into realities OF the right
sort.
TROUBLES BEING OVERCOME
IN COAt. COUNTY OF WISE.
J. G. stiles. county agent for Wise
County, writes:
The people of Wise County. the larE-
est coal-producing county IN the State.
are beginning 70 realize that the soil
can be made to produce something else
bcsincs coal; that the hay, corn. oats,
meat. etc, consumed in tho county
can be produced ~ home, and, more,
that SI.00C.O00 saved which has been
going out each year for those nccessi-
ties of life
There are between $4,000 and 10000
people In tho county, and by far the
larger number of these arc I'm the
towns and mining and lumber camps.
About half OF the county Is owned by
corporations. Some are unwilling 10
scll the surface To farmers, and viii
rent only for one year At time. with
the understanding that the renter f.
TO move out on short notice, IL paid
a certain sum for his crops In. THIS
makes IL difficult to get the tenant
TO do any Improvement work, as he
does not want TO put any more IN the
ground than he can take OF In one
81 tt.. II. IN - ff
exists along the coal fields Is the hes,
in the country and is - great stimu-
liant for farm production.
The iirst work Of the demonstration
agent IS to overcome the suspicion OF
the sturdy mountain people who have
seen the stranger come IN ANA buy the
coal and timber lands AT 80 cents per
acre which is now worth several hun
drcd times that amount. He must
then cndeavor to have the farmers OBJ
tain a better grade OF seed ana pre-
pare the secdbcd carefully and use
commercial ANA farm fertilizers intel =
licently Many Of our farmers work
on public works the large part Of
the time and stop off for "A few days to
pillow and plant This work IL ncccs-
sarily done hurriedly and improperly.
We must now get our men ana boys to
cultivate shallow and AT frequent IN
tcrvals with due regard TO the rain
fall .,s many of them believe in deep
cultivation AT intervals of Two weeks
regardless Of the rainfall.
I'ItUIT GROWING, HOG
RAISING: AND COUNTY FAIR
The fruit Industry IL an important
one. there being one bearing apple or
chard owned by i. g. Iiitz. OF Coeburn.
OF moro than 1900 trees. But little
spraying is done throughout the coun-
~. and we must get our orchardists TO
take more care OF their trees and grow
nttniitE az fruif The
people as n whole have responded
well 10 the demonstration work. We
now have three Farmers Clubs in the
county. one Of these has taken UP
cooperative buying. four cars OF lime
and - twcnt y-iiVc ton car OF fertilizer
having been purchased by this organi
cation since January |.
W, have successfully demonstrated
tho use OF hog cholera serum on about
thirty hogs. and now have Il request To
come and vaccinate herd OF sixteen.
About seventy-iivc bushels of i'm
proved seed corn have been sold In the
county this spring and winter. at least
thirty cars OF fertilizer and from six
toeciGht cars Of lime.
A County Fair Association has been
organized and fifteen acres of land
purchased at Wise Courthouse for "a
on foot for a county and school fair
this fall. Many prizes have been Of
fered by our merchants, banks and
business men. and Indications are that
we Will have :, good fair this fall.
Much of the soil of the county is
sandy and we'll adapted 10 trucking.
which industry is destined to become
II very important one because of the
market afforded by the mining towns.
The number OF commercial orchards is
increasing, and more attention is be-
ing given TO the care OF the trees.
If our county people Will continue
to take hold of improved methods and
apply some Of the scientific principles
to their farming operations. as we
homo and believe they will. the county
should become famous in fruit grow
tao, truri,iup and ErnZinG