The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-24
DEMONSTRATION WORK
IN TlDEWATER REGIONS
Truckers Who Take stock in the
Teachers Sent to
Them.
INCONSISTENCIES OF THE MEN
Some Things Truckers Arc Doing for
Ihcmsclycs-Somr iThinEs Agents
Arc Doing for Them.

J.. l.. Portlock. demonstration agent
/ Tor Norfolk County, writes the Indus
trial Section = very interesting letter.
lie says:
The various conditions OF soil. eli
maze, labor supply and ,ransporta-
ton facilities in the State OF NirGiaia,
which are the determining factors IN
establishing tho various types Of
farming Tor tho different sections OF
the State. also determine the kind or
work 20 he accomplished BY the local
demonstration agent in his county.
Norfolk County, to great extent,
possesses the conditions ANA require
inents which 20 TO make trucking the
most prontabl. OF the many branch s
oil IA: niiE that ;,re carried on in tho
State.
Truck growing is the most progress
sivc and the most intensive OF any class
OF farming. Tie work OF The trucker
to-day is very different from the farm
ing he did ten years ago for the meth
DDS and practices that obtained 1T thar
time are now considered obsolete ana
are therefore Abandoned The trrc,,c,
soon learns that % bc successful In he
business he must endearcr to keep
abreast OF :hc times and must elnplov
the most up-to-datc methods IN ms
line Of work. He also knows tina,
time is an important clement in the
success OF his affairs and he is not SLOW
ThItkERS NATURALLY BECOME
HRoAD-HINDED APPROXIMATIONS
Every truck farm is, to Il certain
extent. m experiment station, where
Inc trucker is trying out on hia own
pace some new method OF procedures
IN the fertilization or HE cultivation
OF MS various crops. The nature of ms
BUSINESS makes OF him an INVESTIGATOR
from n practical standpoint, II not one
OF actual science. Take. for Instance.
thf matter o: growing strawberries
i.Eery trucker knows that the lifetime
OF me usefulness or any one variety
81 strawberry, grown for profit il
"'nu' len T"a's - the expiration az
"Aith time = becomes 4 dc:tc,crai,
- not pro1tablc. aut j. said 10 have
'r:n out"
knowing this fact. the grower does
not wait for the crisis, but obtains
every year a few plants of some new
variety or varieties and tests them
out cach year on his own farm to as
ccr''ih winch is best suited 10 his
needs. some farmers actually oriri-
nate new varieties by hybridizinG from
TWO well-known varieties. thus seek
ing TO get The best qualities OF each.
rms is one example OF many pro-
Eressive and up-to-datc things that
the trucker is doing for himself.
me work OF the county demonstra-
largely OF an advisory nature The.
work cannot he conducted in the same
manner and along the same lines AS
that done 10y other agents In the State
Among some OF the most important
things TO be accomplished is the
working out Of a good rotation o.
crops suitable TO each individual case,
the Arrangement Of formula for the
best mixture OF fertilizer for certain
crops assisting in solving drainage
problems. etc.
GEr'riN: TO MARKET ON 4
STRICTLY BUSINESS BASIS
One OF the most nccdful things to
he accomplished for the grower OF
truck crops is II better system of mar
kctinS his produce. The practice
which has been In vogue since the he
ginning OF tho business here. and which
still remains, is to consign everything
Inc has TO sell to u commission mer-
chant in one of the northern markets
to sell for him on q commission basis.
Without any regard to the demand at
any particular place. the shipments
go forth In such volumes al times as
to cause contested condition and low
prices rs n result. What ~ needed Is
Il better plan Of distribution which
Continued OH Fifth Pagc.)