VIRGINIA. 



789 



suggestion of the Sapertatanclent of the Peniten- 

 tiary, that a State Farm be ostablishod. Tins 

 could be made an experimental station, its object 

 being to make field expcrinicnis and test fertiliz- 

 ers, to distribute valuable seeds among the farm- 

 ers, and to enable agriculturists to procure pedi- 

 greed stock at low rates. 



At the November meeting of the Board of Ag- 

 riculture a committee of three was appointed to 

 rr|M>n on the advisability of suggesting that the 

 legislature should make an appropriation for the 

 purchase and development of an agricultural 

 experimental farm. At the meeting in January, 

 1898, a partial report was submitted, as a minor- 

 ity report, by Major Gaines, who thought that 

 the board had not the legal power to take the 

 proposed steps, and that the legislature would 

 not look favorably upon the scheme. 



Kailronds. The number of miles of roadway 

 assessed is 3.286.56 ; value of roadway, $36,036,- 

 167 ; value of depots, $1,862,341.42 ; value of 

 real estate, $1,498,388.48; value of rolling stock, 

 $10,158,730.60 ; value of stores or supplies, 

 $420,470.96 ; value of telegraph lines, $15,995.- 

 70 ; value of stocks and bonds of other compa- 

 nies, etc., $555,731.89 ; value of stocks and 

 bonds owned and held by trustee. $46,650 ; mis- 

 cellaneous property, $1*9.800. Total, $50,714,- 

 276.05. The value of rolling stock shows an 

 increase of $4,579,671.18 over the value placed 

 thereon for 1891, and the roadway stock shows 

 an increase in value of $2,917,970 over 1891. 

 There is a decrease in the value of stocks and 

 bonds of $3,560,737.80, due to the fact that last 

 year the Richmond and West Point Terminal 

 Railway and Warehouse Company reported 

 under this head $3,962.794.13, whereas this year 

 it reports only $399,186.85, because a large bulk 

 has been disposed of and others have deteriorated 

 in value. Ihe Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 

 Company, Crany Valley branch, built 26 miles of 

 road ; Dot Springs branch, 25 miles ; Louisville. 

 and Nashville Railroad, 65 miles ; Norfolk and 

 Western Railroad Company, Clinch Valley Di- 

 vision, 23 miles ; and Roanoke and Southern 

 Division, 75 miles. Total, 215 miles. 



The street-car companies show an increase in 

 mileage of 24 miles, and an increase of $264,995 

 in the value of property. 



Rivers and Harbors. The bill [reported in 

 March by the Federal House Committee on 

 Rivers and Harbors made the following appro- 



E nations for Virginia improvements : For Nor- 

 )lk harbor, $150,000 ; for Onancock harbor 

 (to complete), $6,511. For rivers: Appomattox, 

 $15,000 (to complete) ; Nansemond, $10.000 ; 

 lames, $200,000 ; Nomoni Creek, $10,000 ; 

 Rappahannock, $20,000 ; York, $35,000 ; Chick- 

 ahominy (to complete), $2,500 ; Mattaponi, 

 above Abbott's, $1,500 ; Mattaponi, $4,000 ; 

 Pamunkey (to complete), $3.000 ; Aquia creek, 

 $5,000 ; Occoquan (to complete), $5.000. 



Tobacco and Brandy. During the last fiscal 

 year 153 tobacco factories were in operation, 

 which consumed 48,544,639 pounds of leaf 

 tobacco, 743,832 pounds of scraps, 15,821 pounds 

 of stems. 3.379,621 pounds of licorice, 2,449.82 

 pounds of sugar, and 2,067,197 pounds of other 

 materials. There were 227 cigar and cigarette 

 factories operated, which consumed for cigars 

 1,568,000 pounds of tobacco, and for cigarettes 



1,655,646 pounds. The number of cigars manu- 

 factured was 6,485,415, and of cigarettes, 76*.- 

 875.000. There were produced of plug tobacco 

 88,729,912 pounds, of smoking tobacco 2,910,019 

 pounds, and of snuff 776,897 pounds. 



Virginia produced 138 gallons of apple-brandy, 

 590 gallons of peach-brandy, and 1,549 gallons 

 of grape-brandy. Eighty-two illicit stills were 

 seized and destroyed, and 41 persons were 

 arrested. 



Boundary. In 1889 some question about the 

 Pocomoke fishery rights arose, and the Governor 

 of Maryland asked for a conference of legislative 

 committees of the two States, asserting that the 

 trouble was due to a misunderstanding relating 

 to the boundary-line. The Virginia joint legis- 

 lative committee was appointed, but when it 

 assembled it was found that, through misappre- 

 hension, the Maryland committee had not been 

 appointed. At the last session of the Virginia 

 Legislature its committee was continued, the 

 Maryland Legislature having in the meantime 

 also appointed a joint legislative committee, the 

 purpose of the two committees being to determine 

 the fishery rights of the two States in Pocomoke 

 Sound. There were three subjects to be consid- 

 ered : 1. To determine what were the headlands 

 of the Potomac, as meant by the Black and 

 Jenkins award of 1877. 2. To make the laws of 

 Virginia conform to those of Maryland with 

 reference to culling ovsters in the waters in 

 which the two States have concurrent fishing- 

 rights, and also to make the time for beginning 

 and ending the fishing and oystering season the 

 same in both States. 3. To determine the right 

 of Maryland to fishing and oystering privileges 

 in Pocomoke River. Maryland claiming equal 

 rights with Virginia in the Pocomoke River 

 under the compact of 1785, and declaring that 

 what is now known as the Pocomoke Sound, 

 lying wholly south of the dividing line as drawn 

 by the award of Black and Jenkins in 1877, is 

 the Pocomoke River spoken of in the compact of 

 1785 and so recognized by the said award. 



After several conferences it was found that 

 the two committees could not agree, and that the 

 matter must be carried to the courts and a judi- 

 cial interpretation of the compact of 1785 and of 

 the award of 1877 must be had in order to 

 determine the question in dispute. 



Political. The State Republican Convention, 

 under the leadership of Gen. William Mahone, 

 met on May 5 at Koanoke. Delegates to tin- 

 Republican National Convention were chosen, 

 and also candidates for Presidential electors. 

 The platform adopted approves President Harri- 

 son's Administration, praises Mr. Blaine, calls 

 for immediate action on the free-silver question, 

 approves the McKinley bill, and demands efficient 

 coast-defenses and a navy that shall inspire duo 

 respect for our name and flag throughout the 

 world. 



The Democratic State Convention met in Rich- 

 mond, May 19, and chose delegates to the Demo- 

 cratic National Convention and candidates for 

 Presidential electors. The platform adopted 

 advises the cultivation of a spirit of conciliation, 

 denies that all the barriers of the Constitution 

 have been broken down, that all its limitations 

 of power have been removed, that the Federal 

 character of the Government has been destroyed, 



