28 BULLETIN 3&3^ U. S. DEPAETMENT OP AGEICULTURE. 



The figures given for the school term 1909-10 represent the per- 

 centage of attendance before the roads were improved and for 

 1913-14, since the roads were improved. The percentage of increase 

 ranges from 9 to 72, and averages 38. The average attendance before 

 the roads were improved was 57 per cent and in 1913-14, 77 per cent. 



A consoUdated school has also been estabhshed at Spotsylvania 

 Court House, to take the place of the old school building located at 

 that place (see PI. VI). In 1912 there was a consohdation of several 

 small one-room schools into one graded school on the Finchville road. 

 It is evident that the improved roads have largely influenced the 

 increased school attendance and the better educational f acihties now 

 offered to the country boys and girls of Spotsylvania County. 



DINWIDDIE COUNTY. 



Road improvement was begun in Dinwiddle County in 1908-9 

 through the construction of 9f miles of gravel road luider the direc- 

 tion of the, State highway department. On this road the coimty 

 spent $12,606.76 and the State furnished convicts to the extent of. 

 7,919 convict days at an actual cost to the State of 72 cents per 

 convict day. This improvement caused the people to realize the vast 

 difference between a good road and a bad road, and as a result an 

 election was held in 1909 and the four districts of the county were 

 bonded to the amount of $105,000. 



In order to trace the results obtained through the expenditure of 

 the bond issue, our economic investigations were begun in March, 

 1910, and subsequent studies were made in March, 1911, March, 1912, 

 April, 1913, and February, 1914. 



Dinwiddle County, it might be mentioned, is situated at the head 

 of tidewater between the Appomattox and Nottoway Rivers, 22 miles 

 south of Richmond, and has an area of 521 square miles, with a, sur- 

 face varying from gently roUing to level. Of the total area 79.8 per 

 cent was in farms in 1910, but only 37.6 per cent of the farm area was 

 improved. The principal crops are tobacco, peanuts, hay, gram, and 

 vegetables. There are several large tracts of first and second growth 

 timber and several sawmiUs are in operation. 



HOW THE IMPROVEMENT WAS FINANCED. 



Of the $105,000 of bonds voted, $30,000 was charged to Namozine 

 District, $22,500 to Rowanty District, $27,500 to Darvills District, 

 and $25,000 to Sapony District, and these amounts were expended 

 accordingly in the respective districts. The bonds aU run 30 years, 

 but are redeemable in 20 years. Of the first bonds sold in June, 1909, 

 $10,000 bear 5 per cent interest and $30,000 6 per cent interest, the 

 latter selling at a premium of $3 on the hundred. The remaining 



),000 were disposed of in 1910 and bear 6 per cent interest. If the 



