GRICULTURE. The short mild winters and the long summers, with plentiful rains, are conducive to farming. The soil. however, is generally much inferior to the soils of the Mississippi Valley. and the yield per acre very much less. There ds a great variation of soil in the different physical divisions. The region of greatest fertility is the Shenandoah Valley, while the Piedmont district, extending across the State in a southwesterly direction par allel to the Blue Ridge range of mountains, is also well adapted for general agriculture. Greater productivity is now being secured through the in creased use of fertilizers. the amount in 1894 having averaged $22 per farm. The agricultural interests of the State suffered vastly from the Civil War, and important changes have been made in the agricultural system since that time. In 1800 the farms averaged 336 acres in size: in 1900 the average was 118.6 acres. In 1900. 19, 907,883 acres, or 77.5 per cent. of the area of the State, were included in farms, and 10,094,803 acres were improved. The improved area creased nearly 1.000.000 acres between 1891) and 1900. Since 1880 there ha; not been any marked tendency toward an increase in the tenant-operated farms, as against the farms. operated by owners. In 1900 the latter class included 69.3 per cent. of the farms. and of the remainder two-thirds were rented on the share system. About one-fourth of the farms are operated by negroes, but such farms include only 11.2 per cent, of the total farm acreage. By far the most common and most valuable crop is corn, the acreage of which has grown in recent years. Wheat, the next most important cereal, has also increased its area since t890. Oats, the only other crop of much
importance, has declined in rank since the Civil War. Strawberries and other small fruits are extensively grown. Between 1890 and 1900 there was an increase of 88.5 per cent. in the total num ber of fruit trees. In the latter year there were 8,190,025 apple trees, which was 75.0 per cent. of the total number of fruit trees. The acreage of peanuts almost doubled between 1890 and 1900, and the State ranks first in the cultivation of this product. Their production is largely con fined to the southeastern counties. Some of the southern counties raise cotton, but the induistry is declining. The following table shows the acreage of the leading crops for the census years indicated: Front the beginning of the State's history to bacco has been one of its most important economic products, and prior to the Civil War the State had always ranked first in its produc• tion. There is a great flu•tuttion in the area devoted to it from year to year, the increase from 1889 to 1899 amounting to 00.7 per cent. The crop is grown most extensively in the south central comities. The tidewater and midland sections have developed into one of the leading trUck-farm regions in the United States. The freight steam ers trading liet‘vven the coast town; and the large Northern centres provide special accommodations for the marketing of truck. In 1899 97,283 acres were reported in miscellaneous vegetables, of which the most important were cabbages, tuna• toes, and watermelons. Both Irish and sweet potatoes are important prvdut•ts.