Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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A& An Agriculth GUY ELL10 The fUlowing interesting accoun of the life work of Edgar J. Hollistei is sketched by Mrs. Grannis, who ha, had the opportunity of personally ob serving some of the results of hi vonderful activity. Except for Dear Hollister's retiring modesty regardinr his own performances, Mrs. Grannh says that it would be possible to pre sent many more stimulating ncidents of difficulties overcome. All in all his life work is doing much not only for American agriculture, per se; bul for the advancement of the idea thai brainwork-farming pays, and thai there is as promising a field in this line of endeavor as in any of the mer. cantile or industrial occupations. Through Toil to Traimph. ' By Anna C. Grann's. It is. a far cry from a Canadian farmer boy in the sixties to the Dean of Agriculture to-day in a rising insti tution in the West. yet, by the applica tion of science to practical farming, such a change has been wrought by Edgar J. Hollister, a soil expert of iwide reputation. No agricultural college opened Its friendly doors to this young pioneer, nor was the Canadian government so deeply interested at that time as now, in its farming population. Books on the subject were few and fell woefully short of the mark, yet he knew neither discouragement nor dismay. A call from western Ontario, his birth place. came in 1873 and in re sponse, some time was spent in set ting out peach orchards, the work los ing its irksomeness because of the study which accompanied it. More over, at this point a company was en gaged in reclaiming some twenty-five thousand acres of land by the drainage of an inland lake. The young man as sisted in some of the surveys and was in touch with the chief engineer of the work. His enthusiasm was aroused by the anticipation of the re sults which would come from the ad dition of such a large acreage, which hitherto worthless. was now, by re ducing it to cultivation, to be made productive. ^^ After some further years of study and preparation Mr. Hollister became interested in the organization of a com pany for the development of a large tract of swamp. The land was cleared of brush and reclaimed to cultivation, buildings erected, ma chinery installed and a system of farming, very nearly perfect, was established. Fields of six acres were made to produce an income of $3, 000.00 each, while others of four acres produced $1,800.00. Of the latter $1, 200.00 was net; while thirty-five acres iwas made to yield $14,000.00 gross at -an expense of $8,000.00. Of course, these were special crops such as cel ery. onions and other vegetables SLOW PROCESS' OF NATURE. In some instances five years is the period allowed for the reclamation of land by the slow process of nature after the drainage has been obtained. Even then these lands may fail to produce paying crops, becaruse of their deficiency in essential elements such as lime, potash, phosphoric acid and magnesia. These are some of the forces which'go to make stability in plants. It is true that such lands con tain a large percentage of nitrogen, accumulated from the decomposition of vegetable matter annually produced in low places. However, this nitrogen. which would produce growth were it available, is in an unknown quantity and available only when sufficiens moisture is present, yet does not pro duce the same results upon crops as nitrogen derived from other sources. such as bone, dried blood or barn yard manure. To make these lands productive im mediately after drainage, it is neces sary to correct their acid condition by the use of lime and by disintegration of the soil particles, thereby increas ing their powers to retain water and absorb oxygen. These forces together, will act on potash and the three abso lute essentials to plant growth are ni trogen, phosphoric acid, potash, ani phosphoric acid and make then available as plant food. Mr. Hollister visited Florida and se cured a tract of land which for fiv4 years was used experimentally. A] though he was In one case much handi capped by inadequate drainage, whic] !t was not found practical to improve the results were, however, very satis factory. In 1895. in Canada. the next field o operation, a phenominal success re sited in eighteen uionths. IUere El iral Education. TT MITCHELL Hollister proceeded upon the theory that, climatic conditions being equal, certain crops are adapted to certain soils, and that planting those which will bring the greatest revenue will enhance the value of the land, inspire the people with enthusiasm and en courage development in all lines of trade. For example, Kalamazoo, Michigan, was once surrounded by bogs and flats worth scarcely $10.00 an acre. After the incoming of the Hollanders, who began raising celery on these supposedly worthless la- -, $00,000.00 was brought annually to the town by the sale of this vegetable. In ten years' time the land increased in value to $900.00 an acre. In 1899, a trip was made to Colo rado where the people were farming under irrigationsand here the growers 1 1 DEAN E. J. HOLLISTER. were taught the economical use of water and the method of creating a favorable environment for plants. A visit was made to Maryland, where experiments with soil and plant life added still further to the experiment er's fund of knowledge, but in 1901, the most difficult and seemingly im possible work was to come, i.e.. the reclaiming of tidal lands on the north shore of Long Island Sound. The De partment of Agriculture already had had a man in the field, who had re ported the feasibility of reclamation but by slow processes, and that in vestigation revealed too many failures. In spite of this, Mr. Hollister had sufficient knowledge, gained experi mentally, to suggest success, added to which was the further information gained during a four years' residence in Washington, D. C., for the express purpose of consultation and co-opera tion with the experts of the Depart ment of Agriculture. An experiment was first made on a small tract on the south side of Long Island, where the salt bog had simply been taken up and thrown inside of a dike, con structed of lumber sufficiently strong to withstand the tide. This bog was made smooth and even, and chemically treated in the month of August. By the - t of October the surface was covered with a beautiful growth of tame grass six inches high. This might certainly be termed, "A Quick Process Route." Work on a sixty acre tract on the north side was begun in June and completed in December of the same year. On this land, covered Cae previous autumn with salt water, nine hundred bushels of turnips were prdcdon two acres during the first season. Rye, oats, celery and vegetables throve on the same tract The following year tvwenty acres were seeded to meadow land in April. By August it was covered by a beauti fuld trrf, strong enough to hold up cattle pastured thereon. The remain ing portion of the sixty acres pro duced luxuriant crops of vegetables and corn. A year later the meadow yielded four tons of hay to the acre and was considered a great demon WINONA BOYS SELECT 4) ING WHEAT FOR SEED. WINONA PARK SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. stration of the productiveness of these lands under applied science. IMAKING SEA LAND PRODU)CE Another equally successful experi ment was conducted by this "Wizard of the Soil" on this same tract, viz., -the transforming of a five-acre tract of sea sand to a loamy condition. The soil was first treated with chemical fertilizers and in the fall rye was sown, which covered the ground in rwinter and made a full growth the followinr snring. This "rop was nlowed nder in Jne and followed BE a crop of corn sown broadcast. The corn was plowed down in the fall and the sand lot planted in rye. It will be seen that in this process nature was being assisted by moisture and sun light to change sand into rye and corn stalks. Then the sand, by the natural process of decomposition of these grains, brought about a complete change in the physical condition of the soIl. The work of this interesting man attracted the attention of many people pursuing scientific agriculture, among whom was H. J. Heinz, the pickle manufacturer-57 kinds-who is in. terested not only in the culture of the vegetable kingdom but in the -tell t ual growth of boys, and through his activity Mr. Hollister was elected Dean of Agriculture at the Agricul tural Institute of Winona Lake, In diana. Here he was seen last sum ner, handling his crops of embryo farmers who seemed imbued with his enthusiasm and whose first harvest received encomiums from five thou sand visiting farmers, who unani mously adopted resolutions endorsing the work. EDUCATING FOR SMALL 2ARMS. A plan is now taking tangible form, which will lead to the establishment of small farms comprising five to twenty acres each. On these farms young men will be taught combined I scientific and practical agriculture. I They will also demonstrate the pos sibility of getting an income and genu ine happiness from their investments which may well be envied by the t salaried man or the man of moderate S capital in the city. It is believed too, that this work will have a wholesome effect upon the farmers throughout t the country. An increase of even r $100.00 in the revenue of each farmer when multiplied by five million, would g establish the prosperity of the Ameri- t can Nation, the bulwarks of which c are its farming population. s Mr. Hollister is also directing a t work of reclamation of a large tract s of salt meadow on the Connecticut a coast which, when reclaimed, will be used for the purpose of intensive r farming, thereby firmly establishing e the fact that these lands may be used t to furnish employment and bring f wealth and happiness to the people. I Thus each day reveals some new progress, and farming, that once I seemed a hopeless, hapless drudgery, p is being shown a golden highway to f an ever increasing success. .40 t Value of Alfalfa to Farm Animals. t The Bureau of Animal Industry of s the Department of Agriculture has re- t cently published a study by I. D. 9 Graham of the use of alfalfa for the P growing and fattening of animals in b the Great Plains region. The results g attained by experiments, while of in- 1: estimable value to live stock growers I in the region mentioned, may well be t - STUDENTS CLEANING OUT onsidered by stockma~i in other sec ions. Some of the questions considered in he experiments were the composition 4 and digestibility of alfalfa, the calcu ated cost of nutrients supplied by al falfa and other feeding stuffs, the value of alfalfa hay cut at different periods of growth, alfalfa as a pastur age, soiling, and hay crop, alfalfa meal, and the value of alfalfa, fresh andi ured, for different kinds of farm ani mals and for poultry. The importance of this crop as a honey-producing plant was also considered. Finely ground, kiln-dried alfalfa hay, called alfalfa meal, has given sat isfactory results as feeding stuff. The1 commercial article is made from se lected alfalfa and mixed with sugar beet molasses in the proportion of 751 per cent. alfalfa and 25 per cent. mo asses. Horses and mules, it is stated, thrive1 on alfalfa pasture, and while alfalfa is too rich a food for mature horses un less used in combination with some other roughness, it is an excellent feed for young ones, as It seems to contain just the elements necessary to develop bone, muscle, and consequent size. Caution should be used, however, in feeding alfalfa to horses, particularly if they have not been accustomed to it. Like other concentrated feeds, it seems to stimulate all the physical processes to such an extent that vari ous disorders of the digestive system may appear. This is particularly no ticeable in the urinary and perspira tory glands. When alfalfa is fed to horses in con siderable quantity the grain ration must be proportionately reduced and an abundance of other roughness fur nished. When horses have attained a mature age and it is desirable to change from other hay to alfalfa, this change must be very gradual, and the alfalfa selected for this purpose should be more advanced "in growth at the time of cutting than that which is to be fed to cattle or sheep. As a general statement, very ripe alfalfa hay is the best to use for woriang and driving horses, while that prepared in the usual way-that is, cut when the field is about one-tenth in bloom-is better for the colts. In any event, horses that are fed alfalfa hay must be given abundant exercise. For dairy and beef cattle and for sheep, alfalfa has given very good re sults P ~1.'grds the use of alfalfaI hay for pigs, it is considered better to cut it early, so that a larger proportion of leaves may be saved and conse quently a larger proportion of protein conserved. While late cutting, after the leaves have fallen somewhat and the stem hardened, is better for horses; for pigs, .specially growing pigs, the crop should be so harvested as to save the la.rgest number of leaves. Experience teaches also that the third or fourth crop is better for pigs because it is sc;fter and more pal atable. It is always wise to provide some sort of a trough or rack with a floor in it for feediag alfalfa to hogs. Alfalfa in its green state, or when used as hay or ensilage, is a first-class poultry food. Poultry will pasture on it during the summE r and thrive. It is best for poultry to use the last cutting of alfalfa, as it is softer in texture, has a larger proportion of leaves, less woody matter, and is more succulent than any other cutting. While poultry of all classes will cat alfalfaT-hay, or at least the leaves f:-om it, and thrive, it is undoubtedly a better practice to ,hop or grind it and mix it with a grain ration. A gcod practice is to teep the alfalfa hay in hot water and let it stand for several hours before !eeding. The Irish Potato. A rich, sandy loam is best suited to :he production of Irish potatoes, and he fertilizers employed should contain lgh percentage of potash. The main :rop of Irish potatoes for family use hould be grown elsevhere, but a small Lrea of early ones properly belongs in he garden. The preparation of the :oil should be the sarme as for general rarden crops. In a recent bulletia on farm vege ables, the department of Agriculture ecommends that for late potatoes, the ows should be 2% to 3 feet apart, .nd the hills 14 to 1i inches apart in he rows. Lay off -he rows with a ,ne-horse plow or lis-er, and drop the eed, one or two pieces in a place, in he bottom of the fu-row. Cover the eed to a depth of about 4 inches, using . hoe or a one-horse plow for the pur >ose. One to three weeks will be equired for the potatoes to come up, lepending entirely upon the tempera uro of the soil. The ground may even reeze slightly after the planting has )een done, but so long as the frost oes not reach the seed potatoes no tarm will result, and growth will be :in as soon as the soil becomes suf iciently warm. As soon as the plaints appear above he ground and the rows can be fol owed, the surface sodl should be well tirred by means of one of the harrow oothed cultivators. Good cultivation hould be maintained throughout the rowing season. with occasional hand oeing, if necessary, to keep the round free from wo-eds. Much de ends upon cultivati.n. Toward the ist the soil may be worked up around he plants to hold theu erect and pro A DRAIN AT WINONA. ect the tubers from the sun after the ines begin to die. Vihen the tubers ire fully ripe the vine~s will be quite lead, but digging should not be de ayed too long, as the potatoes will nake a second grow'.h in case wet eather should set in, and weeds will tart seriously interfering with har ~esting the crop. On a small scale, ig with a spading fork, and on a arge scale, use either one of the spe lal digging machines. or a turning low, which latter a ill cover up a rood many potatoes. AX late crop may e planted during Mauy or early in [une in the North, and harvested late n autumn, when the frost has killed he vines. After digging the potatoes, they hould never be allowed to lie exposed : the suti, or to any light while in torage, as they soon become green and unfit for table use. Early pota :oes especially should not be stored in damp place during :he heated part :f the summer, keeping best if coy n d over in a cool, shady shed until the autumn weather sets in, after which they can be placed In a dry r-ellar or buried in the open ground. The ideal temperature for keeping Irish potatoes would be between 360 and 400 F., but they w~d not with stand any freezing. A thousand bushels of potatoes have been raised on (one acre. How many farmers, who chance to read this have raised 200 bushels on an equal plot? And there are some who can not grow 100 bushels on their acre. Mary was Diseased. Mary had a swarm o' bees, And they, to save their lives, Must go wherever Mary went 'Cause Mary had th e "hives." There were about one million deaths In India. from plague last year. A set of Senttish bag-pipes costs from $25 to $250. Japanese jinrikishas are being estab lished in the principal cities of eastern Asia. There are 4,537 terdile factories In Japan. The national debt of' France is $150 MALE HELP WANTED. IF YOU ARE an ambitions man. no matter what our experience. we have positions open that will intere.st you. Salaries $1000-$000. Write us to-day. iAPIOduS. Suite 143. 05-300 Broadway. N. Y. AGENTS. OUR N W GOLD Window Sign Let ters beat anthng on the market. Big Protits Agentsmake10.00 $20-00 daily. Complete samk1s outat 25c. Particulars free. Sullivan Co., 4W ,. Van Buren St., Chicago, 111. WANTED: A Hundred Firemen and Brakemen or different railroads. Age 20 to 3U good sight and hearing. Experience unnecessary. Firemen $10 monthly. become :ngineers and earn *1)0. Brake men $,0 monthly, become conductors and earn $150. Positions awaiting competent men. Send stamps for particulars. Name position preferr.d. Railway Association. Room 65. 227 Monroe Street. Brooklyn N. Y. WANTED: Amateur photographs suitable foi art and advertising subjects. Mal print and Price with postage for return if not accepted, to The Geo It. Lawrence Company, 274 Wabash Ave., Chicago ilL. WE WANT A HUSTLING AGENT in yonr towr for the bnly automatic shears. the Sheer-Cut Shears. Best shears. best terms. Credit given. Orders filled same day received. Novelty Shear Co., 184 La Salle St., Chicago, Ill. SALESMEN TO SELL the largest line of souventi post cards in the country. Also large line of adver. tisinz fans. Excellent sIde line. Good Commission and Prompt settlement. Alfred Holzman, Pub. lisher. 340 Dearborn St., Chicago. Ill. MEN & BOYS WANTED to learn the Pumbin Trade. Complete the course in2or 3months. Ju niors earn from $3 to $4 per day. W'h 6 months' experience outside, you can join the Union and de mand $4 to $5 per day. Catalogue s n free. Urio Plumbing School, 163W. 29th St., N w York. WE WANT MEN in every State to carry on busi ness of great profit. Attractive proposition toper manent men. State Maps sell themselves. Strictly commission basis. Scarborough Co.. Box 5269. Bos ton, Mass., or Indianapolis, Ind. REAL ESTATE. 20 ACRE TRACTS CHOICESTfruit and farm land (on the Gulf Coast Highlands in Alabama) for $50 cash and 45 monthly instalments of $10 each (in. 6per cent). Crops pay $75 to $250 an acre a year. Remark ably healthful. Send for booklet. Irvington Land Co.. 164 La Salle St., Chicago. ill WANTED: WICHITA PROPERTY. Lands in Southwest Kansas. What have you for sale? 22 years buying and selline Kansas dirt. Choice 640 acres near Garden City. $6,400. Write E. I. Spencer, 115 S. Lawrence Ave., Wichita. Kansas. CALIFORNIA COLONIZA TION LANDS. Tracts of 2000 to 20,000 acres; low prices; easy terms; level, ich uvIal soil; abundance of water: best climate on ert. U. L. Dike Investment Co. (Inc.) 231 S Bldg. Los Angeles. Cal. -RY PROPERTY ONLY-EVERYWHERE - -m. residences, hotels, stores, etc. Catal Free to intending buyers. Owners wsh to se all or write at once. Phillips & Wells, 95 bune Building. New York. BUSINESS ,QUIPMENT. CALIGRAPH TYPEWRITER $10.00. Remington. Yost,:Densmore & Jewett. $15.00 each. Electric Commercial Graphaphone Outfit, new taper-arm disc phonoaph cheap. Edison Mimeograph $10.00. ). Hacker. 2 Park Pl..~N.. Y. BOOK-KEEPERS-Keep out of trouble. Remove blots and incorrect entries without scratching Our Eradicator never fails. Send 25c. for bottle. Best terms to Agents. H. A. Ink Eradicator Co., 190 Washincton Ave., New Ycrk.! MISCELLANEOUS. SOUVENIR POST CARDS OF NEW YORK CITY. beautifully colored, no two alike, prominent views only. Send twenty-five cents In stamps or money order and I will mail six cards; one card ad for six days. Foreign addresses one cent addional percard. JULIS WEIL. No. 21 West Houston St., New York City. References: Mechanics & Traders Bank. SELF FILLQNG " Blofil " Fountain Pen. The best and most simple relf filling Fountain Pen made. $10 to introduce it to the trade now. Regular retail >rice $2.00. For sale at any Stationer. Dept. Store or reweler, or of the manuracturer. Diamond Point Pen Co., 102 Beekman St.. New York. 25 VISITING CARDS 10c. Your name neatly printed in script, old English. or Roman on 25 fine ristol cards, only 10c; name and address. 15c. 50 with name and address, 25c. Matteson, 302-46th St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. CYPHER WRITING. Construct your own secret ypher by the Perfect System. Invaluable for cor respondence and diaries. Easy for those having key. Others cannot understand. F'2ll Instructions L J. W. Magrath. P.O. Box 224. New York. 15 MASS. HISTORICAL Post Cards p a c. Newton Art Co., 5=2 Broadway. New 'iork ity. CATSKILL MT. POST CARDS-0 assorted finest olored artistic views, 25 cents, from the Haunts of Rip Van Winkle. If you don't like 'em we refund demn.Also West Point. Hudson River Views, :c. &c.is free. Barton & Spooner., Box 33, Corn rall-on-Hudson. tt. Y. ATHLETIC OUTFITS-Ease Ball uniforms a spcat. Send for sample book of uniform flannels ad 10AtletIc Catalogue. Chrepeadto any point in the U. S. EstablIshed 186 Wllsm"1 a Sons, Boston, Mass. ALUABLE SCARF PINS absolutely protected y our atnted thief proof - Simplex PnGuard." sk deaer or send 25 cents toda or god plated mple. H. Rypinski, 142 West 10A Street. New ork. BEES, HONEY, BEE SUPPLIES. All races bees neens.'fall line supplies. Everythg for the be~e keeper; books, magzn. A.so line honey Write or catalog statinr which yu want. A. I. Rot Co. eding,. Ohio. N. Y.Ciy. Philadelphia._Chicago. $1000 FOR $1 Accident Policy paying $5 weekly. l000 death benetit. $:10 000 depos.1ed with N. Y. In. ommissioner for protection, Send $1 for Policy. Good Agents earn $30) a week. N. Y. RegIstry Co., 151 Broadway. New York. PATENTS THAT PROTECT. Our 3 books for nventors mailed on receipt of 6 cents stamps. R. S. & A. B. Lacey. Waeshington, D. 1. Established OF THfE The man bafbre the desk works with h The man behind the desk works withb I a question of KNOWING HOW. The first step in "knowing how" is sin -the Coupon shown below. -In return we show you how to improv Iion and better salary, without loss of ti: yourself to pay more than you cant con _No text books to buy-no requiremieno tion to succeed. Thousands of men. and women to'). in -of heir success to the day they Jted is ihA IT COSTS NI (Cut This Out and receive free-"1001 - INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDEI I Please explain, without further oh larger salary in the posil I -- Bookkeeper I Tex. I Stenographer (.iv: Advertisement Writer Chei I Show Card Writer . Elc Window Trimmer Elet I e~ch. Draughtsman Elcc. Commercial Law for Meel I Contractors & Builders Surv Illustrator Statb I.---------- - - SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Seeking as we always do. to give our readers the best of every thing, we are about to offer you in serial form, the unusual and ab sorbing story, entitled " THE WHITE COMPANY." by no less great an author than Sir A. Conan Doyle, wlio-for the past twenty years has been de of the most widely read of modern writers. His latest efforts. "The Adventures of-Sherlock Holmes," have been published and read throughout Europe and America. In fact, no writer of late years has received more popular at tention or merited more praise than this gifted Englishman. His style is most pleasing and his im aginative power far above the usual. We have secured from Sir Conan Doyle's American publish ers the right to this novel, and it is with great pleasure that we are able to announce its early appear ance in the "Magazine'Section." Be sure to get the initial chapters. as it is a stirring tale that will hold your interest from first to last. TO THE LAME There ard only two Ex. makeIt correctly aI; $"0 With "0'C 1884* nOZ's latest" yoM "050EN0R' LATEST red made Orord ties, cuant duration-.-pen b-.a no 'adg ezer. tion to weik-perfec ankle andor I cat OLD W t out and send to-da ad we, wil tea OWW~youhow to get onefree GiveShaoa .8. O'connor M9. Co., 1271 'wVr. N. V. FOR YOUNG EN SEEKING OPPORTIITY, Investigate t h-e grand - possibilities there are in agriculture. Trained men for extension work are now in great demandatWe can help you make your own future. ADDRESS: Winona Agricultural Institute, Winena Lake ladiana. Can Lot o Money CnIncrease Your Comforts! Can Increase Your Proaits! 1I fyoumerinterestedln hosethings ELETI"9... ELEO'fRI0 "" . More thana millon and a quarter' of them are terservioead gr atersalfauanhf anthe metal wheel made-because 11s'r Made Setter. By every test they are the best. Spokes united to Don'tbu wel ago unti yo read our hook. It may save you many dollars and it's free. ELECTRIG WHEEL CO., Box 263QQunoy, His. A -- -.L ICH SIDE ESK ARE dhad and ispi or haknweg.it is merely ly a matter of cutting out, filing in and manling us_ e witt negletn yor preet wrkoobga beon the ability to readand write, and the ad nearly every trade and pratiesion date the beginning oupon. Why not you? THING TO FINiD OUIT. Stores of Success" and "lbe Story of XcEs*l CE SCHOOLS, Box 913,SCRANTON, IM, beatonon e w howl can qaify for a ie Mill Supt. . A' B Ilding Contractor mist Arc. DraughtAman Engineer Foreman Plumber oary Enggneer g -...Steand .. .,.. Stat -- --