Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

i Barnwell People: Ursest Circulation in the Count? SOUTIi CAROLINA COTTON PACTS. The Oolumbi* State. The annual report of the national dapartmept of agriculture on the pio- duction, diatribution and consumption of ooUion in the crop Tear 1897-98 baa marhed us in a bulletin from the de partment and is full of statistics ami interest. The results set forth, it is <&dedarod. “have been arrived at not by means of local estimates, for which n certain margin of error is always to be allowed, but from returns of the move ment of cotton from the plantation to points of shipment or consumption”— “there is not a railway or water trans- (ortation line that has carried cotton to the ports of the cotton States or to points beyond the Stele m which it originated that has not rsported to the department the entire movement by its line during each month of the sea son. »» South est o Carolina, tate in the South, is the small- in cotton production, its 1,030,086 bales being exceeded only by Texas* " " Mississippi’s 1,624,771 Alai 1,781, and an enviable 2,822,4Qg, (ieorgia’s bama’s 1,112,681. eminanca when we consider in how many ether crops we N’ 1 could excel the gulf States—but it exists, - In this State 686,642 commerc, bale* were fprwarded by rail to and out of the S es were mills; but — >— . _ 098 bales 4,918 were iaken from o34, States and ports, leaving the net ther duction as stated above. prn- What .beeomos of the drop of S Carolina tL /The question is answouth in these figures; Purchased by he red mills, 898,466 bales. Shipped byome sod water to Charleston, 166, rail Shipped by rail to Wilmington, 1784. 662. Shipped by rail, water and wa47,- to Augusta, 130,695. Shaped by gon, to Norfolk, 64,786. “ to North Carolina mills, 43,181. Shrail pad by rail mid water to Savanna! §7,222. Shipped by rail to Port Ro 21,936. Shipped by rail to Vi mills, 10,060. Shipped by rail to New York, 8,043. Shipped by lail to Geor gia mills, 1,275. And the remainder, in quantities, lass than 1,000 each, to •Philadelphia, New Kngland mills, Bos ton and Baltimore. Per contra, the State received at mill points 1,248 bales from Georgia 288 from North Carolina and 60 from Tennessee ; and 3,332 bales.were taken from the ports ' The showing made by Charleston in receipts of South Carolina cotton is depresaing. That city only received 19,000 bales more from its own State than Wilmington and 80,000 bales more than Auguste : and Norfolk re ceived about twofifths aahiuch South Carolina cotton as Charleston, and Savannah one-fourth as much. No less than 470,000 bales, exclusive of State mill purchases, went elsewhere than to the State’s chief port. But on the other hand Charleston drew 146,950 bales from Georgia, 24,- 321 from Alabama, 2,150 from Ten nessee, 406 from Mississippi, 88 from North Carolina and 7 from Florida, a total of 172,927 bales. Southern mills bought, according to the “actual statement of the officials of the mills in operation,” 1,277,674 bales of the !crop of 1897-98, which ■waa 295,683 bales, or 30.1 per cent., more than was purchased by these mills in 1896-97. “Without an ex ception every State shows increased purchases”—“in the States of greatest consumption the increase is especially marked, that in Alabama being 41.9, in Georgia 25.2, in North Carolina 36.6 and South Candiae-33^ per cent. ' There were 426 jnills in operation against 402 the year before. The three leading cotton manufac turing States are South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. South Carolina’s mills took 38.5 per cent of the State’s crop for manufacturing purpoaes, and only 4-lOths of 1 per cent of the consumption of its mills was cotton from other States. Alto North Carolina the figures are 43.6 and 15.7 ; and fdr Georgia 20 and 6.2 per cent South Carolina’s upland cotton crop avenged 6.60 cents per pound, North North Carolina’s 5.93 and Georgia’s 6.57. South Carolina’s crop was worth t28,098,714 out of $315,383,469 for the South, its bales averaged 492 pounds against 610 for the South, and its price averaged 5.60 cents a pound against an average for the South of 5.71 cents. When we consider that this is the greatest cotton manufactur ing State in the South, with a constant local demand, the fact that we get leas than the average price for oar cot ton is not encouraging. Of sea island cotton Sonth Carolina produced only 10,242 bales of 844 pounds avenging 18 cents a pound, against Georgia’i 41,364 bales of 390 pounds averaging - 18 cents a pound and Florida's 24,656 bales i of 372 pounds, .avenging 15 cents a pound. The South Carolina product is better, hut the day of its supremacy has passed —the figures show that its production dwindles. The mereerising process, by which upland cotton is given the appearance and most of the qualities of silk, Is likely to still farther re duce the demand for our fine sea island growths. South Carolina makes a very good State and 398, tel the 456 > bought by Sonth Caro of this aggregate of l^Olina -+~ AOEUttp- Royah, Virginia 2,278^10; Georgia, 8,587,702 and Texas, 7,164,176. Compare areas and populations and you will see to what excess cotton planting is carried in this State compared with ollters. The report concludes with some in teresting statistics of cotton conditions abroad. In.Ua is the next largest pro ducer of cotton, its crop tar 1897- being estimated at 2,844,000 bah 400 pounds, of Whicli 1,000,000 are consumed In the Indian mUls and the rest exported, 641,000 to Europe aud. 460,000 to Japan. China is third, its estimated crop <,61 1,320,000 bales of 600 pounds being consumed at home, with the exception of 141.000 bales exported to Japan. Egypt is fourth, its crop of 1897-98 being 843,211 bales of 736 pounds. Nearly all its produc tion is exported, most of it to Europe and 61,000 bales to the United jStates. No other country produces more than 400,000 bales. ~ * The world now has about 100,000,- 000 cotton spindles, of which the* Uni ted States has 17,356,000, Great Brit ain 44,900,000, Germany 7,884,000, Russia 6,000,000, Franco 5,300,000, Anstria 3,140,000, a Spain 2,615,000, 1,886,000 and Switzerland 1,710,- In the east, India has 4,065,000, Japan 1,150,000 and China 565,000. In 1889 we exported only 47 balsa cf Southern cotton to Japan. In 1896 oar exports amounted to 224,214 bales. The esse of cotton may be summed thus: In 1889 we exported 4,769,- hales of 460 pounds, worth $237 775,000. In 1898 we exported 7,700,- 000 halos, worth only $230,442,000. These are figures to memorize. - Three million more bales exported ; seven mUlion fewer dollars received. EGYPTIAN COTTON ESTAB LISHED IN TEXAS. The Cotton Growers’ Journal, of Waco, Texas, prints two letters this week from Mr. W. W. Wentweitb, of Kearney, in the same State, with re gard to the progress of his experiments with Egyptian cotton, which contain matter of much interest for cotton pro- dueerti generally _ _ In one letter 61 r. Wentworth reports Shipped by rfciT that his “-crop bTEgypiflitt eotton tf - ‘ - ginned, and about resay to send to Boston, where cottons of this and other grades find ready sale at good prices,” and he adds that the 1,800 pounds ot that product “will bring as much as 5,000 pounds of lint from common cot- u>n.”v About 1,500 pounds of the Egyptian lint, be explains, was fkth ered from a six-acre tract, which was at the rate of 250 pounds to the acre, and the'rest from a patch, which) ow ing to the late stead and “the detri mental little bug called boll wcavel, was almost a failure.” In another letter, he remarks that had he received “the assistance begged for in 1895 from the scientific gentle men, Texas would today be shipping thousands of bales of this beautiful fibre” to factories in the North, and “realizing a handsome profit.” -Of tbe four different cottons now grown in this country—sea island, Kgyptian, long staple, native, of 1 1-2 inches in length, and the short or common cot ton—he says, “the MR Afflfi (Egyp tian) stands pre eminently alone, as no othei cotton.approaches the peculiar- ities of its fibre.” “The strength of- the Texas raised, the silky lustre, and the soft feeling of lambs’ wool, places it peculiarly alone,” and he adds: “What a victory for Texas I to know that on her oidinary cotton lands, from the Gulf to Red river, and from the Sabine to the Rio Grande, she can pro- duce ^ superior fibre to that imported from the fertile valley of the Nile, valued at $150 per acre.’’ it will be noted particularly that the cottou in question can be •grown on “ordinary cotton lands” ia every part of Texas, and Mr.' Wentworth remarks that arms “strong in wealth” have now come to hie assistance, after his four years of country for the fibre which is supplied by the Egyptian grown product, and wluch will insure our farmers high prices for all they can produce for sev eral years to come; and that when they 1 arc in position to supply the whole de- id they will be in position to move effectively-- for the exclusion of the foreign product under our protective tariff system. The only excuse that has been given for admitting the foreign product free, heretofore, has been that It “did not compete with any domestic prodnet,” as it was “wholly unlike tne sea island and other long staple varieties.” That excuse will serve no longer, and it only remains now for the cotton farmers to produce the foreign staple at home in order to claim and capture the “home market” for it.—AT«toj and Courier. SUGAR CANE AND RFFINERY. A SUGAR Cotton, the money crop of our farm ers, cannot be grown at four and five cents a pound except at a-loss to the pioducer. No argument is re qnired to prove this statement. Itls a truth evolved through the' well tried process of experience. It is a fact fraught with fearful meaning to thous ands of fanners throughout the sunny Southland. It im pi eases itself upon the mind with a force which makes the head ache. To evolve some plan of esenpe from the ultimate wreck and ruin presaged by present conditions eanses tbe brain to throb in feverish anxiety. Even the least thoughtful cannot fail to foresee the calamitous consequences which must follow per sistency in a course which has brought the farmer nothiug but suffering, bur dened him with debt and destroyed his peace of mind. The condition cannot be ameliorated by legislation. Or lather it is utterly useless to expect any degree of relief through the enact- ^wNh a few straggling^ bolls ment of protective laws. Every farm- ■* ' er knows by an experience coeval with his existence the foHy of looking to the politicians of this country for help ful legislation. The gang of selfish tricksters that somehow retain a con trolling power in the government have no ear for the petitions of an oppressed firarer i and cd may fremand fume heaviness of complain of the his yoke, bat toe flourish ing politician m office has little sym pathy for his toiling constitnents. Even oaf Stats Legislature is little more tnsn a political club. Many of those whom the people elect to toe General Assembly spend their time dining the sessions in lobbying them selves into better paying offices instead of attending to their official duties. Having demonstrated the uselessness of relying upon the government for aid, the only resource the farmer has for bettering his condition is himself. It has been well said that every man is the architect of his own fortune. It is possible for the fanner in this fa vored section of the country to produce almost everything he needs on his farm. And his only hope lies in his becoming more proficient in the art of prodneing and less apt in coc Burning what otliers produce. In other words, he must diversify his crops. " 7 ~ Among the variety of crops which can be produced abundantly in Colle ton soil at a profit is sugar cane. It is an indisputable fact that our cane syrup when properly made is sweeter than the best article of maple syrup, of superior flavor and thoroughly whole some. The merchants in WalUrboro sell it for thirty five And forty cents a gallon. If the farmers would take proper pains in making this syrup, and would acquaint themselves-. with the making of merchantable packages, so that it might be placed on the market ia attractive "form, there would be, in our judgment, no difficulty in sell ing it at a handsome profit. Assuming that toe supply which could be increased withoutwmit, should so) far exceed the demand that the and it may be. assumed that syrup, could not be profitably marketed, tbai the crop he has assumsd has intro- the resource is available ot establish- showing of production per acre, pre cisely naif a bale on the average, against 61 per cent, of a bale in Okla homa, M in Mississippi, AS in Arkan sas, 63 in LouisiaUa, and .65 Ui lndian Territory. . North Carolina had the , Ala- we had and that sc avenge yield, Georgia .38 i .41 and Texas .39. Bat w •h better seest i lor the result. fJ r planting in 1897 was 2,074,788 , 60y436 more than in 1896, and luct waa 93,622. bales larger, too other States »tton,jpni 1M6J99 acres; North !,487T Arkansas, 1/H9.- , 9,709,460 jMMfaipri, duced will soon figure extensively among Texas’s products. In an editorial note introducing one of Ids letters, the Journal says: “We may add that Mr. Wentworth tells us in a private,note that his cotton, sent to Boston and classified by an expert in fine fibre, was valued at 14 cents a pound.” And he adds tost the Egyp tian, on our Texas lands, will produce as much, acre for acre, as the common variety. His cotton was ginned on tbs “Ideal” gin, and not by the McCarthy knife roller gin. . . . All honor to him. He has labored unselfishly, over coming obstacles for the common good, and we think within half a decade, when Texas is producing several thou sand bides of Egyptian cotton annual ly, Mr. Wentworth will find that hu work is appreciated as it deserves. He has won his fight. The Journal con gratulates him most heartdy. It appears to be a safe, conclusion from all this that Mr. Wehtwbnh has made a complete and notable success Of his effort 4«> introduce the culture of Egyptian cotton on ji large and prof itable scale into this country. He bus grown it by the acre and made it pro duce as much as .ordinary cotton. It will grow on ordinary cotton land and is worth three times ns much as ordi nary cotton. The Texas grown fibre is even superior to that grown in Egypt. The “boll weevil,” which at tacked it this year does not affect that cotton alone, bat attacks any kind; it is at no special disadvantage oa ac count of this foe We sabmit to the ootton planting fraternity in South Car olina that the experiments of toe “modest, patient and untiring” Texas pioneer is well worth repeating in this State 1$ their interest Possibly the “cotton problem” will be solved for toe more intelligent and progressive cotton fanners by the pro duction of this fine fibre in large quan tities, leaving the course and cheaper product to toe rest The demand for the fine fibre has grown rapidly in the past faw yean, and is growing every year. No limit can beasaigned tocuch demand. As it is “stronger” than the common fibre, it may well displace that fibre ia many manufactures in which the latter is now and so make tain sopply fiaferaiMte. It is to be noted, finally, that there la a present established market in this ing a small sugar refinery. Some- thing like twenty barrels of syrup to the acre, we are told, can be pro duced, with as little expense of fertil izing and cultivating as if it were cot ton. “From 100 barrels of syrup,” says a Georgia contemporary “-the pro ducer can be assured of not less than Iwenly-five barrels of refined sugar. At five cents per pound, less than it is bringing now, this sugar would be worth $375. And the refuse and mo lasses would almost pay the cost of producing and refining.” Then, the best feature of this crop is that it is now • failure, being, if anything, a more certain crop than cotton. ( The point we desire to emphasize is the beneficial results of diversified ag riculture. We have cited sugar cane simply as an illustration of the possi bilities wrapped up in oar gonerous soil. It is not* necessary to depend upon cotton for ready money, as our soil is adapted to the growing of many other Jhings which will command money in the markets of the country. — Colleton Press and Standard. The Lancaster Mtltr com pany is now storing ootton in its ware- housi looses, for the public generally, for the nominal sum of 16 cents a bale per month. Thu charge coven every thing—storage, insurance,' weighing, etc. No farmer can afford to allow his cotton to stay oat in the weather, un protected, iminspred, to say nothing of ion in weight, when this opportunity is presented to him of having it well and safety cared for. The company issues certificates for cotton stored, upon whicn money can be readily bor rowed by parties wanting to hold their cotton for better prices.—Lancaster Review. m * mm The Yorkvillo Enquirer has infor mation from a section of that county to the effect that the farmers over there have sowed all the wheat they intended to sow, and that is a great deal more than they have ever sowed before. Seveial croppers have sowed from six to ten acres to the plow. Much wheat has been sowed iu differ ent sections of the county ; but In a great many cases the f&rmeis have wot yet been able to get in as much as they wanted to sow, on accohnt of the un favorable weather. ^ HI MAKKS THIRTY BUSHELS OV CORN TO THR ACRR AND FORTY BALES OF COTTON ON TWENTY-FOUR ACRES. . *' ' A correspondent of the Charleston News and Courier writes as follows: Among the many successful farmers of Rock Hill none are shied of Mr. Y. B. McFadden either in actual crop returns, net pounds, or in the more real profit, a judicious use cd his accu mulations. Just now his home attracts attention because of a new barn which will compare favorably with anything of tbe kind in tbe State. In some sections ot the United States It Is said that the people house their cattle better than they do them selves. Mr. McFadden has not done that, but his cattle have no ground of complaint. His barn is 38x60 feet and is three stories high. ; The entire third story is intended for hay and for age, the second for the same purpose, but is so arranged that anyone can, with little trouble, fill every manger in the whole building from above. Stalls for stock, giain and -han/iess rooms, carriage and wagon rooms are on the ground flooi. The whole building has doable walls, the inner being of one inch plank, the outer regulary dressed weall^pr board ing. Grain and harness rooms are seperate and are “rat proof.” The bafh was completed too late to xeceive this year’s crop, but the. next season promises to find it well furnished. As usual, Mr. McFadden made a fine crop ibis year. His entire work ing covered fifty-nine acres, appor tioned as follows: In cqrn v \wenty- two ; cotton, twenty-foar; oats, ten ; wheat, three. His yield was : Corn, As we have had occasion to stale b* fore, Mr. W. J. Cunningham Is on* of Lancaster’s moat eni gressive farmers.' By age ment and proper cultivation he makes a success of*farming, and even this year, with low prices for cotton, ho has made some mpney. He keeps a regular account, showing every dol lar paid out and received on his farm, so that when we asked him yesterday to give us ms this year’s experience, he simply had to refer to bis memo randum book for the information de sired. i Mr. Cunningham first showed ui the result of an experiment he made on a small plat of ground, 3-4 of an acre, on which he planted one bushel of King’s Improved cotton seed, which yielded him, under unfavorable condi tions, two bales of cotton. His ex pense account was as follows: Price of seed - < • I Breaking up land 13 loads stable manure • Breaking up again • Bedd’g up and putting in man’e - 700 lbs. meal and acid - Harrowing and planting 7 plowings ' - - -.' - 4 honings • , » * xF Top dressing, 2 sacks Cerealite • Pick) Dg ~ *• six hundred amb sixty-six bushels, an mels to the acre average of thirty bus cotton, already on hand, forty bales, to be gath ered ; oats, sixteen two-horse wagon loads, which were not threshed, as he prefers to food them cut; wheat, forty- four bushels. He reports more clear money made on ’ the three acres in wheat than on any other, as besides the wheat he gathered twelve and one- half tons of cared peavine hay from earn* field,- betides two and-a half tona of wheat straw. Much of his stubble hr^w^r'in f™ “ Iwi k iu the edge of the field which consid- enibl J reduced too yield iu their vi- gatber between fifty and sixty bushels and viitntiiv nvinr*vi the ares an acre, ranteges, , a clear sixty ot shelled peas and more than tons of cured peavine hay. As for the land on which this was done—it was not “made soil” nor “very rich bottom land it whs made on the ordinary upland of York County and differs from thoosands of other acres in the State only in that it has been in good hands for some years. Twenty years ago Mr. McFadden bought his first acres there, and the land was so poor that he was told he would surely starve/. But lie hasn’t. He now owns about one hundred and fifty acres. What is not in cultivation is utilized as pasture land. This year he raised sixty-three hogs, which net ted him an average of over two hundred pounds each. Besides raising these from his own breed sews he has bought and fattened a good many more. Last ear he fattened about four hundred ef cattle ; some of these he raised, but the most of them were bought from those who had not the forage to support them. Lust. year, too, be made a beginning on sheep. As usual, he was cautious ; he had only six ewes; now he wishes he bad more< So far as he can see “they have cost noth ing hut a little straw and care,” and he bus used from them ten fat lambs besides wool. But those who cannot see how any thing is to be made by farming may suspect that this is A fancy farm in which tlie owner , spends a surplus earned elsewhere. Snch is very far from the cose. What the owner baa he has made. Twenty years ago he bought the place for a home ; it had on it then a log cabin, iomo of toe logs of which are still in use as posts ; the outbuildings were In keeping with toe hou»e. But things moved rapidly as they still do. A toomy, comfortable house was soon there, and one by one tbe old sheds and stables gave place to better, until it is haid to see what improve ment can come next,save to UAx away some outbuildings that are better than many dwellings in South Carolina. This cannot be done now, as they are full. . On the other hand, it cannot be said that this 1 result has come from scimping or miserliness. Mr. McFad den has been and is a generous liver. TT ~ is a good citizen and generous in He his contributions to all good caules, and yet he has made money where many would have failed. The secret is undoubtedly in the man and his helpmeet, whose home is the abode of plenty and where the “latchstnng hangsjoutildB the door.” T * Now why cannot otoen do as well 7 Your correspondent does not expect all to do so well, but he insists that it is not ti e fault of the soil, but of Us sons. This land when first bought would make ootton as “high as your head and corn to match itnow it makes more than thirty bushels of corn per acre aud twenty-four acres nave given forty hales. Some of the land in cotton this year yielded more than two bales per acre, but his plan is to enlarge Ids acreage gradually and each year he adds to his firm land a few seres which are not yet up to tho mark and reduce bis average yield. It would pay the Statu to send such a farmer around to teach some “land- poor citizena” how to grow.rich. Fanners are invest ing soil-breakers, wj harrows. They traveling dealers, of the field in labor-sav er plows or not buying from from our home also have the privilego i tided In implsmente buying. Id preparing corn ahd ootton land, free tiom stamps and rocks, there is a great saving in using ths best implements.—77k Spar tan. _ < If you are nnable to get yput wheat in the ground before Saturday night, sow e**rly in January, provided the weather ia favorable. On well pre pared land liberally matured, wheat ■' Vi "' . wiu do batter than that which waa care lessly put in during December.—The Spartan. \ by the State road passage of' the bill and tbe foot that many public men have warmly ‘loommeiiiled it, would seem to indicate that popular sentiment ia back of it, and that the voten of the State will endorso it at the coming elections. Topping cotton Bagging and ties / Weighing 2 bales Total expense - 824 lbs. lint cotton at 5 1-4 50 bosh, seed at 25 cents - Expense deducted - 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.00 1.25 7.00 1.00 2.50 1.60 3.00 7.00 .10 1.00 .20 $30.65 $43.26 12.50 $55.76 30.65 Net profits .... $25.11 This piece of land, vfhkh is of stiff clay, was planted the 20th of April No rain of any consequence fell until the 17th of June, bat it was excess ively wet after that nntil tot' middle of August, which was vary, unfavorable TUWrire twirtEiyrtrwF tty rtropr cinity and virtually reduced the area in cultivation to about 5-8 of an acre Notwithstanding these disadvani as shown by above statement profit Of $25.11 was made on this small piece of ground. ' Mr. Cunningham had altogether in cott on ~ ~' ^ ‘ 119 bales. The yield of course would have been better had the season been favorable. He has sold 89 bale«, re ceiving therefor $2,034.88. Estimat ing the 30 unsold bales on hand at $710, present prices, it will be seen that his crop amounted to $2,744.88 His entire expense account this year foots np $1,702.45, which, deducted fiom proceeds of cotton crop, leaves a profit of $1,042.33. In addition to this profit, Mr. Cun ningham has on hand, also as profit, 1,200 bushels of corn and 600 bushels of oats, to say nothing of toe fodder, hay, etc. What Mr. Cunningham has accom plished, others can do by following his methods. — " STATE AID TO ROAD BUILDING. Minnesota has taken the initial steps in following the good example set by New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey in the matter of affording State aid in the building of roads. When the subject was first agitated it r&s found th'it the constitution of Minne sota forbids the levying of taxes for the building of wagon roads, so at the last session of -tbe Legislature s bill providing foi the amendment of the constitution on'this point was passed and will be submitted to voters of the State At thb next general election, The proposed amendment provides for a Slate road and bridge fnnd and for the appointment of State highway and bridge commissioners, whose duty it shall be to supervise thc expending of such a land. .The members of the commission will receive no salary and (heir work will be similar, to that of an auditor—that is, no moneys wilt lie granted from the State fund for road building until the plans and specifica tions for the work have been approved by the commission, and none will be paid until the commission has certified that the plans approved by it have been carried out. The State does not propose ti> build>roads, but merely to aid such work by 'paying a portion, not to exceed one-third, of the cost, tbe other two-thirds to be secured by local taxation. The building of roads will of course be under the immediate su|»ervisioB of local authorities, the commissioners merely acting as agents of the State to see that the Sta money is wisely and properly spent. The amendment proposes to secure a road and bridge fund by appropriat ing the income from the present inter nal improvement fund, and also by levying r tax, not exceeding one- twentieth of one mill on all taxable property in tbe State. This internal improvemedt fund has been accumu lated from the tale of lands given by the United States to Minnesota for the State improvements, and the income from it can therefore vety properly be applied to this nse. The sum exacted from imfividiul property owners under snch an assessment would be small for example, the man whose property had been scheduled at $100,000 would he taxed only $5, but the sum could he accumulated, for if aU the property iu the State paid tribute ut this rate it would be a considerable amount This would compel the cities to pav a share of the harden that has heretofore been carried by the forming commnnitiea alone. The amendment attempts to arrange for an equitable distribution of the fund that will give ail Counties an equal chance, by providing that not to exceed three per cent.- nor Jets than one-half per cent, of the State road and bridge fund expended in'any one ns, % county that desires to avail it- •elf of State ski in road building, can secure one-third of the coat, provided CHRISTMAS I c “TO-DAY THE PRINCE OF PERCE WAS BORN.” ’ ' „ ‘What naans this glory ’round ear fsetr - * The Msg) mooed, * Tis mors bright then And vetoes chatted clear and sweet. 'To-day the Prinoe of Ptaoe is born.’ What means that starT’ the shepherd laid, 'It brighteno gloriously the rooky glen,’ And angels answering overhead Bang. ‘Peace on earth, good will to men.’ And they who do their souls no wrong But keep at eve the faith of morn, Shall daily hoar the angelo’ song . ‘To-dsy the Prince of Peace Is horn.’" “In Bethlehem of Judea, perhaps you do not know the meaning of (he word Bethlehem,” writes Sarah Frances Howie in her Christmas letter from Mt. Lebanon in Syria. “It means ‘House of Bread,’ and is it not a very S recious thought that Jesus, our dear aviour, came out of this 'House of Bread,’ able and willing^ to satisfy every hungfy soul with the Bread of Life. On the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, which is only six miles away, there is still remaining a deep well, which is called 'The well of the Magi,’ because tradition says that the Magi. or Wlao Men, looked down into it ana saw the wonderful star that God had given to go before them and show to them the place where the Babe Jesus *was born. They wore very, yery glad to see this star again ; for awhile they had lost sight of it, but when they looked upward from the well, there it was and they followed U until it stood over a cave in Bethle hem ; they went in and in the cattle stall found the young child with Mary, his mother.” wE'eWesfirWsfWfrtf Her kitchen floor's clean enough to eat on. I do believe she scrapee it every day. An’ the settin’ room—slick’s no name tor if I I was in there toe other nnmy hundred years age a large cliarch was built over it; but you may go into tho church and m one part of it is a little room called ‘The Grotto of the Nativ ity,’ which_means ‘The Cave in which Jesus wss born.’ On the floor is a large, smooth stone and in .the middle of it il a silver star; around this star are written these words in Latin, ‘Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.’ There are many silver lamp<Qhanging from the roof which give light and make the room pretty.” “When you come out of the church, I am sure yon wonld like to see the ‘Field of the Shephetds ;’ if you will walk a little way, you will leave behind you the church and the houses of 'Bethlehem and standing on a terrace, looking towards the east, there bolow the hill on which the city is built lie the 'Plains’ on which humble shep herds were watching their flocks night, when, "The Angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around ’’ If you have plq|^y of time you can go down the terraces aud Walk on the ‘Plains’ and yon will still see shepherds there, leading their flocks ; if you will go iii the spring you will find many very lovely and strange flowers.” Once more the Christian world ap proaches the anniversary of the birth of Christ; the beginning of what Dr. Van Dyke has appropriately called the human life of God, made manifest in His Son. In the imagination of the children the lights begin to glow from the Christinas Trees ; in the hearts of devout men aud women the song of the angels begins to swell and to thrill toem into forgetfulness of the tumult and atrife of life. They renew in stinctive!} their vows and purpose in their hearts to be ready lor His com ing, Whether it be at the noontide, the hush of evening time or yet in the still ness of the night, it shall find them watching. Tf every man could live sa out-door life, passing his time with gun and fishing-rod and canoe, there would be leaa illness in the world. - Unfortunately, the demands of modern dviliaatten mill sennit very few men to live this ideal, nealthftil life. Many men have to paaa the day shut np in office* and stores, and the nights in close apartments in crowded cities. They get little out-door exereiae. One of the results of this unhealthy, sedentary livftur la the awful prevalence of that dread disease— each year are due to this relentleee enemy. Formerly physicians pronounced this dis ease incurable. It ia now generally known that there is a marvelous medicine that for the post thirty years baa been curing con sumption almost without a failure. It ia Dr. Pierce’S'Golden Medical Discovery. It cores o8 per cent of all cases of consump tion, bronchitis, asthma, laryngitis and other diseases of the air-pasaages. It is the great re-builder. It tears down, carries off and excretes old. inert tisanes and replacet them with the firm tissue# of health. It restores the lost appetite and makes the digestion perfect: _ '* Pour yean ago I had an attack of grip that Mb my throat and lungs ia a bad condition,” writes.Mr*. Vary Hartman, of 300 Marker 8t, Mansfield. Ohio. “ The doctor mid I had dis ease of the throat and bronchial tabes I eon- tinned to grow worse. I had pain in tbe upper part of my cheat and a serere cough, which C w worse at night and ia the morning, with rf expectoration, t would cough up mat tery scabs, after which 1 would experience a burning and smarting sensation in my throat. I took the doctor's prescriptions without num- — “■ they did me no good. 1 took sbtMsn T codjirer oil and was as bad a* ever. bottles of then took five bottles of Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery, aud three of the ' Pellets. I began to improve la every way and now en- health and have taken no medicine fee Joy fiopd ever six OSBORNE'S NwTmil I make out, he drinked same. Anj- way, he didn’t stay to home evenings, the wry he oet le t en' thuy hadn't been married much over .a year. “It's a real pity,” aay* Mis' Smith, says she, “for I think Mis' Powers is jest as ttfos ■he can he. She’s neater'n ’t ft day, an’ she apologized ftye things not lookin’ neater—said she hadn't 1 than fortl _ had time to dost yet, hot I drawed my finger acroea the table when she wan’t lookin’ an’ it never left a mark. There don’t much dost get n chance to settle round Mis’ Powers. I sh’d s’poee her hnsban’d be proud of her, 'n Hast her better than (o spend his svenin’e to the tavern, playin’ cards.” “Maybe she’s so neat that it’s an-. comfortable for him at home,” sa>a 1, “I’ve know’d placet like that ’afore now.” Wall, last week I ealkd on Mia' Powers, an’ I come away not wonderin’ that Mr. Powers didn't feel much of an inducement to slay at home any more’n he coaid help. She heard him. a cornin’ in, from the hero, an’ she ran and grabbed the broom «n’ met him at the door, an’ made him sweep his feet off ’afore he slept into the kitch en, an’ she epread out some old carpet, for him to step on, an’ she hadn’t * much more’n got set down when she thought she see some dirt on the floor, got the broom an' dost pan, an’ swept an’Wept,’ though I couldn't ’ see anything that needed aweepin'. Mr. Powers, he laid his bat down on - the table, an’ she took an’ hang it np on the rack in the hall, an’ then she ot a piece of old carpet an’ spread it own tor him to pot his feet on, for fear he hadn’t got’en as clean as he might. All to once she jumped np an' snatched somethin’ off hie coat. I • thought maybe ’twss a hornet, an' she was 'fraid it would sting him, she seemed so excited ahm|?it,-iiBt jegd land I ’twas jest a straw 1 “T never see how much dirt the men can bring into the house,” says she. “Mr. Powers jest keeps me rnnnin' after him with toe broom an’ dust pan all the time. It takes aH my Umo to keep the boose lookin’ halfway decent. John, I do wish yon’d keep your feet on that old carpet. T know fou didn’t half cleai your shoes. Yon never dO. v- - *— r-, - - Mr Poweis looked mad. I know he was mad. He jumped up, an’ looked for his hat. “If it’s your hat yon want you’ll find it on toe rack where it b’longs,” says Mis’ Powers. He growled out somethin’ ’boat wishin’ she’d let his things, alone, an’ went out o’ the house an’ shat the door behind him with a bang. When I come away, I see him settin’ on a pile o’ rocks by the barn door, an’ 1 pitied the poor man. He looked so kind o’ down-hearted. 1 didn’t won der he went somewhere to spend his evenin’s. I’d like to know how Joebua'd stan’ my rnnnin’ ronnd after him with a broom an’ duet pan ? I like to see folks neat an’ keep the hones a lookin’ well but it’s real easy to overdo tbiogs, an’ I’ve lived long enough to find out that one of these fussy, dredful neat kind o’ trim men can make it as unpleasant for a man as the biggest scold that ever lived. More so, I guess. I know I’d resent havin’ it Ihrow’d in my face a dozen times a day that, I was alios a bnngin’ dirt into the house, an’ a tnakin’ a* i ■ \ ’ my wife, an’ all that kind o' jest contrary slave < talk. I b’lieve I’d be enough to. kick the old carpet oat of the hoase, an’ put my hat on the clock shelf, an’ my feet on toe eofa,Tui’ If they come for me with the broom I’d —well, I dunno jest what I would do. I wouldn’t wonder if I’d do as Mr. Powers does—go and spend my eveu- in’s at the tavern.—Martha Ann Doo little. m ii — Smut in Wheat.—What makes smut in wheat? . We farmers know that soaking wheal in bine stone water will, under favorable conditions pre vent smut, but some of ns at least do not know what makes smut. We know that wheat produces wheat and that it is the law of nature for all grain to produce after ita kind. We will anxiously await an ^explanation. The heavv crops made this year has neWssarlly delayed the sowing of wheat together with rains and freezes, and should such weather continue some days yet, much wheat will not be sown that would otherwise have been before Xmas. 17111' it pay to "’‘risk sowing later, and what kind of wheat Is best, aud what kind of fertilizer shonld be usfed iu order to make the chances bet tor for late sown wheal. Progress. fair Forest, Dec., 1898. The editor will stale that most plants are as subject to disease as man *. Smut is a disease (bat attacks wheat. The smut geims are very «mall and a MW of thorn scattered in a bushel of wheat will produce a noticeable crop of smut. The grains of smnt never germinate, bnt there are enough smnt V\ ing the disease germs. Tfip jpost con- > venient method is to soak wfieal twelve to thirty-six hours, according to 'toe,, weather, in a strong solution of blu«* stone. The farmer who does that will never have s grain of smut.—The Spartan. M:: J * ; / -l