University of South Carolina Libraries
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1909. The Sumter Watchman was found? ed In 1860 and the True Southron In lift. The Watchman and Southron now has the combined circulation and Influence of both of the old papers, and Is manifestly the best advertising medium In Sumter. Piano Contest Notes. interest In the Piano Content show? ed a marked Increase this week? several new candidates were nomi? nated and a large number of votes were polled. The first ballot period closed on the llth and the votes came In with a rush. The tabulation of votes for the week ending Saturday 18th will show a big Increase in the total vote cast. Any candidate who will secure twenty new subscribers to the Watch? man and Southron for one year at $1.50 each and pay for same on or before January 1st. will receive 6, 000 regular votes and a bonus of S, 000 rotes in addition?or a total of 8.00? for the twenty subscriptions. For subscriptions In excess of twen? ty, votes will be given in the same ratio. One subscription paid for tw< years In advance will count the same aa two one year subscriptions. The oaadidate who secures six paid in advance subscriptions to the Dally Item on or before January 1st, will lire 8.000 regular votes and a bo? ms of 3,000 votes In addition. MR. A. M. LEE'S CONDITION. Operation For Cancer of the Mouth Was successful. - The friends of Mr. A. Markley Lee will be interested to know that, al? though he was compelled to under - go to very severe operation In New York yesterday, he stood the oper? ation successfully and was doing well last night The operation was for a cancer of the mouth, the physicians In New York having confirmed the diagnosis made here. The operation was a serious one and those of Mr. Lee's acquaintances here who were aware of his condition have, in con? sequence, been very apprehensive of the result. They will be much grati? fied, these/ore, to know that Mr. A. T. !*mrsit. the r-.*-ad r?f the tnw firm of which Mr. JLee Is such a distin? guished member, received a telegram 1 last evening stntlng thst the opera tlon had been successful and that Mr. Lee was resting well. The en? tire community will Join In the hope that he may have a speedy and com? plete recovery.?News and Courer, Dec. 18. Mr. Lee has many friends in Sum qualntance* in Sumter county who will regret to hear of his serious Ill? ness. What to Heed. "Tell me what a man reads and I will tell you what he Is." said a wise writer; for little by little the things that we read become our thoughts, and make the very tex? ture of the mind Ourtng the last few months the attention of the American people has been aroused by the considera? tion of pure and Impure foods. This agitation has done good, for with the abundance of good food there Is lit? tle excuse for using any food which Is harmful. The time has come when the American family must give better attention than In the past to another matter?the choice between good and bad reading. We have read enough about wickedness In both public and private life; too many stories of criminal transactions; too much about the evil and not enough about the good in lire. Let us hare the bright and clea a Side of our American lift? only. L?t us read stories ..f ?htm?.? who arc both brave and no>>h\ and not vulgar snd confessed criminals. The mis? sion of the press Is to help the re|<l er. not drag him down; to mggssl high, not low Ideals. At this season the as.tage Aneii can family selects periodical! fot Uli next year. Let the choice be only for chun, wholesome, patriotic peri? odicals. Send for "the Prospectus ??f the 1010 Volume of The Youths Companion and nee what an amount of the best reading selected from tl ? World*? abundance of every sort can be Ii .,1 for oi.'v 51.7f, -52 splendid Issues. Kvery new subscriber receives I addition to the || Issues for If 10, all the Issues for the remaining weeks . of 1809, and the "Venetian" Cab-u dar. lithographed In' thirteen colors and gold. The Youth's i \ HJBJ pa niou, Compan Ion Building, lh?ston, Mass. New Subscription* reclvod at this office. The policeman have I.n provi? ded with new millinery for the winter c ?mhig to s< i* members of the force, l ut ti e th< >\UI Ju*t - - ??? _._?_._._ Farmers' Union News ?AND ? Practical Thoughts for Practical Farmers (Conducted by K. W. Pabbs, President Tanners' Union of Suniter County.) The Watchman and Southron having decided to double its service by semi-weekly publication, would Improve that service by special features. The first to be Inaugurated Is this Department for the Farmers' Union and Practical Farmers which I have been requested to conduct. It will be my aim to give the Union news and official calls of the Union. To that end officers, and members of the Union are requested to use these columns. Also to publish such clippings from the agricultural papers and Govern? ment Bulletins as I think, will be of practical benefit to our readers. Ori? ginal articles by any of oar readers telling of their successes or failures will be appreciated and | ublished. Trusting this Department will be of mutual neneflt to all concerned, THE EDITOR. All communications for tl Is Department should be sent to E. W. Dabbs. Mayesvllle, S. C. SEED AND SOIL. PROF. BARROW OF CLEMSOX DELIVERS VALUABLE AD? DRESS. Selection of Seed and the Applica? tion of Proper Fertilizers and Proper Treatment off Soil Bring Profit to Farmer?. Prof. Barrow, of Clemson College, who conducted an instittute for far? mers in the Court House Wednesday, remained in the city Thursday to deliver an address on the subject of soil fertility. The public gecrally was invited, but the Invitation was ex? tended especially to the farmers of the county who attended In only fair numbers. Professor Barrow confined his re? marks practically to two subjects, the selection of seed and soil fertUlty. In speaking of the former he said that for hundreds of years it has been recognised In animals that blood will tell, but that man have not been mindful of the fact that the same) rule holds good in plant life. The | same laws of nature apply alike to plant and animal life. In selecting a foundation row for a herd, the finest possible spec.ii.<n is purchased, the ?alaotioil being made not only with regard la the q mittles of the cow purchased, but usually with a full knowledge. Take corn for Instance; the selection of seed Is often made from the corn after it has been placed in the crib, without ac? knowledge of the pedigree of the seed. The only way to make the se? lection is in the field, where observa? tion will tell what the ancestor;; have done. Much can be accomplished by the selection of seed. Wherever stalks can be found without silking, cut the tassel off, so that no barren pollln can injure seed for next year. To get the best seed, select an individ? ual stalk, one with good root devel? opment, with ear about 3 1-3 feet from the ground. By one year's se? lection in this way, an increased pro? duction of 5 bushels per acre can be had. It is important that each farmer should select his own seed. We know that if we move to some distant State that we have to become acclimated. The same laws hold good with plants. A sample of corn was once taken fro.n Iowa, and introduced Into Vir? ginia. It was planted by itself with no chance of mixing. The yield was fine, being 80 bushels to the acre, a wonderful Increase over the former yield; but when the corn was feath? ered, It looked as if the seed had been taken from the four corners of the earth. It was adjusting itself to the conditions of soil and climate. Fertilization, care and selection of seed taken t father constitute the reason of ?.!?? plaids, The farmer must salaol all seed and continue thai selection. In the recent State eonlest the winners oi the prizes were almost to a man the ones who ?.ad bean breed? ing their ssad for i numb* r of years, .\'<?vv, the question arises as to what constitutes the bast ear of t orn. There is no fixed slsa, it ihould sa near cylindrical as possible, one that Can cany as many mains of GOTO BJ Possible, one that will uive a mini? mum amount of Cob to a maximum amount of main. The rows ihOttld bi straight, a sign of good business, and is evidence of good healthy, thrifty growth. The grain thould ?tori as near the Putt as possible and run entirely over the t i?. There is no iKed rule as to slss and length. Whan the cob is too small there la not enough grain, and where ths oob ii too large the proportion or grain is too small, and the gralm are, also, Short, Take an ear of corn and break it near the butt tht oob should con stitute one-hait the total diameter of the gob, The cd, must he filled, no to huvn a. perf< Bt ear f KITI ?Iii,..1.1 I... i -??< 1 I section, so that best results might be obtained. Prof. Barrow then touched upon conditions pertaining to the fertility of the soli. He considered it not simply a matter of the quantity of plant food, but how to get at and utilize the plant food already In the soil. This year 14,000,000 pounds of mixed fertilizers and 3,000,000 pounds of cotton seed meal were used In the State of South Carolina. The State this year produced only 1, 100,000 bales of cotton. In four years the Increased use of manufac? tured fertilizers has been 50 per cent, while the increase in cotton produc? tion has been only 25 pr cent. Cot? ton must pay this bill of about $16 per bale. There are other conditions of more Importance than plant foo i In the soil. Often soils with plenty of plant food in them refuse to pro? duce plants. Plants can only take food that has been dissolved in wa? ter, and unless the plant food is solu able in water it is absolutely without benefit. The problem is to render the plant food available, and the question Is how? Among the most active agents for this purpose are the oxygen and carbonic acid In the air. Moisture is, also, of prime impor-. tance. An excess will prevent plants from thriving on account of its ex? cluding the air. A deficiency of mois? ture prevents the proper solution of plant food. Moisture is also of Im? portance because it enters so largely Into the composition of the plant. For every pound of dry matter used in the production of an ear of corn, 300 times that amount of water is used, which is brought up to the plant by capillary attraction. Tn ?'ry weather frequent stirring of the sur? face soil Is the best way to hold the moisture, the bttrrad up portion acts as a sponge. Frequent shallow stir? ring is the best way to hold moisture. If soil Is compact it will not drink up moisture, and for this class of soils deep fall breaking is greatly t?? Ks j betterment; air is let into the soil and j with it the cold which freezes an i thaws to a great depth. Decaying vegetable matter not only returns to the soil all that it has taken out of It, but in decompos? ition it supplies other plant foods by reason of its fermentation. De? caying vegetable matter if turned in will enable the soil to hold its moisture, and assist its capillary attraction. It is of great Improve? ment to the mechanical condition of fine soils. A fertile soil is one teeming with bacteria organisms. W%! must consider under what conditions bac? teria life thrives best. There must be plenty of air decayed vegetable matter, proper temperature, and a proper amount of moisture. The cultivation of bacteria life should be one of the prime objects of a farm? er. The work of bacteria is the tearing down and rendering soluable plant food, when the air is excluded the work of the bacteria counts for nothing. Bought fertilizers should not be too greatly depended on. They correspond to the farmer as patent medicine does to the physi? cian. It does add plant food of a soluable kind, but It is useless to add plant food of a kind that the soil is not deficient in, or when it is de? ficient In another. The conditions of the soil are to be considered, and the soil should be experimented with in order to find out exactly what it needs for proper growth of the plants' desired to be raised. The j farmer must use fertilizers that will supply the elements that the soil j needs, and they can get more and batter results from decayed vege table matter than from any manu? factured fertilizers on the market. If a farmer would only mix his own ; fertilizer, he would save $5.00 per '? ton for the mixing alone, and he i would get the ingredients that his soil most needs. Stable manure, the , best of all fertilizers, supplies plant food in soluable form, vegetable matter, and furnishes a source of Innoculatlon with bacteria?the best \ that can be had. A man is wasteful I who sells any rough feed from his farm; he carries off fertility with all the benefit that he has taken from It In the way of fertilization and be? sides the bacteria. The profit to the farmer would be doubled by a gain in fertilizer and a gain in the flesh of his animals. Commercial fertilizers pay best only when there is a proper amount of vegetable mat? ter in the soil. He hoped that the day would soon come when not a dollar's worth of nitrogen would be purchased in South Carolina. Prof. Barrow's address was al? together Interesting, and will un? doubtedly prove of Immense benefit to all who were fortunate enought to here him. His audience will surely be much larger when he agains visits Sumter. The Delineator for January, Women writers make The Delin? eator for January the m<>st impor? tant of the midwinter magazines. Mrs. Philip X. Moore, president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, explains what the clubwomen of the United States expect to ac? complish during 1910. Marie Rap pold, the grand opera star. who achieved fame without a foreign training, tells how "I Blazed the Way for American Singers." Mabel Potter Daggett gets down to bedrock in "Suffrage Enters the Drawing Room," In whicli she gives intimate pictures of the leaders in the new women's movement. Mme. Teresa ! Carreno, the celebrated musician, gives her interpretation of Edward MacDowell's "Barcarolle." The clev? er writer, Minnie J. Reynolds, has a study of the liquor question, and in "Gone Dry" puts down some rather startling facts. The January number is particu? larly strong in fiction. Rudyard Kipling's story, "The Conversion of St. Wilfrid," is the best of the series that he has written especally for The Delineator. Grace MacGowan Cooke's serial, "The Power and the Glory," becomes intense. Owen Oliv? er contributes a dainty, lovable story called "The Understudy." Perceval Gibbon is up to his high standard in "The Sense of Climax." Jay Cady has "Sylvester Abend." The January articles fit in the whole house. Rev. Edward Tall madge Root in the series "What's the Matter with the Churches?" takes up "The Waste in Church Property." "The Home a Club for Boys" and "The Dangers of Institu? tional Life" give suggestions on chil? dren, while "Training the Girl in the Home" tells what to do with the growing-up daughter. The fashions are especially replete. Clara E. Slmcox, the fashion author? ity, in "Her Infinite Variety" tells what she saw at the opening of the New Theatre in New York. Edouard La Fontaine gives all that is latest in Paris, while Helen Berkeley Lloyd discusses "New Year's Reckonings and Resolutions." The fashions in the big cities of the world are print? ed in colors, and all that 1? latest ir dress Is handleo The money order clerk at t!i< post office is a busy man these days and it is said he ia m neeu ui auto? matic stamps for Richmond and Jacksonville orders, he has so many to make out on those offices. The up-to-date merchant adver? tises and it stands to reason that an up-to-date merchant is the one to patronize. See the point?. school m ili>in<;s < KITH isf.d. Many off Tliom Dangerous According To State Pipe Inspector. Columbia. Dec. IS.?"I regret v*ry much to have to report the condition j of many school buildings in the . State as far short of what they ' should be." says B. A. Wharton in in his report to Insurance Commissi? oner McMaster after inspecting tho school buildings of the State with reference to fire protection and fire escapes. "I And comparatively few school buildings in the State properly pro? vided with the fire extinguishers, and fire escapes, which, in my opinion, is very essential to the safety of the property and the lives of occupants of such buildings. I "I further call your attention to the fact that there are school build? ings in South Carolina packed to their fullest capacity with human souls, that neither have no fire es? capes are so inadequate that in event of a conflagration during school hours, it would be almost, if not impossible, to empty such buildings of occupants without serious loss of human life. Ma^MHaaHIBaHlaaMHaaaBaaa STOLEN?A small black mule.S Weighs about 675 pounds; 7 or 8 years old. White spot on back, under seddle, also Rock Hill bug? gy, second-hand. Reward of $25 for return. Notify J. T. Atkinson, Mayesville, s. C. R. f. D. No. 1. FOR SALE?One 35 H. P. Liddell Boiler and one 35 H. P. Eagle En? gine. Both in good condition. A bargain for some one. P. M. Pitts. 12-15-2t. Fine Perfumery We have a very large stock of all the Imported and domestic perfumes?Rogar and Gallet, Pen aud, (Kirkoff Djerkis), etc. j Hudnut Goods of ail kinds. Hudnut Violet Sec Toilet Water, each bottle put up in a handsome enbossed Christmas Box. No 75c and $1.40 for Bottle. j CUT GLASS BOTTLES full of the finest perfumes from Si.oo to $10.00. SIBERT'S DRUG STORE, W. W. SIBERT. 8 S. Main St. Phone 283. HOLIDAY SPECIALTIES! KEISER CRAVATS Holiday Shipment Red figured effects, deep shades, in rich Satins and Silks Silks specially woven Slip easily under fold collars Keiser-Barathea, bright all-silk, in ovet sixty plain colcrs, three qua?tic? Grand Prize St. Louis World's Fair for Quality, Workmanship and Style m ? 8 tH ?? " . IK ' IBULsr r.err. Hear Ihii Lnb? T| HE selection of a suitable I Christmas Gift for a Man or a Boy, is an easy proposition at this store. We have so many "just right" things, that it's only a matter of choice in making selections. The thing a Man or Boy appreciates most?the thin .^s he v. ould buy for himself ?are here in great variety and the picking is now at its best. CHOICE GARMENTS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION CORRECT HEADWEAR OF ALL SORTS. TOGGERY FROM MAKERS, THAT KNOW HOW. CHOICE OUTFITTING IN ALL THE BEST STYLES. Our store fairly glows with the spirit of Christmas, and WC promise you the best of service, looking or buying. Make ,your selections early I The D. J. Chandler Clothing Co., Phone 166. Sumter. S. C.