The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 02, 1910, Image 4
?l)r oulaitouiau an? ^jutjjrak
WEDNESDAY, FtBftUARY 2, 1910.
The Sumier Watchman was found?
ed In 1850 and the True Southron In
lift. The Watchman and Southron
aow haa ths combined circulation and
Influence of both of the old papers,
and le manifestly the best advertising
saadlum In Burnt sr.
PARTNER WITH NATURE.
South Carolina Roy Wins Govern -
ami's Prise for Finest Crop.
(From ths New Tork Evening Mall.)
There probably Is nothing more
proaslc to the superficial observer
than a one-acre cornfield, unless It Is
another Just like It. or possibly a lit?
tle more so. It Is merely a patch of
growing crop, where the combined
forces of man and the favoring sun?
shine are coaxing nature more or lens
effectively to smile with a harvest.
From ths hour of planting, down
through successive hoelngs to the
final processes of cutting and husk?
ing, the field Is nothing more to tie
unthinking than a commonplace
? geaae of human activity, in which the
work la hard and the returns uncer?
tain
But Beecom Usher's one-acre corn
Sold was distinctly different. It was
the theatre not only of an exploit
wh>ch eharme one's Imagination, but
Of en agricultural triumph that
ehould make every American boy
proad.
Baoom Usher Is 17 yesrs old. and
Urea In South Carolina. Now. every
real ths government organises a na?
tional corn contest for boys, in which
tie.tee \n prises is awarded for va
rtoue achievements, including ons for
the largest yield from a single acre.
Beesem Usher entered last year s
eon test. He ploughed his acre,
planted It. cultivated It as hs believed
it should be, and watched end tended
It at If It were some delicate flower
bed. The work wee hard?everybody
that ever hoed corn knowe that?but
Baeeom Usher forgot his fatigue In
the cheer Joy of watching that corn
grow, ia due season It was cut and
chucked, and a little later it was
hushed. Thea the official committee
gaset around, looked over the results,
sad decided that Bascm Usher's acre
had won the flret prise.
Pleasi consider what this victory
meant to Bascom Usher In a practi
leal way, and quite apart from the ex?
altation of pride, which It must h ive
brought to him. His one-acre field
produced lit 1-1 bushels of corn,
which cold as pries seed at It a
bushel, making $305, and the fodder
for lit. or a total of $335. Allow?
ing till for labor, the one-acre corn?
field returned a net profit of 1200?a
yield rich enough to make the aver?
age grown-up corn grower gasp.
But ths sense of conquest was
worth more than the money. Bes?
eem Usher has lsarned how. He Is
a master of the soli. He has discov?
ered a new charm In land and be?
come a Joint partner with nature In
a combination capable of transform?
ing black loam and sunshine into
sold.
A Tear of Food Prices.
When you corns to consider prices
for food, essential food, not luxuries,
the scale of Increase is ons to alarm
the man of moderate means. Bacon
sliced was II cents In 1109. In 1910
it le 21 cent* The Increase dips a
hand Into the householder's pocket
every time a pound Is purchased and
extracts 7 cents. Suppose the man
cannot sfford that extra 7 cents, whst
does hs do under these high prices?
Hs buys Just thst fraction of a pound
lese than last year; and the average
sise of the average family being com?
puted at five as it is In all calcula?
tions, each of thoee five eat Just that
fraction lees of necessary nourish?
ment then last year. A year ago ham
in New Tork was 15 cents. Now It Is
ft. and the buyer must pay 33 per
tent. more, or eat 33 per cent less. It
le surprising that the Russell Sage
Investigation* of the poor prove that
Just and exactly as Income decreases
or prices Increase, the poor eat Just
end exactly that proportion lees of
ths food most needed to make muscle
and brawn, namely, meat?
In New Tork City In 1908, accord?
ing to prices current ss reported In
trade Journals, you could buy a port
erbouse for 24 or 25 cents, now It Is
II and 30; or a sirloin for 20, now It
Is 24; or a round steak for 18, now It
Is 20; or corned beef for 14, now It is
It. Salt pork three years ago cost
from lit to 118 a barrel. Now It Is
125 to 128. Lard represents an ad
vancs of 60 per cent, pork 15 per
cent., poultry from 20 to 50 per cent.
In the past year. Have salaries ad?
vanced at the same pace, from 15 to
80 per cent.? Not tht we have heard!
Imagine the outcry and the stoppage
of Industry In wage-earners demand?
ed what the Increase in the cost of
living demands of them??From
"The Housekeeper and the Rising
Coot of Living." by Agnes C. Launt,
In the American Review of Reviews.
Farmers' Union News
?AND -
Practical Thoughts for Practical Farmers
(Conducted by E. \\. Dabbs, President Tanner*' Union of Suiuter
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 thlnl will be of practical benefit to our readers. Ori?
ginal articles by any of o??r readers telling of their successes or failures
will be appreciated and | abllshed.
Trusting this Department will be of mutual benefit to ail concerned,
THE EDITOR.
All communications for t) Is Department should be sent to E. W. Dabbs.
Mayesville. S. C.
The Boys Corn Club.
To all the boys of Sumter County:
I want you to understand that in
the formation of a Boys Corn Club
of Sumter County, all the boys are
ellfible. The Club Is not to be con?
fined to sons of members of the
Farmer's Union. We want you all in
It. The Farmer's Union prizes of
course will be for sons of members,
but any other prizes that may be
offered will be open to all. Come to
the Court House next Friday. Send
your name If you cannot come in
person. Either Col. Watson or Mr.
Williams will make Interesting talks.
E. W. Dabbs,
President Sumter Co. Farmer'sUnlon.
WIM JAMS TO THE BOY FARMERS
Expert Describes Government's Plan
To Improve Corn Culture.
Prof. Ire W. Williame, who Is in
charge of the farm demonstration
work In this State, under the auspices
of the agricultural department, made
an eddrees at the court house to the
Boys' Corn Club, of Alken county.
The club was formally organised
and launched, with about fifty con?
testants. Ths contest bids fair to be
the most Interesting coneet ever con?
ducted in this State. Prof. Williams
exhlbled ears of corn grown by Mc
I\sr Williamson and Bascombe Usher,
explaining the advantages of select?
ing seed corn. He said that seed com
s> ould always be selected as regards
fullness of ears, stralghtness of rows,
which shows purity of variety, we'll
filled out ears, with the corn fully
developed to the end of the cob. The
cobs should be small, an1 if the corn
i" white. He cobs should be white
(although some authorities differ
with the government on this score.)
In part, and In substance, Prof. Wil?
liams said:
"Boys' corn clubs were conceived
with the Idea of disseminating among
the people In the rural districts all
the knowledgo the government has
obtained through ltc experiment sta?
tions. The government feels that It
is best to tske one specialty, and
corn wae eelected for that reason.
The boys are everywhere taking the
greatest of interest in the contests.
"We need to be taught methods
of increasing the productive capacity
of that class of people, who, from
force of circumstances, must reside
In the rural districts. The fact le
that, at the present rate of increase,
in forty years. It will require 52,000,
000 bales of cotton to supply the de?
mand of the world, whereas at this
time, the productive capacity of cot?
ton, and almost all other crops, le
decidedly on the decline.
"The government wants boys and
girls to learn those things that will
Increase the wealth of the peoplo le?
gitimately. Uncle Sam Is ready to
pay salaries of $100 a month to
boys and girls, who can be of uiie In
showing the people this fact.
"It Is planned to have twenty-five
counties In this State participating in
the corn contest this year. The boy
or girl who makes the greatest yield
In this State, Independently of the
county prises, will be given a free
trip to Washington, and will hnv > all
the honors of the department psssi
ble shown him or her. This honor
was this year won by Bascombe Jsh
er. of Marlboro, who made the coun?
try's greatest yield of corn on one
acre. 152 bushels. In Illinois, It oosts
on an average from 20 cents t> 37
cents a bushel to raise corn; in this
State, from 5 cents to 27 cents; and
as four-fifths of the plant food for
corn comes from the atmosphere,
corn here can draw from the air
much longer. The names of all the
contestants will be forwarded to
Washington, and from time to time
they will be sent all literature of the
department on corn culture."
BRITISH COTTON Cl'IiTlTRE.
Experiments Up to This Time Not
Completely Suecesaful.
The British government hau not
been very successful thus far In Its
efforts to promote the cultivation of
cotton In India, Egypt and in its
African colonies. The trouble seems
to be a lack of energy on the part of
the natives and the difficulty of se?
curing other labor. The Assouan
dam on the Nile, which was intended
to develop by irrigation a vast area
of desert land, has not thus far been
taken up and several companies have
been formed ror the colonization and
Irrigation of the surrounding coun?
try, only a small proportion has been
sold to actual'settlers and the cotton
crop of Egypt shows no increase in
volume. Indeed, the total for 1909
is smaller than for several previous
years, which is accounted for by var?
ious local reasons, but Is significant
because It shows that the opportu?
nities offered by the Assouan dam
have not been taken advantage of to
their full extent. Although the dan
cost a large sum of money, and Is a
monument of engineering skill, sev?
eral of the reclamation projects of
the United States government in the
far west have been more expensive
and will reclaim a larger area.
Although Egypt swarms with pov?
erty-stricken fellahs, as the peasant
class Is called, It Is very difficult to
make them work, and several enter
j prises Intended to take advantage of
the irrigation facilities of the Assou?
an dam have failed because of the
inability to securel abor. An Ameri?
can gentleman who purchased a
large tract of land attempted to se?
cure colored Immigrants in the United
States, but was only partially suc?
cessful, and the people he took over
soon abandoned their American ha?
bits and fell into the indolent ways
of the natives. This was not due to
the hookworm or any other internal
cause, but to the influence of the cli?
mate and environment. And the
same trouble prevails throughout all
Africa wherever the British, French
or German fAuthorltles have attempt?
ed to extend the cultivated area and
produce cotton, sugar and other trop?
ical crops.
On both the east and west coast of
Africa the cotton experiment has
been tried with the same results. In
India the natives do not produce
enough raw material to supply their
own factories, although they have
had the hearty encouragement and
support of the government and a
ready market at the maximum prices
for every pound of cotton they were
able to produce. The Germans have
made an effort to Induce the natives
In their colonies on the west coast of
Africa to plant cotton, and have been
no more successful. Both the Ger?
mans and English have taken expert
cotton planters, both white and col?
ored, from the Southern States to su?
perintend their plantations, and have
demonstrated that the soli and the
climate are admirably adapted to the
purpose, but they can not persuade
the natives to work. That Is the
trouble in Liberia, where repeated
attempts have been made to introduce
cotton culture ever since the colony
was founded seventy-five years ago.
Life Is too easy, the climate Is too
enervating and men who can live
without labor are very apt to do so.
The Germans, the French, the Bel?
gians and the Portuguese as well as
the English have tried to solve the
problem and have filled. Imported
white labor will not thrive In that
climate, and colored ImmiKrants who
have been brought in from the South?
ern part of the United States and
other countries usually abandon the
habits of Industry and thrift in which
they were bred, and adopt the indo?
lent customs of the natives within a
short time after their arrival.?Wm.
E. Curtis In the Chicago Record
Herald.
Columbia, Jan. 29.?The Georgia
Engineering Company, of Macon, Oa..
today was awarded a verdict of $7,
211 against the city of Columbia. The
Engineering Company brought suit
In the Federal Circuit Court for $44.
277 damages for the cancellation by
the city of a paving contract. The
plaintiff company had been given a
contract for the paving of sixteen
blocks on Main street. The city later
cancelled the contract.
Played a Star Role In the History
of Some Nations.
COST ONE KING HIS LIFE.
The Herring Fisheries Proved an Im?
portant Factor In the Overthrow and
Ultimate Execution by the Headsmen
of Charles I. of England.
A tale as stirring as any fiction could
be based on the part played by the sea
herring in the history of some of the
principal countries, writes Hugh If,
Smith in the National Geographic Mag?
azine. Its spawning and feeding
grounds have determined the location
of cities, and in several instances the
actual destiny of nations and the fate
of monarchs appear to have been in?
volved in the herring fishery. Even
today the herring is a factor in em?
pire.
Countries in which the quest of the
herrinr- is an important industry are
the United States, the Canadian prov?
inces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
Quebec and British Columbia, New?
foundland. England, Scotland, Wales
and Ireland. Norway, Sweden aud
Denmark, Russia, Germany, Holland.
Belgium, France, Japan and Siberi;
The prosecution of the herring fish?
ery aud trade has been considered not
beneath the dignity of nobility and
royalty. Fltz-Greene Halleck tells us
that
Lord Stafford mines for coal and salt,
The Duke of Norfolk deals in' malt,
t The Douglas in red herrings.
In 1677 the Duke of York and other
personages of rank formed a corpora?
tion called "the Company of tbe Royal
Fishery of England" for the purpose
of carrying on the herring fishery in
the North sea. They built a fleet of
Dutch "busses" and manned them
with Dutch fishermen and then were
bankrupted by the capture of their
vessels during n war with France. In
1720 some 2,000 of "the principal gen?
tlemen of Scotland" formed a com?
pany for herring fishing, but were
quickly disrupted, leaving a mournful
lot of stockholders.
In 1750 tbe Prince of Wales became
president, or governor, of a herring
fishery, with a capital of $2,500,000.
whose members "were among the first
men in tbe kingdom," one of the pro?
moters being General James Ogle
thorpe, founder of tbe state of Geor?
gia. Stock was taken with eagerness,
vessels were built quickly, and efforts
were made to learn tbe secrete of the
Dutch methods of curing herring, but
the company soon suspended. and Its
failure cast on the English herring
fishery an odium that continued for a
long time.
It ia a matter of great historical in
terest that the herring fisheries' should
have been a prime and perhaps the
most Important factor in tbe over?
throw of Charles I., whose attitude
toward the development of home and
colonial fisheries was most unreason*
able and unfortunate. At a time when
the Dutch herring fishery bad attained
euch magnitude and importance that
it was regarded as the "right arm of
Holland" and when the sturdy Dutch
fishermen were pursuing their lucra?
tive calling under the encouragement
of their government the English peo?
ple were chafing under the grievous
restrictions Imposed by royal approval
on all who desired to engage in fishing
anywhere off tbe American coast be?
tween the fortieth and forty-eighth de?
grees of north latitude.
This effort on the part of the crown
to interfere with the cherished privi?
lege of "free fishing' had begun under
James and was bequeathed to Charles
and was perhaps the first in tbe series
of farreaching differences that sprung
up relative to the prerogative of the
crown as against the rights of the sub?
ject.
At the s? me time there was another
restriction placed on the fishermen at
home. When James ascended tbe
throne of England his navy consisted
of but thirteen vessels, and Charles
succeeded to a war fleet but little
stronger and utterly inadequate to
cope with the navy of the Dutch or
French.
After Charles had been successfully
opposed by the commons in his plan to
have no fishing conducted on the
American shores except by permission
of tbe company of "noblemen, knights
and gentlemen" known as the council
of Plymouth he levied "ship money"
on the fishing and mercantile vessels
at home in order to build up bis navy,
with the distinct object of breaking
up tbe Dutch herring fishery on the
shores of England and driving tbe
Dutch from "the four narrow seas"
over which England claimed jurisdic?
tion.
At the expense of tbe fisheries and
navigation Charles finally fitted out
tbe largest war fleet England bad ever
had and succeeded in his purpose, so
far as the Dutch were concerned, but
the levying of "ship money" stirred
up civil war at home, and Charles paid
the extreme penalty.
The Exception.
"What are the dining hours at your
club?"
"From 5 to 8 for all exopt the com?
mittee."
"Why the exception?"
"Because rule 5 says. The commit?
tee is at liberty at any time to fill any
vacancy in their body.*" ? Boston
Transcript
Troublesome Teeth.
The Young One?Do your teeth ever
give you trouble?
The Old Oao?Oh, yes. I mislay 'em
sometimes.?Yonkers Statesman.
IDwarflike sins often have gigantic
children.
BIG COTTON SEED CAKE ORDER.
Large Cargo to be Sent Abroad, Prob?
ably From Charleston.
Columbia. Jan. 29.?One solid oar*
go?5.000 tons?of cotton lead cake
I3 the order from the mills 01 South
Carolina and Georgia for export. Much
of this will come from the Charles- !
ton cotton seed oil mills, and the cargo j
will probably be loaded in that city.
The significance of this immense
purchase is that foreign buyers are
willing to pay the prevailing high
prices for the cake. The result of the
shipment abroad will be the
strengthening of the meal market,
and consequ?ntly higher prices on
account of the removal from the
market In this State of such a large
quantity from the mills.
Charlotte. X. C, Jan. 23.?J. Harry
Jones, an express messenger, running
between Charlotte and Jacksonville,
was today found guilty of shooting
William I* Felder, a well known fur?
niture merchant of St. Matthews, S.
C.i In this city on the morning of De?
cember 14.
Special attention is directed to the
Health Officer Reardon's report on
the smallpox situation at Bossards.
The existing condltio'u are serious
and, In some respects, alarming, ow?
ing to danger of an epidemic of the
disease. Only Immediate and general
vaccination can prevent the spread of
the disease, and as several hundred
persons have already been exposed to
Infection there is every rason to be?
lieve that a number of cases of small?
pox must of necessity result from
this case at Bossards. Every person
who has not been vaccinated within
?
the past five or six years should be
vaccinated at once. The discomfort
of a sore arm is a small thing in com?
parison with a virulent attack of
smallpox.
A fool must now and then be right
by chance.?Cooper.
LOW RATES TO
New Orleans, La., Mobile, Ala., Pen
sacola, Fla., for Mardi Gras Feb?
ruary S to 8, 1910.
Tickets on sale February 1. 2, 3, 4.
5. 8, a-ut 7, H10, with final Unvt to
reach original starting point not later
than midnight of February 10, with
privilege ot extension to Maren 7,
1910.
ATLANTIC COAST LINE RAIL?
ROAD COMPANY.
For information, address nearest
ticket agent, or
W. J. CRAIG, T. C. WHITE,
Pas. Traffic Mgr. Gen. Pas. A.
WILMINGTON, N. C.
l-28-2t W. & S.
PERUNA TONIC FOR
?HS, COLDS, CATARRH
Per una Drug Co., Columbus, Ohio.
Gentlemen: I have used Peruna
and find that it cannot be equaled as
a tonic, as well as a cure lor C3U<:h>,
colds and catarrh.
You are authorized to use my
photo with testimonial ia any pub
( lication.
S Joseph H. Chase,
f 801 Tenth St., Washington, D. C.
Cold and La Grippe.
Mr. C. Happy, Hardin, Hay Co., Mo.,
writes: "I can safely recommend Pe?
runa as a remedy that will cure all ca
tarrhal troubles.
44It was of great benefit to me, as it
cured me of catarrh of the throat, and
I took a verjr bad cold and had la
grippe last February. It ?ettled in my
throat and lungs. 1 took ton e bottles
of Peruna and it cored me.
"I highly recommend it to all who
are sick, and I am glad to add my en?
dorsement to that of others."
Pe-ru-na for Colds.
Mr. L. Clifford Figg, Jr., 2029 Eaat
Marshall St., Richmond, V*., writes
that when he gets a cold he takes Peru?
na, and it soon drives It out of his system.
For several years he was not entirely
well, but Peruna completely cured him.
People who object to liquid medicines
can now secure Peruna tablets.
Ask Your Druggist for a Free Peruna
Almanac for If 10.
COTTON CONFERENCE CALLED.
Agricultural Improvement to be Dis?
cussed at Atlanta.
Atlanta, Jan. 29.?A meeting to or?
ganize the National Cotton Product
Association has been -ailed for At?
lanta lor February in. Tue cr.U says
th-* purpose of the i?>v association
j Will be: ^
X? concentrate tuo 1h.k.j.. , .
scattered efforts of helping the gov?
ernment to improve agriculture by
means of States, press, colleges, rail?
roads, experiment stations, industries
and individuals, Into one great co?
operative movement through which
alone we can hope to achieve the
highest result and secure enduring
prosprity.'
O'DonnelUCo.
Sumter's Big
Business : : :
UR various stocks which
were badly broken dur?
ing our past great sale are
again filling up.
If high-class Merchandise
at a moderate price is wanted,
don't forget,
I
>
YOURS* TRULY,
0'Don^iell*Co
\