University of South Carolina Libraries
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1910. The Sumter Watchman was found? ed In 1&6? and the True Southron In lilt. The Watchman ami Southron How has the combined circulation and Influence cf both of the old papers, and Is manifestly the best advertising medium in Sumter. Gen. BaalInole Wille Jones was re elected chairman of the State Execu ' Tuesday . There wa< some opposition, but he had a major? ity of the committee at his back and Cole i. 1.lease lead the fight in his behalf. We cannot say we are sur? prised at the outcome, but we had Indulged a hope that the State Dem? ocracy would rid Itself of the Seml nole Incubus. We are pleased to note that Mr L. I. Parrott, Sumter's rep? resentative on the committee, repu? Me*e4 the losMt reejtaM and aoaainat' ed v\ 1. D. J. Griffith for the position that Gen. Jones clings to with as per? sistent a grip as he does to the thou? sand dollars he was paid for the use of his name by the Semlnolo promo? ters. Sumter cour.ty, at least, has repudiated St mlnollsm, and with this a> we must be content for two years, see Mr. Lewis W. Parker advises the I ?tton mill men to make common < i irh the farmers to maintain the price of cotton at its legitimate level. This Is good advice and If the mills had adopted this policy years ago, instead of aiding and abetting the cotton exchange gamblers of New York ami Liverpool, the South?cot Itfl farmers, cotton mills and all oth? er lines of business?would today be better off. The coalition of cotton mills and cotton speculators to manip? ulate the price of cotton has been ruinous to thos* who depended upon actual cotton f>r a llvng. and was un? natural as damaging. The man who grows cotton and they who spin and weaves It into cloth are engaged in an honest and legitimate buslnes and are dependent upon a marketable com modltv for a livelihood, but the cot? ton exchange speculators are gamb? lers pure and simple and every dollar that they gf: Is an unrighteous tribute levied upon the toll of honest pro du<M rs. If Lie mills and the farmers, or som.? business-like organization of farmers, tea get together then specu? lators ana be cut out entirely; the mi Is -ntract at a fixed price for all th f I f i. need from year to year and >nl\ the surplus cotton. If inv, will be thrown upon the open market. Tho size of the surplus will determine the price the mills will be willing to pay for the next year's crop. ?n<l it will behoove the farmers to keep the surplus within bounds. These would be Ideal conditions and doubtless impossible of entire realiza? tion, but they can be approximated If farmers and mill men will but work together with an honest purpose to do what Is mutually beneficially on a |lv? and let live policy. Congressman Chump Clark. Champ Clark's ambition to become a memb. r of congress was born when hi ? I a r .; ;??<! bar.- f. >.-i-- I young. ter In Kentucky. Tho minority lead? er t< I 1 about that ambition In the teejtJ the Other day, and It made a I story, until Senator Ca? n?>n came alon?? and injected some ?naatl? na. utterances into Lie pro? ceedings, whereupon the remarks of Clark were almost overlooked. He was kicking about an appropriation for the malnten.it> , of the speaker's atMaaael lbs, and referred to tho ex pens. * of m-untalning the govern? ment. "I am proud of my seat." said Mr. Clark, "as any man here. I will stay here If I run get $7.500 a year, and I woul.l stay here If you cut the salary don r% to $.",.000 a year. I would stay rf yoej < itt it Saara to ti.ooo. if you eut It down to $a.000?I would stay n? r. i ? *111 took the salary away as long as I had bunk account enough to Stay That is because I like the ser *l<e here. It Is tne thing that I look? ed far Ward to ftom a time that I can ?aafeety reeaeraeoei when i was a poor, ban ?'o,,t. ragged boy boring torn ?n a rocky hlil In Kentucky. "I had never s en a lawyer, 1 had | n?'Vfr seea I congressman. I had nev? er area ? court houeOi but i made up | my mind then that I was going to be, a lawyer and that I was going to be( member or the house of representa t: . . an I I made good on loth pfop eallli a* The picture of that little aeubttloui boy, working ai a hired hand. ?In inilng of the Hay ?ben he wai la be hers, abides with m< to thi" ?i i. and will abide with bm forever*" ? Washington Timet Charlie Drown has opened ap ? toad through Wateret swamp at Sunt? t? rLanding, where he has a forty" foot tut with a thiit. fool railing, lie i-; prepared to carry automoblltsta nad ofb- n acroai the river. Mr. Scott from Ka*tov< r made the trip ov ?r w< in i i and expressed himself pji well pies ? I with the route. Thla will short? n the trip to Columbia very ma? terially, as heretoforo the trip had to be mado by Camdcn. Farmers' Union News ?AND ? Practical Thoughts for Practical Farmers (C'otului ted by K. \Y. Duhhs, President Farmers' Union of Sumter * County.) The Watcbman and Southron having decided to double its service b> s? mi-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 1 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 tf'e Union are requested to use these columns. Also to publish such clij ings from the agricultural papers and Govern meal Bulletins as I think will be of practical benefit to our readers. Ori? ginal articles by any of o r readers telling of their successes or failures Will he appreciated and | ublished. Trusting this Department will be of mutual benefit to all concerned, THE EDITOR. All communications for tl is Department sh. uld be sent to K. W. Dabbs, Mayesvllle. S. C. Some Random Thoughts. All of our space today is taken up with the importnace of legumes? .\ hat Prof. Massey says on the sub it. t is well worth reading. Notice bow he advises sticking to one or two legumes, rather than trying everything that some enthusiast rec? ommends.. This reminds me of what the late Col. Newman said some years AgO at an institute in the Court II >use: That with cow peas, oats nnl sorghum, the South could beat the world on forage. In regard to the Farmers Institute's proposal by Prof. liurrows: The Farmers' Union will do its share to have one. but previous experiences at Sumter and Mayesvllle with the small number of farmers that attended makes one shy of trying to have an Institute at either place. Does some Country neighborhood want the In? stitute this summer? The President of the Union will engage with Prof. Purrow for an institute but the time and place will require more thought. E. W. D. 'Die South' Cire?t Variety of legumes.1 There are many species of legume plants, and many have been tried as renovating crpps. Some of them have been dropped out, either be? cause the forage made from them is BOt good or not relished by stock, or because they have been found un suited to various sections. The two legumes that have become of the greatest value in most parts of the South are the cowpea and crim? son or annual clover, the one for summer and the other for winter soil rover and spring fertilizer. These two plants make a team that will do more for the general area of the South than anything that can be grown, the one for hay and the other for plowing under in the spring, after the waste of the soil all winter. In the far South the velvet bean ti l a great value and may super? sede the cowpea as a forage-maker. In Florida the beggar weed has been found valuable, but its value de? creases rapidly as we come northward until in the larger part of the South It is simply a weed. The velvet bean, while of great value where it matures, soon reaches a point northward where the cowpea will laways beat it. In favorable seasons it will mature in the far southeastern sections of North Carolina, and even in the central part of the State it will make an Immense amount of forage. Planted In rows tight feet apart at Kalelgh, they made a mass over the whole ground half waist deep. I heilt ve that in all the warmer parts of the South the velvet bean can he made very profitable for green soiling to cattle Much has been said In regard to the VOtchoft, and especially In regard to what is known as the Hairy vetch or Sand vetch. Where tome grain like wheat is sown with the Hairy vetch, to sustain it off the ground, it will make i . nc hay crop from fall sow? ing, and ean be gotten off the ground In time to grow a crop of cowpea hay, And to leave the land in crimson clover in the fail. i once sowed wheat And vetch In the fall, cut the crop in May and cured it for hay, sowed the land In cowpeas and cut thcs?> for hay and had a fair stand of alfalfa on the ! iml l?efore cold weather. This, of course, with liberal use of seid phos? phate and potash, Jn the lower Mise? Isslppl valley the stations have found that the soli is plentifully supplied with potash, but even there it will not do to Ignore the needs of the legume,* for phosphoric ncld, which, with nl trogen, In the greatest deficiency Inall of our old cultivated soils, and Is apt to be the determining factor In any fertiliser mixture, I n the Ihm- bind-- of Mi K- ippi the melllotus or sweet clover has been found to be a raluablu legume for the Im prove nie nt of the soil, It grows m ? *eed all o\, r the United states, but so far as my experience goes, cat* 11? Will have to he half starved be fore tin y will eat it, and I think it has little value as a forage plant. But the legume that has excited more attention than any other in re? cent yean li alfalfa, or lucerne, as it was formerly called. In the arid sec? tion of the West alfalfa has become the greatest ol* forage crops, and here and there in the East, as about Syra? cuse In New York and at HUlsboro, X. (\, all alia has been grown success? fully for more than a generation. The alfalfa region of Mississippi and Ala? bama seems destined to be one of the richest agricultural sections In America before many years. Alfalfa, when well established, will certainly make an immense amount of valuable forage. But it Is not a crop bring up poor land, as the cowpea is, for alfalfa demands a fertile soil, a well drained soil, and one In which the subsoil will allow the roots to penetrate deeply. With a lot near the barn where the farmer ' can get the land into high condition he can do well with alfalfa, but for the rapid improvement of worn soils and crops to take into a short ro? tation the cowpea and crimson clover have a far higher value In the South than alfalfa ever will have. The Western plains can beat us with al? falfa, but we can beat them out of sight with cowpeas and crimson clo? ver. With a rotation of corn, with peas among it, followed by winter oats, and these by peas and crimson clover, and back to corn with all the farm manure, I can produce more for? age and feed more cattle on the aver? age Southern farm than any one can with alfalfa till the land Is in high condition. Of course, in the Cotton Bolt I would lengthen the rotation by bringing in cotton on the crimson clover grown after peas and oats, and would get the land in crimson clover after the cotton, and put all the farm manure on this for the corn crop. Grow alfalfa, but put It on a little piece of your richest land and you may get good crops, by for building up the land and feeding stock, put your main dependence on cowpeas in summer and crimson clover in win? ter. , I do not mean to discourage the growing of alfalfa, but to show that In order to do well with It, the land must be in hight condition. Then In the South never sow alfalfa In the spring, for the crabgrass will surely destroy it. Sow In September and gi\e It a chance to get ahead of the crabgrass the next summer. If you are In an alfalfa section, by all means make the most of It, but If your soil i lacks lime, or Is thin and shallow, begin with peas and clover. There has been a great deal of talk about various things to mix with cow? peas for hay. Some mix corn In the pea field, BO me sow sorghum and mil? let, lint none of these help in the curing of the hay; certainly sorghum does not. and millet ripens before the peas are ready to cut and makes the hay dangerous for horses. In fact, In all my experience T have found that a pure crop of peas is about as easy hay to cure as anything if you will simp y let it cure and do not monkey with all sorts of contrivances to spoil it. At the proper season I will have more to say about this. The best thing to mix with peas is the soy bean. Tbis is uprlghi In habit, and helps to hold up the peas and make them easier to harvest, and to some extent, easier, perhaps, to eure. Among all tiie forage legumes for the South l would pin my faith to cowpeas and crimson dovei as the best summer nnd wlnt< r team to be had, A whole ton of 2?8?_ fertili? zer has I pounds of nitrogen. A fair crop of cowpeas will have over 100 pounds an acre. Mo t of the legumes refuse to grow on an ncld soil, but the cowpea will grow anywhere when the weather i.-> hot a nd fu \ or a I iff*, a tld w ill |< a ve muri nltrog< n in I In soil than we ? oubl g< t In a t ? *11 ->i a r< rage fori Iii? r i v<tgressh e I'arun r. The Open Itoutl to \giirictillurnl Pros perl! >. [?'arming will never make any (m untry rich us long as the farmers of that country have to buy nitrogen to feed their staple crops. Nor will farming ever make any country rich while the farmers of that country permit their soils to wash away or to ? wear out" for lack of a sufficient supply of humus. Southern farmers are grievous of? fenders against good agricultural practice in both these respects. Every year they spend millions of dollars for nitrogen in oommerical forms when they coul 1 have gathered enough for practically all of their crops from the air. On millions of acres of cultivated land the crops are limited each year by Insufficient water supply during "dry spells" and by the general lack of organic matter in the eoll. Until both these conditions are changed, the Southern farmer is not going to get as much as he should for a day's work; is not going to have as much as he should at the end of the year; is not going to con? tribute to the welfare of his commu? nity and his State as he might and should. At once the surest and the most economical way to correct these evils is by the growing of leguminous crops ?not the haphazard planting of a pea patch here or an alfalfa plot there but by the systematic planting of both summer and winter-growing legumes In a rotation adopted to in? dividual conditions and surrounn ings. The legumes will get nitrogen from the air, and save millions of dollars now spent for commerical fertilizers; they will add humus to the soils, im? proving its texture, increasing its water-holding capacity, making more available the plant food it contains, preventing gulleying. and making it easier to work; they will supply the best and cheapest feeds in the world, thus enabling the farmer to keep more stock 2nd to feed them better; they will increase the yields of all the staple crops and enable the farmers to make a profit on thousands of acres of land now idle and unprofit? able; they will, in short, if intelligent? ly used, put the farmers of the South on the highway to prosperity and in dipendence. To try to farm without them is. un? der all ordinary conditions, wanton folly; and the results of such farming are to be seen today in worn-out fields, gullied hillsides, poor crops, poor stock and unattractive homes. This issue is largely taken up with the experiences of men who have learned to make money growing le? gumes, and what they have done every year other farmers can, if he will, There may be farmers who can make money without growing these crops; but such men are rare, and there are very few men in the South engaged in general farming who could not increase their profits by planting them more liberally. Let every reader resolve right now to raise an abundant supply of legume forage for all hfs live stock?enough cowpeas and soy beans and peanuts for his pigs and calves to graze on all summer and fall, and enough to make hay for all his stock next win? ter. He will want besides thi3 to grow, If possible, this year enough seed for his own planting next season. Let him also arrange to seed all lands cultivated this season to a cover crop next fall. When he does this he will not only make bigger crops, but he will be able to feed his work stock and to make pork and beef and milk at the lowest cost. In short, he will be on the open road to prosperity and in? dependence.?Progressive Farmer. The One Crop to Plow Under. 1 have frequently been asked if you would not put more nitrogen and hu? mus in the soil to plow the legume crops under entire rather than save them for hay. Of course, we will get more humus-making material at once by turning under a crop of peas or vetch, but we are confronted by the fact that these crops have a high value, and that they can be fed to stock, and by far the larger part of their manurial value can be recov? ered in the manure if it is carefully saved. Hence, as a rule, it is poor farm economy to plow under these plants before using them as feed. To this, there is no exception. This is the crimson clover crop, This comes at a season when it is especially hard io cure it well for hay, and I have long since come to the conclusion that the best use for crimson clover is for making corn and cotton, we can let the clover come to full ma? turity and die and then plow It un ih r and have time in all parts of the South to make a crop of com, and in the far South, to make a cotton crop. I have s< en a great deal of crimson clover made into hay, but have never seen a first-class lot of hay made from d. as it i-: either bleached by the f?un, or, ji propertly cured in cocks. i Is apt to mold more than nny other buy. Then, too, if the cutting Is de? layed till the heads elongate and git brown below, the hay is rather dan egous for horses. Hence, l believe i that 1 would always make an excel-, tlon of crimson clover and use it at manure direct.?Progressive Farmer MORE ABOUT CHICAGO. Mr. Wim? Telia of His Visit to Many Places of Interest in That Great City, and of His Kind Treatment by Its People. Editor The item: 1 closed my last letter amidst the roar of the great city of Chicago and now will finish the account of my trip, hearing the gentle murmur of the breeze in the pine tops of Sum? ter. Before leaving home my friends, the D. J. Chandler clothing Co., kind? ly gave me a letter of introduction to Messrs. Hart, Schafner & Marx, per? haps the largest clothing manufactur? ers in the world, and from whom they buy some of their best grades oi' clothing. I presented the letter to Mr. T. P. Bain, who met me at the entrance of the building and introdu? ced me to Mr. M. W. Crcsof in the office, and he Introduced me to Mr. Hart, one of the firm. I received a i pleasant and warm welcome and shall always remember with pleasure their kindly manner and courtesy. They sent a young man with me, Mr. C. P. Bennett) to inspect the large building. We first looked over the ground floor, used as an office and here were 400 employes, most of them girls, all busy with books, typewriters, letters and all that enters into the financial part of a great business. We then took the elevator to the eleventh floor and ascended the stairs to the 12th, here the goods are received In large rolls, beautiful patterns and the best quality, all wool. They go through the shrinking process and then thro gh the drying room, after which each piece is carefully inspected for flaws In the weave. They are then measured, folded and sent down to the cutters. Every floor is the same size and covers about 1-4 of the large scpuare of the city. In the cutting room we saw electric c Hing ma? chines that cut 14 thickness of wool goods, with as much ease as a pair of sharp scissors would a piece of news? paper. The different pieces of gar? ments were asembled In bundles with all the necessary trimmings and plac? ed in large boxes on rollers and ready to.be carried to the different build? ings in the city where the goods are made up. This entire building being simply to prepare the cloth for mak? ing up and storing the finished gar? ments, and the office. I also visited one of the factories where the cloth? ing is sewed together and made into the beautiful finished garments, sew? ing machines humming like bees, and everything being done with thorough? ness and dispatch. I was In the cloth? ing business for ten years and never saw goods better handled and made and greater care taken to give a per? fect garment. The finished garments of all sizes were piled in rows about five feet high, and covered perhaps six floors of the large building. They also have large stores in New York and Boston and smaller ones In a good many other cities. Sixteen hun? dred are employed In the main build? ing in Chicago. I was also kindly favored with a letter of introduction from the Sum? ter Telephone Mfg. Co. to the general sheet iron trade rolling mills of the west. This letter I took to Messrs. Montgomery, Ward & Co. and asked to see the manager o: the sheet metal department and on giving my name and handing him the letter, he gave me a warm reception and handed me a card with the name of Mr. R. S. Coombs, Sales Agent, of the Berge Mfg. Co., of Canton, Ohio, whose of? fice was at 33 Dearborn St., Chicago, After taking a hasty glance at the immense store of Montgomery, Ward & Co., where one of the largest mall order businesses of the world Is done in almost every article of use or orna? ment, and who can take your order for a present to any misisonary in the world and deliver it to them with safety and dispatch. Here 3,000 are employed and It was a wonderful sight to see them coming from the building when the day's work was done. Looked like circus day in Sumter, when the show lets out. I went next morning to see Mr. Coombs and on handing him the card and letter from the Telephone Company, and stating my business, I was treat? ed like an old friend. After a pleas? ant interview, he dictated two letters to the stenographer, one to Mr. Geo. J. Smith, Bupt., of Berger Mfg. Co. and one to Mr. A. T. Enlow, sales manger, of the Stark Rolling Mill Co. both of Canton, Ohio, and handed j them to me to be delivered in per j son. Now to show the value of a good name, such as the Sumter Telephone I Mfg. Co. evidently has, in the far j away city and how pleasantly they do j busin? ss, I quote a few lines from one oi the letters: "Mr. Winn is sent to I us by Montgomery( Ward & Co. of this ] city and bears a letter from The Sum t- r Telephone Mfg. Co., Sumter, S. C, l am sure you will be very glad to meet Mi-. Wintl and do all you can In furtherance of the Introduction o . Ton Can metal, which 1 fed assured would bo the material that Mr. Winn should use for this purpose, for dura? I bllity and general efficiency. Thank? ing you in advance for any favors 'shown Mr. Winn, 1 remain yours ' truly. R. C. Coombs." I After a very pleasant visit to South Chicago, amidst beautiful parks, wide streets and shady sidewalks. I visited the building occupied by the editorial staff of the Technical World, a month? ly which I have taken for two years, and lind more information in it as to what is going on in the great world 4 than any periodical 1 have ever seen. I had a cordial greeting from Mr. William T. Walsh, and Mr. H. G. Hunting, two of the Editorial Staff, and after discussing 1 [alley's comet, the labor problem, the Sout*-' rn cot? ton fields and South Carolina peaches^ and the other good things in South^ Carolina, including cotton seed flour ? read, we had to say good bye, and with a hearty hand shake, including < ne from the little lady at the switch hoard, who directed me how to find the office, I hastened to get my train for Canton, Ohio, which I reached ! after an all night's run on the fast i train to Akron, Ohio, and then 30 \ miles by electric cars, and arrived 1 i ist in time for a good breakfast at I the McKinley Hotel. I then dettv . (-red the two letters as above stated, ! and could ask for no better treatment I from any one. Both of these gentle- , j men met mo with cordiality and y 1 frankness and we soon transacted the business in hand to our mutual satis? faction and I trust profit. I had a little time left and visited the tomb of the great William McKinley, the Martyr President of the United States,^ and true friend of the South. His tomb is on a high hill overlooking the city on one side and the beautiful farm lands on the other. A soldier at the door invited us in and I stood with uncover^P* head to view where his sacred dust sleeps besides that of . his lovely wife and children and felt " that ^ as well as every one in South Carolina and the whole South had lost a friend. I will always remem? ber with pleasure my visit to his home city. In a few hours I was on board of the fast train from Akron on to Washington over the Baltimore ^ and Ohio road, and after a pleasant all night ride, reached our nation's capital for early breakfast. After a pleasant day spent in this fine city, at 10 p. m. I laid me down to rest in one of the elegant sleepers on the At-gt lantic Coast Line bound for Sumter.^ My rest was so sweet and unbroken that T did not wake when the day coach left the track at Petersburg, and had to be left behind. The train was just slowing down or we may have had a serious wreck, but no one was hurt. And here we are again in^ the garden spot of our great country. Far away from the great cities and mighty industry of iron and coal, but amidst the never-ending gold mines of the cotton fields and cotton mills of the Sunny South. D. JAMES WINN, 4 Sumter, S. C, May 18, 1910. Resting Land. Have you a field that you intend te ?rest" this year by letting the old stalks of corn or cotton stand and grass and weeds grow all summerf^J Do you think the land is resting when it is growing this sort of stuff to seed the land and give you grass in the crop another year? Is the 'and not just as hard at work growing weeds and grass as it would be in . growing crops for feed and soil im-*# provement? Would it not be better for the land and the stock and your pocket to have peas on that resting field? But you say, "peas are too high-priced." They are not as high priced as the crop of weeds and grass that will grow there if you leave the L land out. for it will cost more money ? to kill the grass next summer than to sow the peas this summer. Then you lose a crop of forage and the benefit the peas would be to your land. Besides, this talk about the high price of peas comes w'th a bad grace from farmers who shou.'d sell. ^ You cannot afford not to sow peas, and to give them the phosphate acid and potash they need, if you have any regard for the future of your farm. The best way in the world to rest land is to keep it at work grow? ing crops that will feed stock, make manure, make the soil better and make the owner richer.?Progressive Farmer. China's drug store has offered to devote one day to the Civic League, giving a percentage from the soda fount to that worthy cause. The day has not yet been appointed. The case against Mr. J. C. Huger preferred by the auctioneer at Hair's jewelry store was withdrawn by the prosecutor, who did not care to ap? pear against him. Nothing is dtficult; it is only we who are indolent.?llaydon. WAXTKD?Competant Overseer for thirty horse farm. Must be re? liable and energetic and able to control labor. Present encumbent has paralysis. r. E. Thomas, Wedgfleld. S. C. W-it. WAXTKD The Farmers of Sumter County to know they can get pro te< tion for their crops against de? struction by Hail by a policy in the Carolins Hall Insurance Company, a. j:. Haynsworth, Agent. 2? 1-2 N. Main St., Sumter, S. C. 5-6-lt.