The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, August 25, 1917, Image 4
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Will be charged for.
The ?water Watchman was found?
ed la lilt andvthe True Southron in
Hit. The Watchman and Southron
new has the eomtlned circulation and
influence of both of the old papers,
and la manifestly the best advertising
The statement by Mr. Dabbs that
there Is a deposit of gravel on the east
atdo of Black rtver sufficient to budd
good roads In all that section of the
county Is ecouraging to those who
hope that Sumtnr county will somo
day have a system of properly grad?
ed, prpperly dmined and properly
surfaced public roads.
A great deal of money hns been
wasted In Improperly graded and in?
adequately drained public roads and .
much more has been lost by failure to
give the roads intelligent attention in
the way of repairs and systematic i
maintenance. It Is time that some i
profit be garnered from costly ex- I
perlence and the first lesson that I
should be learned la that Intelligent I
and regular repairs are fully as im- i
portent as the original construction? 1
if the work was properly planned and 1
executed in the first instance.
? a e 1
Bat this Is a digression from the 1
matter that we Intended to empha- ?
else?the fsct that there Is an abund- I
anoe of first class road material in
flumter county. We mentioned the
two large beds of gravel near State
burs, of which the writer had in?
formation, some days ago; now Mr.
Dabbs calls sttentlon to gravel bed I <
along the eastern side of lilack river, 1
end there are doubtless other gravel
beds In other sections of the coun- i
ty located probably in the vicinity of i
the larger water courses. If an inves ? ,
fixation Is carefully made we believe <
that good roud material will be <
found in a number of other localities I
and the problem of permanent good <
roads will be found to be much more I
easily solved thsn anticipated. I
e e e f
Hood roads will cost money, hut i
Ihey will be worth moro than the |
cost. If the money is intelligently i
expended. Good roads aro Indlspon- <
alble to the prosperity of a farming i
country and the need will be more <
urgent In future than heretofore, t
when ro?'on erases to be the only
money crop and the people take up
diversified farming--truck growing,
fruit growing, stock raising and dairy
lag? which will necessitate regular
and frequent trips to market.
e e ?
If Sumter county would be prepar?
ed for the coming of the boll weevil
within two to five years, we must
build a system of roads that will be
good under all conditions of weather,
the tenant system must be entirely re?
formed, a marketing system must be
developed, the 'arms must be fenced
and a diversified system of farming
must be practiced, with different sec?
tions of the county specialising on
certain crops that experience has
proven best adqpted to the soil. There
Is much to be done and the time all
too short even though everybody
should get to work at once.
Slixht Increase In Toll of P-lloats.
tendon. Aug. 22.?The number of
I'rltlsh merchantmen sunk by sub?
marine or mines In the last week
was only slightly larger than Ihs
previous week, when a considerable
falling off was noted. According to
the ofTielal statement 1vessels of
more than l.r.OO tons were sunk and
thr*?e veesHs of lese than 1.S00 tons.
In addition to two fishing vessels, ??*
compared with 14 large vessels the
previous week, two small vessels and
three fishermen.
The admiralty statement Issued to?
night says:
? Arrivals 2."MX. sailing 2,7<54.
"British merchantmen sunk by
mines or submarines?Over l.Con
tons, Including one previously, lf?;
under 1,100 tons, three.
"Hritlsh merchantmen unsuccessful?
ly attacked, Including two previously.
It.
"British nahsrmeu sunk, two."
BOLL WEEVIL TRIP.
REPORT OF (IIA i KM AN J. FRAN!*
WILLIAMS ON RK8FLTS OF
TOtR OF WEEVIL IN
FECTEJ> TERRITORY.
Sum tor County Farmers Obtained
First IlttJid Information Respecting
Du mage Dom- by Weevils and
Chan*?*? hi Fnrrah'g Methods Ren
dere?! Imperativ?* b> the Destruc?
tion of Cotton.
Prof. W. W. Long. Clcmson College,
8. C.
Doar Sir: Below you will find a re?
port of the Sumter Coun:y Boll Wee?
vil Commission on a trip taken to
weevil infested territory In order that
first hand information might bo ob?
tained of the methods or changes
necessary to be mado in Sumter
county In order to meet conditions
under weevil Infestation.
It was decided to mako the trip In
automobiles and I believe tha*: it was
tho consensus of opinion of the party
that more information can be obtair
ed traveling in cars than in any oth?
er way. Wo left Sumtei at eight a
m. August 6th, ten cars in all mak?
ing the trip with thirty-four passen
gers. Wo traveled on Monday, Au
gUMt 6, via Camden, Augusta, San
dersville. Very fine crops were seen
along the road especially around
Batesburg, Locsvllle and Sanders
vile. Weevils were reported to be
around Louisville and Sandersville,
but we never saw any. They were
doing very little damage. Our first
stop for inspecting farmir was around
Dublin, Oa. Here we I'ound great
preparation for making other crops
than cotton. A thirty thousand dol
lar grain and velvet bean mill was
lust being completed, a roller mill was
In full swing, a first class canning
factory was very busy and we were
?hown a building and place where
stock yards will he built in the near
Tuture. The secretary of the Cham?
ber of Commerce and Mr. Alford, Ag?
ricultural Agent for Macon, Dublin
irnl Savannah Railway were very
kind In showing us what wo would ?.
have to do to get ready for the wee- 1
f\\. They also showed us some very
\ne thoroughbred cattle of the J,
Hereford strain and about three hun-1
Ired and twenty-five grade Herefords
that were fat enough to he put on
th? market. These cattle and as
many hogs were grazing in a three
hundred ?icre field of peas and were
not making much progress In keep?
ing the peas from growing. The
?wner of these cattle said that It was
hin practice to turn a hog and a cow
on each acre of penvines that he
towed directly after sowing them
tnd that they would leave a good
rrowth of hay to he turned under
when frost came. Here a wagon load
if melons was spread out on a long
'.able and as many cut as the party
?ould consume. Tho County Agent
old us that the woevlls were appear
ng about in spots but we saw no
lelds that had been damaged very
much. Around Dublin wo saw a
rreat deal of velvet beans nnd corn
:nd soiae fields of peanuts. The
County Agent also told us that not
morb than a third of the acreage
cultivated in the county was planted
to cotton.
After leaving Dublin, Wf headed |(
for Valdosta, via Hawkinsville,
Vienna, Cordele, Ashburn and Tlf
ton. We found It growing late and
only one ear proceeded to Valdosta
that night, the others spending th^
night at Ashhurn and Tifton. We
found all of these towns to be hustl
Ing thriving places. . All were In
good spirits and did not seem to
dread the weevil. At Tifton. a pack
ing house was being built and n
creamery had been started. We
traveled from Cordele to Tifton af?
ter dark. The next morning when
we resumed our Journey, tho oceu
pants of the ear in which I was
riding, began to remark about th
Hcarclty of blooms, although there
had been plenty of rain, just the dn\
before. We did not now what to
make of this, but on inquiry, we were
told that it was the work of th<
weevil. A great many forms were
on the ground and the cotton stalks
looked fine, but bolls were not too
plentiful. At Valdosta, wo visited a
Long Staple Experiment Station
which is being conducted under th'
supervision of Mr. Ira W. Williams !
our former State Demonstration
agent. Tho agent at the station
showed us all of the different experi?
ments that they were pcrforminr
and caught a number of weevils. We
were Informed that the stalks had
been destroyed sever ?1 days before
frost last fall on the experiment
grounds, anil that wee.ils and square*
had been properly picked this spring,
and as a result they were making a
fnlr rrop of staple c< tton. A mem?
ber of our party nsk?d, If the weevil
was doing nnv damage anywhere. He
asked us to get In our cars and go
with him a mile down the road. We
arrived at a beautiful field of cotton,
the stalks were larger than they were
on the experiment station grounds,
We looked all over ?n acre and did
not lind more than two or three
bloom*, and in euch bloom wo found
there were from four to six weevils.
We pulled up several stalks of cot?
ton that did not have a single boll
of cotton on them. No one in the
erowd estimated the yield at more
than two hundred pounds of seed
cotton to the acre, and some wero of
tho opinion that it would not pay to
pick it. Mombers of our party be?
gan to look at each other and ask if
it were possible for the weevils to
over be that bad In Sumter. Mr. T.
O. Plunkett informed them that
they would live to see crops in Sum?
ter destroyed In a similar way. Dr.
Basklns from Bishopvllle, walked
over to Mr. Plunkett and told him
that he wished to apologize for doubt
1 g what he told us in Sumtor when
we wero making up our itinerary for
this trip. At this place we decided
to go to Thomasville to visit experi?
ment station for short staple cotton.
We went by the way of Qultman
where we saw a grain elevator ca?
pable of storing and handling over
a hundred thousand bushels of grain
in a season. Very few . otton blooms
were seen along the road and nearly
every farmer with whom we talked
said that they would be proud if they
could get a half of a crop. At
Thomasville, very similar experi?
ments were being conducted with
short staple as was being conducted
with long staple at Valdosta. They |
showed us the cages in which they
but weevils and note how many go
through the winter and at what time
ihey emerge from hibernation. From
Thomasville we went through by
Pelham, Camilla to Albany. Wire
Tences were everywhere, and the road
was lined with velvet beans and corn
and peanuts grown in every conceiv?
able way. Peanuts In corn, in the
row, in the middle, and sometimes
both peanuts and velvet beans
planted In the same field Of corn.
Then we would come to a field of
nothing but peanuts. Between Val?
dosta and Albany, I do not believe
that twenty per cent of the land was
planted to cotton and wo were told
mme pitiful tales as to how the
tvcevils served them last year, Be
'ore going on this trip, I had thought
that with a limited area planted to
:otton that it was possible to aver
ige making from seventy-five to
ilnety per cent, of a crop. If the brat
methods for handling weevils were
followed, but by the tlmo I had
reached Albany T had come to the
conclusion that fifty to seventy per
cent was all that could be expected
t>ne year with another under weevii
infestation. Around Albany the bus?
iness men and especially the real es?
tate agents told us that the weevils
yvere not affecting land values, hut
nearly every one wanted to interest
lome of our pr.rty in some real ci?
tato that was ridiculously cheap com?
pared with our Sumter county farms
Farmers offered me their crops If I
would pay the expenses, and one man
told me that he would give me two
hundred dollars on the expense of
\ three ho.se farm if I would take
the cotton off his hands. He said
hnt there was enough weed to make
\ bale but that the weevil had go;-i
ten tho fruit. I had had an idea
that when you had a crop of good
sixed bolls by tho first of August
they were safe. One of our party
nulled up a stalk which had twenty
lve bolls on It and cut the bolls open.
Thirteen were already ruined, and
others may be ruined before th< y
would open. I never heard a man
near Albany express himself as hop?
ing to make more than fifty to sixty
per cent, of a crop.
After leaving Albany we started for
Montgomery, Ala., via Dawson, Cuth
bert, Eufala, Ala., and Union Springs
When we were twenty to thirty miles
from Albany, we did not find very
man weevils until we reached Ala?
bama. Wo heard of them all along
the roads, but the Infestation seemed
to be In spots. There were some goo.l
farms and some good cotton around
Dawson. A majority of the farm?
ers were pinning their faith to pea?
nuts and velvet beans. 1 heard one
or two farmers say that they were
sorry that they did not plant more
cotton this year as the weevil was
not as bad as they expected. The
roads In Georgia were the admira?
tion of our party. but when w<
crossed the river into Alabama the
good roads gave out until we reach-|
od the gravel roads of Montgomery
county, which wero equal to paved
toads. It had been raining for several
days In territory about Union Springs
and our party got a very bad impres?
sion ? of this part of Alabama. Half
at the land was growing up and num?
bers of small tenant houses were
abandoned. Farmers told US in Union
Springs that they wero converting
their lain! Into meadows of Johnson
glass, and growing cattle and hoes
and making money. Here again they
paid land values had not been af?
fected, but we wore offered eholce
land about that place at from six to
twenty dollars per aero. Owing to
bad roads, a swollen river atpl a
down pour of rain our party didi UOl
roach Montgomery until Friday about
noon. Commissioner Wade went with
us out near Montgomery to show us
some fairly good cotton that had been
raised with very little fertilizer. We
did not find the weevil doing much
damage this year around Montgom?
ery.
About 2 p. m. Friday, we started
for Selma, Ala. This route led us
over a prairie country with very few
trees and fully half of the land was
in pastures. Not more than ten to
fifteen per cent, of the land between
Montgomery and Selma was planted
to cotton and one member of our
party said that he counted them
and that he saw only two negro cab?
ins that were not deserted between
these places. Wherever we saw fields
of cotton we saw happy negroes.
Wherever we saw the fields planted
to something elss we saw the negro
houses deserted. At Selma the coun?
ty agent showed us a creamery that
made 1.400 lbs. butter the day before
our inspection and they were also
making a quantity of ice cream. We
went out in the county and saw some
good cottton that had been raised ac?
cording to government methods and I
also some that was badly injured by
the weevil. We were told in Selma
that more than a hundred and fifty
car loads of cattle had ueen shipped
out of the county during last year.
Upon inquiry as to how the weevil
had affected business it was stated
that the wholesale grocery stores had
to change their business as there was
no longer any demand for heavy
groceries and that some of them had
reorganized and were doing a good
business selling the farmers' products.
After leaving Selma Saturday
morning we came baek to Montgom?
ery, thence on by Tuskeegee, where
we stopped and inspected the splendid
plant which Eooker T. Washington
built up. We were shown how all of
the students were trained in the dif?
ferent trades, and saw a number of
students working during vacation. The
buildings were all well designed and
all the members of our party remark?
ed upon the cleanliness. After leav?
ing Tuskeegee, we went through Au?
burn, Opelika, and spent the night at
Columbus. Here the Rotary Club
gave us a banquet at which the boll
weevil was discussed from every
standpoint. Columbus is a splendid
city and I feel sure that its progres?
sive business men will rull through
without suffering any setback by the
invasion of the boll weevil. We did
not find the weevil doing any se?
rious damage near Columbus. Nearly j
all of the farmers had followed tho
Instructions of the government in
picking weevils and forms. j
Nearly all of the members of our
party being married men and it
suddenly dawning upon them that it
had been about a week since they hac"
seen the girls they left behind them
so nearly all of the party started for
home. Two of the cars wont on
down to Amerlcus, where we found I
some fine farming lnnd and about
forty per cent, of the land planted
to cotton. Several South Carolina
farmers have located at this place,
among them being a Mr. Shaw and R.
P. Stackhouse. Those gentlemen took j
us around and showed us some as
good cotton and corn as can be
found In Sumter county. We missed
the entertainment these gentlemen at
Amerlcus were planning for us by
being behind our schedule. Some of
tho business men pointed out to us
farms that had been sold under the
hammer on account of the weevil. Af?
ter leaving Amerlcus we went through
the Fort Valley peach belt, where for
about twenty miles both sides of thel
road were lined with well pruned, and
sprayed peach trees. If those people r
can care for so many thousands of
peach trees, why Is it that the farm?
ers of Sumter county will neglect
their few hundreds of peach trees?
We have a belt in Sumter county
that will make just as good peaches
as this famous Georgia peach belt.
From Macon we came by Milledge
ville, Sparta, Warrenton, Thomson,
Augusta, and thence home by tho|
shortest route.
I forgot to mention the pecan
groves that we saw around Thomas
ville and Albany and all through
Georgia, It looked as if they had
enough young pecan trees to set the]
whole of South Carolina.
The commission is very much in?
debted to Mr. T. <>. Plunkett, Farm
Demonstration Acent for Southern
Railway for his valuable services in
helping to plan our itinerary and also
for his services in accompanying th<
commission from Dublin, Ca., to
Montgomery, Ala.
Also to Commissioner F. J. Watson
for his assistance in planning itiner
ary and for Mr. J. 1>. Oliver's as
sistancc in planning itinerary.
i feel iure that the Informatloi
obtained on this trip will save thou
sands of dollars to farmers in Bumtoi
county.
.1. Frank Williams.
if. O. osteen, Chairman
Secretary.
Ileeswnx Wanted.
See me before you sell your wax.
will buy It for cash at the best cur
rent price.
N. O. OSTEKM.
FARMS FOR SALE j
In Sumter and Clarendon Counties.
?8 Acres on public road, three miles from Sumter; 49 acres In J[
high state of cultivation; well drained; one four room house. j J
barn and stables. Splendidly located w'th good neighbors. < >
Can get artesian water. < >
70 Acres on public road three miles from Sumter; 42 acres in < *
cultivation, and 10 acres more cleared to be cultivated next < ?
year. One four room house, barn and stables. J [
80 Acres on public road, three miles from Sumter; about 50 acrfs
In cultivation. Good 4 room dwelling, one tenant hou?e, barn. 3 \
stables, etc. j j
221 Acres on public road, three miles from Sumter, slx-i:ot\;e <[
1 farm in cultivation this year, which can be increas d to eight j j
horse farm next year. Four room dwelling, three tenant j
houses, barns and stables. Good (lowing well. SituaUd neof j
good school, gin, railroad siding, and in a good neighbor- J ]
hood. j1
112 Acres on public road, two and one-half miles from Sumter; jl
ten horse farm open and in high state of cultivation. New < i
dwelling, live rooms, ten tenant houses, 1 arns, stables, sheds <
and other outbuildings; dairy barn and equipment, with ]
dairy herd, if desired. Plenty of wood and straw. Thor- <l
oughly drained. About one hundred acres under fe.-.ce and <,
subdivided. Property situated like this is not often offered j [
for sale, and if you ere interested in a splendid f: rm prac- j?
tically in the city, you had better see about it at once. < i
217 acres near Pinewood, two horse farm open, one house. Qood <
land, but needs developing. Timber enough to pay for <
building up place. Saw mill near by. Will subdivide, if de- <
sired, and sell cheap. <
124) Acres near Pinewood, undeveloped. Will sell cheap. <
Easy Terms To Suit Purchasers. j
C. P. OSTEEN, Sumter, S. C. !
Governor's Sons in Service.
"The governor of South Carolina
and at least two former governors
of South Carolina, Sheppard and Hcy
ward, have sons in the military ser?
vice of the United States."?Columbia
State.
Make it three. Capt. Henry Till
man, of Green ..cod, has been ready
from the Irst.?News and Courier.
This is interesting?particularly in
Glreenwood where Capt. Henry Tlll
man is in charge of home boys in the
service.
In connection with this general ref?
erence to governor's sons in the ser?
vice, The Index wishes to say that J
while on occasion it has criticized th? j
judgment of Governor Manning In i
jome of his official acts, as to his pat?
riotism and that of his family there]
can be no question. And this is
something which the governor, with!
the excellent taste of a gentleman, I
does not use as a political boost. Th?i
people of the State generaly, we be?
lieve, do not really know the facts
and without his knowledge this plain
statement of facts, in justice to him.
is presented.
He has had four sons to volunteer
despite initial sacrifices and all ac?
cepted for the active service of their
country in this struggle to preserve
our lives and liberties from the mer?
ciless hand of the Kaiser. Many offi?
cials have a son in the service, some
two, a few three, but perhaps no othe:
high official has offered so many sons
to the country as Governor Manning
with four sons now behind the colors.
When the trouble with Mexico came
William S. Manning, oldest living son
of Governor and Mrs. Manning, was
earning his living as Washington cor?
respondent of a New York newspa?
per. Though dependent entirely on his
salary for the supnort of himself and
family, he returned at once to his
.native State and enlisted as a pri?
vate with the Charleston Light Dra?
goons at a wage about one-twelfth his
Washington salary. He served on tho
Mexican border in that capacity.
When this clash with Germany came.
William Manning, above the ago of
the draft, applied for admission to
the Officers* Training Camp. After
training at Fort Meyer, Va., he wan
designated by the government a few
days ago to enter on special training
at Cambridge, Mass., for trench war?
fare.
Another married son of the govern?
or, Bernard Manning, resigned a re?
sponsible and lucrative position as
cashier of a bank, and entered the < >f
licers' Training Camp at Fort Ogle
thorpe. A few days ago this young
father returned on furlough to his
wife to bury their only child. This
patriotic young Carolinian, bavin-;
earned the honor of being one of
the two men selected out of his com
pany for the position of instructor in
the second training camp, returns
shortly to assume that responsibility.
Wyndham *f. Manning, a graduate
of West Point, married and the fath?
er of two children, was Captain of
the Charleston Ulght Dragoons when
troops were needed in Mexico. He
served on the border until March
When he brought his troop home. In
the beginning of this war with Oer
many, Capt Manning was stationed
as captain in the Training Camp at
Fort Oglethorpe.
As if the father, with his duties as
war governor, and Mrs. Manning, ac?
tive among the women of South
Carolina, iu preparing the ?t?te for
the strain of war. were not doing
enough, still another son offered his
life. This hoy, Burwell Manning, two
years below the requirements of the
draft, left college to become % pri?
vate in the Charleston Light Um ?
goons. There he waits, like his
brothers, to give if need be, his life
for the name of the State, the free?
dom of America.?Greenwood Index.
Peace Without Punishment Would bo
Premium t pon Crime.
The more despera'-* Cermany's
plight becomes the more bluff it will
put up; the more it offers peace on
its own terms, the more the traitors
in congress who represent Germany
and not the United States will per?
jure themselves and work against
this country and for Germany.
The sentimental neurotic degener?
ates among women who flood a mur
| derer's prison cell with flowers and
scented notes will have many imita?
tors who will seek to save Germany,
the international rapist and murder* r,
from just punishment for its crimes.
Millions of men have been killed,
murdered, because of Germany's
fight to conquer the world; hundreds
of thousands of women have been
outraged by her brutal officers and
privates; innocent babies have died in
numbers too great to be recorded;
fathers and mothers and wives have
gone to untimely graves in the awful
agony of suffering through the suf?
ferings of their loved ones. Put
weak-minded degenerates, men and
j women, led by Germany's lecherous
traitors to America and to civiliza?
tion, will struggle to save Germany
from defeat and punishment.
Let such people be branded now as
the accomplices of the rapists and the
murderers, the favored friends of
barbarism run rampant; and let ev?
ery honest woman and decent man
forever shun and ostrasize every de?
generate man or woman who under
the false cry of peace joins in the
effort to save Germany from paying
the full penalty of its Hell born and
Hell-guided work.?Manufacturers
Record.
Heath.
From The Daily Item, Aug. 21.
Miss Mary Adrie Richardson died
Monday afternoon at bei home in
this city, aged sixty years. She was
the daughter of the late Edward
Richardson, formerly of Fulton,
Clarendon county, but had maee her
home in this city for many years. She
is survived by one brother, Mr. Geo.
K. Richardson and one sister, Miss
Martha Springs Richardson. The
funeral services were held at 4 o'clock
this afternoon from the residence.
Sumter county shouM increase the
wheat acreage this fall at least one
hundred per cent. Flour will be
no cheaper next year than it has been
for the past rdx months, and it may
be mueh higher, and the man who
produce-; bis own wheat will save
money ami he doing his part to in?
crease the food supply of the coun?
try. Kvery farm should have an
?era or more of wheat, planted early
In well prepared and well fertilized
land. To insure a pood crop of wheat
it should be planted early, and the
land should be thoroughly prepared.
Cotton is opening In all sections of
the county and picking is already in
progress on many farms. Cotton
picking will be general next week
and all the eins will be running by
the end of the week.