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mIMc keels, oii)ii<utor ALICE MIR U, Assistant Meeting of W >muu s Ik nu list ration Club at Oswcgo, meeting was conducted by th. resident; Mrs. F. M. Andrews and there wars eighteen present. Mlaa Alive Martin made a talk on "vYhnl You Fan do to Help Win tho War." discussing the subject under tho following beads. (1) Observation of wheetlsa? and meatless days 12 | Knoouroarrn sot of boys and sirls in loining the canning and poultry clubs ?*4 doubling of pardon areas. The .next snhleot was gardening, diticussad by Miss Annie Keels undo: tbs following heads |1| Importance o? planning n garden. (2) Rotation W crops, (3) Preparation of soil an<. fertilisation. (4) Selection of seed, (5) Plant diseases and Insects, giving for? mulas for each. M a M M. Brown rood a letter from Miss Christine South, assistant Mate home demonstration agent, on the conservation of wool. Seed furnished by the government and food administration leaflets wer? distributed. Wheat leas' und meatless days are being observed by most of the fam? ilies In this section. Mrs. M. M. Brown. Krone ls-n.siiMiimi Meeting at Dal sell. Sixteen housewives and a few high school girls attended the home dem? onstration meeting at the school house on Thursday before the fourth Sun? day. The subject of the meeting was gardening. This was very appropriate to tho season and the women were intensely interested. Miss Annie Kells and Miss Alice Martin, our home demonstratio? agents, were present at the meeting. TsCN IMPOHTAKT UFLEN. What the Soldiers at Home Can lb t > Win HH War. Thsrs ure such things us soldier*: at home as well ss soldiers at the 11 out. mi.i it Is well for . those wh are at-home to realise what they can do. There nre many viewpoints o what tho "stay-at-homes" can do t ? co-operate with the government, bejf they ha*e been tersely stated by Mr la^ence Poo. the distinguished cdltoi of the* Progressive Farmer, who rep resents the t'ntted States department of agitewlture. He outlined what the "stay-os-homos" can do to best help tho go*eernment In an agriculture way. hVthe ten things Mat Amcuc asks, bnd h: s a right to ask. of the Southern farmer In this crisis. They are as follows: I -That he plant a maximum in food crops." I. "That he strive for maximum pi oductlvenoss of every ucre." 3. 'That he equip and Inspire ev? ery farm worker for maximum olh ? lency." 4. "That he arrange for a maxl mum production of mecit and dairy products." I. "That he double garden produc? tion." t. "That nil women ind children be enliated in canning and poultry ralsing." 7. 'That every member of th' family aid food conservation." 8. "That wise and profitable mar? keting of crops be promoted as a stimulus to Increased production." 9. "That economy and thrift be pi noticed and the resu'tant savings lent to America." 10. "That all schools, all farmers organisations, all women's organiza? tions, and i ll business men's organ? isation* BO OOjOrott to give 100 per cent enVienr> to this proKram ." AMI Hit AN AUTlLl.l ltV I I I I i TIVE. <<ermait Positions Demolished by Ac curate Fin*. w itb use \i srtoaJi Army In Franc Tiiii^Uv Pol M Swift retribution has fallen upon Oernwin batter'* which this week bombarded th* American trenches northwest of TO? with gas shells Tin- AmerlOlg hOOVj arttttopf .-mm ? Mjtffitsd its Are oe the nan mlnnewerfer batteries m n?.Itterstod their positions. Thus r- i six msn hsve died from the effect 0 gas shahs More than eighty are |tl the hospitut. bm g0||*| SSM Is report*- ' In a grave condition RKt SENSATION PHOMlsl I? Federal Agents ScIm* I'npor* In or flee of Chicago A tent. Chicago. March 1 Federal oftl 11 lonl bt raided the onVes el Hen rj II. Uppert, a manhfaet 111*01*0* agent In im ??Hu I SO obtain evhtegtSS will. ! ... . , . ? ???? if Im eatiKntoiM .I.-, lot > VT II n v#- il " WloV 11 . e riilarille ? her.- In lie pi.. 11 M of government supplies. *?te Farming ami What It Means for the South In 1918. (By Bradford Knapp, office of Ex? tension Work in the South.) An agricultural program for the Southern States fur the year 101 s must he carefully considered by the . Federal Government, by the BtateS, |/oui|ttes, communities, and Individual furmers. Any program would to 1. ?bort of the ideal which did not fully l reg Ml to sustain our neneral scheme of agriculture, support our people, and at the same time contribute In the lirgeet possible degree to the real I l.oeds of our nation. It must be a possible, a praetieal, and a patriotic program. During the past few years there baa been a1 direct nnd positive tendency In Southern agriculture away from de pendence on one crop and toward a better balanced husbandry. This is indicated by the increased production of corn, email grains, velvet beams, peanuts, hoy, potatoes, and other crops and the somewhat stabilized production of cotton even in the face of advancing prices. It is also evi? dent to even the casual observer that Southern farmers are "going into the livestock industry." Especially are they Increasing the output of hogs beef cittlc and dairy products. Largo packing interests would not be build? ing packing houses in the South were this not true. The department of agriculture an now med a program for agricultural production, beginning in the fall ot 1917. This program consists essen? tially of the following elements: (a) Each community should pro? duce its own food and feed so far as practicable. (b) Production of non-pcrlshabl? staples should be Increased beyond lo? cal needs in each locality in which they can be produced most profitably. These staples include wheat. rye. beans, and rice; oats, barley, sor? ghum, corn, and buckwheat being left for consideration In the spring Ol 1918. (c) Sugar-beet and sugar-can^ production should be increased in dis tricts where factories are accessible and production conditions arc favor? able (d Commercial production of per? ishables should be Increased abow normal only as the facilities for trans? portation and marketing are assured The home vegetable garden should be encouraged to the extent of supplying as fully as possible the needs of th family growing it. Likewise, the department has an? nounced that sound crop practice ought to be continued; that definite crop rotations should not be serious ly disturbed, and that a'.l well-estab? lished agricultural practices should bf carefully safeguarded In every way. The ('.I'partmont will, from time to time, through the proper channels make announcements regarding its ag rlcultttral program of production, an when announced, this program should bo followed as definitely as the sol? diers follow an outlined plan of cam? paign In fighting the enemy. Safe Canning. The writer has long advocated a system for Southern farmers, which we have called safe farming. By safe farming we mean a system which pro? vides food for the people and feed fo; the livestock of the South; which maintains our soil fertility and then devotes a reasonable acreage to the production of cash crops to be sold in the markets of the world. Saf?! farming presumes an Income for the farmer not from one crop but dependent upon a number of well chosoi products of the farm, live? stock as well as crops, making a bet? ter balanced agriculture, a safer system, und a better rural life. I am firmly convinced that the farmers o; the South ought to change as they have changed In the past few years until they reach a substantial bash which I have endeavored to descrlbi af safe farming. A I ett r balanced husbandry ej well as high prbes of farm products during tie past few years have made Southern farmers more money than they ever made before. A taste of prosperity from a combination ol these two things should prompt us to continue the development of safe farn.ii k. which is a better plan than mere diversification. A table printed In the Monthly Crop Report for December. I!?1T. shows the esti? mated value of all crops per State for the i"' Southern Mites, eompor* i : Itll and 1!*17. 1'rom this state menl it nppesri that ths value >t ail * n\ m erops In the Boutheri "tatet In Itll erae eettmatod to be the enormous sum of |ft,lf 4,ttf ,000 or at ths rate of llll.11 for each' ? I- igrlcultural sroi ker In these Stntes as shown by the last p( nsus This ds??s not InOlUdC any income l om from livestock The Southern States produced practically flve*thli leenthe of the total value of all crop* the tTlrlted Mates ami almost equal i ? the total value of all crops for th< ?oiiro Pnlted Hintes for the eonstt* :ir I9a?i. Another table also shows that rifier* of the South handled s ? *2*I ,? r cent more acres of land In Inf?'. than they did in 1010. This table, of I course, is not bused upon all crops, bill only the teil leading farm crops, in some MtateS they handled more1 than 510 per cent greater acreage than in 101??. The explanation is simple:' First, Under a system of diverSl ned fainting every fai'lii laborer can handle a greater acreage because of a better distribution of the labor on the farm. Second. Farmers of the South re? sponded to the patriotic call of the president of tho United States and worked harder than they had work? ed before. I should hate to think that these two reasons would fall to account fur a large acreage In the season of 1018. The Reason rot Kelf-Sup|Hirt. Are there any added reasons why ihe South should produce Its own food and feed In ll?lB which did not exist heretofore? Emphatically there are. Not only is tho food problem still the most important agricultural problem In the world, but the transportation problem adds another element of very serious concern. This great nation is taxing its every energy to defeat a well planned and long prepared ef? fort to overthrow democracy in the world. The defeat of this nation would mean the overthrow of every? thing held dear by men, women, and children of America. We are fighting for our very Independence. Under such circumstances the more we can contribute to the national cause and the less we burden the nation or oth? er parts of the nation to help us, the more we do in our own interest and in the interest of the nation. Under Our present circumstances the South can not afford to burden other sections of the country to produce her food, and above all she can hot afford to tax the already overburdened transporta? tion system of the United States to bring the food to her. She must grow It herself. This Is self defense and it is national defense. What the South Must Do. I would suggest, then that the fol? lowing Items be considered carefully by everyone: First. A home garden for every farm family and every town and vil? lage family in the South to supply the home needs, with a sufficient surplus to can or dry for future use. In this home garden I would include an ample supply of Irish and sweet po? tatoes. There ought to be on every farm, as far as possible, either cane or sorghum to produce syrup. I would not advise going into the1 production of perishable products on an extensive scale without knowing that there is a market for them, a sys tom of handling already established I .ind, If necessary, transportation fa? cilities to get them to the market. Ii jther words, we ought not to develoi new trucking areas in ihe South in this time of trouble. All well-estab? lished trucking areas where farmers have had experience in the business will, of course, continue their oper? ations, but with cautious regard to the needs of their established markets. Second: We should sustain the j production of corn in the South. For the lirst time in many years market reports show local needs are being met by local supply and that some ex? portation of corn has taken place. With an increase of population, with, the many army camps in our midst, and, more particularly, with an In? crease of our livestock, we .can not af? ford to let down on the production ot corn. It would be a disaster for us to have increased livestock production and not provide the feed to sustain it There is no profit in livestock unless the farmer produces his own feed. There is always danger after a large yield in any crop of reduced acreage the next year. Ouard the corn croi Irl 1918. It means safety for the peo? ple and safety for our growing live? stock industry. Remember that al I hough the country produced an im? mense crop of corn in 1917, an un? usually large' proportion of the great northwestern crop was injured bj frost and, therefore, soft and unmar? ketable, Third: I need not say anything ro garding the small grains, because that item was attended to in the fall seed Ing. I Fourth: Produce the hay and forage crops necessary to amply supply the livestock on the farm for one year and an excess for the sake of safety and for city and town consumption. We made a great increase the past yeat In velvet beans, soybeans, peanuts. , owpeas and other crops of that sort. These should be maintained and In crossed again thiH year. Remember that these crops have been actual cash crops of the farm this year They should be dignified as a normo nont part of a general cropping sys icm In the year Itll peanuts ami oybeans are Important because o their oil value when the nation and the world are short of fats; while vel? vet hearts are fast becoming one oi our greatest sources of feed for live ? oil:. When tin- world is shoit oi wheat the South eau use its penntit .aland soybean meal as partial sub dilutes for wheat in bread-mnklng Fifth W? ought to maintain and increase out supply of meat, eggs, I and milk. Tho nation is asking for! a large production of hogs. No sec? tion can produce hogs more economi? cally than the Southern States. In many sections the county agrlcultur I at agents are assisting farmers In establishing systems of cooperative' .Shipment and marketing, while pack? ing industries are opening up in the territory. Farmers are receiving good' I prices and the marketing svstems are I becoming well established. We should increase our hog production this yenr. Thousands of head of improv? ed breeding stock of beef have been brought in and this year farmers ought to make a great drive to In? crease the beef of the country by using only pure-bred, beef-type sires with native cows. We should not forget the poultry, which should be increased upon every farm until we have an adequate supply for family use and to supply cities and towns. More careful feeding, breeding, and selection should be the rule. Town families can do this as well as farm? ers. Sixth. When the living has been amply provided for and we have enough to insure food for ourselves and feed for our livestock, we should grow as much cotton as we can han? dle. Tho nation needs cotton as well rs food and feed; both are important; neither should be sacrificed for the other. The high price may tempt some people to greatly increase the acreage, but it seems to me that the l est plan would be to look to the food needs of the South and then devote :he maximum of energy to the cot? ton crop. To sacrifice either or to place too much emphasis on one part of the program would be unwise. Let us remember that 1916 and 1917 were poor cotton years, relatively speaking. Tn 1912, with not* quite a million acres more than we had in 1917, we produc? ed 13,703,000 bales of cotton. With only 900,000 acres more in 1911 (a ,ood year) than in 1916 (a poor year), we produced over 4,200,00 more bales of cotton. The average acreage for the last'nine years has been a tritle over 34,000,000 acres. In spite of the difficulties, wdth a normal acreage, with a good season, and with the use of the best possible cultural methods, we ought to produce a large crop. Nothing should be said to discredit or minimize the importance of cotton production in 1918, but it seems to me that it would be a mistake, from a financial standpoint, to throw away the great triumph of the past two years by returning to all cotton and compelling a larpe importation of northern foods and feeds to sustain our people and our livestock, or else si critlce the livestock. I^et us main? tain the balance, and 1 believe we can meet the larger needs of all concern? ed. Seventh. In 1918 every farmer in the South ought to save all possible waste products on the farm. Econo? mize on time, labor, and seed. Save In harvesting time. Use the best im? plements and more horse power and less hand power. Sell excess products of the farm .and pay living expenses. A surplus of hogs, eggs, poultry, soybeans, peanuts, corn, or such oth ed farm products as are adapted to your locality should be produced for sale from the farm besides the pro? duction of cotton. In this time of high prices get out of debt. The South will never be r really prosperous agricultural country until our farmers begin to save and lay up money to finance their own operations. The golden opportunity is here. Put your money into liberty Monds and other government^ securi? ties and you will find that you have become independent, because these can be made the basis of a better credit system, enabling you to oper? ate practically upon a cash basis. Federal Cooperation. The States and nation are doing all possible things to assist the farmers Py cooperation between the federal department of agriculture and the ag? ricultural colleges, a great national education system lias been established, with county agents and county home demonstration agents In most coun? ties of the South. This system is part of the national defense. These people are busy from early morning until late into the night assisting armors and farm women in the so? lution of individual problems, bring? ing them definite information regard? ing the nation's needs and helping to organize campaigns of production, of saving, of conservation, better mar? keting, etc.. all in the interest not only of the farmer but in the larger In? terest of the nation itself. The strength of the nation is meas? ured by the strength of its weakest part. I*et us keep the agriculture of the Smith Strong for Hie sake of the 11 itlon In this hour of its great need. I.?d us keep her self-sustaining and self-reliant, 0 national agricultural a: set. able to honor drafts for food nnd clothing for ourselves and the rest u tlie country, with a fair contribu? te, n in the larger Interests of hu mnnlty itself. The call is o big one, bill with the immense strides South? ern "aimers have made in the past i. n years It is not too big a contract for them to undertake, I MEXICANS KlLLftH B v CAVALRY* MEN. Twelve Meet Death?Hand Tiros On Vnilod States Soldiers on Border. Marfa, Texas, March jU?Twelve Mexicans were kited ant several were wounded late today wh?n a hand ?>f 30 Mexicans lired on tin American cavalry detachment In command of Captain Kramer Thomas. The Mexicans opened fire when a parley was going on bei ween Captai i Thomas and the leader < f the Mexican band on the Mexican bank of the Rio Grand! near Sierra, Alto, south of Sierra Bianca. Private Mallack was cut on the fac3 by fragments of stone thrown by Mexican bullets, but no other American was wounded. Wahington, March 2.-?That pas? senger train service In the west will be reduced one-third or more by re? arranging schedules will be announced shortly by Director Gcreral McAdoo. Berlin, March 2.?The Russian fortress of Kiev, on the Dneiper river, in Ukraine, has been "liberated," it is officially announced. PEACE TERMS TO ROPMAXlA. Include A Indication of King in Favor of Slrother. London, March 1.?The peace tenne submitted to King- Ferdinand, of Rnv nvania, by Count Czernin, the Austro Hungarian foreign minister. Included the king's abdication in favor of his) bi other, Prince William, or the tak? ing of a referendum in Rumania re? garding his successor, according to a Berlin dispatch transmitted by the Exchange Telegraph correspondent at Amsterdam today. Warrior, Ala., March 2.?Three young sons of Mr. and Mrs. Will Does, of Reads Gap, died within aevarf : hours, and p fourth child died the i next day of pneumonia, after an at j tack of measles, it was learned here j today. Both parents are also ill with ! measles. , You who stay at home make your money fight for you. A quarter and a thrift stamp win do it. Are you thrifty or thriftless? In? vest in a thrift stamp. 1 The National Bank a! South Carolina OF SUMTER IK CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS OF YOUR BUSINESS APPEALS TO YOU, THIS BANK IS THE PLACE FOR YOUR ACCOUNT. CG Capital Stock Surplus Profits $200,000.00 150,000.00 30,000.00 ROWLAND. President. F. E HIN N ANT. Cashier. LIBERTY BONDS All Coupon Bonds have been received?Please call for yours The First National Bank SUMTER, S C. ^LL LIBERTY BONDS are here, ready for de? livery, including $50 bonds. Owners will please call for them as scon as convenient. We will be glad to keep these bonds in our vaults for safe-keeping for any who may desire us to. J. P. Booth. President. W. J. Crowson, Jr.. Cashier. Everything in the Building Line " All Kinds of Feed BOOTH & McLEOD, Inc. EVERY HUNG AT ONE PLACE PHONES : 10 and 631 t