The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, May 28, 1921, Image 3
was distributed until it was called to
my attention. When it was. I took it
up with council at its next meeting,
to have it re-distributed in the proper
proportions.
You will see from above list none
of this money was on deposit with
the- Snmter Trust Co., and none with
j? the First National Bank. Council di
rected that it be redistributed and
tee Sr.mter Trust Co., be given its
. proportion, but did not direct that
any be placed with the First National
v. Bank because the First National Bank
/? had all of the sinking fund of the
schools, which amounted to $11,777.
> 73.
You will see from this that the
National B'ank of Sumter all the while
had just a little more of this fund than
V' the Peoples Bank. ' Yet if Mr. Booth's
charges are accepted. I was using my
official position to aid the Peoples
Bank, but when the facts are stated
Mr. Booth's charges are nothing more
than chaff before a mighty wind.
2 hope Mr." Booth will not keep un
der advisement for too long a period
of time the matter of transferring the
,$25,000 where he can get a higher
, rate of interest. I will state to him
now that I will guarantee several of
" the banks in the city will pay 6 per
' cent on this money, b?t, of course he
has it within his power to continue it
on deposit in the National Bank of
Sumter at 4 per cent until he decides
when the jail shall be built, unless the
v'J legislature decrees otherwise at its
next session.
He states this $?b,vuu is a nigger
? in the wood-pile. Personally I care
nothing about that, but the money
was raised to build a new jail and re
move the old, unsanitary and un
sightly jail from but of the heart of
the city and up against the hospital,
and if this, jail were removed this lot
could be improved, a?d I have been in
formed that the moment this jail is
moved M/r. ..'Epperson will tear down
all the unsightly and unsavory houses
he has in that .neighborhood and this
will very rauch improve this part of
the city, jnuch more than the little
difference in the .cost of the jail. I am
not for the use of this money in the
Peoples Bank or any other bank, but I
am a citizen'jahd~ taxpayer and am in
favor of the new jail, and I will criti
cize whenever I;.see fit any action of
any public; official, whether he likes
it or not is immaterial to me.
I am sofy to. have used so much
cf your space, but I hope it will not
be necessary to refer to this matter
again as I, ^ m satisfied I have not
stated a single fact in this letter that
Mr. Booth can. disprove or show any
?thing to tie contrary in the slightest
degree.
? L. D. JENNINGS.
Grassels Sprouts.
Always high priced in the market,
it is surprising that more home gar
dens do not contain a few plants of
Brussels sprouts each year. It is one
of the most delicately flavored of the
cabbage family and it has no require
ments to exact any unusual skill of a
gardener that be must not also give
to a cabbage. The Brussels sprout are
a convenient vegetable to grow be
cause they are not at their best until
after touched by frost and therefore
the plants are not to be started until
late in season. Seed sown in a seed
bed in May- to be transplated once be
fore being placed in permanent quar
v ters will be ready to follow the peas
when their season of bearing is over.
Late June or early July will be
plenty of time to set out the plants
and the> are all the better for two or
three transplantings, the plants be
coming stockier and earlier producing
the sprouts which are really miniature
cabbages which grow thickly alorg
the stalk after the early leaves have
grown, covering the trunk of the
plant which bears a few large leaves
at the summit.
Sprouts need a space of about two
to three feet between them and good
cultivation to flourish. They are sub
ject to the same pests as the cab
bage, particularly the cabbage worm.
The sprouts are ready for use after the
first frosts, and before freezing weath
er sets in a few stalks may be dug up.
placed in a box with a shovelful of
earth over the roots, placed in a warm
cellar or cool room and their season
may be prolonged.
One of the main objections to Brus
? sels sprouts from a cooking stand
point is the fondness of the green ap
his for the te. der little heads. Before
cooking they should be soaked for an
hour or so in strong salt water. Any
plant lice will be detached and come
to the surface so that they may be
cleaned readily.
It is best, however, to get after the
plant iice early in the life of the par
ent plant and then there will be no
trouble with them when the sprouts
are cut for table use.
Bergdoll Lacked Physical Courage.
Washington, May 24.?House com
mittee hearings in the investigation
of the escape of Grover Cleveland
Bergdoll, Philadelphia draft evader,
came to an end today, although
Cb'drman Peters announced the mat
ter might be reopened later.
The principal witness heard at the
closing session was Charles A. Braun,
a brother of the slacker, who testified
he had changed his name because of
his brother's escapades and that he
knew nothing of the escape or of any
buried g<?d to search for which the
prisoner was released under guard.
Braun asserted that his brother was
lacking in physical courage and
strongly pro-German, adding that a
recent letter from Grover in Germany
"was so antagonistic to this country
that 1 threw it away."
Population of
South Carolina
Washington. May IS.?The nc^ro
population of South Carolina in 1920
numbered 864.719, according to sta
tistics made public today by the cen
sus bureau. This was an increase of
3.5 per cent for the ten years. Whites
numbered 818,538, or an increase of
20.5 per cent. South Carolina's for
eign born white population was plac
ed at 6.ull. or 0.1 per cent, of tin
total population, which was the same
as ten years before.
There were 838.293 malvs and
845,431 females, or a ratio of >j<j.2
males to loo females.
MggggMjWjMjjM gj gj ?IUI Hl?a
Boll Weevil Like Equally!
All Varieties of Cotton j
Adapt Themselves Rapidly to
New Conditions and Carry on
Their Destructive Work
l -
J Boll weevils develop about as rap
i idly and live as long on one kind of '
j cotton as on another. They seem .
to adapt themseves to new conditions j
rapidly and become* organized to car- .
ry on their work of destruction with- j
out delay. These points are brought
out in detailed studies of the pest in
the states east of the Mississippi river. !
covering a period of two years, con- j
ducted by entomologists Of the Unit- j
ed States department of agriculture j
at Madison, Fla. j
A complete report of the studies ,
has been published in Department
Bulletin 926. Studies in the Biology j
[of the Mexican Cotton Boll Weevil on
. Short Staple Upland. Long Staple Up- j
j land, and Sea Island cotton. Since :
i methods of control are usually bas- f
ed upon facts secured from biologi- j
cal studies, the results of recording
the life history of the weevil in this
bulletin are of considerable import
ance to the cotton growers east of
the Mississippi River.
Weevils Mature in Same Length of j
Time
The studies were conducted both j
tinder outdoor insectary conditions
{and actual field conditions, the main j
j object being to determine the differ- ,
J ence. if any. in the biology of the j
j weevil on the different kinds of cot- i
ton. The results all indicate that
wide variation exists in the length
of time required for the weevil's de- j
velopment under insectary conditions }
compared with normal held condi
tions.
On Sea Island cotton plantlets the
hibernated weevils lived 11.05 days. I
The first and second generation wee
vils fed on Sea Island cotton squares
lived 10.7 days, while the weevils fed
on Sea Island cotton bolls lived 15.3
days. It was found that there was
practically no difference in the longe
vity of boll weevils on Sea Island
and upland cotton.
The largest number of eggs de
posited by a single female weevil was
432. This record was made by a hi
bernated female on upland cotton
squares under insectary conditions.
The largest number of eggs deposited
during any one day was 25. The field- j
j bred weevils showed more vitally i
than those bred under artificial condi- j
tions.
Under field conditions the average
length of time infested squares hung
on the upland cotton plants after egg
puncture was 11.5 days. The time re
quired to complete the development
of the immature weevil after the in
fested square dropped to the ground
was 10.S days in the upland cotton
squares. There was practically no
difference shown in the length of the
developmental period of the weevils
bred in short-staple upland, long
staple upland, and sea-island cotton
squares.
The hibernation of the weevil at
j Madison. Fla., is incomplete, and the
j adults are seldom inactive more than
i 30 days at a time. They emerge
from hibernation very gradually, the
total daily emergence bearing a di
rect relation to the total daily rainfall.
The weevils survive the winter in
large numbers, but it was found that
only 7.C4 per cent of the hibernating
weevils survived the winter of 1918
19.
Pres. Harding's
Pestiferous Sister
Washington, May 25.?Mrs. Caro
| lyn Votaw. sister of President Hard
| ing. was made the defendant in a
I $25.000 suit for alleged libel, filed in
I the District of Columbia supreme
court by Dr. G. R. Lee Cole, who
claims his good name and reputation
were damaged as the result of a let
ter written by Mrs. Votaw to Justice
Stafford during the trial of the do
mestic difficulties of Cole and his
wife.
I Weekly Government Report of
Weather and Crop Conditions.
! Texas?C< tton made very good to
excellent progress, (rendition very
good in southern, rather poor to very
good in northern half of state, re
planting in good progress except in
dry areas.
Oklahoma?Planting cotton made
excellent progress except in southwest
where delayed by dry soil, coming up
to fair to good stand crop unusually
late.
Georgia?Cotton made satisfactory
progress stands still poor, consider
able replanting going on, boll weevil j
j appe aring c hopping and cultivation
j continues.
j Alabama?Cotton improved sught
|ly. Replanting continues; stands and
j condition generally rather poor to
) fair. Some very poor; chopping pro
? grossing.
Mississippi?Progress and cultiva
tion of cotton satisfactory; cotton is
small and stands pool-; late planted
germinating poorly on upiand on ac
. count of drought.
Arkansas?Progress of cotton sat
isfactory to very good; condition rath
er po< r to satisfactory; crop late, con
siderable portion planted third time;
fairly well cultivated where up.
South Carolina ? Progress and con
dition of cotton rather poor to satis
factory; plants generally small; stands j
of replanted rather poor in north
west; chopping continues.
North Carolina?Generally favor-'
able for farm work out only two ?
warm days during week; too cool for
cotton which made slow growth: late
planted coming up.
Tennessee ? -< *ot ton stands generally!
poor with much replanting but pro- '
gress satisfactory this week.
Florida?Progress and condition of
cotton rather poor, owing to heavy to i
excessive rains, but some late cotton j
came up since rains began.
Louisiana?Progress oT cotton very
good, though condition still general- j
Try unsatisfactory: replanting: cotton]
nearly completed* I
SMALL NAVY
WINS IN SENATE
Republicans Join Democrats in
Economy Movement at the
Capital
Washington, May 23. ? Another
successful attack by economy forces
in the senate against the S4S5.000.000
naval appropriation bill resulted to
day in defeat of the naval commit
tee's plan to establish a Pacific coast
base at Alameda, Cab. by a vote of
30 to 40. the item was stricken from
the bill.
Advocates of a reduction in naval
expenditures then launched a drive to
reduce the navy enlisted personnel
from Il'O.ooO as recommended by the
seriate committee, to lOo.ooo men as
voted by the house. A vote on this
question went over until tomorrow,
but with prediction of a closer re
sult than that on the Alameda base
appropriation.
? In the vote on the Alameda pro
visions eighteen Republicans joined
with twenty-two Democrats in oppo
sition. The committee amendment
would have granted an initial ap
propriation of $1,500,000 to start
dredging on the new site and author
ized the government to accept free
upwards of 5.000 acres of land for
the site.
No further effort is planned to re
store the Alameda base provisions,
acocrding to Senator Poindexter. Re
publican, Washington, in charge of
the bill. Neither of the California
senators, Johnson nor Shortridge.
spoke in behalf of the provisions and
in the absence of any fight by them
it was said that the new Pacific coast
base probably would go over for con
base probably would go over for con
sideration next year.
In the opening fight on the enlisted
personnel, Senators Lafollette and
Lenroot, Republicans, of Wisconsin,
urged economy in naval appropria
tions. The former, in an address of
about three hours, charged that "cor
rupt" influence! were working for
large appropriations for profits on
government armor plate and armor
contracts. He charged existence of
an "armor ring" and in this con
nection named Bethlehem. Midvale
and Carnegie steel companies. He
also criticized the navy league and
national security league for their a -
tivities in behalf of armament.
Cooperation.
Weekly News Letter).
"Farming in the future will no
longer be a matter of brute force. It
will be a business for brains, organ
ization, intelligence." .Reads as if it
were taken from an editorial written
yesterday, or a speech by some ex
tension worker out in the held. The
quotation represents the vision of one
John Skinner, editor of the American
Farmer, the first edition of which ap
peared in Baltimore in April, 1S21,
just 100 years ago.
The thing of chief interest now,
perhaps, is found in the fact that the
editor, influenced doubtless by th^
current discussions around him, be
gan writing 100 years ago about the
subject which has never ceased since
his day to engage the attention of
thoughtful people everywhere. Inves
tigation shows that men have been
trying all these years to achieve the
perfect organization for agriculture,
and they still are trying.
The minds of farmers today are
turned, for the most part, toward co
operation as a means of reaching suc
cess. Just how far they may go with
their efforts is a disputed matter.
Many business men. many of the
great consuming public, appear to
question the farmers' right to pro
tect themselves in this way, forget
ting that every branch of business
has done precisely this thing.
"There are about 15.000 farmers'
organizations in this country today."
said George Livingston, chief of the
Bureau of Markets. United States de
partment of agriculture. "These or
ganizations have a membership of
approximately 2.000,000. A move
ment so widespread should benefit
both producers and consumers. Once
I the public believes cooperative mar
keting, for instance, will result in bet
ter quality, a standardization of pro
ducts and packing, the reduction of
I waste, the public will wish to do its
part to encourage such united effort.
ifEverything should be done to dis
courage a seemingly growing belief
that such organizations are for the
purpose of controlling prices. The
public should be brought to under
stand that farmers are organizing to
get for themselves and their families
a fair reward for the labor they have
put into production, with the object
of having higher standards of living,
better homes, schools, and churches.
Although he may not know it, every
man in town or city has a close, !
personal interest in the success of
American agriculture. It is, or
should Vie. a cycle in results; better
farming, better prices, better homes,
better people, because the strength of
the cities, as all thoughtful persons
know, lies in the strength of the
country, by which I mean the rural
regions."
In his weekly conference with
representatives of the press recently.
Secretary Wallace, of the United
States department of agriculture,
said in speaking of the meeting of
the Committee of Seventeen in Chi
cago: "There seems to be a fear
that the farmers will z<> to price
fixing, but 1 think this fear is un
founded. The Chicago gathering
should give reassurance as to the |
farmers' ability to bring about a mo
nopoly. It should be remembered
compulsory pooling of agricultural
products was rejected, and that the
final vote gave a majority for option- j
h l pooling. The conference gave <
hopes of much improvement In grain 1
marketing methods."
Belfast. May 25.?Wholesale charges!
of intimidation and personation dur
ing the bailotting in the parliamentary
elections are being made by both
nationalists and unionists. The re
snts of the election proba.l>lyy will
not be known for a day or two.
REPORT ON
CITY TREES
Mrs. IHHon Gives Results of In
spection ond Census of Shade
Trees on Streets
Editor Item:
The enclosed report of the work
done on the street and park trees of
of the city of Sumter answers so many
questions that are being constantly
asked of me that I hope you will be
able to find space to publish it.
Just as soon after midsummer as it
is safe to begin work I shall finish my
census and takie up the trees that have
been left.
We also expect to plant new trees
in the Fall wherever they arc most
needed and can be faken care of
properly.
Yours truly.
JULIA LESTER DILLON.
Number and condition of trees on
streets of the city of Sumter, as giv
en below.
Work done in December, January,
February, March. 1920-1921.
Streets, condition of trees:
Purdy?'38 good, 10 medium; total
48.
Edwards?15 medium, total 15.
Blanding?4 2 good. 5 medium, 2
bad; total 49.
Wright?43 good. 15 medium, 3
bad; total 61.
Chestnut?46 good, 3 medium, 4
bad; total w>3.
Folsom?13 good. 4 bad; total 17.
Harby Ave.?4 3 good, 5 medium, 2
bad; total 50.
Council?17 good, 18 medium, 3
bad; total 38.
Church?108 good, 36 medium, 37
bad; total 181.
Salem Ave-?209 good, 36 medium,
24 bad; total 269.
Washington to Dugan?87 good, 14
medium. 21 bad; total 122.
N. Main. Live Oak to S. Main R.
R.?452 good, 42 medium, 17 bad; to
tal 121.
! Park Ave.?17 good. 6 medium. 1
bad: total 24.
Hampton Ave.?99 good, 21 me
dium. 22 bad; total 142.
j Liberty?165 good. 18 medium, 49
, bad; total 232.
j Calhoun?159 good, 54 medium, 22
bad; total 235.
Haynsworth?65 good. 2 medium, 7
bad: total 74.
Oakland Ave.?100 good, 73 me
dium. 20 bad; total 193.
Partlette?4 8 good, 13 medium, 7
bad; total 68.
Kendrick?29 good, 2 medium; to
tal 31.
Warren?16 good, 14 medium, 20
bad; total 5.0.
Broad?114 good, 8 medium, 7
bad; total 129.
I
I Dugan?4 good, 1 medium; total 5.
I Dingle?4 good, 7 medium, 20 bad;
total 31.
Hazel?10 good; total 10.
Saratoga?5 good; total 5.
Memorial Park?50 good, 10 me
dium, 4 bad: total 64.
Graham Park?3 good; total 3.
Grand total?1.605 good, 428 me
dium. 297 had. 2,330 in all.
I Good means that with regular in
spection and care these trees are all
i perfectly healthy and sound, and will
j need only occasional care in future.
! Medium means that with slight re
{ pair?holes in branches filled, bark
wounds cared for, root holes repaired,
these trees will go over into the good
class.
j Bad means that much work will be
necessary to save them. Many of
them '?'"ould have the bad limbs tak
en off. root holes filled with cement,
and with ordinary care will last many
more years. Some of them are not
worth the work it would take to re
pair them and new trees should be
planted instead of working on the
old.
All of the above trees have been
worked on this season. On Hamilton
and Liberty streets my help was so
poor that I did not dare to attempt
to remove even dangerous branches.
In the fall I shall have to do this.
There are some trees on Church and
Washington that will have to be gone
over this fall, because the lateness of
the season prevented my giving them
adequate pruning. The other streets
will need no more pruning of the
good trees other than a limb here and
there that hangs too low over the
street.
The varieties of trees are as fol
; lows:
Common name, number of trees,
standard name:
Water oak, 70S; quercus nigra ac
quatica.
White oak. 771; quercus acquatica.
Willow oak. 137; quercus phellos.
Pin oak, 4S; quercus plaustris.
Live oak, 16; quercus sempervirons.
Red oak, 51; quercus rubra.
Sycamore, 264; Platamus occiden
italis.
E3m. 34; Ulmus Americana.
Cherry. Carolina, 21; Cerasus
Caroliniana.
Pecan. 52; Hicoria pecan.
China Berry, Umbrella, 26; Melia
azederach umbraculiformis.
Maple, 53; Acer platanoides.
Carolina poplar, 50; Populus Car
oliniana.
Lembardy Poplar, 6; Populus nig*a(
fastigiata. j
Crepe Myrtle, 7; Lagerstroemia in
dica.
Black gum, 6; Nysua sylvatica.
Black gum. 6; Nyssa sylvatica.
Sweet gum, 3; Liquidanibar sty
raciflua.
Holly. 2; Ilex opaca.
Cedar. 7: Juniperus Virginiana.
Mulberry, white. 28; Morus aba.
Mulberry. French. 2; Morus.
Hackberry, 6; Celtis occidentalis.
Pino, l?; Pinns strobus.
Mimosa. 2; Albizzia julibrissin.
Catalpa, 2; Catalpa speciosa.
Ailanthus, 3; Ailanthus.
Cottonwood. 3.
Laburnum, 1; l aburnum vulgaris.
Sassafras. 1.
Walnut. .Japanese. 2.
Magnolia. 2; Magnolia granditlora.
Bay. 1.
Wild cherry, 2.
Apple, i.
Total. 2.320.
My field book is marked oft in
I
squares that measure 50 feet. I have
measured the distances between the
trees listed above and plotted them
in my book so that I can transfer
them to the city map. This I will do
this summer and then you can see at
a glance where we need to plant the
new trees.
Each page is 350 feet, which gives
me a fairly accurate estimate of the
distance covered by the trees plotted.
One side of the street is 23 and 133
144 miles. Both sides would be near
ly 48 miles of tree3 that have been
pruned, studied, and filed for future
reference in the months given.
We should have ordinances cov
ering the protection of the trees al
ready growing and governing the
planting of new ones. Many of the
trees listed above are utterly unfit
for street trees, both from the stand
points of beauty and sanitation.
JULIA LESTER DILLON.
HIGH SCHOOL
BASEBALL
State Championship To Be De
cided in Columbia
Columbia, May 24.?The state high
school baseball championship will be
decided by a game to be played on
the University athletic field in Co
lumbia at a very early date, probably
next week, to be announced by the
executive committee of the state
amateur athletic association within a
few days. Considerable interest is
manifest throughout the state in
this contest and a number of prom
inent high schools have teams con
testing in preliminary games, for the
honor of playing in the final game.
For the lower part of the state the
lead has narrowed down to the
teams of the high schools of McColl,
Florence and Lake City. Charleston,
Florence. Orangeburg, Columbia and
Sumter have been eliminated in re
cent games.
For the upper part of the state the
sectional championship rests with one
of the four team's, Woodruff, Spar
tanburg, Hastoc, in Spartanburg, and
Greenville high schools. Chester has
won over all teams in her section of
the state, holding the divisional lead
all alonet The winner of the Pied
mont group of four schools will play
the Chester team. The winner of this
game will play the winner in the
group of three schools in the lower
part of the state. This will be the
championship game in Columbia next
week, and the team that wins it will
be the state champion.
Congratulations Pinewood.
(University Weekly News).
"Your schc.-l has a record that
can't be beat. How do you do it?"
The above question by Mr. Van Me
ter and a request that I write the an
swer for the Weekly News is the ex
planation of this article.
To begin with, Pinewood High
school, with eleven pupils finishing
work in 3 years, every pupil enter
ing college and doing creditable work,
challenges any school in the state
to measure up to the stnadard set. To
go further, those who finish this
term have already made prepara
tions to go to college next fall, and
have their admission cards already
approved.
The eleven referred to above are
distributed as follows:
Four at Wofford.
One at Georgia Tech.
One at Danville. Va.
One at Winthrop.
Two at Columbia College.
One at Coker.
One in training at Tourney Hos
pital.
This record for a small high school,
and from a community where very
few of the people have had the op
portunity of training above the com
mon school, is a cause of pride to
every patron of the school.
The reasons for this effort to secure
an education, as I see them, are sev
eral. I will name only one or two
of the more important ones. First, I
think, might be mentioned a gener
al dissatisfaction with conditions
brought about by the lack of an ed
ucation, and a wholesome desire to
improve these conditions.
Next that might be mentioned, is
the realization that an education is
the best way to improve conditions
and to make the community a good
place in which to live.
Then the desire of the pupils for
a higher education in order to "do
things." not to watch someone else
"do them."
No pupil is permitted to go through
a single year of school without hav
ing the advantages of an education
pointed out. Those who reach the
last year of high school usually have
already selected the college they wish
to enter, and look frward to com
mencement as the last step in their
preparation for the pleasures of col
lege life.
During the past three years only
four of those who entered the high
school dropped out before finishing,
while four others left during their
eighth and ninth grades to take up
work at some other preparatory in
stitution.
The effort of the people of the
community to make the Pinewood
high school one of the best in the
state, is being realized. The fourth
year will be added next term, and
with additional teaching force we
feel that the class of 1922 will con
tinue to hold the record of 100 per
cent, of the graduates continuing
their studies at institutions of higher
learning.
W. O. TATUM. Jr..
Superintendent Pinewood School.
Alexandria. May 25.?There was de
sultory firing in the streets last night,
following the recent riots in which
nearly fifty persons were killed and
about two hundred were wour.ded.
Los Angeles. May 25.?The body of
the elderly woman found at Santa
Monica. Sunday has been identified as
that of Mrs. Catherine Fields, a weal
thy retired business woman of Chica
go. The police express the belief
that sU'f v'as murdered. .
The Boll Wee^l ?.
i Alabama
Interesting Letter From Heart
of Boll Weevil District. Ex
penence is a "a rd Teacher
Editor Daily Item:
Two Irish bachelors operating in
JLrowns, Ala., have bought goods
from us for the last twelve years, and
while amply solvent they have been
very slow pay, especially during the
first two years of the boll weevil.Each
order had to be passed upon before
shipment was made, the same as a
new order. But on the last two
shipments made this year both bills
were discounted, and we had an idea
that the boll weevil had a. favorable
effect on their fin-' .cial standing,
and we wrote thenuSto know about
the effect that the *>cil weevil had
on their community; and while they
do not give the boll weevil credit for
their improved commercial standing
their letter is very interesting.
It occurred to us that it might be
of interest to some of your subscrib
ers, as it comes directly from the in
fected district. You can publish it
if ycu wish.
Yours truly,
Witherspoon Bros, and Co.
May 24, 1021.
Witherspoon Bros, am? Co.,
Sumter. S. C.
Dear Sirs: ReplyijJ? to your inter
esting letter of 16tl||wish to advise
it is the writer's opinion that the
boll weevil was not a blessing to us in
this community for the reason we did
not pay strict attention to the ad
vice given us by people having the
experience, including county farm
demonstration agents, government of
ficials and other writers and speakers
from the weevil infested districts
that had years of experience. It is
true we reduced the acreage consid
erably, but not enough and ever since
the advent of the boll weevil here
since 1914 nearly every acre we plant
ed in cotton was an expense instead
of a profit. That expense was made
up from our other cops which con
sisted of hay. live stock; live stock
products. If we ha.5 discarded cot
ton entirely I firmly oelieve that the
boll weevil would be a blessing in
stead of a curse in our community,
as we cannot raise cotton at a profit
under weevil conditions and now es
pecially since the price of cotton is
so low. The boll weevil reached us
in the fall of 1914 after we had a
very fine crop already made that
year. The following year, 1915, we
planted about 75 per cent of a cotton
crop and our yield was about 20 per
cent; 1916 we plan* i about 60 per
cent and made aboi , 10 per cent of
1914 crop. The hig^water and over
flows of July 5, 6, |, and 8th were
partly responsible, ijht boll weevils
got all after that overflow. In 1917
we planted about 40 per cent of nor
mal crop and it being a good dry sea
son we made about 60 per cent of a
normal yield per acre. The advance
in price made the crop profitable that
year. In 1918 we v.ade about 50
per cent of normal;a 919 we planted
about 75 per cent #nd made about
30 per cent yield?'the season was
wet and favorable ;or boll weevil.
1920 we made about 50 per cent
yield per acre and had in about 75j
per cent average. For 1921 we have
about '0 per cent normal acreage.
The heaviest infestation of the wee
vil was the second and third season
we have them, and from my experi
ence with them I would not plant
any cotton at all those two years, if
I was farming again in their path.
We tried peanut culture here but
not on a large scale as most of our
lands are black lands, not enough red
lands and no sandy soil. There ar6
nearly all negro farmers in this sec
tion the reason there is so much cot
ton planted at a loss; and it is a
hard matter to get the negro renters
to reduce the cotton acreage. With
the advent of the boll weevil in
your section I hope your people will
be easier advised in planting the
proper crops than we were in this
community.
Yours fruly,
H. B. ildea and Co.
Browns, Ala., Me. 20.
Murderess Coming
Back For Trial
Honolulu. May 25.?Gov. McCarthy
signed extradition papers for the re
turn of Mrs. Paul V. Southard to
Twin Tails, Idaho, where she is want
ed in connection with the death of
Edward Myer. her fourth husband.
The deputy sheriff will leave with her
June 1.
Americans Go To Russia
Berlin, May 23.?(By the Associated
Press).?William H Johnstan. presi
dent of the International Association
of Machinists, and Frank L. Mulhol
land, of Toledo, Ohio, attorney for the
same association, who recently arrived
here from the United States, will leave
Berlin Tuesday for Riga., on the way
to Moscow, where they will investigate
trade possibilities and the labor sit
uation.
As yet Johnson and Mulholland
have not received permission to en
ter Soviet Russia, but as they have
been authorized by the International
Association of Machinists to make an
investigation on its behalf, it is re
ported the Bolshevik minister in Riga
will permit them to -roceed into Rus
sia.
Buenos Aires. May 25.?Two per
?ons have l>een kilk*' in fighting here
between union and non-union port
workers.
Chicago, May 25.?The Chinese
students at the University of Chicago
and Northwestern University, num
bering more than a hundred and fif
ty, have agreed to limit the cost of
:heir food fo 65 cents daiiy during the
next three months. The money saved
will be sent to China for the relief of
famine victims.
The railroad question is deep?
ivast* deep,?NorCoQs Virginian PiJ