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SUNDAY, SEPT. H. THE FARMER'S FORUM A Story From Texas By John C. Edgar Nn 0,1 ndngr* t«!ln uh that I?n not wine to fount a brood of chicken* botor* they ar«* hatchod, and another ha: there* Is many a Blip between the iup and the lip. Theac* provarba havo >f«*n illustrated hen* In our cotton i crop At the cloff-f of June the* out • look was lor the biKftftftt yield on j record The crop had had a perfect ■ ■canon, and was almont entirely free from weevils end other Insect pests Plants wer< large, healthy, welPllnib ed and heavily fruited, hence the optimistic conclusion* of planters A continuation of favorable weathtr would have justified these concln ■lons, hut that’s where the forccas. failed From July 7, to \iiffust 17 we hav* not had mg much as a light shower, and. as a result, early planted cotton stopped growing four weeks ago, I shedding lop squares ah If weevil stricken. Small bolls ceased to grow and large ones opened prematurely. These conditions apply lo a large sec tion of Central Texas, except In a few spots where heavy showers fell In time to keep plants growing. But ven these favored spots must have a good penetrating rain very soon or growth will stop. When rains fall at the end of Au gust and through Heptembcr, cotton gamblers of the hear tribe never fail to use the fuel to their advantage The news Is Mashed over the wires and published to the world as a cer tMinty thnt a big "top crop" will be made, to swell the total beyond the world's requirements. All practical cotton growers know that this "top crop" table Is a mere bogle, set up to alarm and deceive the original owners of cotton end causa them to sell at prices hep w actual value I have grown or hem Interested In the growing of cotton for twenty-eight years, but have yet to get my first return from a "top crop" By thr.t term i mean cotton grown on plants ti.at had stopped growth, and b* late rains had made n new growth of wood which bloomed and fruited In time to mature before cold weath or came to prevent the ripening and opening of the bolls. THE POULTRY CORNER Animal Food For Flew. WILL SOON nil l NEEDED Within the next two or throe month* poultry keeper* around Au gusta *houhl healn to feed more or !«*** mitniii 1 food nnd antin' suggr* tton* along thla line may he of mueh inter eat Ju»t at thla time The fol lowing nummary from exchange nnd nuthoritie* will he iouiid reliuhle A* with dairying whore the apneinl purpose* cow i* the moat economical producer of milk, butter or choeae, no also with poultry mining la the npo rial puipoHi* egg layer the moat eeo notulca* layer In other worda, he fore much can he arcompllahed In the way of large production good in dividual* are ennenilnl We mu*t not atop at thla. however The nu per lor Individual munt have the kind of final needed and plenty of it The moat In tenaelv bred da!r\ cow. or the highest developed egg layer will noon degen erate Into a hopelean aerub if the right kind of feed and care art* with* held Th* hen that la expected to lay a large number of egg* nmnt b,» pro vided with food rich in protein, the conatltuent which ao largely enter* Into the composition of the egg Nor la It merely necennarv to nupply the protein in any form that one happrna to have or that may he had at Ihe lowe**t coat per |>ouml ►'or example, protein In the form of *o\ l>e*n meal, gluten feed and other products, may sometime* he purchanad at a lower cost than that of animat origin, an blood meal, meat meal, etc The hen neemn to requlr,* more or lea* animal food to do tier bent In the wav of laying egg* Our moat successful poultrv raUera are pretty Well agreed on thla point 1 hiring re rent %eara. nine*' a number of our experiment station* hate Intentigaled quest lona pertaining to auccrnaftil l»oultr> raining we have born getting additional assurance that a certain amount of aulinai f»*ul in enaenttai to large egg production A reoent bul lettn from the Maanachunetta atatlon aa>*a on the point Judging from our own reaulta and from those obtained by Wheeler i Maine I'xperiment Bln lion.» 1| aeem* safe to conclude that animal albuminoid* as tneaaured hv production iwtnaeaa a mueh higher dc gr#e of efficiency than thom* derived from tt-getable origin It may slat In* said that cut frenh bone added to a grain ration rich in protein' w 111 not ordinarily give aa good result* a* a ration containing meat meal, nuch an ran now be pur chaaed on most any market The bk*»d nnd t)i«*at tmaln on the m arket are slaughter house by products and are rapdly coming Into extensive use a* their food \alu# Is being learned It should not be inferred from what has been said that we would In the least minimise the value of cut bone Thla la a valuable product and may «»ften bf* used to great advantage We m&gh, however t Itnprc ujmn th‘ The growth of bolls on the top of plants that nave grown with more or less vigor all the season do not make u top crop," hut is simply a com pletion of the first growth, without which the crop will be short. When 1 was a tenderfoot. In the cotton business I used to deceive my self In my estimates of "top crops. ’ j The new growths were so vigorous and full of future possibilities that 1 i feel an easy victim to the delusion, but I had been disillusioned before I my hair began to turn gray. In this section of the state early cotton which has stopped growlug has made all the bolls that will ever mature, as ever so good a rain would only make a new growth which w uld be too late to mature; but late plant tngs are, |„ spite of dry weather,! still growing and blooming, and such cotton would be greatly helped by a really good rain. The world has been promised the biggest crop of cotton ever grown, and the belief has become fixed, !t may be realized, but there are many chances against it. Spot cotton, the only kind that has any real value, has declined since the new' crop be gan to be put on the market. In our local market, hales that would grade "good middling" have been sold as low as IT 1 4 cents. This Is a big falling off at this early stage of the season, and Is rauslng much anxiety among farmers, many of whom decline to sell at any thing less than lit cents. Some are still holding last year’s bales for 1 rents, and said baits have been dying on the ground since they left the gin, without protection of any kind. They must he in a badly damaged condi tion. which means i great loss of weight whenever sold Truly there is a wld« and fertile Meld for mis I sjonary work in farm economies. | Firming must be the grandest occu- I pat ion on earth to be able to sup I port those who defy every economic principle essential to the success of I other occupations Many farmers hv their bungling, careless methods waste more than would keep them In ! comfort, if not luxury. They sa/e at , minds of those of our readers who 1 i have never lined any of the meat men In on the market that they make a trial ami feed with every four pounds of their usual ration one pound of meat meal They may hlso with profit do a little experimenting of their own In the way of using more or lens than the amount recoin i mended. PREPARE FOR FALL. Many Important Things Should be Done Now. One of the first and most Impor tant things to he done now Is to i separate all tin* young fowls and send to market all those ttiat wo do not want to keep mule* and fe males or If we prefer to keep them for the table keep them in a aepar* i ate pen. The young male* that we want to keep should he put In a pen and kept there until the breeding season ho* gins in the early spring All old male* should he dt*po*ed of, and the hen* and pullet* to be kept for layers should he kept by themselves In yards j where there Is a good house and plen jty of shade Provide a scratching shed and see 1 that the> use it |H> not feed too j much Just enough to keep them in good, healthy condition. Hive them joiluieal occasionally and If there Is Ino grass on the lota throw them :\ few head* of waste cabbage, lettuce or any kind of green stuff that is growing around the place Watch i carefulh for mites and keep the house ! clean Whitt wash, carbolic acid and scalding hot water do much to keep | the house in perfect order Clean out the old straw from nest* 1 and renew after having sprayed the boxes with kerosene and lime Sprinkle lime over xhe floor and on walks, and do not forget to took after the roof and walla of the house See that there are no loose board*, and H the roof leaks repair It at i once Just a little work now will save much worry and lon* during the win j ter. POULTRY NOTES. Now Is the beat time to fix up the hwsiae On frosty mornings we will 1 not find the Job to pleasant. The poultry droppings make good fertiliser, but they breed disease left in heaps under the roosts when* I fowls are kept. If you keep mongrels, sell them to the butcher and buy a few ’borough bred kens and a male. Then your will pay you. DON’T BUY ALASKA WHEAT IN GEORGIA Agricultural Department Says Variety Not As Ad vertised. The United States department of agriculture, bureau if plant Industry, ban Issued the following circular: A variety of wheat, under the name of "Alaska,” In being widely adver- User) as capable of yielding at the rate of 200 bushels to the acre, “'un der ordinary hoII condition*,” and even better, “ under extra condition!!." It la stated that tills variety was found growing wild on the eastern coast of Alaska, and claims of the most extravagant nature are made for It. In consequence of this noto riety, the department Is receiving many requests (or seed Tills type of wheat has been known for many years, both In this country and In Europe. It has been tried at several slate experiment stations In the western United States during the past fifteen years, but nowhere have the yields been big enough to merit attention. The wheat has grown to a very limited extent on certain heavy undralned soils In France for many years In such locations it Is said to yield rather better than ordi nary wheat; but. a* It Is one of the poorest wheats known for making flour, it is never grown where the ordinary varieties of wheat will thrive. the faucet and lot out at the bunghole. This Is the clas s I hat never has any "luck" hut they never seem to sus poet themselves of being the > line suse of their deplorable condition. The Farmers' I'nlon Is doing nmrli to educate and enlighten its members and others. Ido pot approve of Its helping to fix a minimum erlce for rollon, as that Is contrary to sound financial policy, as was d'-mopstrafcd In the holding of last season's crop. To my mind the warehouse plan, which protects the staple, and helps lo a slower marketing of the crop Is m the true direction. The ical rea son for decline In the new staple Is due lo two main causes; The constant statement of an abnormal crop and the free marketing of early bales, Poultry on the Farm. No one feature that naturally be* longs to the agricultural pursuits of our country ban and can ao thorough ly benefit tfcp farm interest as pout* try, if properly cared for. At the Mime line, nothing is likely to in* more discouraging and unsatisfactory than poultry neglected or improperly cared lor Statistics gathered from every section of this country .is well as for ?ign h«nds. as far away as Aus tralia. Di-nniHik, nnd Africa, show conclusively that proper care and feeding of poultry, not including la bor. costa for a year $1 per head. Net or gross returns on ‘he average throughout all this territory shows each hen properly cared for wll’ pro duce from $> to $ ; >tt per hen. accord tug to th< locality and the aucce-s In j handling them. The average gross i profit from well-kept hens throughou. i she whole country or world at largo lis about $125. Thla Is after deduct | Ing $i for their keep, and allowing | nothing whatever for the labor and I attention <n looking after sau.e On ’ho otht r h*»nd. It is a well known fact that there are thousands of hens ami hundreds of cows kept in every section of the world at A final) i dal loss, the result of cureless meth t'ds. unsanitary houses and improper feeding On the one hand a good * profit is made from keeping hens, while on the other, considerable tl* unnolnl loss is sustained For these reasons we do not hesitate to state that every one llxing In the rural din trie,a should keep aa much poultry ss they can look after In the right way. with the understanding that if] n••elected, they wi’l prov* g financial i loss out if properiv cared for and looked after, that they will he a blessing and a profitable investment to there who keep them. The farm ls the ideal place for the j poultry They should not, however, he kept close to the back door, fed and cared tor there, and allowed to disfigure and disgrace the domicil* of the family by running over, scratching, and feeding at the door steps. Cows, hogs, and sheep are not usually kept in this wax. and | poultry should not be The poultry 1 quarters should be fenced off tn a! healthy, yyell diallied locality, looked after and cared for to the most min ute detail, and kepi Just u* warm, dry, and clean as the family cow or the driving horse If there is one place tn the wor d w here the phrase I 'Cleanliness ls next to godliness . should be observed. It la in *he poul j try house Without clewnMnep*! proper sanitary condhhxns and good cate, there can not be any success tn poultry growing. With it, sue cess is assured Where the garden is neglected for a month or six week* during hot weather, it is quickly overgrown and destroyed by weeds. When poultry houses are neglected they are certain t to be overrun wiUl vermin —l\>ul i try. THE AUGUSTA HERALD STORIES OF GEORGIA FARMS By J. C. Me A uliffe. Ther e seems to be something In the atmosphere along about this time ;of year that causes one to feel like i the race Is almost over. If the crop .Is not made, no sunshine nor show ers oau make it take on new growth, i If the ear of corn Is not formed there i will lie no grain gathered from the field. If the cotton boll Is not suf ficiently matured, to produce the fiuffv Rfaple. but little picking will be done on the farms of the south, j illpenlng time Is at hand. The toil of the year Is bearing fruit, and whether • the Bessons have been propitious, or adverse, th ( . sam fi feeling pervades I the spirit of men. Down Georgia way there is activ : Ity everywhere. The most Arcadian : rural t immunity Is a hustling center l of commerce. The cotton crop is just beginning to move. Hardly had the great activty which characterized the summer months, during the peach and melon season, ceased, when sud denly the quietude of the country was broken by the shrill whistle of the engines at the cotton ginneries. The rumble of Wagons and the rush of travel was noted on every side. The little plantation roads are now com mercial highways and the public roads veritable channels of trade. The cot ton crop of Georgia is a great thing. It provides work for tens of thou sands and clothing for millions over the whole world. There is nothing more marvelous than the change that has come In cot ton ginning during the past few years. It Is easy to remember when even a which gives color to the prophesies. Labor is scarce and consequently high priced hero, and farmers will In many eases have to pay wage* only Justified by fifteen-cent cotton, a price hardly likely to be reached this season. Fortunately a big corn crop has lieen made and forage crops are the best for many years. This combination will help to lake the sting out of an unprofitable cotton crop should II assume that character. Altogether the present indications are for a prosperous year In Texas. Poultry Houses Again SOME ESSENTIAL FEATURES The essentials nf a poultry house may bo summed up briefly under sun light. fresh air and warmth. The sun being our best disinfectant, ihe windows of the poultry house should be so arranged that 'he sun will see till the floor space during the day Windows should come to within two feet of floor and extend to the tame distance from peak, large enough to contain about one-third of house II there is a curtain hclore Ihe roosting quarters, it should he lifted during the day and the sun should lie allowed to penetrate t very nook and conn r of the roosting pen. Fresh air Is very helpful for the laving snick. Houses should not he built to admit the ftesh air through tracks forming draughts, but admit ted so the air can he changed in the house at will. One of the best ways ol accomplishing this is to have the windows so arranged that they can be ottened every day. In Ihe wittier utt nour or less would "rohablv be sutflcont, but il Is essential, even ill cold wentho-. to allow the house to be purified by ventilation For this purpose a 'lumber are using burlap screens which give good satisfaction. Some of these plans show what is called the open scratching shed, where nothing hut screen wire is be tween the outside air and the fowls: as :hc\ are exercising during .he day. I Ventilating thafts have not given the SHOULD A MALE BE KEPT WITH LAYING HENS? Wo have had many letters from readers asking If males should be kept with the laying hens where eggs for market only are wanted. Some say that they have heard that the hens lay better, and others say they do not know, nud want our opinion. It has long since been proven, be yond a doubt, that hens do better and lay better when-no males are kept in the yards with them. The males, as a rule, are greedy and eat as much as two hens. They are often cross and worry the hen* while they are feeding, and taken altogether thev are a disturbing element among lay ing hens Another important point to consider is that eggs that have been fertilized will quickly spoil while infertile .•*** will remain fresh for a much longer time Vs a matter of fact an infertile egg will not become foul and putrid, but will tn a meas ure dry up This Is why (he Infertile egg* are taken from incubators by the large breeders after the seventh day and fed to the chirks, tn fact, it ia said that such eggs are often sold to cheap bakeries while those that have been fertilized become foul after a few- days. Male fowls that have been in the breeding >'xrd the past sexes-,,, should be fattened and sent to mar- Conducted By J. C. McAULIFFE few of the old-fashioned horsepower glnneres were in operation. It is equally as easy to remember the time | when cotton seed were considered a J nuisance, and it was a rule of the J ginneries to force farmers to take them away from the gin house and place away off in some ravine where they would be out of the way. And today a hundred million dollars worth of machinery and tens of thousands of men ar e engaged in working up cotton seed. It has been my privilege to visit, time and again, the site where Eli Whitney first started the little old cot ton gin that revolutionized the cotton industry of the world. Down in Rich mond county, in a quiet secluded spot, he started the wheels revolving that grabbed the lint off the seeds in a clumsy fashion. Georgia surely holds the palm for making the south the greatest commercial. section of coun try in the world. McCormick, with his reaper, has fed millions, but the gin made possible the clothing of mankind, and that is about as essen tial to civiizaton as food. But the improvement in the gin and ginning methods nas been wonderful during the past few years. It used to take a dozen men to handle the business at a common ginnery, but. now two or three only are needed to do twice as much work with much more ease. It Is evolution in its fullest sense, and a step of progress that means ad vancement for ages to come. It re lieves men of toil, and when this is done the value is beyond computa tion. Instead of the laborious hand ling of the Reed cotton by hand au tomatic suction unloads the wagon. No one is needed now to feed the gins by hand, but on the contrary, self feeders distribute the cotton to half a dozen gins driven by one engine. In stead of the tedious treading of the lint by men down in the sweaty press box. strong iron trampers and hy draulic pressure does the work five times as fast. There is no develop ment in any line of business that eclipses that in the ginning and man ufacture of cotton. FOR PROFIT <\ND PLEASURE best s.itisfaction. Whpre the burlap curtain or the open scratching shed iu not used, a small opening, say a foot square for every 12 hens, is sometimes made over the window or near the roor towards the south and .n this opening is placed a cotton or burlap screen, a similar opening may be made beneth the window, this ar rangement allows a moderate change of air continually. Warmth. It is not meant that poul try house* are to be built warm, nor artificially heated, but simply that they are io lie built so that liio fowl will be eomfortabie. No animal can do its best If it ls uncomfortable. Aim to keep the temperature as even as possible day and night. For this pur pose it will be necessary to contrive some simple irri-ngement that will substitute during the day. To allow Ihe fowls to roost in the same pen they have been exercising in during the day, without any extra covering, la not wise. It is not the coid days, but the cold nights that keep the hens from laying. Then if they can be made more comfortable at, night by means of the burlap curtain or the board partition, or anything else, let it be done. The up-to-date farmers' poultry house is one wilh plenty of loom, light and sunshine, fresh air without draughts, movable fixtures, convenient, built for comfort accord ing to modern plans to suit his purse. —Ontariu Agr. College Hulletiil. WHAT DOES IT COST TO KEEP A HEN? We are often asked this question, and we frankly admit it is a*very important question, and one which, we regret to say, is impossible to an swer. Where one could keep a flock of hens for a dollar each a year, and perhaps make but little profit, it ' would cost another one and a half j each, and yet ho would make more ! profit than the former. Much. In fact almost all. depends •on the owner. One will economize and feed carefully, while the other will feed Irregularly and disarrange the digestion of the fowls. One lot will lay constantly during the winter, while the other will not. One lot is kept at a loss w hile the other pays a profit. Therefore »e can only say that if I* not so much the coat of keeping as it is the profit we get from the hens. ket and only the hens for layers should be kept tn the yard*. The males for next season should he taken from this season's young sters—the best of the lot to be se lected early next spring Pullets an<V hens should be kept in separate yards •if possible, as the old hens often abuse the young ones.—Home and i Farm. To Our Patrons: The flood damaged us badly, but we are pleased to say that we are -apidly getting things in shape and new goods are ar riving by express and freight and we are now ready to serve our patrons. We take this onportunity to thank many of you who have paid your accounts so promptly. We would ask those who owe us to kindly settle. WE are frank to say WE NEED THE MONEY. Will those who had purchases charged on Wednesday, the 26th, kindly give us a list of the items? All charges on this date were destroyed by the flood. Thanking you for your loyal support of the past and hoping for continuance, we are, Respectfully, Hollingsworth & Co Somewhat Disfigured, But Still in the Ring! My Drug Store at 503 9th Street, was nearly destroyed, but out of the rubbish, am fast getting things replaced, and can now fill any Prescription or supply any want. Trusting for a continuance of the liberal patronage heretofore ex tended me, I shall endeavor to satisfy any one who gives me their trade. NEW GOODS—OLD STORE, AND OLD MEN. R. H. LAND. St. Angela’s Academy REOPENS SEPTEMBER 14TH. AIKEN, S. C., CONDUCTED BY THE SISTERS OF OUR LADY OF MERCY Boarding and Day School offers educational and climatic ' advantages. English and Commercial Courses. Plano Violin, Guitar, Mandolin, V lot in Cello, Voice Culture, Crayon, Painting in oil and water-colors. FOR PARTICULARS APPLY TO DIRECTRESS THE WANT ADVERTISEMENTS ARE •HUMANIZING!” TVhon more people come to use and answer classified advertise ments, more people will know each other— More People With Interests Will Meet more people will find channels and opportunities for reciprocal ser vice. Truly, the want ads. are "humanizing” people—shaming away the scorn of small things, the scorn of "bargaining,” of exchanging useful but not used things for useful and usable ones. USE HERALD WANTS FOR RESULTS. Bn | p i( Red and Buff, Dry Pressed ** • an d Common Building LARGE STOCK. PROMPT SHIPMENT. Georgia-Carolina Brick Company Howard H. Stafford, President. Write for Prices. AUGUSTA, GA. Have a Rummage Sale of Your Own. This is serious— M At this glorious springtime thoughts of new things are uppermost in one’s mind —not in clothing line alone—but throughout the household a general replacement takes place— What becomes of the old stuff l Riled away in garret or storeroom most likely— and forgotten. Why, if you would go through the basement or storeroom of the average family today you would find an “accumulation of discards” from years back. The strange thing is that hundreds of people want the very thing for which you have no further use. It’s easy for you to find a customer, too— Glance at the Want Columns in today’s paper see which want you can supply—then write the party. But if you can’t find a party who can use what you want to sell, make a list of what you have and put it in the Want Colunme yourself. But look at the Want Ads. firt»U