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THE BUTLER HERALD, BUTLER, GEORGIA, DECEMBER 15, 1932. Annual Report COUNTY AGENT By W. A. Lundy, Agent (Continued From Last Week) ... FORESTRY—The educational work done by the Forestry committee l ist year has been continued thru 1932, and has gotten excellent re- S "\Vhen many of the South Georgia forests were burning during the dry season last fall there were practically 110 W oods fires in Taylor county. We know that there was a smoke haze from Sylvania in Screven county to the Taylor county line at Macon coun ty the last week of November, 1931, so dense as to make even daytime driving hazardous, yet during that extremely dry season there was only one small woods fire in Taylor coun ty. y Thru the help of the Forestry Com mittee, State and College extension Foresters, 260 acres of longleaf pines were planted (seed spot method) by a Taylor county farmer in January of r-hiJ year. A good stand was secured, and practically all of the seedlings survived the first summer. This is our first result Forestry demonstration. PAGE FIVE Taylor county cotton crop h ? s been' 23 older 4-H Club boys on a sight marketed co-operatively this year seeing trip to Washington, D. C. in than formerly on account of the July. Including the negro cook, there premium offered by the Co-op for staple cotton and the fact that so much of the local crop has been ap plied as collateral on Federal Seed Loans, and is held by the Co-op. The county agent has been of service in advising as to premium on staples, Seed Loan pools, etc. POULTRY — Tlyree co-operative poultry sales disposed of 23,742 lbs. netting $2,738.20, at a saving of $256.59. SWINE—Sold 71 purebred pigs, all of which were 4-H pigs except 19. Most of these shipped out of the county at 8 to 12 weeks of age, from $5.50 to $10.00 each. Total sale $692.00, saving above market price for meat animals, $258.00. Owing to the advantage of nearby markets foi dressed and cured pork, most hogs were sold this year in this form rath er than live weight. MISCELLANEOUS SALES — As sisted in selling 3 cars watermelons, 20 tons green field peas, 100 lbs. hams and a few other minor products. PURCHASERS — Taylor County “Marketing”. accomplished ■ more in the way af purchases than in sales. The Taylor County Agricultural Board bought co-operatively 621 1-2 tons fertilizing materials at dealer’s JUNIOR WORK—Thru the gene- . . ... . . rm rosity of Mr. J. S. Green, president prices ’ aUpplyin * t . hem to . th \ farm v of the county T. P. O., and chairman ers at only enou * h marpn t0 pay of the Taylor County Forestry Com mittee, $25.00 in prizes have been of fered the winning boys and girls of the local schools who write the best composition on forest fire control, this contest to end in January, 1933. Prizes offered winning 4-H Club boys at the county fair will be in the form of pine seedlings, livestock or scholarships. It is hoped that many if them will accept pine seedlings, u we are anxious to have a number 4 4-H reforestation projects enrolled n the county next year. (j) RODENTS AND MISCEL LANEOUS iNSECTS — Information given personally to farmers in the control of rats (red squill powder), weevils (carbon disulphide), Mexican Bean Beetles, boll weevils, etc., and thru newspaper articles. On account of the mild winter last year, all insect pests were unusually nu merous this season, and their control has been a major problem with most garden and truck crops. In fact, thousands of dollars were lost, due to boll weevil damage to the cotton farmers of the county this yea'. Heavy rains in June increased insect damage considerably. Most farmers did nothing to control boll weevils, hoping for dry weather, which failed to materialize this year. This was a hard problem to deal with, because in most cases the farmers had no money with which to buy dusters, calcium arsenate, etc., and the hope of high prices for cotton were so slight that even the most optimistic did not feel justified in going to this extra ex pense, tho there is no doubt but that it would have paid them. They were advised to do this by the county agent personally and thru news ar ticles. (k) AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER ING—.Plans furnished for the build ing of the following: 10 brooder houses, 10 brick brooders, 6 laying houses, 1 trench silo, 2 meat curing rooms, 1 meat curing box, 13 terrace drags. Ten terracing demonstrations at which 10 farmers learned to terrace their farms, and approximately 1,400 acres were terraced. The county agent’s te ■•racing outfit was in use about two months by the neighbors of those who were taught to use it at the demonstrations, and it is estimated that 2,000 additional acres were terraced in this manner. (o) FARM MANAGEMENT—At community meetings over the county, tlie statistics secured from retailer survey were used to advantage in em phasizing the “Live at Home” pro gram. Eight poultry records completed, 18 started Oct. 1, 1932, on new flocks. Three farm account record books kept this year. News articles Methods of economizing, cost account- big, etc. Outlook Information given at all [community meetings in January, trails furnished by the Agricultural 1 ^lege were used. Seven meetings * Te held, attended by 450. The county agent supervised filling [ ,ut of Seed Loan applications, select- county loan committee and super- r '«d administration of loans in coun- b- Out of over 400 applications, 36.0 | " er e approved and sent to the re gnal office. Approximately $60,000 "as borrowel by Taylor county farm- ers from this source. A $300.00 livestock loan was se- ' Ure d from the Growers Finance ot P- for one of our dairymen. . ( 1>! MARKETING—It is becoming ^singly hard to sell farm prod- . ,* ts at a profit. The problem now is 0 sell them at all. handling charges. An 8-4-4 fertilizer mixture was handled in this way for $16.10 per ton delivered at Butler,, bulk. This resulted in a saving of from $6.50 to $9.00 per ton under the price asked by local dealers for. mixed goods for the same analysis. Most prices quoted were y around $25.00 per ton at the beginning of the season, which would indicate that at least $6,- 000 was saved the farmers of Taylor county on their fertilizer bill alone this year. When one notes that local dealers lowered their prices somewhat to meet this competition, it is evident that the saving was greater than that mentioned above, as those who bought from them received the advantage of this reduced price, which they would not have gotten had it not been for the co-operative sales. It is therefore estimated by disinterested parties familiar with the situation' here that the real saving to the farmers amounted to around $10,000.00. The Taylor county agricultural board also handled 52,500 lbs. Aus trian winter peas, 700 lbs. hairy vetch for the farmers co-operatively. Be sides encouraging the planting of these valuable winter cover crops, it bought these seed at wholesale prices and sold them locally at a 25 per cent lower price than that asked by re tailers. The total volume of this pur chase amounted to $2,352.24, including inoculation, at a saving of $665.00. MISCELLANEOUS PURCHASES ■The Agricultural Board also han dled co-operatively two tons of tank age, $76.00, 1 1-2 tons cracker meal $33.00, 1,300 lbs. Lespedeza seed, $156.00, and 400 lbs. carpet grass seed $40.00, at a saving of about $45.00 Total sales, $3,580.00, {saving $539.59; total purchases $13,595.24, saving $5,710.00; total both $17,- 175.24; total saving $6,249.69. JUNIOR WORK — As indicated above, 4-H Club boys sold all but 19 of the 71 purebred Poland China pigs listed, their pigs netting about $364,’ which is about twice as much as they were worth for pork, and 50 per cent or $182.00 is therefore counted as profit. The pigs included above are only those sold by the county agent and does not include private sale of breeding stock made by the boys themselves. Many of i the purchases listed above were made primarily for 4-H Club boys, especially the tankage and cracker meal for feeding pure bred pigs. (q) COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, CAMPS, ETC. LOCAL 4-H CAMP—26 4-H Club boys attended our local Parks pond camp. This camp lasted for three days and nights. We were assisted by our State Extension Forester, Mr. DuPre Barrett, who showed Forestry moving pictures for two nights and gave the boys instructions in fire con trol, Dendrology, etc. A talk on the former subject whs made one evening by the chairman of our Forestry com mittee. The camp was visited one af ternoon by Mr. G. V. Cunningham, state club agent, who conducted a recreational program. This was at tended by parents of the boys and quite a few of the Taylor County 4- H. Club girls. CAMP WILKINS—One week was spent at Camp Wilkins, on the cam pus of the State College of Agricul ture, 'by the county agent and four leader boys, at which time a county agents’ conference and leader boys’ conference was held. WASHINGTON, D. C.—The county agent, Chairman of the Agricultural Board, a member of the county Board 1 of Education, one of our farmers and Cotton—A larger percentage of the the pastor of a local church conducted were 29 in the party. The trip re quired 10 days, four of which were spent in Washington. The route taken going north was via Macon, Augusta, Columbus, Raleigh and Richmond. The party returned via New Market, Roanoke, Johnson City, Asheville, Gainesville and Atlanta. The boys paid $11.00 each, for all expenses. This could not have nearly paid for everything had it not been for a 4- wheeled trailer built for this purpose by the Agricultural Board. In it were hauled cooking equipment and food contributed by the boys, some of which was stored in an ice 'box. The trailer was pulled by the county agent in his car and the boys rode in a school lrns. While in Washington the party visited the Capitol, White House, Bureau of Printing and En graving, Washington monument, Lin coln Memorial, Smithsonian Institute Mt. Vernon, Arlington Cemetery, etc. TAYLOR COUNTY FAIR—In spite of economic conditions, the county extension organization, assisted by the advanced 4-H Club boys and girls, put on one of the most credit able fairs ever seen in Taylor county. Too much credit for this enterprise cannot be given the advanced Club, or Taylorites, as they are called, who attended to all the details, and in fact, managed most of the fair them selves. It would not have been pos. sible to put on the fair without their help. About 60 purebred pigs, 30 cattle, 100 chickens, 20 com club exhibits, and a few other miscellaneous ex hibits were shown, as well as a re markable home economic display by the 4-H Club girls, consisting of 1st and 2nd year sewing and canning, etc. Several educational exhibits were shown also by the county agent and demonstration agent. Approximately $300 in scholarships were awarded the boys and girls who won prizes at the fair, these to be given them next spring and summer. Some of these will be trips, -others will be baby chicks, purebred pigs, etc.—anything to encoqrage club work asd broaden their outlook. AGRICULTURAL BOARD. MEET INGS—About six meetings were held by the Agricultural Board during the year. These were in addition to sev eral meetings held last December in regard to continuing county agent work during 1932. Four of these metings were in re to plans for com munity meetings, 1932 farm program Seed Loan, etc. The other two were open meetings, one of which was a barbecue attended by members and their wives and a few of the other leading farmers of the county. The other was an oyster supper held the first evening of the Fair, at which were many outside guests—county agents from five adjacent counties, a nearby Poland China breeder of note, the State and District Agent and others. COMMUNITY MEETINGS—Meet ings were held at every school house in the county during tho winter months. In December the county agent and Agricultural Agent of the C. of Qa. Ry. visited all the schools but one and showed 11 reels of pic tures relating to pastures, swine, cover crops, dairying, home economics etc., 1,050 attending these meetings. Community meetings were held during January and February by the county agricultural and home demon stration agents, at which our county program was discussed and a recre ational period was held at the end of the meeting. We were frequently as sisted in these meetings by members of the Agricultural Board who ap peared ° n the programs. On account of the pressure of Seed Loans from March thru May, these meetings were discontinued, as we were unable to work all day and all night too. One community—.Wesley—a year ago organized a community club, and has had such capable local leadership that it has been a pleasure, rather than a burden, to attend and assist in directing their meetings. The spirit displayed by this community has been an inspiration. ADVANCED 4-H CLUB—Realiz ing that there is one group which we have failed to reach effectively in our Extension program, the county agri cultural and home demonstration agents organized an older group of boys and girls into an advanced group which they have decided to call “The Taylorites.” 1 While not as strict in requiring 4_H Club records as the regular 4-H Club of the coun ty, this club is limited to old club members or the young men and wdm- en who are actually engaged in farming. More time is given to social activities, discussion of problems of leadership, etc. This group has done more to make club work the success that it has been in Taylor county .than almost any other force this year. Among its members are several young men who have been outstand ingly successful as swine breeders, poultrymen and general farmers. The example set by these young people and their leadership is going far to ward helping train a new generation of farmers in Taylor county. APPRECIATION — The county agent wishes to thank those who last year subscribed and succeeded in hav ing subscribed the county’s part of the expense of extension work for the year 1932. This was a heavy bur den for a few individuals to assume at this critical time, and we have done all that we have known how to do to merit’ this expenditure and justify their sacrifice. W6 hope that none of them have cause to regret it. We are glad that the incoming board of com missioners have seen fit to support this work in Taylor county for 1933, and we hope that it will never be nec essary to “pass the hat” again for this work which should be rightfully supported from the public treasury. Costing at present only about 1-3 of a mill, it does not increase taxes, and if abolished would not in any way alleviate the thx burden. We are grateful to the co-operators over the county who have supplied us with so much information of exten sion value. Theirs is the satisfac tion of knowing that they have helped their neighbors, and by so doing have helped themselves—“No man llveth unto himself.’’ While the outlook for 1933 is not encouraging, the most competent ob servers predict that as rapidly as we solve the bigger problems—repara tions, disarmaments, tariff and tax reforms, unemployment, etc., each of which seems to hinge upon the other and all of which are being gradually worked out by our statesmen and economists—agriculture will see bet ter days. It is generally believed that another 12 months will present a brighter picture. In the meantime we pledge our best efforts to make Tay lor county a better place in which to live and solicit everyone’s co-opera tion to that end. After all, farming is not so much a business as a mode of living, the most attractive part of which is not seen on the farm account books nor measured in dollars ano cents. ROOSEVELT AND THE FARMERS (By Dr. Glenn Frank) When Mr. Roosevelt assumes re sponsibility as the executive head of the nation, he will, on the first morn ing at his desk, run full into the plight of the farmers. And one of the first things that will shove itself into the foreground is the fact that the plight of the farmers is intimately interlocked with the plight of American business and industry and inextricably entangled in the problem of the nation’s political and economic foreign policy. In 1919 the gross farm income of the United States was approximately $17,000,000,006. In 1929 it had dropped to $12,000,- 000,000. In 1931 it had dropped to $7,000,- 000,000. This year it will probably hit the lowest level yet of $5,000,000,000. Since the war ended our farm in come has dropped nearly $12,000,- 000,000. It is a bit startling to realize that, if we cannot rescue the American farmers from their current plight, we shall be losing, as compared with 1919, each year a sum equal to the total war debts owed us as a result of the World War. There arc roughly 30,000,000 farm ers in the United States. There are somewhere between 16,- 000,000 and 20,00,000 prsons in farm- related industries and services. The agricultural situation means therefore, that approximately two- fifths of the American population to day has one-third less purchasing power than it had ten or twelve years ago. This one-third reduction in pur chasing power of two-fiths of our population is really more than a one third reduction because the purchas ing power of the farmers is still fur ther reduced by the fact that their fixed charges of interest, taxes, and the like, stay stubborhly at their old high levels. The case is clear: We must either effect an opening of world markets for American agricultural products or scale our whole system of farming down to a domestic basis. If we take the latter course, we shall fasten upon American farmers the present $12,000,000,000 drop in annual income, and it does not take a clairvoyant to see what this will mean to American business and industry. It will be among Mr. Roosevelt’s major opportunities to convince the parochial-minded politifcian that far sighted ant world-minded foreign policy may well mean more to the American farmer than all the specific legislation that can be conjured up to catch the votes of the hinterland. GEORGIANS ASK FOR REPRINT OF LECTURE Savannah, Ga., Aug. 9, 1932. Mr. G. A. Hall, Calhoun, Ga. Dear Mr. Hall: Several years ago I read an article written I am informed by you, in one of ypur -local papers, on the subject of Death. The article in question was one of the most beautiful I ever read on this or any other subject, and at the time I handed it to a friend of mine, now living in Baltimore, who likewise, was very much impressed with it. Recently in conversation with him, 'he spoke of the matter, and asked me if I could obtain a copy >f it. I have had a hard time obtaining your initials, name and address, and I earnestly hope, now, that I have found the author of the article I men tioned above. If you have a copy of this, (pro vided, of course, that you recall it), and do not mind sending me one, I assure you that I would be most grateful to you for it. I want to send it to my friend in Baltimore, who is exceedingly anxious to obtain it, and I might add that I am just as anxious to obtain a copy for my own files. Yours very truly, H. S. GIBBES. The article referred to in Mr. Gihbes’ letter appeared on the editor ial page of the Tribune-Herald, of Rome, Ga. It was a reprint of an ad dress delivered before the Harbin Philosophers Club, which was an or ganization in that city made up of kindred spirits and it met annually at the residence of Dr. R. M. Harbin. The article is reprinted below: “FEAR OF DEATH” (By Gus Hall, Calhoun, Ga.) Let us forget for a little while that we -are doctors and teachers and busi ness men. Let us forget all of our little life problems and bid our thoughts run back to tho mysterious nights 'before the earth was nothing but a luminous cloud of star dust In the black void of Immensity. Where were we an aeon ago when God began to dream of the creation of man? What identity did we-have when all humanity was but a sweet dream in the mind of Jehovah? In those far-off twilight days, you lived os a part an_ infinitely small, yet necessary and indestructable part of the necessary scheme of things. Behind the shimmering cloud of star dust in the far-off ages, the in visible laws of growth and develop ment decreed that we should be and we are here today with all our won- derful equipment of body and powers of soul, but an expression of the mar velous evolution of the ages; an evo lution that would move all things up ward toward the perfect. I do not fear death as I look at the far-off years of the post because out of universal flame there came a beau tiful world, and out of the abyss of unfathomable past came certain laws of life and makes me—this night—a man. When germ cell meets germ cell in the mother’s body the invisible in tention of God begins to find expres sion -as revealed in the material. The ancients believed that when you touched a human body you touched the Creator; that the body, unmavred by disease or sin, was a revelation of God in the world. Science has taught us that this body is immortal, that the elements of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon are imperishable and will live on in- countless combinations and forms to all eternity. Nature watches closely her instrument—the body of man—and when we walk in the path of sin she sends pain to warn us, and then if we persist in wrong doing she turns loose against our body the dis organizing power of disease that her precious elements of the body segre gated and purified by death may be organized into a more perfect form of life. When I look into the eyes of a thoughtful man a strange feeling of certainty comes over me. I know that I am not in the presence of a being of material flesh and blood and bone; but an invisible, intangible being that looks out at me through eyes that are quick with the light of immortal life. While the body is in a sense im mortal, and while it is wonderful in its efficiency as it serves the purpose of the soul, the spiritual life or equipment of the body is infinitely more precious as the governing intel ligence of the .world. I do not fear death, because I be lieve that the spirit of "man is infin itely more precious to God than the elements of the body, and that when this shadowy life is ended we shall rise by the power of growth and di vine evolution into a higher and more perfect life as radiant angels of light. We -are in our physical being and spiritual powers a part of all the in fluences of the^ast. If we have made any progress towards the perfect, we have done so because the good in the past has outweighed the evil. I do not fear death because I believe these unerring laws of life with their jus tice nnd their love will stand guard at the portal of death, and will take up of the unpromising fragments of my personality all that is worth sav ing and project that life into the fur- therest spaces of eternity. The flow ers of tomorrow with all' their frag rance and beauty do not sleep in the brawn buds of the trees this winter night; they are folded up in the bright vesture of the shining laws of growth and beauty that will unfold into per fect life when the spring time comes. What we shall do in the hereafter I do not know. Where we shall be 1 cannot guess. I only know that I have felt the loving touch of an In finite Order; that from the winter of this life will come the springtime of unhindered growth where spiritual flowers long dormant will burst into immortal bloom. Our birth into this life was a death to the imperfect and circumscribed life of the unborn child. Our birth into the other life must be a death to much that we have known in this land of weakness and spiritual limitations. If we pass into the dream less sleep of annihilation, there can come to us nothing worse than the overmastering power of a great peace; If we still live after the grave of one thing we can ‘be sure—that a deathless law of over-expanding life will lift us up into more perfect and glorious experiences.—Ualhoun Times. ANNALS OF THE OLD WIREGRASS A uniquely engaging book in the series of Georgia annals written, or in process of writing, for the Bi-centen- nlal celebration is W. P. Ward’s His tory of Coffee County. It 1b dedicated “To the memory of the Creek Indians who occupied this territory and pre served it till the coming of the early settlers; to the Pioneers, who cut the first logs and built the first houses, who split thp first rails and fenced the first fields; to the old school teachers, teachers, who wore cotton breeches and taught our children how to read and write in log huts; to the old preachers, who preached the old- time Gospel and sang the old-time songs; and to every one who. in any way has helped to make Coffee coun ty a good place in which to live.” Those lines are typical of the au thor’s racy English and of his eye for color. He tells his story on, from the shadowy Indian' background, to the county’s creation in 1854, up to the year 1930; emphasizing events of moment, but not forgetting Incidents that show the customs and manners of a time or the temperament and character of a people. Thus one chap-, ter, entitled “An Ideal Wedding," de picts the quaint nuptials of Mr. Syd ney Hargraves and Misb Mary Lott in the autumn of 1867. “A beef and several hogs, chickens by the score, and turkey a-plenty were used in the wedding supper ... As the sun was getting low in the west the crowd gathered about the front yard. The groom and his best man, each riding white horses, and’ his four attendants, were hiding in the woods, awaiting the signal for them to appear. Miss Mary and her attendants were in readiness. Just as the sun went down the signal was given to the groom and his party. Soon the two white horses, leading, were seen, and with increasing speed dashed up to the front gate. . . . When they arrived, the party quickly alight ed and rushed to the house. They were met at the door .by the bride and her attendants. The marriage cere mony was performed by Moses Kirk land. After the usual formal congratu lations, supper was announced. A large table had been prepared in the yard; dozens of candles on the table and around about furnished light, in addition to which, fires were built.” The darkey servants of the Lott fami ly, veterans of plantation days, were all present, “spick and span”, includ ing “Aunt" Martha, “Uncle” Lewis who played the fiddle, and “Old Cap” who “.beat the strings," while the eve ning was danced away. Now, that is not the sort of thing one would •' expect in a conventional history, but it is a scene from the un conventional life of Wiregrass Geor gia in a time when stout hearts and true were conquering a frontier and planting the seed of a culture to be. As such, it has its place in the epic of our commonwealth. So, too, has Mr. Ward’s description of a log rolling, a deer hunt, and a “Stormy Night on Seventeen-Mile Creek;" his passages on “Mills and Stills”, “Old Time Singers,”, Old Graveyards” and his liberal accounts of pioneer fami lies. Is it not by just such homely touches that Herodotvis still quickens our interest after more than 2,400 years ? These county histories, written in accordance with a resolution of the General Assembly of 1929, looking to 1 the,State’s Bicentennial of 1933, will afford, when they are assembled, a wealth of material for future re search as well as for present interest.