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6 THE ATLANTA SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, ATLANTA, GA. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1913. Education and Successful Farming- $» .Andrew 73. Soule This department will cheerfully endeavor to furnish any information. Letters should he addressed to Dr. Andrew if. Soule, president State Agricultural College, Athens, Oa. ' CONDITIONS OF PRODUCTION MUST BE IMPROVED Georgia has an approximate popula tion of 2,600.000. There are 291.000 farms in the state. The land area is 37,584,000 acres, of which 12.29S.000 acres are classed as improved. The value of all farm property is $580,546,- 381. The land is worth $370,353,415, the buildings $108,850,917; implements and machinery, $20,948,056; domestic CW7iaIs, $80,393,993. Georgia spends the promotion of agriculture, through her eleven congressional dis trict agricultural schools, $110,000 a year. The College of Agriculture re ceives $105,000 a year from the state, of which sum $45,500 must be spent for extension-demonstration work. The support of the schools is based on a special tax on fertilizers. The support of the college is drawn directly from the state treasury. The income of the state is about $6,500,000 annually. It is hardly necessary to point out to this representative group of financiers that until a larger, proportion of money is expended in promoting higher educa tion in agriculture and fostering exten sion-demonstration work, the great mass of the rural population cannot be provided with the knowledge essen tial for the regeneration of our agri culture. An analysis of existing conditions brings to light many very instructive facts. Of the total land area in Geor gia only 71.7 per cent is included in farms, while of this amount only 45.6 per cent is regarded as improved. Eighty-two and five-tenths per cent of the total value of farm property is rep resented in land and buildings, 13.8 per cent in live stock, and 3.6 per cent in implements and machinery. In this connection it is proper to state that the most remarkable development in the history of Georgia's agriculture took place in the last decade, although data presented later show that we are lag ging behind in development along cer tain lines. For instance, there are 415.405 horses and mules on 291.000 farms. These farms contain an aver age acreage of 92.6 acres, which affords less than 1.5 animals for the cultiva tion of this area of land. As a good deal of the work stock enumerated is owned in towns and cities, it is quite likely that not more than one horse or mule is available for the operation of the land in each farm. Really, four an imals could be kept with great profit and advantage on 92.6 acres of land sit uated in a state where double cropping may be practiced with great success. The future development of our agricul ture is largely dependent on the pro motion of live stock industries which will enable the breeding of horses and mules at home in sufficient numbers to give the necessary percentage of power in the collar, thus improving cultivation and reducing the amount of hand labor ■which is now both costly and difficult to secure. * The increased cost of labor during the last decade amounted to 82.5 per cent; the increase in implements and machinery to 113.7 per cent; the increase in fertilizers to 193.8 per cent. These figures bear eloquent testimony to the anomalous condition now exist ing on our farms. Of the 291,000 farms in the state 100,000 were operated by owners and managers and 191,000 by tenants. While there was an increase ot' 10,000 farm owners during the last decade, there was an increase of 56,000 tenant farmers. According to the best figures avail able, Georgia farmers have about $21,- 000.000 invested in implements and machinery. This is equivalent to about $72 per farm. Efficient cultiva tion of the land cannot be accom plished with this sort of equipment. The modern farm to be successfully operated cannot be supplied with the necessary machinery under $700 or $800. In the absence of suitable im plements and machinery the farmer is wasting either his own muscle or that of his laborers. In a great majority of instances he is failing to properly operate his land. The result of this practice is too well known to require further comment at this time. As a result of the 'conditions por trayed above, the average yield and value per acre of the principal farm crops according to the census figures of. 1909 are as follows: Yield Value Crop. Per Acre. Per Acre. Corn 11.6 bus. $10.96 Oats., v. .. .. . . ..15.1 bus. 10.29 Peanuts 16.0 bus. 15.23 Hay and forage.. 1.03 tons 16.30 Sweet potatoes.. ..88.4 bus. 51.76 Cotton.. .. fl bale 25.94 Can we expect our farmers to be prosperous under such conditions, and is it reasonable to permit these condi tions to longer exist when it has been clearly demonstrated that 100 bushels of corn, two to three bales of cottton, three to four tons of hay, and 50 to . / bushels of oats may be raised on an acre of land skillfully operated and upon which the few’ fundamental prin ciples of scientific practice essential to secure these results have been util- ived? % • Where such yields as the above ob tain credit is bound to be more or less impaired, and even after the farmer haft grown the crop he is forced to market it at a disadvantage. For a long time it was thought by those who do not live in the country that it made little difference what return the farmer secured for the product of his labor. As a result, the farmer became disgusted and moved to town. Now our farms are undermanned, production restricted because of this fact, and an unskillful practice, followed. The cost *of living in town has risen excessive ly, yet the farmer receives probably but 40 to 50 cents out of every dollar’s worth of produce. His purchasing power is thus limited; his ability to improve his farm and buy additional implements and work stock reduced, inis value as a borrower is lessened, and agricultural practice under this condition of affairs tends to decline rather than improve. The people of towns and cities are as intimately con cerned in the welfare of the farmer as any one. The time has come when methods of co-operation between buyer and seller must be materially improved, and the banker and the merchant must in justice to themselves see that the farmer secures an adequate return for his labor. Th state of Minnesota appropriated this year $1,800,000 for the promotion of agricultural education. This hap pened in a state much younger than Georgia and the soils of which have not been depleted by a long period of cultivation. The proposition of re generating our agriculture depends on training up the youth of the* state to appreciate, ‘understand and control na ture. to have a satisfactory knowledge of economic conditions as they exist, and to understand how to overcome the. atrophy in our present practice. , Georgia faces the proposition of ex pending a million dollars annually to regenerate her agriculture and place it on a self-sustaining, progressive and permanent basis. As it is the state's one important and fundamental in- dutrv. how much longer can the vested interests, the towns and cities, and the people living in the rural districts afford to ignore facts of such signifi cance? « # * LEADING BREEDS OF DAIRY CAT TLE: J. H. E., Clarkston. (la., writes: We are interested in a herd of Jersey cattle in cen tral Alabama, and are contemplating mak ing a change to liolsteins, and we want all the information wo can get in regard to the relative merits of the two breeds, before making the change. The Holstein-Friesians, as you no doubt know, are a much larger breed than the Jerseys, and possibly they are more robust and vigorous. They are black and white in color, the markings varying a good deal according to the fancy of the breeder and the strain or family he is handling. We have had a long and satisfactory experience with Holstein cattle, having had herds of them under our charge in Texas, Ten nessee, Virginia and Georgia. They certainly are fine dairy animals where quantity of milk of high quality is sought. The Holstein milk does not contain so much butter fat as that of the Jersey, and the globules are proba bly smaller. Holstein milk from se lected animals will run 3.5 per cent of fat, and from Jerseys probably 5 per cent. The quantity obtained from the j Holstein, however, will more than off- : set the advantage the Jersey may pos- | sess as to the richness of the milk. | For a family cow, where quality of ! milk is sought, the Jersey stands alone, i Where one desires a larger quantity of ; milk better suited to the nutrition of : children, however, the Holstein is in a ! class by itself. Where one is operating i a dairy and desires to sell standard milk, say 3.5 to 4 per cent of fat, a mixed herd of Holsteins and Jerseys will give greater satisfaction possibly than will be secured in any other way. Holsteins by themselves may tend to run somewhat low in butter fat for the standards required In many cities. We maintain a herd of this character on the college farm. The Holsteins are unquestionably finding favor through out the south, and are increasing in popularity at a very rapid rate. The man who engages in the production of this class of cattle will find a ready market for some years to come for superior specimens. You will not make a mistake in establishing a herd of Holsteia qattle. Of course, one should pick the animals used for foundation stock with care. For milk production purposes a high grade herd will be as satisfactory as the more expensive pure breds. * * * CREAM SEPARATORS. T. F. R., Fort Valley, Ga., writes: * would like some information in regal'd to cream separators, and which gives the best satisfaction? What will be the best .size for ten to twelve cows? What is the usual price for sweet cream in the south? Twen ty cents per pint seems to be customary here. In which is there the most profit, selling cream at 20 cents a pint or butter at 30 cents a pound? WHCLE- S A L E GROCERIES Granulated Sugar, 180 lbs.. . $5 00" Compound Lard, 69 lb. ub . S6.25 High Patent Self- ising Flour $5 50 Pilsbur/s “Best xxxx Flour," Finest Hade $5.75 Pure Rio Coffee,Roasted 25 lbs. $4.59 Write (or Prices on Groceries You Need "Icrms: Check witii Order or C. 0. D coke m. mmx co. L 290-92 Paters St. Atlanta, Ga. THE VALUE OF CO-OPERATION IN, BUSINESS AS WELL AS FARMING A decade ago but littlp interest was manifested in co-operation as applied to business and farming. The wonderful strides in this direction during the past f-.w years makes it impossible for any one to compute the immense value re sulting from such a course. In one of the most vital features—that of produc ing bread—the business men have play ed an important part, for through the incentive of big prizes corn growing has developed to such an extent that I dare say Georgia and South Carolina will produce over $25,000,000 worth more corn this year than they would have produced had not some impetus been given them in their work. However, this great gain does not stfand for half the good work accom plished, and while I know that virtually all the large yields have been made at splendid profit, without any prizes be ing considered, yet there are other angles from which the situation must be viewed. Recently I was talking to the farmers of a couple of counties at big gathering and I told them that: the mere fact that a corn show was being held and big prizes given did not offer an excuse for enthusiasm when we ranged this feature alongside the last ing good that was sure to result. This year, when the west is failing, when hay and corn and all foodstuffs promises to be up to the highest point of years, it is exceptionally delightful to realize that our section is coming to the forefront with more corn than ever before in its history, and added to it the hay crop stands for something of great worth. Then along comes the cot ton crop, too, that has been making won derful progress since it got out of the kinks in late spring, insuring for the entire s.outhwest an era of prosperity. With corn at a dollar a bushel this work of expanding production is an un dertaking in which any one might well be glad to take a part, and when the business men of any city take it up and fosters the work they are doing some real foundation building for great er trade and eventually making many farmers prosperous against their wills. In the end all profit by the undertaking. The advantages occasioned by this study of modern methods are many and among them may be cited first of all the Increased Interest in livestock which is invariably manifested by the farmers who grow hay and grain. In several counties of Georgia and a few in South Carolina, the tick eradication work has been successfully started and the prog ress made, together with the enthusi asm shown by the farmers is surely in dicative of expansion along this line. Livestock farming brings better farm ing of all kind, too, and the best meth ods are sure to be applied when once it is introduced in any phase of work. Take an improved piece of machinery in any plant and it leads to the introduction of the best wherever possible. It is exactly the same in farming, and \^hen a planter once learns the advantage of growing crops under new, methods • of scientific nature he is sure to follow it up with other progressive ideas. It is gratifying to Georgians and the people throughout this section of the south to realize that the work they have done in this direction has been fruitful and the outlook is bright for prosperity to continue. Especially is this true in this time of stress when so many other sections of the country are tailing below the standard of years. But as for that, you take this section of the south, one year after another, and it is pretty hard to beat. half barrel and fill it about two-thirds full of water. Float cotton seed on the top and put a sloping board up to it. Rats are exceedingly fond of cot ton seed and quite a number may oft en be caught by this simple device. The best method of destroying wee vil in corn is by the use of carbon bisulphide, used at the rate of one pound to one ton of grain or in an empty room, one pound for every 1,000 cubic feet. The bisulphide should be placed in small t vessels on top of the grain, and as it* is heavier than jair it will soon diffuse through the mass of grain. Carbon bisulphide is very in flammable and light of any kind should not be brought in its vicinity. » * • INFORMATION CONCERNING LIME. G. C. C., Yatesvllle, Ga., writes: We have been offered to us for sale what Is called fertilime, and would like your opinion of it. An agent who has been here states that it is valuable as a fertilizer when using a ton per acre broadcast in tbe winter time. We know nothing of this material and would like all the information you can give us. The principal benefits which lime is likely to confer on the soil are briefly summarized as follows. First, it im proves the mechanical condition of the soil as it tends to flocculate or break up the very fine particles of a clay into small concretions, and thus makes the soil more porous and open. This per mits air and .water enter it more freely and the roots of plants to trav erse it with greater ease. It has the effect of Assisting in the formation of a hard pan in sandy soils and thus tends to close them up and remedies to some extent their natural leachiness. Lime is of benefit in sweetening the soil when it becomes acid. The best test for acidi ty is to take a small piece of blue litmus paper which you can secure at any drug store. Scrape away tne surface of the soil to a depth of two inches and put a handful# of the sot! in a clean tin cup, wet with rain water and put in the litmus paper. If it turns red the soil is more or less acid. Acidity In the soil is very much like acid in the stomach of the human being. The digestion of*the soil is upset and the plants cannot grow in an acid media. The use of lime on such soils is very beneficial to correct this acidity. There are certain forms of bacterial life in the soil which are necessary to the well being of rrfcmy crops. For in stance, as you know, nodules are found on most leguminous plants which make a healthy and vigorous growth. Inside these nodules live the bacteria which give the plant its power of as similating nitrogen from the air. In an acrid soil these bacteria do not thrive, so it is appare'nt that lime may exert a wholesome effect on the essential bio logical life of the soil. In many of our Georgia soils lime is maraedly deficient. Hence there may not be enough calcium in the soil to nieet the requirements of leguminous crops. In that case it be comes a direct plant food in that it sup plies calcium to soils deficient in the same. Lime performs one other service which is. rather important. It tends to set free phospqhorous and potash com pounds which may be present in the soil in considerable quantities, but not avail- I able to plants. On this account the use of lime often becomes a very impor tant matter on many Georgia farms. If. should not be used indiscriminately how ever, nor in excessive amounts, nor ap plied too frequently Immediately after green crops have been plowd under for it may cause a good part of the nitro gen to be burned up and lost. One of the best forms of lime to use in Georgia is the finely ground rock which should be applied at the rate ot two tons per acre. Surface applications are desirable. There is no such thing as fertile limestone. There are varying grades of this material. For instance, wome lime stone rock runs much higher In carbonate of lime than others. The samples containing the highest per cent of carbonate are the most desirable, and the fine grinding of the rock seems to be an important matter. The finely ground rock will give its best results when used in connection with vegetable matter. The finely ground rock has not been treated in any way except to re duce it in an almost impalpable man ner. The caustic or biting lime is the kind which is liable to burn up the ni trogen which may be cotnained in the soil in the form of vegetable matter. Caustic lime has twice the sweetening power of the ground rock. Therefore, If caustic lime were used only one ton should be applied per acre. It is a se rious mistake on the part of a manufac turer or any one who intends to sell lime to try and make the public believe it contains fertilizing qualities. The suggestions, made above set forth the principal functions and uses of lime and they are sufficient in themselves to commend it to our farmers without en deavoring to advocate claims for it which are not well substantiated. Cured of Rabies By Injection of Quinine Each Day (.By Associated Press.) CHICAGO, Sept. 4.—Charles Beards ley, a patient at the city hospital suf fering from a disease diagnosed as rabies, has been cured by quinine inject ed under the skin. Dr. Downey L. Harris, city bacteriologist, today gave out details of the treatment. When the patient entered tile hospital he seemed to be on the verge of con vulsions that mark the final stage of the disease. Dr. Harris gave him a modi fication of a quinine treatment that a Chicago physician had used on dogs afflicted with rabies. Fifteen grains ot quinine were enjected under Beardsley's skin. Favorable symptoms followed ana another injection was given. Since then the patient has been given two injections of quinine a day. Dr. Harris believes that the quinine tends to throw off the germ organisms in the body. COMMON SENSE ON THE FARM PIYRTvT HARVESTER with Binder Attacb- WXvXt meat cut?} arid throws in piles on harvester or niiirow. Man and horse cuts and shocks equal wllli a corn Binder. Sold 4n every all you claim for it: the Harvester saved me state. . Ptfce $20.00. V7. II. BUXTON, of Johns town, Ohio, writes: “The Harvester 1ms proven over $25.00 in labor last year’s corn cutting. 1 to a shock.” Testimonials and catalog free, cut over 500 shocks; will make 4 bushels corn showing pictures of harvester. Address NEW PROCESS MFC. CO., Salina, Kansas There is no one best make of cream separator on the market. Several stand ard makes can be purchased and will give satisfactory results. A compara tively small machine will satisfactorily handle the milk from ten to twelve cows. As you will need to have steam and hot water for sterilizing your cans and keeping your dairy in a thoroughly sanitary condition, we would suggest that you get one of the smallest types of turbines which cost anywhere from $175 to $225. Then if . you desire to enlarge your herd you will have ample skimming capacity available. It is quite a laborious undertaking to oper ate a separator by hand, and it is gen erally better to secure a little larger size than you need, as the rated, capac ity of separators is soibetimes set rath- er high. The price of sweet cream varies largely throughout the south, but we think 40 cents a quart, of $1.60 a gal- ! Ion will be a fair price at retail. This ! is on the basis of 20 cents a pint, the ! price you say prevails in your own | town. There is certainly more In our' judgment to be gained from selling j cream at this price than butter at 30 , cents a pound. Moreover, you have the advantage of retaining the skim milk on the farm to be made into' but termilk and sold to good advantage or fed to pigs and calves. * • ■ DESTROYING RATS AND WEEVIL. M. W., Montcl&re, S. C., writes: Please favor me with a remedy for exterminating rats, also how to kill weevil In corn? Southern Farmers have been badly imposed on by unscrupu lous manufacturers. They have often paid the market price for an article and received a substitute. That Day Is Gone and we are thankful. The Southern Farmer can go to market today and pay his good hard earned money for goods that bear a trade mark, and he can rest assured he is getting full value, full measure and full service. If every farmer in this wonder ful Southland would take the care and the trouble to make the mer chant upon whom he bestows his trade supply him with high class trade marked goods, every dollar he spends would go twice and thrice as far as it does today. Here is one instance that affects every Southern household. Insist on Shield Brand Shoes. The man ufacturers know their quality and their value, and they put the name on them so that you can get gen uine Shield Brand Shoes if you take care and trouble to make your merchant have them for you. And, when you do buy Shield Brand Shoes, you can rest assured you buy real leather of the highest quality—made by skilled shoe makers, and you get real service, good looks, stylish lasts and luxu rious comfort. Shield Brand Shoes are made for men, women and children. Ask your merchant for Shield Brand Shoes—do nipt accept the kind that are “just as good’’. Make him get for your sake, and your family’s sake, It Is a very difficult matter to ex terminate rats, but probably one of the best methods of accomplishing this purpose is to ‘purchase a number ol' good wire rat traps and bate them with cheese. Cheese seems to be peculiarly attractive to rats, and large numbers may be caught in traps thus bated. Another method which has proven quite satisfactory in the destruction of rats is to take a large wash tub or SHIELD BRAND SHOES M. C. KISER CO. Shield Brand Shoemakers Atlanta. Georgia 98 cents To advertise our buuneis.jnake new friends and .nCroduce our great eat» logue cf Elgin watches we'wiH send this elegant watch to any address by I mail postpaid for Only 93 cents. Regular gentlemen » size, open face, full engraved, high ^rnoe gold plate finish. Arabic or Roman dial, lever eo- , capemeut, stem wind and stem set, a marvelously correct timekeeper and fully Cuxrrnteed for S Years. Send this advertisement to us with yon? name ami address and 98 cents and watch will bo sent by return mail post- , paid. Satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded. Remember, 68 cents is posi tively all you have to pay for this wonderful watch. Send 98 cents today. Address R. E.CHALMERS & CO. US So. Dearborn St. CHICACG Trade and Crop Re ports from the South —From Bradsfreet’s. SOME OF THE REAL ESSENTIALS IMPORTANT TO CROP PRODUCTION Charleston, S. C.—Jobbers report trade fairly active, with good prospects for fall. Retail trade is good, due to, reduced prices on summer goods. Col-' lections are slow. Several bales of new; cotton wefe sold this week, and pros-^ pects are bright for n good crop. Chattanooga — Trade conditions are normal, though the last two days have shown a decrease in retail trade,! due to high temperatures. Country buyers are arriving every day, but their purchases are probably not as liberal as in former seasons, due mainly to the stringency of money. Collections are* slow. Crop conditions in this section ai*5 good, and recent local showers have, been favorable. Memphis—Wholesale trade is fairly active, and jobbers report business up to a year ago. Retail trade is Qfiiet. Collections are slow, waiting for cotton to move. Atlanta—Trade, wholesale and re tail, shows a slight Improvement. Col lections are fair. The corn crop is practically made and is a large one. Cotton is in good shape, though some what late, but with a late frost a good yield is expected. SaVannah—The outlook for fall business is good, as cotton and other crops have been better than for sev eral years. While farmers in many places owe bills of long standing, trade conditions will be much improved with the crop movement now under way. Col lections are slow. Birmingham—Demand for pig iron indicates a slight decrease, though prices are stationary. Wholesale deal ers in all lines report good business on account of- the merchants’ convention which has been in session for the past two days, jand which was attended by more than 1,000 merchants. Crop con ditions are good. Collections are slow. Mobile—Continued dry weather in this section has been injurious to cotton, and it is thought will reduce the output from 20 to 25 per cent. Jobbers in all lines report trade fairly active, but re tail trade is quiet. Collections are slow. Montgomery—Lack of rain throughout the state has caused great deterioration in cotton. The outlook is poor for even a fair yield. The majority of the coun ties /report parched fields, with bolls shedding. Business in all lines is quiet and collections are poor. Jackson—The crop outlook is optimis tic and wholesale trade improving, but retail is rather quiet. Collections are fair. New Orleans—Reports from sections of Louisana indicate that planters are well pleased with conditions. There has been some deterioration of the cotton plant on account of boll weevil, but cul tivation is good, and, all in all, favor able results are looked for. A good many are gathering their crop now, and by next week pickng will probably be general- Corn, sugar, and cane crops are all reported to be in good shape. Trade is rather quiet, but a good fall season is atniepated Collections in the country are keeping up fairly well, while locally they are slow. Retail merchants are of fering special inducements to prospec tive purchasers, but sales are below the average for this season of the year. Forth Worth—No rain in this district Frequent stirring of the soil and free dom from weeds arid grass are indispen sable to a large yield of all character and crops. This stirring of the soil should not be confined to the period of early development of the crop, but should continue through the period of maturing. There is a heavy tax on the vitality of plants when maturing its fruit. This is the period of its life when they require both moisture and food. Frequent stirring of the soil will con serve the moisture and at the same time make available the plant food in the soil. Then, too, to enable the plant to perform its mission the mechanical condition of the soil must be right. A ba<} mechanical condition of soil les sens its power to contribute to the plants’ nourishment. The farmers of the south do not cul tivate their crops often enough. The ma jority of them recognize its necessity and wonderful influence on crop yields, but nevertheless they are too prone to “lay by” the crop and engage .in other vocations not half so remuenrative as that of continuing their crops’ cultiva tion. Great care should be exercised in late plowing of, crops. Specially is this true of those plants which send out shallow or surface roots. Too deep plowing map cut many of the feeding roots. It is a fact well recognized in agriculture that roots of plants nat urally seek the richest part of the soil. The soil near the surface usually con tains the most plant food because so. much soluble plant food has been left there by the evaporation of soil water, and because the^ surface soil contains more humus, more germ life, more air and more of everything that makes fer tility. In the early stages of the plant’s de velopment deep plowing may be done without injury to the plant. If the soil is in good texture the larger proportion of the feeding roots of a plant is found and temperatures high. Cotton condi tion is still declining on account of drought. Jobbers report very good or ders for merchandise and fair collec tions. THE CROPS. Crops are irregular, spring wheat re ports being very good, with harvest practically completed; corn, except in the southwest, has presented a better appearance on the fall of much needed rain, but cotton has inclined to fade, especially in Texas and Oklahoma, on heat and drought. Little new is report ed as to the minor crops, but potatoes have been helped by moisture, as have pastures and stock water. Spring wheat reports are very good, and estimates of the three states run about 200,000,000 bushels, with the to tal crops about 230,000,000 to 250,- 000,000 bushels. Rains have fallen in the northern half of the belt and checked deterioration in corn in Io,wa. Nebraska and thence eastward. Iowa official reports point to a three-fourths crop or more 330,000,000 bushels, against 432,000,000 bushels a year ago. Nebraska estimates are for 142,000,000 bushels, a loss of 40,000,000 bushels from last year. So the esti mates run, except in the sQuthwest, es pecially in Kansas and Oklahoma, where greater losses are indicated. The crop as a whole will probably run 2,500,000,- immediately below the range of the plow. Plowing then may he deeper while .the plant is establishing itself than afterward. If a soil has been thoroughly broken and pulverized before planting the crop it seldom ever becomes necessary to stir the soil more than three or four inches. There is much energy lost In deep crop cultivation. Then, too, it is wasteful of soil water, because it brings to the sur face a large amount of moist soil wmen soon becomes dry. The moisture should be left below the surface for the use of the plant both in the development of its energy and to make soluble the plant food. How often a crop should be cultivated depends upon two things: the character of crop-and the season, ir the season is a dry*one cultivation should be more fre quent and continue over a longer period. The. soil must be kept in a good me- charfical condition if the growing crop is to continue to thrive during a drouth period. Continuous stirring of the soil prevents evaporation of the soil waters. Plant food is only available to tho plant in liquid form. If there is not enough moisture in the soil to dissolve the plant food and make it available to the plant the plant ceases to grow. A plant can not mature its fruit unless in a growing condition. Corn and cotton are the staple crops ot the Texas farmer. It is important then that he understand the requirements of these crops. Frequent stirring of the soil during their development and ma turity period is absolutely essential to good crop yields. We believe that the Texas farmer recognizes t this as a fun damental fact, yet he fails to profit b.v the knowledge he possesses. To Insist on his applying the knowledge he possesses is the object we have for emphasizing the importance of sane methods in soil management during the period of crop production.—Texas Farm and Fireside. 000 ’bushels, or about equal 1911. Cotton deterioration is indicated in the states of Texas and Oklahoma, where long-continued drought has only been partially mitigated in a few sec tions by occasional showers. Some de terioration is indicated in parts of Ala bama and Louisiana, but, generally speaking, the crop east of the Mississip pi promises well, especially so In the southwest. Louisiana corn, cotton, sugar and rice promise excellent yields. Reports from Kentucky arc of A short. 1 age in the hurley tobacco crop, but de terioration seems to have been checked there by good rains. Wisconsin /promises the largest hay crop on record! , PULLMAN CONDUCTORS MAY_ASK MORE PAY (By Associated Press.) CHICAGO, Sept. 4.—Plans to organize the 20,000 sleeping car conductors and porters in the United States took form yesterday, when the Federation of Pull man Conductors of America and ttye Federation of Pullman Porters of Ameri ca were incorporated at Springfield. It is reported that the men are organiz ing preparatory to a demand for an in! crease in wages. "JPitty Jjdjusts easily to Hilly: land Perfectly effective under all conditions, because it is t ONE-PIECE FENCE /j N O TROUBLE at all to quickly string “Pittsburgh. Perfect” Fence over hills and through valleys. It contains no single, separate wires. The joints are WELDED BY ELECTRICITY making a one-piece fabric without the extra weightof waste wire. Made of special Open Hearth wire, heavily galvan ized with pure zinc. Strongest and most durable fence pro duced anywhere. Thousands who use it say it’s best. Investigate it, anyway. Read “How to Test Wire’’ in our *, new catalogue (sent free) which also shows the many different styles and sizes of “Pittsburgh Perfect” Fence for Field, Farm, Ranch, Lawn/ Chicken, Poultry and Rabbit Yard and Garden. WHERE THIS SIGN’S DISPLAYED IS SOLD THE BEST FENCE MADE. PITTSBURGH STEEL CO. PITTSBURGH, PA.: / ' . Makers of "Pittsburgh Perfect” Brands of Barbed Wire? Bright, Annealed and Galvan ized Wire: Hard Spring Coil Wire: Twisted Cable Wire: Galvanized Telephone Wire; Bale Ties: Fence Staples: Poultry Netting Staples: Regular Wire Nails: Galvanized Wire Nails: Large Head Roofing Nails; 'Pittsburgh Perfect” Fencing. New Parcel Post Map and Chart of Horse Remedies We have just bought a large number of New Four Leaf Charts, which we are going to give with The Semi-Weekly Journal. This Chart contains a 1913 Calendar, Pictures of our Presidents from Washington to Wilson, a Chart of Horse Ailments and Remedies, giving Symptoms of Diseases and How to Treat Them; a Parcel Post Map of the United States, with instructions; a large State Map of your own state, besides other in formation and statistics, valuable in every household. We are giv-, iug a Chart to each person sending us One Dollar for the following papers: The Semi-Weekly Jour nal 18 months, Farm Life 12 months, and Every Day Life 12 months. Use coupon below. y—■..... , ...Ui.i.i........... .mi — - . X ■■ ’w THE SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL, Atlanta, Ga. Enclosed find One Dollar, for which send me The Semi-Weekly Journal 18 months, Farm Life 12 months, and Every Day Life 12 months, and mail me absolutely free your NEW Ready Reference Parcel Post Chart. NAME \ p. o :. R. F. D. STATE.