The weekly banner. (Athens, Ga.) 1891-1921, June 23, 1891, Image 8

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The weekly banner., June 23, 1891, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextNOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS. NORTH GEORGIA. Banks: Late rains have greatly encouraged the farmers; apple and grape crops very fine.—G. W. G. Bartow: Poor stand of cotton and corn j some rust on wheat, but not injured.—J. F. L. Catoosa: Dry weather has prevented com from growing; cotton has been plowed up in some instances, and corn and millet planted; thirty-three per cent, of the cotton never came up; grass and clover very short.—W. J. W. Continued drouth in April and May prevented the planting of a large per cent, of land in corn that would other wise liaVe been planted ; oats and clover very short—almost a failure!; partial showers in tbecounty on 27th and 29th May.—J. B. H. Dade: Very small acreage sown in wheat; what there is looks well; oats looking poor—too dry for them; hay crop almost a failure; melon crop is the largest ever known in the county; tobacco is grown only in Bmall patches.—G. A. R. B. Dawson: Farmers are behind with their work; we are having good weather now and . work is being pushed; no sign of rust on wheat or oats. Corn has fallen from $1.00 to 90 cents.—B. J. C. We are now having good seasons, which is benefiting com and cotton. Wheat and corn look well. Farmers behind with their work.—A. J. L. Fannin: Late spring made ns late in planting; we are now having good seasons, and the farmers, as a rule, have their crops in good condition.—F. B. Floyd: Late planting of com and then dry weather prevented a full stand; excepting this, corn is up to the average; dry weather has cut off the oat crop; cotton is looking well where we were able to prepare the land properly; peaches in low lands 80 per cent.; on mountain lands not more than 10 per cent; grapes could not be surpassed.—F. C. Cotton stand not so good; com small; oats and clover very short; oats sown in fall very good; fruit in some parts of the county all right; in others it was killed by the cold in April; wheat and clover being cut now.—J. W.T. Forsyth: Gornlate but looking well; cotton just now coming out since the late rains; oats saved by last rainB; no rust on oats; some found on wheat— W. J. P. Franklin: Late rains have brought up the cotton so we now have fair stand; corn looking well on upland; low lands, not much of it planted yet; small grain looks well.—J. K. S. Cotton two weeks late, but good stand; com and wheat looking well; oats are coming out since the rains; work very well up.—J. B. D. McW. Gilmer: Prospects favorable for a good crop; apples will be light; very fair peach crop.—N. L. O. Gordon: Corn healthy but small; wheat looking well; some rust on blades; spring oats injured by dry weather; cotton poorer than it has been with us for a long time.—O. U. D. Wheat good; some rust on blades; oats short; cotton poor; clover poor.— A. R. Hart: Cotton prospect not good; oats have come out considerably since the late rains.—B. B. P. Madison: Prospects for a cotton crop gloomy; wheat good; a littlq more rain will bring the oats out.—J. F. P. Murray: Late rains have made the prospects a little brighter in this county.—H II. Paulding: Oats cut off by dry weather; cotton ten days late; wheat good.— P. P. McB. Babun: Corn crop not all planted yet; wheat crop almost a failure; oats too low te cut; rye is better.—E. S. Melons are planted only on-a small scale; tobacco raised only in small patches; wheat and rye is coming out; farmers generally have a good stand of corn.—F. A. B. Towns: Cojn looking well; full crop of fruit except grapes; stock of all kinds in good condition; some cholera in hogs, but it is in a very mild form. Farmers are well up with their work.—A. W. T. Dry weather has damaged wheat and oats and com to a considerable extent.—J. N. G. Walker: Corn and cotton small on account of the late, cold spring.—F. M. Y. White: An unfavorable spring has made all farming operations backward.—J. H. N. ' Crops looking well since the late showers.—J. B. W. Whitfield: Crops rather late; corn still being planted; about 26 per cent of a hay crop in prospect.—W. C. R. MIDDLE GEORGIA. Baldwin: Crops are much improved since late rains.—J. D. M. Bibb: All crops late; condition not good on account of dry yeather.—W. D. H. J. Labor scarce and wages high; outlook for a good crop gloomy.—J. H. Butts: Crops four weeks late; season has been unfavorable.—W. S. H. Campbell: Late rains have improved the looks of crops; corn growing nicely.—T. E. D. Pros pect as a whole encouraging; health good; more economy than in years past, consequently they are becoming more and more independent.—F. H. 8. Car roily Crops late,1>ut much Improved by the recent rains.—M. R. R. Cotton crop and oatcrop short, com fair.—8.0. C. Clarke: Cotton one month behind.—G.F. H. Columbia: Cora irregular; cotton thirty days late; farmers behind some with their work—8. C. L. AH crops much improved since the late rains.— J. Q. 8. Coweta: Good rains; com and cotton growing.—W. F. S. DeKalb: Cotton twenty-five days late; acreage diminished thirty per cent.; much land intended for cotton planted in com.—T. J. F. Wheat and com looking well; more planted than usual; cotton poor, but all looking better since the late rains.—W. H. CL Elbert: Spring oats a failure; cotton late by three weeks.— 3. B.G. Fayette: Cotton two to three weeks late; labor scarce. Notwithstanding unfavorableness of the early part of the season the general outlook and pros pect is encouraging.—J. G. P. Greene: Poor stand of cotton; corn looking well; oats good; very little wheat sown.—A. N. A. Hancock: Cotton and grass flourishing since late rains.—J. T. Harris: Rains general since 18th of May, greatly improving crops; farmers behind with their work.—J. B. P. Heard: Corn crop rather small, owing to the lateness of the season; early cotton looking well.; work very well up.—J. B. M. Henry: Good stand of cotton since the recent rains.—G. E. W. Jasper: Corn twenty to thirty days late ; oats poor.—J. H. Jones: Crops have suffered from rain; outlook rather gloomy.—J. W. B. Cotton late; oats poor; very little wheat sown; late rains have improved everything.—R. T. R. McDuffie: Spring oats very good; corn and cotton one month late. Hundreds of acres of cotton not up; seasons now favorable.—A. E. 8. Meriwether: Com small; good stand of early cotton; small crop of oats, but they are looking well.—R. M. McC. Newton: Early cotton worked over and looking well; much oould not be planted till late; prospects brighten and everybody in good spirits since the recent rains. —T. ArW. Oglethorpe: Cotton backward and small; corn small, but growing off finely.—J. J. G. Pike: Good seasons since the late rains; noticeable im provement in the crops. Bud worms have been very destructive; stands of corn and cotton still imperfect.—E. W. R. Late planting of cotton, poor stand; early planting, good stand and looking well.—J. A. W. Putnam: In creased interest in stock-raising; much interest being paid to good trotting stock; sorry their is not more given to raising farm horses. Dairy business is on a “boom” in this locality.—O. W. R. Rockdale: Cotton and com looking well since late rains; more German millet sown in this county than ever before; more attention given to all kinds of forage crops, which, I think, is a move in the right direction.—P. II. W. Spalding: Recent favorable seasons have greatly improved both cotton and corn.—B. N. B. Talbot: Cotton twenty days late; recent rains have greatly benefited all crops; prospects now brighter.— L. B. McC. Late rains have improved everything; prospects more encouraging; farmers are brighter and more cheerful.—Wm. H. E. Com irregular; everything looking better since late rains; have been troubled some with bud worms.—D. G. O. Troup: Prospects much brighter since late rains; everything was behind fifteen or twenty days on account of the late and unfavorable season.—H. H. C. Oats injured by dry weather; com and cotton backward.—J. P. Walton: Cotton has come up nicely since the late rains; work progressing nicely.—W. H. G. Warren: Crop prospect poor, especially cotton, poor stand and grassy.—D. W. R. Seasons now good; cotton chopped out; corn small, but looking well, fully twenty days late.— J. A. S. sournwEST Georgia. Baker: Rains light; crops small.—H. L. P. Dry since 2d of April; crops late.—R. J. Berrien: RainB light; season needed; some cotton yet to plant; hogs dying of cholera.—J. J. P. Calhoun: Rain needed; 20 days late; worst' outlook I ever saw.—W. P. P. Corn bunching for tassels and not waist high; stands of cotton not good.—J. L. B. Chattahoochee: Hessian fly injured wheat and oats;*not a full season yet.—W. F. C. Colquitt: No season since the 24th of March, yet the crops look fairly well. Heaven’s artillery sounding now.— F. J. W. Decatur: Plenty of rain now, and everything growing finely.—II. W. McT. Outlook for not more than half crop.—W. B. McD. Dooly: Cotton poor stand; oats seriously damaged by drouth.—8. P. O. Dougherty: Dry from 28th of March to 27th of May. Stands poor; no chance to make over } of a crop. Almost a total failure in oats.—J. L. D. Houston: Fall oats good; spring oats poor; good rains 27th and 28th.—J. D. T. Irwin: Six weeks’drouth; crops late. Cows dying with something like hydrophobia.—J. P. lee: Melons ten to fourteen days late.-R. P. J. Macon: Rains partial; preparation poor; crops sorry.—A. J. C. Where preparation was good stands are good, but rest poor. Bud worms did great damage. 8tock in poor order.—L. 8. G. Marion : Wheat good; fall oats good; spring oats failure; melons, potatoes, etc., prom ising.—G. W. C. M. Miller: Rains general; crops late but in fine fix.—J. 8. C. Muscogee: Cultivation good; crops small; rains timely.—G. F. H. Randolph: Bad stands; crops late. Grapes and pears fine.—R. T. C. Schley: All crops late.—E. 8. B. Sumter: Poor stands; rains spotted; crops improving where it has rained.—C. C. 8. Terrell: Oats failure; stands bad.—T. J. 8. Thomas: Dry; croperuined.—D. U. M. Webster: Outlook unpromising, especially lower part of county. Blackberries gfod.—J. P. W. Worth: Stock looking well; crops very poor.—W. A. H. Wilcox: Forward planting doing well; late not yet up. Six men raising melons. Oats badly off.—A. B. C. SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. Charlton: Considerable damage from hail and from drouth. Com small; cotton very backward.--A. G. G. Clinch: Rain at last.—M. T. Coffee: No rain yet; sugar cane and melons looking well.—J. B. P. Effingham: Farm labor scarce and high; health good; hog cholera very destructive; ground ■lee and Insects very damaglnger-H. G. W. Liberty: Never saw abetter prospect for all crops in twenty years. Good rains.—J. A. M. K. Ware: Farmers in better condition each year. They sell pork, corn and vegetables. 8yrup is plentiful; men, women and children all grow fat on the cane. South Georgia surpasses all other sections in farming. Turpentine and lumber mill men giv9 us a market at home. Land very cheap; $2.00 to $4.00 per acre.— J. M. 8. EAST GEORGIA. Bulloch: Drought has set crops back twenty days. Rains good now. Crops In good condition.—B. F. G. C. Burke: Corn small. Cotton late and poor stands. Oats sorry.—T. Q. Dodge: Rains partial. Crops late.—D. M. B. Glynn: No rain. Prospect gloomy.—J. R.D. Jefferson: Very dry. Cotton not up. No potatoes planted.—F. H. Laurens: Rain spotted. Some cotton not yet planted.—J. T. C. Pulaski: Cora promising. Fall oats turned out well. Spring oats not so good.—L. B. W. Richmond: Prospect good for com. Oats better than expected a few weeks ago. No peaches. Not nearly so mach planted in melons as formerly.—C. D. H. Everything looking brighter since the rains. Farmers working hard. Many fine colts are being raised by the farmers.—J. M. Me. Screven: Crops three weeks late. Nothing except Irish potatoes were materially injured by tbe freezes last winter.—D. W. C. B. Tat- nall: Corn very promising. Oats fine. More corn and oats and less cotton seems to be the rale.—J. L. L. No peaches. But few apples. Blackberries still survive. AH field crops backward but well worked.—J. H. Telfair: Crops looking healthy but small and backward. Needing rain.—W. F. W. Twiggs: Outlook very unpromising for crops generally.—II. L. W. Washing ton: Heavy bail storm latter part of the month ; injured the fruit crop ma terially in several sections of the county.—H. N. H. Wilkinson: Still dry. Much cotton still to come up. Corn small. Fruit a failure. Very good crop of smaller fruits. Farmers well up with their work.—J. A. M. HOG CHOLERA. Hogs fed freely on turnips, cabbages, sweet-potatoes or chufas, will rarely, if ever, have cholera. Sleeping in lousy or dusty beds kills as many or more hogs than cholera. Plenty of pure water, frequent change of food and clean stalls wiU contribute greatly to the health and thrift of all farm stock. w FERTILIZERS IN GEORGIA. Fifteen years ago Georgia passed her present fertilizer law. During those fifteen years great changes have taken place in the fertilizer business of the State. Georgia is now probably the largest consumer of commercial fertilizers among the States of the Union. She is also one of the largest manufacturers of such goods. Every large city in the State now has several extensive plants, and smaller factories are located in almost every section. The amount of capital invested reaches an enormous sum, the taxes upon it adding largely to the income of the State. In 1870 the average cash price of ammoniated goods was a little over $47.00 a ton, and of acid phosphates about $38.00. Prices now are just one-half of those figures. Before the institution of the Department of Agriculture the State was flooded with low grade fertilizers at high prices, ordinary' worthless dirt being in some instances one of the ingredients. The Department of Agri culture soon broke up such concerns with their tremendous profits and miser able goods, and now, thanks to the bright light shed by the laws of the State upon tbe manufacture of chemical manures, they are all compelled to stand upon thoir actual merits; each maker appears to be striving to make a more excellent goods than his competitor. Only good materials are used ;-no one cares to risk putting in worthless dirt. While the jprofits are cut down tremendously they are still large enough to be remunerative. In evi dence of this the quantity of fertilizers made in Georgia is steadily increasing. New plants are being constantly erected. With South Carolina phosphate rock on one side and Florida phosphate on tbe other, and deposits within her own borders, Georgia is peculiarly well located for the manufacture of phosphatic manures. Phosphate rock and sulphuric acid mixed in nearly equal propor tions form “ acid phosphate,” which is the chief ingredient in nearly all manufactured fertilizers. Until quite recently all the sulphuric acid made in thiB country was obtained from sulphur imported from Sicily. Excellent sulphuric acid is now procured in this State from iron pyrites, a combination of iron and sulphnr containing about 42 per cent, of sulphur. This is a much cheaper source of sulphuric acid than the imported sulphur. Iron pyrites exist in large quantities in Georgia, and will soon be furnishing the acid makers a cheap raw material from their own 8tate. It is probable that fer tilisers will continue to grow cheaper, and-as freight becomes more and morq r <mt pf proportion to the vslne of the goods, manufacturers wHl bestir then* selves to rid their output of all ifiert material possible. By this means a large saving in freight ran be accomplished. This will doubtless be done when the saving in freight will more than pay for the expense of concentration. By the use of proper means it is possible to run the amount of available phosphoric acid in an acid phosphate to almost any point desired. High grade fertilisers and plenty of them, at low prices, is one of the needs of the time. When farmers can afford to broadcast their fertilizers and give up sowing them in the drill, they will then fertilize the soil,as well as the crop. With such fertiliza tion the vigorous roots push strongly in every direction, feeding as they go, and the plants are able to bear up bravely in unfavorable weather, when a crop nourished by a mass of short roots crowded in the drill would languish and die, or only produce a miserable result. As fertilizers are usually inspected, a small sample of from two to four ounces is taken to represent lots of from five to hundreds of tons. In this bulletin there occurs sometimes as many as from three to five analyses of the same brand of goods, yet so well are most of them mixed, that in spite of the small samples taken, their variations are quite small. In some instances, how ever, the analyses show that this mixing at the factory has been very imper fect. This Department desires to give a fair average analysis of each maker’s goods. Anything higher would be unjust to the farmer, and anything lower would be unfair to the manufacturer. One smalLsampie taken by an inspector may, in the majority of instances, fairly represent the average composition of a fertilizer; yet cases do occur where the sample is considerably better than the usual output of the factory; and on the other band some samples run too low to fairly represent the goods in question. It would be better if the inspections were so arranged that the chemist could secure .from three to five samples of each brand of fertilizer sold in the State, the samples to be taken in different parts of the State, and at different times; these samples to tie all mixed thoronghly and an analysis made from the mixture. This would give a fair average and Tie just to all parties. No State enjoys better fertilizers, nor lower prices for them, than the State of Georgia. There are several reasons for this: The enterprise of her citizens, her proximity to the phosphate fields, her splendid railroad systems, the accessibility of her ports to foreign vessels, and her tremendous production of cotton seed, which is used so largely as an ammoniate in manures. Adjacent States charge the small fee of twenty-five cents a ton for inspection; other States charge a license of $500.00 for each brand. One dt the New England States charges $30.00 for each analysis of ammoniated superphosphates with potash, and $10.00 for those of a single ingredient. But Georgia only chaiges the tiny sum of ten cents a ton for inspection. Often a five-ton lot is inspected, for which the maker pays only fifty cents to the Stats, for which amount the Department sends an inspector to him at an expense of several dollars on the railroad and makes an analysis worth $20.09. The tax of the State of Georgia upon the manufacture of fertilizers amounts to almost noth ing, the smaller the manufacturer the less he has to pay. • The business is free to all. Small as the inspection fee is, it enables the Department to save hun dreds of thousands of dollars to tbe farmere of Georgia each year. The Depart ment with its analyses reveals the true composition of all goods offered. There is no opportunity for fraud; each brand is thrown squarely on its merits; there is but little chance for the big concerns to squeeze out the little ones. The usual complete fertilizer of the market averages to-day in economi cal Connecticut, $33.80 a ton, cash. The same goods are selling in this State at from $5.00 to $10.00 per ton less. Taking the difference at only $5.00, and multiplying it by 300,000, the number of tons sold in the State this reason, we have the enormous amount of one million and a half dollars saved to the farmers of Georgia by the straightforward, open manner in which the fertilizer business is compelled to be carried on under the laws of this State. And at an expense of only $30,000 is this one and a half million saved to the farmere; or, simply stated, every dollar paid to the Department by the manufacturers is saving Georgia farmere $150.00, lyid of each dollar one-third goes back to the State Treasury to be applied to other purposes. The Department of Agricul- ture is doing a great work, ami with more means at its command could achieve still more. No State in the Union can show such a record. Three hundred thousand tons of fertilizers inspected, over six hundred analyses made, and all expenses of commissioner, chemist, inspectors, clerks, printing and postage not exceeding $20,0C0. GeorGi F. Paths, State Chemist CHICKEN CHOLERA. It is claimed that the residuum left in soda fountains will erne chicken cholera. Put it in the watering troughs and feed a small quantity to the fowls cheap and worthy of a trial.