Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

HOW TO GROW ALFALFA. Lime, Drainage, Inoculation, Rich Land and a Fine Seed Bed Are Five Essentials—Begin Now to Get Land Ready for Alfalfa This Fall. By B. L. MOSS. On average Southern soils, al falfa is not easily grown crop; in fact, it is probable that the fail ures with it outnumber or at least equal the successes. But at the same time it is such a magnificent hay and grazing crop that special efforts and rather heavy expense are often justified in attempting to grow it. Yields of three and four tons of hay per acre each year are not uncommon, and with alfalfa hay worth S4O to SSO a ton, it will be seen that the per acre value of the crop is often very high. Success with alfalfa is depen dent on at least five factors, neg lect of any one of which may re sult in failure with the crop. We place these essentials in the order of their impontance as follows: (1) lime; (2) drainage; (3) inocu lation; (4) rich land; (5) a fine seed bed. Let us now consider in detail these essentials to alfalfa success. Alfalfa Loves Lime. Alfalfa is a lime-loving crop, and unless the soil is naturally well supplied with lime applica tions are necessary if alfalfa is to succeed. The areas in the South where the soil is well supplied with lime are limited to regions where the soil is largely the,result of the decomposition of lime rocks or residues deposited by steam waters coming from limestone sections. In the Cotton Belt, the most pronounced lime soil areas are the Black Belt of central Ala., and northeast Miss., a probable continuation of which is found in middle Tennessee; the flood plains of the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers in Mississippi, the Mississip pi and lied rivers in Louisiana, and the Mississippi river in Ark ansas; and the black land sections of Texas and Oklahoma. Within these areas a goodly percentage of the soils usually have enough lime and are sufficiently fertile to grow alfalfa profitably, provfued drainage is good and the soil ino culated. Elsewhere in the Cotton licit, liming is generally essential if al falfa is to succeed. The amount to use pei acre will depend upon the form in which it is used. General ly, however, not less than one to two tons per acre of burnt lime or two to four tons of ground lime rock should be applied. While burnt lime carries nearly twice as much calcium as tTTe ground lime rock, the latter is usually less than half as expensive and hence ordi narily will b etlie most economical. The lime should be applied broadcast, with a lime spreader if possible, after the land is broken but before planting, and disked in. Disking the lime in, rather than plowing it under, will secure bet ter results because of a more even mixing with the soil. Land well limed at the rate of two to four tons per acre will not generally need another application for four or five years. Good Drainage Essential. Next to lack of lime, poor drain age is probably most responsible for the frequent failures with al falfa. This is a crop that simply' will not tolerate “wet feet,’ and failure is fairly certain when it is planted on a soil that is liable ever to become “water-logged” for more than a few hours at a time. Lands naturally well drained, on which the water level or table is always at least several feet be low the surface, should always be chosen for alfalfa. If they are not well drained naturally and if for any reason they cannot be drained by* ditching or tiling, then they should be devoted to some other crop. On many, probably most, of the natural lime lands from east Texas eastward drainage, espec ially in wet seasons, is rather bad, and before such soils are plauted to alfalfa it will generally be a splendid investment to tile-drain them. Don’t Fail to Inoculate. Next in impontance to lime and perfect drainage we place the need for inoculation. In one sense, it is just as important as the two essentials already discussed, for it is absolutely certain that alfalfa will fail unless there is in the soil the particular bacteria wat live on the roots of alfalfa and enatile the crop to utilize the nitrogen of the air. Melilotus, both the white and yellow, bur clover and the little black medic all have the same nit ragen-gathering bacteria as alfal fa, and where any one of these crops has in recent years been suc cessfully grown no inoculation for alfalfa will be necessary. These plants are generally pretty widely scattered over our lime soil areas, and hence inoculation for alfalfa is unnecessary. But where they have not been grown, failure to in oculate is pretty certain to result in failure. Our favorite method of inocula tion is to use broadcast from 1,000 to 2.000 pounds per acre of soil taken from a field where alfalfa or some crop utilizing the same bac teria has been successfully grown. This soil may be scattered over the fields and harrowed in at the same time the seed are sowed. In the absence of a supply of soil, artificial cultures that are fairly dependable may be had from firms that specialize on such prepara tions, or from the United States Department of Agriculture in small quantities. Choose a Fertile Soil. Alfalfa likes rich land, and if it is not rich it should be made so be fore planting. In the lime sections previously referred to, the soils are often fertile enough to grow alfalfa without additional plant foods; but on ordinary sandy and loam cotton lands, eight to ten or twelve tons per acre of good man ure, supplemented with 300 to 400 pounds of acid phosphate, will be a great help. It has been found profitable to precede the .fall-sow ed alfalfa with a crop of peas, well worked to keep any grass from making seed to choke the young alfalfa the following snring. Asa general rule, we regard fall seeding of alfalfa much preferable to spring seeding. The date for fall seeding will depend upon lo cation, ranging from August 15 in the extreme Upper South to as late as October 15 in the Lower South. Alfalfa seed are small and demand a fine heed bed for good germination. We would prefer to break the land six to eight weeks before planting, then harrowing and re-Earrowing to thoroughly tine the top soil, kill all weeds and grass, and save moisture. In plant ing, the seed should be lightly har rowed in at the rate of about 25 pounds per acre, and the land then rolled with a corrugated roll er if it can be had. All this may look like a lot of trouble and expense to grow alfal fa. and it is; but the crop, when it succeeds, is worth it all and more. By following the rules here laid down, we believe success is fairly certain; but if any one of the five essentials named be neglected, failure is even more certain. —The Progressive Farmer. “EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL” From the smallest bulb to the largest motor, at lowest possi ble prices. “Quality” House Wiring. W •*! Page C. Gregory Electrical Contractor. Phone 364 or 40 Worth While Quotation. ‘‘lt is not the work, hut tlie worry, that makes the world grow old.” THE TOMATO 1 suppose it has never been defi nitely decided as to whether the tomato is a vegetable or a fruit. It is often classed as a vegetable, but is more often used as a fruit. Like the potato and egg plant it is said to belong to the night shade family. In fact it matters little to most of us whether it is a fruit or a vegetable. It might be long to the melon family as to all that. For years the tomato lias been a valuable food; but it has been made more popular in recent years by the canning clubs. Years and years ago the tomato was supposed to contain a poison almost as deadly as the “deadly nightshade.” k was never used except for decorative purposes, and because of its beautiful red color Avas called the “love apple.” Occasionally one Avas given to a child to play Avith on the condition that he Afoald not bite into the tempting rosy globe. Gradually people began to get over the poison idea, but neither its good looks nor its pretty name were able to raise the tomato above suspicion for the greater pait of a century. Latsr the can cer evil Avas laid at its door. It avus said that even if cancer did not develop, the partakers of the unpopular tomato were doomed to early death anyway, as it was sup posed, in some mysterious way, to cut years from the term of life. In short it was believed to be a pro duct to be shunned most carefully by those looking for safe and healthful articles of diet. Like macaroni and many other Avhole- some foods, the tomato was intro duced as a food by the Italians. Along came an Italian painter named t ’orne, who believed in the tomato and its career, as an edible product, was wholly changed. It is said Dome was the first person in Newport to eat the tomato. “There,” he would say to those who expressed their surprise at his eating the suspicious tomato, “is that potato! lie grew in <le dark, or in de damp cellar, with his pale lank roots. He has no flavor; him live underground. But the tomato he grow in de sunshine he has de fine rosy color and ex quisite flavor; he is wii**<rsome ana when he is put in de soup, you can relish him and leave nothing in de plate.” As subsequent events proved, the tomato, (at least in Dome’s case,) was eminently wholesome and strongly conducive to long life. It is said that among the an nals of Newport is treasured the following reminiscence of the man who introduced the tomato to local tables: “While in his seventy-third year, Corne was persuaded to buy an annuity. It is said the Mass achusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company on his payment of $1,570 agreed to pay him $lOO every six months during his life. But the company had based tlieir calcula tions on the average duration of life, not knowing and therefore not taking into acount the fact that Corne was in league with cer tain food forces, notably the ‘wholesome tomato’ hy the aid of which he was apparently enabled to set the ordinary laws of longe vity at defiance. hTe old man lived fifteen years to enjoy his annuity. He received in all $3,000 much to the surprise and loss of the com pany, as the cashier wah called upon year after year to make pay ments to this persistent annuitant, it seemed as if the company had caught a Methuseleh. With a laugh that almost choked him, the old Italian used to say, as he re ceived his semi-annuai e>iec^: “De prezzedent be says he very glad 1 so well, blit 1 know he lie all de time. He no know how much macaroni, how mucdi oil, how much tomato ! eat. My frand-fath er he die when he 100, my father when he 102 and I—l live for ever.” The desirably cooling and re freshing quality of tomatoes in hot weather is said to be due to the malic acid which they contain. Persons recovering from certain kinds of fever are sometimes al loAved to eat tomatoes before they arc given other foods. Last fall Avhen the writer was slowly recov ering after a two-weeks’ severe at tack of influenza, a kind neighbor sent me some nice tomatoes, fresh from the vines that had not been hurt by the usual light frost of early fall. I was in bed when they were brought in to the house and 1 thought they were apples. 1 had eaten a baked apple a few days previous and it had almost killed me. When 1 learned they were to matoes 1 took the ripest ones and made soup for dinner and saved the less ripe ones for next day. 1 made the soup myself for every* body else seemed to be as sick as myself. For days buttermilk and everything, had tasted rotten, but believe me we relished the tomato es and left nothing in the plate. Our taste and requirements are not alike, however, and others may not agree with me in regard to tomatoes for, “flu” patients. 1 cannot remember n. my mother liked tomatoes. Father docs not eat them because he says: “1 do not eat anything a hog does not eat.” However 1 think some hogs Avill eat them, evidently some hogs are like some folks, they do not like tomatoes because they nave never tasted them. Mrs. Fred .1. Fuller. APPEAL TO SERVICE The Insane and Blind Are Calling You, Won’t You Help? Institutions of our State are appeal ing to the law makers for more money. Schools are asking, various depart ments are begging, hog cholera, cat tle, tick and all the animal ills are being heard. The Asylum for the Insane is crowded and needs more funds. The Academy for the Blind has urgent demand for more cash to continue its work. They s' uid have it. God knows the Insane and the Blind should and must have the best of care and medical attention. They need all they can get, and need it badly. But, did you ever stop to think why we have the insane, why they had to be sent to the asylum and the Academy for the Blind? You have heard of the man who worked diligently trying to stop the leak in the spigot while the contents of the barrel poured out the bunghole. That is about like the way the matter stands. We are doing our best for our afflicted, but bless your life, we have done precious little to prevent the condition. Listen! 1,047 are in out insane asylum because of brain syphilis, and brain structure is only one of the vital organs this little germ attacks. No, bless you, he does not stop with the brain but the liver, kidney, heart and blood vessels is his fertile field. T'jis 1,047 at Milledgeville is costing tht tax payor# of Georgia over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year for maintenance. We have 37' unfortunate children at the Academy for the Blind througn no fault of their own. The light of God’s sunshine forever cut out The beauties of nature and art forever de nied them by Gonorrhea. How In finitely better to prevent this than to teach them. The ravages of these diseases makes one sick To the dec tor who can read the signs, the Vener eal diseases are as plain as the nose on your face, and yet what has been done tor prevention? The present legislature is being ask ed to make a special appropriation to help fight this battle In conjunction with the federal government. Are you in favor of It? The federal gov ernment will put up dollar for dollar for this fight, a fight for the innocent girls, for your daughters, and your nieghbors, for your gen eration, for the innocent baby to be born. Are you on this side? This ravage of the innocents must cease The hundreds of babies that are prematurely born cry out to you for protection against Syphilis, will you fellow citizens enlist under this banner? Will you help to fight this fight? Will you? A few dollars from Georgia will help. Every dollar we put up grows Immediately into two. Can you heat It’ There is no time to be lost.. The law making body will soon adjourn We have over 300,000 in our State who has one or both of these diseases. Won’t you come and enlist? If you are in favor of this cause, say so, don t keep quiet. Don’t be passive, be ac tive. A Mystery. Ar j eastern woman is suing for di vorce because she found another wom nn’s picture in her husband’s watch case. One of the mysteries of Iff 1 *- is why men who lend double lives don’t carry open-faced watches. BETHABARA Sunday School ta tit is place is progressing nicely. Let mis not get careless as the summer conies on and stay away, (kir Sunday School picnic Avas enjoyed by all present. The program was espec ially enjoyed. Let everybody come out at 10 o’clock, eastern time. We promise you some good singing as well as a good Sunday School. Beginning next Monday at 2 o’clock our B. Y. P. I’. will start a B. Y. P. U. Institute. We are anxi ous for a full attendance as by that time all the form work will be completed. It is hoped that, every member will be there to INSURANCE Your neighbor’s home burned only a few days or months ago, and a cyclone is likely to strike this section at any time, so INSURE with US anl lie down at night with a clear conscience and a peaceful mind. Don’t DELAY. It may mean the loss of your home. Any man can build a home once. A WISE man insures his property in a reliable insurance company so that when calamity comes he can build again. He owes the protection that it gives, to ills peace of mind and the care of his loved ones. Kilgore, Radford & Smith BUY A BUSH CAR. Four Cylinder,37V2 horse poAver motor for $1175. Six Cylinder, 40-horse power, 5-passenger, $1375. For designs and description call on Fred .1. Fuller, or Avrite the Bush Company, Bush Temple, North Clark stret, and Chicago Ave., Chicago, 111. Just say 1 am in the market for an automobile and Avish designs and prices. My territory is unlimited. A9O days guarantee against defects and workmanship. Terms SIOO down, balance, sight draft Avith bill of lading. FRED J. FULLER, Agent. Bethlehem, Georgia. Delicate Mechanism Despite its scope Swift & Company is a business of in finite details, requiring infinite attention. Experienced men must know livestock buying with a knowl edge of weight, price, the amount and quality of meat the live animals will yield. Each manufacturing operation must be done with expert skill and scientific precision. A highly perishable product must be handled with speed and care to avoid loss. Chemists, engineers, accountants, and other specialists are required to take care of our intricate problems. Alert wisdom and judgment must be used in getting stocks erf goods into the open channels of demand through our four hundred branch houses. Branch house organizations must show activity and energy to sell at the market in the face of acute competi tion from other large packers, and hundreds of small ones. All these requirements of intelligence, loyalty, devotion to the task are met in the personnel of Swift & Company. Yet the profit is only a fraction of a cent per pound with costs at minimum. How can the workings of this deli cate human mechanism be improved upon? Do you believe that Government direction would add to our efficiency or improve the service rendered the producer and consumer ? Let us send you a Swift “Dollar*'. It will interest you. Address Swift St Company, Union Stock Yards, Chicago, HI. Swift & Company, U. S. A. /xtfT-f Syg'X** BECOMES OF X //Q Vf9\\ ff the average dollar \ Xp' \ / RECEIVED BY V ifSmsEam rnißrl\ /swift & company\ 3 j W U I | FROM THE SALF OF MEAT T loafs'* ~7 c l K ANDBYPRODUCTS S OC9T V /f \\ •!> CENTS IS PAID FOR THE j 3 k \ e***"n J vs/* 0 m a live animal ly Tv SprA £|/mt # \\ 12. §6 CENTS FOP LABOR // \\ J/ 7 # EUPFNSfS ANfi FRLtGHT j! Wi4f / M \ 2.04 CENTS REMAINS JJ \\4Jh O y M with Jy xSsJ S o O SWIFT & COMPANY / / stoidy the manual riot only the members but others wh owill. Miss Lula Miller of Forsyth, is visiting her cousin; Miss Annelle Skinner. Mr. and Mrs. (\ C. Freeman spent Sunday with the former’s father, Mr. C. L. Freeman, near Braselton. We are glad to se Mrs. A. L. Watson, our Sunday School Secre tary, out again after being sick. Several from this community is attending the revival at Nazareth this Aveek. Mrs. W. J. WeTft), of Jefferson, visited her daughter, Mrs. J. M. Sims, recently.