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PAGE SIX
JOHN D.AND UNCLE SAM
Spending Thousands Teaching the
Country How to Farm.
CROPS WHERE NONE GREW
Ard Harvests Have Been Doubled
and Mortgages Raised. Twelve
Thousand Demonstration Fields
Under Federal Supervision at Cost
of Hundreds of Thousands of
Dollars.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31.—An in
dustrial revolution of incalculable
importance has been started in the
south. Two personages who large
1y fill the public eye are backing up
the movement and helping it along
in every way possible. They are
Uncle Sam and John D. Rockefeller,
who ordinarily do not operate in con
junction, but in this instance they |
are doing so and seem to get along‘
harmoniously enough.
The revolution arises simply from
the fact that the south is learning
how to farm. Before the civil war,‘
po doubt, the south had a good
knowledge of farming, and some ofl
the big plantations teemed with pros
perity. But for a generation and
more this knowledge has seemed to
have been forgotten, or at any rate,
pnot generally applied. The average
couthern farmer, with his wooden’
plow and his lone mule, with his
ground half tilled and his crop mort-l
gaged as soon as it went into the|
soil, presented a pitiable emmgh|
spectacle. |
Transformation Wrought. |
Not vet has the southern farmer
climbed up out of the slough of de
spond into which he has been
plunged by years of poor methods.
But he is beginning to climb out,
and that at a rapid puce. A remark
able transformation is being wrought
in the farms and farmers of the
south.
Dr. S. A. Knapp of the department
of agriculture, special agent in
charge of farmers’ co-operative dem
onstration work in the gouth, is di
recting the task of teaching the farm
er how to till his land aright, how to
grow more cotton and corn to the
acre, how to rescue himself from debt
and how to better his condition gen
erally. Dr. Knapp has been in charge
of this work for five Yyears. So
guietly has it been conducted that
comparatively few people who do not
come directly in contact with it know
that anything of the sort is being
done.
Yet it is in some respects the most
important work that the department
of agriculture is doing. What it
means in money to the south may be
judged from the fact that a banker
has lately written to Dr. Knapp that
the educational work that has been
done this yvear in a single county of
porthern Texas, among the farmers,
will add $350,000 to the value of the
crops of that county.
Lone Mule Is Passing.
The work is going forward with
energy in practically every county
of the south where the agricultural
jnterests predominate. It is being
conducted in every one of the south
ern states, aside from Maryland,
Kentucky and Tennessee.
As a result of it the poor, mort
gage-ridden southern farmer is gZet
ting away from the lone mule, the
wooden plow and the hoe of his fa
thers, and is using a team, with a
medern plow and up-to-date farming
machinery. He is improving h's
house, fixing his fences and sending
his children to school. He is plow
ing his ground deeper, cultivating it
better., raising larger crops and lift
ing the old mortgage. This applies
alike to the white farmer and to the
black.
In no other part of the United
States is there such a demand for in
formation about right methods of
farming as in the south today. As
Dr. Knapp says, the people have quit
talking politics and are talking about
raising crops. This has become so
noticeable that many of the members
of congress have to conduct a series
of meetings in their districts annual-
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Here They Are
The newest styles from thc\coumr /'s leading ’
7 fanest o, o hy woudt b ber: ow rced |
st s w:m‘ ;,l-,;:‘hf‘r?tvi]uu :Lbout th‘em.v‘Just think of the kind of : i
:}' or oot your time \\:'l“ {,n; ‘;.r”u:‘«"ll B ,hor(f' Whether you buy |
oA e * business to treat \/“tfn bere. 4We make it part of our )
; o treat visitors right. y |
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'« B. DURHAM & CO
®
ly for the purpose of spreading the
gospel, not of Thomas Jefferson, but
of James Wilson, secretary of agri
culture.
Work Costs $lOl,OOO.
The method taken to teach the
,south how to farm is properly de
seribed as demonstration work. For
this fiscal vear the government has
appropriated $104,000 for this pur
pose. To this sum can be aded $73,-
500, given for the vear by the New
York General Education Board, the
board that administers the fund
given by John D. Rockefeller for ed
ucational and other worthy purposes.
Besides states, counties and locali
ties contribute in one way and an
other. Merchants often give large
contributions in seed.
Altogether several hundred thou
sand dollars is expended annually in
this cause of a better understanding
of how to farm in the south. To
carry out the work Dr. Knapp has
!no less than 152 agents in the field
in the southern states. They are not
teaching the abtractions of the sci
ence of agriculture. They are caus
’ing demonstration farms to be con
ducted in each locality for the pur
!pose of letting the farmers see what
good farming will do. Up to last Feb
}ruary 12,000 demonstration farms
had been established, and 20,000
farmers had agreed to co-operate
‘and make reports as to results.
- By actual count it is determined
that from 30 to 100 farmers an
nually visit each demonstration farm.
If the average was as low as 30 the}
total would be 360,000. |
In order to get a demonstratloni
farm started the county agent will
call a meeting in some locality and
select some man who is known to be
a good farmer to put in a crop of
cotton or corn with seed furnished
by the government. This crop will
be raised under the eye of the gov
ernment agent, who will vigit it at
frequent intervals, and in accordancel
with directions given by the depart
ment of agriculture. §
These directions are brief. Dr.
Knapp has issued what he terms
“The Ten Commandments of Agri
culture,” ten simple rules that if
followed will enable any man to farm
successfully. As the crop grows
the demonstration farm meetings of
farmers will be arranged to see it
from time to time and the county
agent will give lectures. Other farm
ers will frequently co-operate by try
ing the same method of raising a|
crop and carrying out the govern—!
ment’s instructions, without the pres
ence of an agent. i
Work Put on Scientific Ba«is,
The resuit of this system has been
visibly to demonstrate to whole com
munities of farmers in the sonth
what proper methods of farming can
do. If by plowing his ground deep
instead of shallow, by getting ihe
best of seed, by proper attention to
conservation of moisture, fertiliza
tion and rotation of crops Bill Jones
can raise a bale or a bale and a half
of cotton where he raised but a
fraction of a bale before his neigh
bors are likely to get interested.
Bill Smith is apt to set out to do
likewise. A healthy rivalry s
aroused,
Early varieties of cotton are in
sisted on by the government, in or
der to get ahead of the boll weevil.
The result is that the cotton is
picked by the middle or end of Oc
tober, and the children are enabled
;m leave the cotton fields and go to
school in the winter months. Not
‘nnl.\' are the men interested, but
county superintendents are encour
i:ngvd to form clubs among the school
‘boyvs and the government furnishes
the seeds for these clubs. A sys
tem of prizes is arranged and the
hoy raising the largest crop of corn
or cotton is given a prize. All this
‘mo:ms a new dispensation for the
'south.
WE'VE HAD THE LAST SPASM.
Mr. Hearst's Private Candidates
Have Been Notified.
We are now out of the notification
business. The last spasm has come.
It was due in New York last Satur
dayv evening. At that place and time
Mr. Hisgen of Massachusetts and Mr.
Graves of Georgia were notified that
they had been nominated by the In
dependence League for president
and vice-president, respectively. The
exercises were held at Gramercy
Park, where Samuel J. Tilden used
to live. Mr. Tilden ought to be glad
that he is dead. Any effort to injure
the democratic party would be pain
ful to such a sterling democrat as
he was.
[\
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THE GOVERNOR’S PLAN;FOR
HANDLING THE CONVICTS
Apparently the governor’s plan for
keeping and caring for the convicts
makes everything subservient to the
extension of the Western and At
lantic railroad to the sea. He wants
them scattered among the counties
and on farms or in mines so that
they can be put to work on the pro
pocsed extension in the event it is
decided to extend the road. “The leg
islature hasnt’ yet decided to extend
the road to the sea, and it is far
from certain that it will. Evidently
it is the governor’s purpose to do
everything in his power to have it
extended. If the extension idea
didn’t occupy so prominent a place
in his mind it is probable that he
would have so aided the legislature,
durings its regular session, in per
fecting a plan for disposing of the
convicts that an . extra = session
wouldn't have been necessary, and
the state saved anywhere from $30,-
000 to $40,000.
If the convicts were to be used in
extending the Western and Atlantic
to the sea a large amount of ready
money would be needed. A convict
cannot be fed, clothed, housed and
guarded for less than thirty cents a
day, and as there are more than 0,-
000 convicts the cost would be not
less than $500,000 a year. How
could such an amount of money be
raised? The governor would prob
ably advise the bonding of the road
as it is built, but how would the con
victs be supported while a section
sufficient in extent to permit of its
being bonded was being constructed?
This and other problems the govern
or leaves to the legislature to solve
at a cost of $2,000 a day.
Until the legislature decides
whether or not it wants to extend
the Western and Atlantic to the sea
‘the governor advises that the coun
ties be permitted to take all the fel-
!
HOW THEY SEE US ABROAD.i
English Newspaper Hears the News,
and Discusses “Georgia Slavery.”
Interesting If Not Accurate.
Reynold’'s News, a paper published
in London, England, contained this
article in a recent issue:
‘“‘Slavery in its worst form has
been brought to light at Georgia,
where convicts are sold and treated
like dogs. They wear iron anklets,
are chained to their bunks, fed on
tainted food, and indecently lodged.
Black man and white man are sold
as slaves, and are leased out to work
in quarries for private employes.
They have to work hard, and are
often whipped to death for trifling
offenses. These gruesome facts have
been officially recorded by a legis
\
lative committee which is sitting at
Atlanta, with a view of obtaining
enough facts to warrant constitution
al interference. The Georgia law
gives power to the state warden to
call for tenders, and to lease out con
victs to private employes for work
on the roads and in brickyards, mines
iaml cotton fields, and Georgia itself
gets about £50,000 a year for the
}sule of these wretched creatures.
They are, however, seldom worked
by the first buyer. He pays the state
about £44 a year for each convict.
Then greedy and unscrupulous spec
ulators come forward and bid for the
sub-lease. The venal wardens as
signed to superintend the welfare of
the leased-out convicts were, accord
ing to the testimony, in the pay of
the lessees, the service rendered be
ing the coercion and overworking
of their wretched charges, in order
to make money for the lessees. More
than one lessee boldly appeared to
testify before the committee, and
claimed that the transactions were
legitimate. One of them said that
he paid to the state a sum of ap
proximately £44 a year for each
| able-bodied convict, for whom he ob
imined from £6O to £9O from the
|sub-lessees. He had as many as 700
{men sub-leased. Other evidence, as
Epnhli«-l_v recorded, described the con
jvict camps as scenes of murder.
{ Convicts died uncared for, and re
i ports describing this inhuman treat
{ment were suppressed. The horrors
| witnessed have aroused public senti
(ment, and it is hoped that the peni
|tentiary system at Georgia will
{shortly be reformed by act of parlia
ment, which will prohibit slave-deal
ing and its terrible consequences.”
Georgia seems to be getirg a rep
utation away from home,
THE DAWSON NEWS.
DON'T WINK AT YOUR ROCE R
- - - - g
Just look him straight in the eye and tell him you want '
—_—
[t is conceded by all good judges to be the mills best. It stands at the top
notch of Flour perfection. It's popularity is based on merit alone, and it is ..
knowledged to be one flour that never fails in any kind of baking.
The following are the Dawson, Doverel and Herod merchants who wi]]
supply you with TEA ROSE FLOUR. A trial is all that is necessary,
J. M. RAUCH, E. T. WOODS & BRO., D. H. OZIER, ;
WALL BROTHERS, W. H. COBB, T. O. WHITCHARD & Co.,
KELLEY & MARTIN, Herod, Ga. . LEE & THORNTON, Doverel, Ga.,
ony convicts they want, that the
state organize gangs for working the
public roads in counties that are too
poor to work their own convicts or
to take convicts from the state and
that the residue be located on state
farms or in mines owned by the
state.
It is apparent that there are seri
ous objections to the governor's
plan. The convicts would be widely
scattered and those not in the pos
session of the counties would have
to be guarded, fed ' sheltered and
clothed by the state. The cost
would be large, but the governor
doesn’t say how the money to cover
this cost is to be raised. The coun
ties would take the healthy and able
bodied convicts and the state would
have to keep and care for those crip
pled by disease or age and unable
to do a fair day’s work. Hospitals
and doctors would be needed, and
the expense would be large. If, in
accordance with the governor's views,
gangs were organized for work on
the roads machinery and implements
would be required, and the governor
nowhere in his message points out
how the money for these things is
to be obtained. It is certain that
the state has no fund which can be
drawn upon for them. Is it his
view that there should be a bond is
sue, and that the issue should be
large enough to include the cost of
farms or mines with the necessary
tools, stock and machinery?
It is practically certain that the
plan of turning felony convicts over
to the counties that want them
wouldn’t work well. Felony convicts
would have a bad effect upon misde
meanor convicts, and the result
would be insubordination and at
tempts to escape. Only a few of the
counties are equipped for keeping
and caring for a desperate class of
conviets. The authorities know
nothing about handling such con
victs. Hence, there would soon be
dissatisfaction and scandals. In fact
the scandals would be much greater
than they are under the lease Sys
tem.
i
The governor says he has studied
the farm system that is in operation!
in a number of the southern states,
and that as far as he is able to de
cide it is a success. If it is a sue
cess why not adopt it for all of the
state convicts? If the convicts were
placed upon state farms there would
be no difficulty in guarding them
and caring for them humanely.
There would be no scandals and the
convicts would be self-supporting.
They would be more. Under the
management of an able man the state !
farms could be made to vield an in
come about as large as that which
the state now gets under the lease
system.
The convicts would not come in
contact with the public and would be
directly under the control of the
state. The state farm system is the
ideal penitentiary system here in the
south. Neither Mississippi nor Louis
iana, which have the farm system,
has convict scandals. As a rule the
convicts leave the penitentiary in
those states satisfied they have been
well treated, in good physical con
dition and morally improved.
The governor’s plan of scattering
the convicts all over the state under
different controls would be a serions|
mistake, and would be the source of‘
trouble and scandal. The farm sys
tem, by which all of the convicts
could be concentrated on farms of
the state, would be a success, if right
ly managed. It would be free from
scandals, would be profitable and |
‘would insure the convicts humane
treatment,
} The governor is right in wanting
the convict lease system abolished. |
The entire state wants it‘abolished.l
There is a difference of opinion, |
however, whether it should be abol-l
ished immediately or a couple of
vears hence, when enough money has
been ‘accumulated to inaugurate an
other system. If the farm system is
adopted money will be required to
purchase land, implements and to
erect the necessary buildings,
Many people suffer a great deal
from Kidney and Bladder troubles.
During the past few years much of
this complaint has been made un-]
necessary by the use of DeWitt's |
Kidney and Bladder Pills, They are |
antiseptic and are highly 1'('("01111114'11(1-!
ed for weak back, backache, rhey-!
matis pains, inflammation of the |
bladder and all other annoyvances due |
to weak Kkidneys. They are sold b,\'l
Dawson Drug Co. '
—-——-..____Q__ |
CASTOIRI.A. |
Bears the Ihe Kind You Have Always Bought :
fignature 1
of <77 'ém
WHEN IN NEED OF
Marble or Toombstones
OF ANY DESCRIPTION
see me or drop me a postal and I will call on
you. I have got good goods and the right
prices. I am with the well known firm of
Gober Marble Co., of Marrietta, Ga. Give
your orders to one who will appreciate your
business.
J. O. FUSSELL,
Parrott, Georgia. ®.F. D No 3
:f/ I Agl e
1900 DropS |
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hAVegetable Preparationfor As
similating the Food and Regula
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Nor NARCOTIC.
m}ewaz_dnmmmm
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Lochelle Salts ~
Anise Seed #
glemf d A+
Aperfect Remedy for Constipa
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Worms Convulsions, Feverish
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éacSimile Signature of
____NEW YORK.
AN s }
15 Dosks )3(1 NTS
EXACT COPY OF WRAPPER.
56 »
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5 WILLIAMS, Prop., JACKSONVILLE, FLA
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DESOTO RYE.
4 Full WHAPSS (2 o 0 Vi .8 DOO
CENI Quarts. ... ... .... 7.0%
e BPull.Quarts .o . ~ 12.75
2 Full Quarts, freight paid 12. 00
WILLIAMS NO. 10 RYE. 1
4 Wull Quavss, .. .- o 9 8,20
Ul uees .o . % Eo
la Bull Quarts. .., . ... 9.001
OLD HALIFAX RYE. ‘
F Uul GRaE s 4.20
b Bull Quares, .. - - 6.00
de Bull Qußrts ... 12.001
SUNNY SOUTH RYE. ‘
4 Pull Qusrte. ~ .., ;0 W 2.76
O Full Quarts, .. .70 4,00
14 Full Quars, . /.. 2. 8.00
ob Foll Pinte. . ... . . 12.00
YELLOWSTONE BIOURBON.
Bottle . txieniy o i s o 8 1 96
Camße . Sol o o e 12.00
OLD BOONE—Express Collect.
Bottled in bond by U, §. Gov
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4 Full Quarts, Exp. paid $ 5.00
12 Full Quarts, Exp. paid 12.76
24 Full Pints, Exp. pald. 0718, 76
48 Full % Pints, Exp. paid 15.00{
SEFTEMBER"Z ™7, 8%
GASTORIA
or Infants and Chlldgen.
The Kind You Have
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Bears the
Signature
of W
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For Over
Thirty Years
GASTORIA
OLD HOMESTEAD CORN WHIS
KEY.
1 gallon jug, express paid.s 2.50
SPECIAL OFFER.
Idlebrook Whiskey in drums—Dis
tillery Bottling. Exp. Collect.
100 Pints in drum....... 533.00
200 Half Pints in drum.. 33.00
I Sold only by drum. Will not
break drum.
CORN WHlSKY—Express Collect.
Rocky Fork, per bottle...s 1.00
Rocky Fork, per case..... 12.00
N. C. White, better....... 2.00
N. C. White, 88, ~ ..... 2.00
'Laurel Valley C0rn...... 3.00
RYE WHlSKEY—Express (ollect.
Per Gallon.
QOUOR TURE ok i 8200
BUnEY BOREN Le, ARV
RYS MY . iis i 309
Hurdle Rye, Special....... 4.00
GYBENB o i 40
i B e .. 400
Blanter . o ue L. BOV
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Williams Private 5ea1..... 6.00
ALCOHOL.
One Grade Only and jug..s4.o°
Gin . ....$2.00, $3.00 and $4.00