Newspaper Page Text
6
Fight to the Finish; Growing of Cotton
Is to Be Much More Expensive
Hie speculative interests in the
cotton market are driving down the
price of cotton in the future contract
market daily. October futures are
already far below the actual cost of
producing a pound of cotton in
1920.
A careful Investigation of the
cost of producing cotton in 1919 was
fixed at 38 cents per pound, at the
annual convention of the American
CattOTi association, held at Mont
gomery, Ala., April 13-16, 1920. '
It cannot be denied by anyone
familiar with the situation tl\at the
cost of growing cotton in 1920 will
be very much more expensive than
the farmers had to incur in the
1919 crop. The fact that there has
been some improvement in crop con
ditions during the ijast month, as
compared with the lowest condition
report ever known in the history of
cotton production for the month of
May. appears to be the hammer
which the “bears” are using to drive
down the market around the ring in
the exchanges. The association fs
reliably informed, through its chan
nels of investigation, that the spin
ners are placing their orders for fall
purchases of spot cotton at a pre
mium to the cotton merchants of
500 points above the contract mar
ket. This is a guarantee of twenty
five dollars per bale to the cotton
buyers if the prices can be held
dow/i and deliveries made as con
templated.
Exchange Methods Vicious
The whole system of marketing
the cotton crop through the medium
of the cotton exchanges is vicious,
and has proven disastrous to
the cotton growers for the past
thirty years. The whole system of
marketing a twelve months’ supply
of spot cotton in three or four
months, which cannot possibly be
consumed in less than twelve
months, is what has given power to
10? SK3 H 2~ think of it—twostand-
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retail east es onal The one bin ehanceof the
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tires were slightly used on demonstration cars
only You can get
12000 MULES
out of these tires too. Don' t delay—the sup
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mail your order at onea. See special bargain
list here: New Ngw
Sirs 1 Tin t Tim Tube Sin 1 Tire t Tiru Tu»j
80x3 .87.55 J 11.30 »1.76 32x454 812.75 819 10 83.30
30x3)4 8 85 13 30 2.05 33x414 14.05 21.10 3.40
32x3)410 20 16.30 2.26 34x4 >4 15.80 23.70 3.50
31x4 11.00 16.50 275 35x4)4 16.35 24.50 3.75
32x4 13.25 19.90 305 36x454 16.76 25.10 885
33x4 13.80 20.70 8.25 35x5 16.85 25.30 4.00
34x4 14.85 22.30 8.25 87x5 17.25 25.90 4.00
State stae plainly whether 8. S. Clincher, non-ekid
nr smooth tread Send depoait for each two tires
ordered, baiunau CO. D after examination
Special discount of 6 per cent if full
iJ'J n i amount accompanies order,
/ry* Order TODAY!
Eureka Tiro &
k Rubber Co.
HL. JL * 1243 Michigan
soi CUc<so
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< > Giving Full Details and Prices 1 ►
i I Dixie Culvert & Metal Co., |
j; Jacksonville ATLANTA Littfc Rock |
KFiyi as •! Ji? iffi
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herein Atlanta at EightDollars(sß.oo) a square'* •=
T&gJsTl-Jfl J7fl fj —JaTsT’a. —writes Mr. D. R. Mathews, of Atlanta. Ga. »
xggj tw I j| i ~ws H We sell “Everwcar” Roofinc at $4.97 per a
II *l l° i ™<n 1 IsEUi square—freight paid—so he saved $3.03 per H
HOW square and cot better roofing.
LAnLloLc “ shown on house, or plain u on barn. 3
i I
*I am pleased and last over 20 years. Five times ns s
satisfied,” writes long as moat wood shingles.
Mr. M. Carlisle, Sr., »»• FREE SAMPLES I Get your i
of Cleola, Ga. My TO TEST I roofins g
bam is 30x40, which * ' now.Whito
made a nice bam. Hadno
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on. I saved $20.00 by ordering brines Big Free Ssm. FJ
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own merchant nnd keep in your 9
own pocket the profit the dealer would get. WRITE TODAY Bl Cf 21 W ffiarKggk 9
for Free Address h
SAVANNAH FENCE & ROOFING CO.
Dept- J Savannah. Ga.
i /-•« , -3
--" 7 iS! til l|i
THE ATLANTA TRI-WEEKLY JOURNAL,
s the exchanges dealing in future con
s tracts, and which has been fatal to
_ the growers.
■ Why should the exchanges deal
i only with spot cotton and not the
■ manufactured product? Why pqt up
a blackboard and get into a ring and
1 establish a system of manipulating
the price of raw cotton by gamblers
. as well as sjjot dealers, when the
manufacturers market the finished
1 fabric through the legitimate chan
> nels of trade?* 1 The Louisiana lot
tery which was abolished by federal
law many years ago, was about as
safe to the average Individual who
patronized its system, as the grow
ing of cotton to the average farmer
under existing methods of specula
! tion employed to regulate the price
of cotton. To say that the cotton
crop cannot be Ifandled and market
ed without the present methods em
' ployed by the cotton exchanges, is
to admit that the southern people
are incapable of marketing cotton
systematically or intelligently in
accordance with the legitimate laws
of supply and demand. The New
York cotton exchange has ceased to
function for the dellvery-of spot cot
ton on futures contracts and openly
admits that its mission is only that
of a herge exchange, yet it contin
ues to exercise a powerful control
over the spot market.
Shall the New York cotton ex
change with its system of hedge
manipulations dominate the spot
cotton market in the south, and
those who depend upon its price for
their prosperity, control the mar
keting? The fight to the finish is
on and we might just as well pre
pare for it while the time is yet
available.
Warehouses the Solution
The strongest and most effective
bulwark of safety against the de
pressing influence’s of speculation in
the spot cotton market is the local
bonded cotton warehouse. Without
the facilities of these iocal ware
houses the growers are largely help
less and at the mercy of the organ
ized cotton trade. With ‘cotton
stored in the local bonded ware
house, graded and stapled by ex
pert licensed graders, the growers
will have in their possession a re
ceipt which they can readily finance
and hold the cotton until the spin
l ners call for the staple at a price to
represent its real intrinsic value.
I The cost of building these ware
i houses is negligible compared to the
I enormous returns to the, growers in
being able to save the fibre from
damage, and in stabilizing prices up
on a profitable basis above the act
ual cost of production. Every busi
ness in the south should give every
possible encouragement to the prompt
construction of these .county ware
houses. The prosperity of the whole
south is wrapped up in a bale of cot
ton as it comes upon the local mar
kets of the country.
It, therefore, becomes the duty of
the whole people to render every
possible aid to the growers in pro
viding such safe and sound busi
ness facilities as well enable them
to secure the full value of the staple
based upon the legitimate laws of
supply and demand. The local ware
house is the first big link to be
lorged in the economic reforms in
handling and marketing the crop by
the growers, which is being so in
tensely advocated by the American
Cotton association.
We urge the fullest degree of in
fluence and effort on the part of
the entire mefnbership of the asso
ciation throughout the entire cotton
area of the United States, to push
forward in every possible way con
struction of these local county ware
houses during the next ninety days.
The time is short. The situation
is critical. Hundreds of millions of
dollars will be lost to the farmers
next fall in the marketing of their
cotton if prompt and effective step.-:
are not taken during the summer in
providing a method of defense and
safety against the merciless influ
ences of speculation and the power
'of the organized cotton trade in this
country and England.
Full information on plans, speci
fications and <3pst of warehouse con
struction can b’e secured by writing
I to the American Cotton association,
Atlanta, Georgia.
Yours very truly,
HARVIE JORDAN,
Secretary, American Cotton Associa
tion.
While it is difficult to change long
established customs, the practice of
using cottonseed meal as a direct
fertilizer should be stopped.
AVOID WASTE IN THRASHING;
MUCH WHEAT CAN BE SAVED
Probably the most important indi
rect means for increasing production
is the avoidance of waste. This
should be borne in mind with regard
to wheat at thrashing time. This
operation should be conducted with
the greatest care, and measures
should be taken to see that as little
grain as possible is lost or* allowed
to escape through faulty operation
of the machines or unwise methoik
of thrashing. This year there is a
particular necessity of a more care
ful handling of grain in the fields
and in thrashing to increase the
production. »
Observations made by specialists
of the United States Department of
Agriculture show that a surprising
amount of wheat is wasted in the
thrashing operation. In Nofth Da
kota, for instance, the average waste
a day on about 26 per cent of the
rigs in operation was 14.63 bush
els for each rig. After testing the
machine and making adjustments
this loss was cut down to 4.03 bush
els a day, or a saving of 10.60 buisji-
Tsls, with a total saving of 1,600,000
bushels in the entire state for the
season.
More Than 21,900,000 Bushels Saved
In South Dakota the testing and
readjustment of the machines ef
fected a saving of 13.13 bushels a
day on 18 per cent of the machines
tested, or 1,500,000 bushels for the
state. In Montana, through proper
adjustment of the machines and
avoidance of waste, the saving on
15 per cent of the rigs was 706,925
bushels for the season; and in Min
nesota, on 32 per cent of the rigs,
1,000,000 bushels. The estimated to
tal saving for 21 states in which
the work was carried on. was 21,-
903.600 bushels.
This movement should interest
both thrashermcn and farmers. The
thrasherman by means of the tests
is better able to check up the Work
being done by his machine and can
turn more grain a das’-, which means
more money both to himself and to
the farmer. After the faults of the
machine are once located and cor
rected it is an easy matter to check
up occasionally and keep the ma
chine running with the least wasre.
The farmer can save a great d<j#l
of grain by the following methods-
Raking the shock rows; using tight
bottom bundle wagons for shock
thrashing; by a careful and thor
ough clean-up around the machine
and the use of a. large canvas spread
on the ground under the feeder to
catch the grain which shatters out
in the process of feeding and that
which leaks out around the front end
of the machine. As to raking the
scattering along the shock rows, In
Wisconsin one field of 22 acres gav&
a yield of 135 bushels, In Oklahoma
90 acres gave 110 bushels In one
case and another 70 acres gave 55
bushels. Oklahoma reported a sav
ing of 5.063 bushels for the rak
ing of scatterings on 144 farms. Kan
sas reported a saving of 1 1-2 bush
els an acre, and Illinois one-half
bushel an acre.
Tight Ecttom Wagons Prevent
Waste
The use of tight-bottom bundle
wagons in North Dakota saved be-
LIGHTEN PERIODIC CLEANING
BY DAILY CARE OF CARPETS
Changed living conditions have I
brought changes in house-cleaning!
completely heated, and parts ofl
methods. When houses were less?
them were closed during the cold I
months, spring house-cleaning was 1
necessary to get the closed rooms
ready for use during the. warm
months, and fall hause-cleaning was
necessary to prepare the house for
winter. Nowadays, all the rooms in
most houses are used and kept clean
throughout the year, and upheavals
In spring and fall are no longer
necessary. Moreover , the increasing
use of removable rugs and some of
the new cleaning devices make it
much easier to take the dirt out day
by day or week by week. Not all
housekeepers realize how much the
work of keeping things clean can he
lessened by choosing the right things
and handling them in the right way.
This is not merely a matter of la
bor-saving devices like vacuum clean
ers, but depends partly on how the
house is planned, what furnishings
and finishings are used, and hotv the i
work of caring for them is organized.
Daily Care of Carpets.
For the daily care' of woolen or
cotton carpets and rugs, a carpet
sweeper is very good, because it
takes up lint and coarse dirt with
out raising dust. For more thorough
cleaning some other appliance' must
be used, as the brushes of the carpet
sweeper do not go deep enough into
the carpet to remove fine dirt. A
vacuum cleaner is excellent, but if
that is not available, effort should
be made to find some other thorough
but comparatively dustless process.
Using a dampened broom and scat
tering left-over tea leaves, its of
rumpled, dampened newspaper, or
one of the commercial sweeping prep
arations on the carpet before sweep
ing, helps to prevent dust from fly
ing. These dampened materials must
be used with caution, however, or
stains will result, especially on deli
cately colored carpets. Wiping a car
pet with a dampened cloth after
sweeping removes more dust and
freshens the carpet.
Small rugs should be cleaned out
of doors, if possible, preferably on
Grades for Potatoes and Onions,
‘And the Proper Distribution
Proper distribution of farm prod
uts requires, first of all, that a com
mon understanding exist as the basis
of negotiations between producers
and purchasers. The bureau of mar
kets, United States department of
agriculture, is endeavoring to bring
this about by the recommendation
of grades for fruits and vegetables.
No. 2 potatoes should be No. 2 po
tatoes throughout the United States,
and not, as at present. No. 2 potatoes
in one section of the country and
No. 1 somewhere else.
During the war period the United
States food administration required
licensed dealers to use government
potato grades. The results were
so satisfactory that when the regu
lation was canceled the use o£
grades to a large extent was con
tinued voluntarily. In fact, since
that time a higher grade has been
demanded to provide produce of high
est quality.
Therefore, the bureau of markets
now recommends United States grade
fancy in addition to grades No. 1
and No. 2.
Grade fancy consists of sound po
tatoes of one variety which are ma
ture, bright, smooth, well shaped,
free from dirt or other foreign mat
ter, frost injury, sunburn, second
growth, growth cracks, cuts, scab.
Urge Better Protection of Cotton;
Warehouses Are Needed for Farmers
What would you say if you saw
a man deliberately destroy $70,000.-
000 worth of clothing by placing it
in a rainstorm? No one has done
precisely that, but what has actual
ly occurred Is no less wasteful than
that act would be.
Specialists of the Bureau of Mar
kets, United States department of
agriculture, conservatively estimate
that during the past year cotton
growers of the United States suffer
ed a $70,000,000 cotton loss through
damage to cotton by exposure to
weather. They say that, after gin
ning, cotton is permitted to remain
in the weather for months at a time
instead of bein gproperly sheltered,
and that although cotton is one of
the hardiest of far mproducts, its
strength is not sufficient to with
stand such exposure to the elements.
The bureau of markets maintains
that the amount of money lost
throug hthis cause in a single sea
son would probably be sufficient to
build the warehouses needed, and
that after the first year these ware
houses would become practically
surplus assets in th e hands of the
farmers. It advocates also the con
struction of such warehouses upon
tween 600 and 800 bushels in thrash
ing 2,000 acres. In Wisconsin it is
estimated that 280,000 bushels were
saved by tight-bottom wagons. The
idea of using the canvas on the
ground under the feeder not only
saves grain but saves time on the
clean-up, and should certainly be
considered by troth thrashermen and
farmers.
A very definite notion of the
amount of grain wasted about the
rig may be had from making a so
called blanket test. This consists of
spreading a sheet of canvas or
other suitable cloth about 18 by 24
feet in area convenient to the stack
er of the thrashing machine. A
man is stationed on the top of the
machine near the weighing device.
Immediately after a trip of the
weigher, drop the hood, so that all
the straw, etc., passes on to the
sheet. Allow the straw to deposit
there until the weighing device
trips five complete times, in
dicating that the machine has
thrashed 2 1-2 bushels. Use a fork
to winnow off the straw from the
canvas, shaking as much as possi
ble for any wheat that may be in it.
This leaves a mass of small particles
of straw and chaff and wheat on
the sheet. Use the screen to sift
off the small particles of straw and
put through a fanning mill to blow
out the chaff, leaving the quantity
of wheat that has been wasted.
Measure this in pint measure. One
pint gleaned in this operation might
be considered unavoidable- waste; 2
pints, poor operation, to be correct
ed at the earliest opportunity; and
3 pints or more, -wasteful practice
and the machine closed down until
improvement is obtained.
Watch Machine Closely
In the middle west, where more
moisture prevails, the adjustment of
the machine should be watched
closely throughout the day. In the
morning the grain is apt to be moist
and not easily shelled. If the ma
chine is adjusted to overcome this
condition, it should be readjusted in
the afternoon to provide for the
dryer condition of the grain. If not
so adjusted to meet the changing
condition, grain will be wasted.
Thrashing is looked upon gener
ally as a very distasteful operation.
This fact Is to blame for waste in
many instances. The. farmer is
anxious to have it over with and
speeds up the work as much as pos
sible. Haste makes waste in thrash
ing in many ways. Care should be
taken in pitching from the wagon. If
the machine is fed too fast or care
lessly, it cannot function properly.
Probably more grain is wasted
from failure to clean up at the end
of a setting than from any other
single cause. Just as much care
should be taken in cleaning up all
the unthrashed straw and and loose
grain that has accumulated around
the machine as has been taken with
the rest of the job. Even with the
best of care, a considerable amount
of unthrashed straw will accumulate
.’round the feeder in’ the coin’se of
(he day’s work. If the straw is very
dry, much grain will shatter from
(he heads as it is being pitched
from the wagons or stacks onto the
feeder.
the dry grass or dry snow. They
shpuld be placed aright side down,
beaten with a fiat carpet beater,
*swept, turned over, and swept again.
Hanging rugs over a line while they
he being cleaned, or holding them by
the corners and shaking them, strains
them badly; it may break the threads
or loosen the bindings and cause the
ends to ravel.
Using Soap and Water on Bugs
Practically all rugs, after thorough
beating, may be cleaned with soap
and water. Rag rugs may be wash
like any other heavy material but
must be rinsed thoroughly.
Sometirpes it is easier to rinse a
heavy, wet rug with a hose than in
a tub. Other rugs can be placed
on a table and scrubbed with a brush
and mild soap suds. As each sec
tion is cleaned, it should be rinsed
thorughly and the water should be
changed as it becomes discolored.
Rugs washed by this method are
clean, but they may shrink and lose
their shape and the colors may fade
and run. Oriental rugs with very
long, thick pile should not be thus
cleaned unles they can be dried
quickly and thoroughly; if moisture
remains in the depth of the pile it
may rot the threads, United States,
department of agriculture household
specialists suggest.
Fine smooth mattings should be
swept with a soft brush and dusted
with a dry mop, or if necessary they
may be washed with a cloth tighly
wrung out of warm water, and wiped
dry with another cloth. All grass
and fiber floor coverings should be
taken up occasionally to remove the
dirt which sifts through in spite of
frequent cleaning.
For the daily care of linoleum,
oilcloth, or cork carpeting, an oiled
mop or soft brush may be used.
When very dirty, they may be wash
ed with warm water and mild soap,
rijised, and wiped dry. Only,a small
space should be wet at a time, and
wiped dry. Only a small space
should be wet at a time, and cars
should be taken to prevent the wa
ter from getting underneath. Scrub
bing linoleum or using strong soap
or alkalis or too much water on it
will ruin it in a short time.
blight, soft rot, dry rot and damage
caused by disease, insects or me
chanical or other means. The range
in size shall be stated in terms of
minimum and maximum diameter or
weight following the grade name, but
in no case shall the diameter be less
than two inches.
In order to allow for variations in
cident to commercial grading and
handling, 5 per cent by weight of
any lot may vary from the range in
size stated, and, in addition, 3 per
cent by weight of any such lot may
be below the remaining requirements
of this grade, but not more than one
third of such 3 per cent; that Is to
say, not more than 1 per cent by
weight of the entire lot may have
the flesh injured by soft rot.
Complete particulars regarding
United States potato grades are con
tained in Department Circular 96
which will be mailed free upon re
quest to the bureau of markets.
The bureau of markets also recom
mends grades as a standard for grad
ing and marketing Bermuda onions
in the United States. These grades
are the result of an investigation by
the bureau covering a period of
four years. Full information regard
ing them is contained in Department
Circular, 97, which will also be sent
free upon request to the bureau of
markets.
a co-operative basis, if necessary,
and is prepared to advise those inter
ested in undertaking such projects.
It is also pointed out that receipts
covering cotton stored in properly
operated warehouses are accepted
generally as collateral for loans, the
interest charges for which are more
than paid for by the profits accruing
to the farmer through his ability to
sell his cotton as it is needed by
the mills.
The first step in the solution of
present marketing problems is in the
collection and dissemination of
specific and definite information to
the interested public. The producer
must know trade practices and mar
ket conditions in order to be more
able for his products. Regulatory
laws, of course, are necessary, but
if the buyer or seller does not know
the provisions of the law they may
not. and quite likely will not. be able
to take advantage of the protection
the laws afford him. This is a field
where, in the immediate future, the
marketing specialist, the man who
has a wide knowledge of trade prac
tices and conditions, can be of great
service.
Thrashing Machine Must Be Kept
In God Repair and Used Properly
Any standard make of thrashing
machine is capable of doing satisfac
tory work if kept in good repair and
operated intelligently, according to
specialists of the United States De
partment of Agriculture. Clean
grain and small losses depend more
than anything else upon’ the skill
and judgment of the operator. Here
are a few rules the wheat thrasher
should observe carefully:
Study the instruction book sent
you by the manufacturer and follow
the suggestions closely.
See that the separator is set level
crosswise and lengthwise.
The speed of the cylinder teeth is
approximately 6,000 feet a minute.
This may be modified slightly up or
down in different machines and with
different grains. In general the
rule is correct.
Greater part of the separation is
done in the cylinder and Immediate-
BAD PACKING AND SHIPPING
CAUSE MUCH WASTE OF FOOD
In the photographic files of the
bureau of markets, United States
department of agriculture, are manv
sets of pictures which tell a story of
blasted hopes—a story of unnum
bered growers of fruits and vege
tables who have toiled early and late
through the rains of the spring and
the heat of the summer, only to
meet with disappointment at the end
of their labors, because, after doing
all else well, they failed in one great
essential—the method of handling
their product after it matured. The
photographs in those files, taken at
numerous railway terminals, show
quantities of celery, onions, pota
toes, lettuce, apples, peaches, egg
plant, and many other perishable
products, mutilated or decayed be
cause somebody failed to do his job
of picking, packing, loading, or re
frigerating properly.
The lesson is all very plain when
on e looks at these photographs and
it is not difficult to picture the dis
appointment and loss of the growers
and shippers represented. But it is
by no means a simple lesson. Until
one becomes familiar with his own
special line the problem of proper
handling of perishable fruits and
vegetables appears very complex and
confusing, so many are the details to
be learned. Nowadays much of the
grower’s produce is shipped long dis
tances, and if a full reward for the
season’s work is to be reaped he
must learn the special requirements
for his particular product on the par
ticular journey that it is to take
Each item in the whole list of prod
ucts has its peculiarities which must
be reckoned with when it comes to
marketing. The manner of picking,
the size and shape of the crate or
other container to be used, the full
ness of the pack, the amount of pre
cooling, if any, the kind of freight
car to be used, how many tiers can
be loaded in the car—these and
numerous qther items have to be de
termined.
Useless Sacrifices of Food
The bureau of markets photo
graphs and the reports from the bu
reau food inspectors at various im
portant terminals indicate that a
large number of shippers who have
been “in the game” for years persist
in practices that aro costing them
dearly. A few seasons ago careless
loading of western apples caused an
average breakage of 59 boxes per
car in shipments to New York city,
and experienced commission men in
northern cities estimated that 10
per cent of the oranges shipped from
Florida decayed before reaching the
consumer. In 1918 the annual pro
duction of cantaloupes in the south
western states was estimated at 4,-
600,000 standard crates of 45 melons
each, and investigations showed that
more than one-tenth of these melons
reached the consumers so green as
to be practically valueless for food.
Women Make Own Dress.'
Forms at Home Cheaply
Every woman who makes garments
for herself longs for. a dress form, if
she does not already possess one, and.
if she does, she regards it as one of
the most necessary pieces of sewing
equipment that she has. It is very
difficult to fit oneself. When the
arms are moved to change a pin or
a basting which needs adjusting, the
fit of the whole garment is changed,
and the fitter does not know where
the right place is for the seam or the
trimming. A dress form or Betty, as
it is often called, does away with this
difficulty! but because of the expense
of the commercial ones few women
in the past have felt they could af
ford to own one.
Garment-making clubs are among
the most popular of the many organiz
ed by the home demonstration agents
who are sent out by the United
States department of agriculture,
their members are learning easier
and better ways of dressmaking.
The extension* workers soon discov
ered that the farm woman who at
tempts to do part or all of her own
sewing—and the majority of them do
—encounters the most difficulty in
fitting the garments and adjusting
the trimming. What she needs is a
dress form, and since dress forms are
beyond the means of the larger num
ber. the home demonstration agents
had to set their wits to work and In
vent a homemade substitute.
Kinds of Dress Forms
Today thousands of these home
made dress .forms are in use in the
rural and small town homes of this
country. In Merrimac County, New
Hampshire, 17 communities have
been organized, or have organized
themselves, for the purpose of mak
ing dress forms. This means that
the majority of women in that coun
ty will have one of these conven
iences.
Fertile Eggs Spoil Quickly;
Get Rid of the Roosters
Fifteen million dollars is a lot of
money, but that is the amount that
the United States department of ag
riculture estimates farmers lose ev
ery year through bad methods of
producing eggs. This loss is due to
the partial hatching of fertile eggs
which have been allowed to’ become
warm enough to incubate. It is a
preventable loss and, if cheeked, will
add dollars to the poultry flock prof
its. The remedy is simple—have the
flock produce infertile eggs, after the
hatching season is over.
An Infertile egg is one laid by a
hen that has not been allowed to run
with a male bird. After the male
bird has been removed from the hens,
two weeks is ordinarily long enough
to assure the laying of infertile eggs.
Contrary to the general impression,
the male bird in a flock has no influ
ence on the number of eggs the hens
will lay. The rooster merely fer
tilizes the germ of the egg. This is
not necessary, or even desirable,
when the eggs are to be used for ta
ble purposes, or are to be sent to
market.
Infertile eggs will keep in good
condition in temperatures where fer
tile eggs will not. It is impossible
Pick Well-Drained Spot
For the Poultry House
Poultry can be raised successfully
on any well-drained soil. A light
loam which will grow good grass is
well adapted for this purpose, while
a very light sandy soil through which
the water leaches freely will stand
more intensive poultry conditions,
but most of the green feed for the
fowls kept on such a soil wil have
to be purchased.
A heavy clay or adobe soil is not
well adapted to poultry raising, as
such land does not drain readily, and
it is much more difficult to keep the
stock healthy, poultry specialists on
the government poultry farm have
found. Long stationary houses, or
the intensive system, saves steps, but
it is easier to keep the birds healthy
and to reproduce the stock under the
colony system, where the birds are
ly after the grain passes through it.
Use as few concave teeth as neces
sary to thrash all the grain from
the head. Two rows of teeth set
high are better than four rows set
low.
Grates give the best separation
when set as high as possible.
The make-up of the tailings de
termines the character of the work
done by the sieves.
An unskilled hand feeder or a reck
less pitcher with a self-feeder will
cause any machine to do poor work.
The bundles should be fed heads first
and straight. It is important that
the feed be steady and in continuous
stream. Do not crowd one moment
and let run empty the next. Damp,
tough straw cannot be fed as fast
as dry straw.
On a mechanical feeder see that
the governor is set and working
properly.
The mistakes which the western
cantaloupe growers and shippers
made illustrate the problems with
which the producers have to deal.
Many did not realize that to insure
desirable eating and keeping quality,
the cantaloupes destined for long
distance shipment should be picked
just about the time at which they
will slip cleanly from the stem, or
slightly before this stage is reached.
It was found also that the common
practices in handling the fruit were
unnecessarily rough and that instead
of allowing considerable time to
elapse between picking and loading
into iced refrigerator cars, they
should have been loaded as soon as
the wrapping of cantaloupes was un
desirable because the wrappers re
tarded the cooling and often caused
the cantaloupes to become moldy
after they were removed from»the re
frigerator cars.
Why StrawbeiTles Decay.
Strawberries may be cited* as an
other example. The most successful
shippers, including some in the
Ozarks, who send their product sev
eral hundred miles, have learned from
experience and through investiga
tions carried on by the federal bu
reau of markets experts and others,
that quick cooling after harvesting
is an essential in the proper ship
ment of this fruit. The chief straw
berry decay is one that develops very
rapidly under favorable tempera
tures, and the fungus which causes
it gains a foothold in bruised fruit.
Therefore, poorly handled berr<s',
even if shipped in properly refrig
erated cars, will soon decay after be
ing removed from the iced car. This
is a point of which importance to
the shipper, for a large number of
small dealers have no facilities for
keeping their stocks of fruit cool.
Problems for Celery Shippers.
There are problems also for ship
pers of lettuce and celery. It has
been found, for example, that head
lettuce cut so as to eliminate the
lower two* or three leaves and de
prived of all diseased leaves, de
velops far less decay in transit than
that handled in the manner followed
by many shippers. Celery is often
injured because it is loaded too high
in the car to permit proper circula
tion of air.
The United States Department of
Agriculture has given much time to
the study of right and wrong meth
ods of picking, packing and loading
fruits and vegetables, and if a Ship
per is in doubt, or finds that his
produce is not reaching its destina
tion in good condition, he should
write for information, stating his
case clearly. Inquiries should be ad
dressed to the bureau of markets,
United States Department of Agri
culture, Washington, D. C.
At present four kinds of dress
forms are used. The first is
the most expensive, and is made with
a commercial dress form and a lining
to fit all the lines of the wearer’s
figure. The lining is adjusted over
the dress form, and stuffing is put in
between the lining and the form un
til the lining is tightly filled.
Another variety is made by stuff
ing a tfcht-fitting lining with excel
sior, cotton, or some like substance.
This is not as satisfactory as it might
be, for great care must be exercised
to give the dress form the right lines
and it loses its shape more or less
rapidly.
A third method is to cover a tight
fitting lining, while it Is on its own
er, wth plaster of. Paris; this is al
lowed to harden, and the whole is
then carefully removed. The lining
should have an opening down the
front. Stuffinfi Is then put in until
it is. firm.
The most satisfactory homemade
Betties, however, are made with
gummed paper. This variety costs
less than a dollar, and is said to give
as good satisfaction as one whicvh
brings S2O across a counter. They
are made by pasting two thicknesses
of gummed manilia sealing paper on
a tight-fitting undervest while on the
prospective owner’s figure. When the
gum has dried, the jacket is remov
ed by slitting down the back and
front. These halves are then put to
gether again with gummed paper.
The general effect is that of a heavy
paper-mache form. One of the best
features of a homemade Betty is
that it is an exact duplication of the
woman’s own form.
The dress form means a real sav
ing in money as well as time and pa
tience to every woman whether she
is making new clothes or making
over old ones.
to cause a blood ring to form in an
infertile egg, or to hatch one.
As soon as the hatching season is
over, or enough eggs for hatching
purposes have been laid, the roostet
should be penned, cooked, or sold.
The hens not running with a male
bird will then produce infertile eggs
—the kind that commands the best
prices.
The fertile egg is the one from
which a‘chick may be hatched. It
spoils very quickly when handled by
the ordinary farm methods, and when
marketed in the hot summer months.
Summer heat spoils a fertile egg as
quickly as a sitting hen or an incu
bator.
Occasionally hens running .with
male birds will lay infertile eggs.
This is often the case with birds that
do not have green feed, {hat are
overfat, or that are confined in yards
and runs; but for all the flock to
produce infertile eggs for a stated
period, it is necessary to remove the
rooster.
Heat is a great enemy of eggs,
both fertile and infertile. For this
reason they should be kept in a cool,
dry room or cellar until they are
marketed—at most not more than
three days.
allowed free range. Breeding stock,
and especially growing chickens,
should have an abundance of range,
while hens used solely for the pro
duction of market eggs may be kept
on a very small area with good re
sults.
The colony house system necessi
tates placing the houses, holding
about 100 hens, from 200 to 250 feet
apart, so that the stock will not kill
the grass. The colony system may
be adapted to severe winter condi
tions by drawing the colony houses
together in a convenient place at the
beginning of winter, thus reducing
the labor during these months.
The first assurance society in the
United States in 1759 was designed
for the relief of the widows and or
phan s of deceased clergymen.
The fastest trip across the Atlantic
was made by the Mauretania in 1910,
in 4 days, 10 hours, 48 minutes.
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1920.
THE PRESENT C OTTON SITUATION
During the last half-century of
cotton production no condition of the
crop up to the first of June has
ever been so low as that recently pub
lished by the United States crop re
porting board. At no time in the
history of the boll weevil has that
insect appeared so early to begin de
struction on the cotton crop as they
have this season. Never before in
the history of cotton production in
this cuntry has the shortage of labor
been so acute, or the cost of farm
supplies and improvements of every
character so high. Governmental
statistics on raw cotton in this coun
try and in Europe show that pres
ent supplies of spinnable cotton, com
paratively, are less than ever before
in the history of cotton. At the same
time, American and foreign mills are
running on full time, with their out
puts contracted for months ahead at
profits which would have made old
Falstaff green with envy. This is
the situation as shown by the facts
in the field of production, supplies
of raw cotton and manufacture.
The Speculative Field
How about speculation on the cot
ton exchanges? The first week in
June showed some sunshine to warm
up and invigorate the belated young
crop for a start. Immediately the
bears made a charge, and down goes
the price of contracts. This pro
cedure will doubtless continue as the
season advances until the. future con
tract falls far below the actual cost
of the real fiber. The bears sell
something they haven’t got and want
a contract which does not force them
to deliver. We have a funny situa
tion. In the contract market the
seller has all the advantage, and in
the open local markets the buyers
have all the advantage. It seems to
me that the buyer of a future con
tract ought to have equaj. rights with
the speculative seller of the con
tract. I am absolutely convinced
that the farmer when offering his
cotton should be on an equal foot
ing with the buyer. I may be
wrong about future contracts, and
may be when the sellers sell some
thing they haven’t got, they ought to
have the privilege of delivering any
thing they can get, mixed and un-
Why Consumers Read
Produce Markets Reports
Consumers are learning to include
the produce market reports fn the
items which they read in the daily
paper, for they realize that the prices
they pay for food are largely con
trolled by the market conditions
there set forth. Often a glance at
the current market report will give
a valuable tip as to when to buy
for the household. Much of the in
formation in these reports is fur
nished the newspapers by the bureau
of markets. United States department
of agriculture, which obtains it
though personal representatives at
large market centers and by means
of a special reporting arrangement
with some 474 American railroads.
Dally market reports are also is
sued to some 100,000 growers and
produce dealers who find the infor
mation of value in marketing their
produce at a time and place that
will assure them satisfactory prices.
The dissemination of thi< Information
also has the effect of regulating the
distribution of produce to market cen
ters so that the supply tends to re
main more constant throughout the
year.
Occasionally the average consumer
Is puzzled by the rapid fluctuations in
the retail prices of particular com
modities. If he closely follows the
market reports issued by the bureau
he will better understand causes for
these price changes, and why at times
rather high prices prevail.
A Mixture the Flies Shun
Many malodorous mixtures, par
ticularly of an / oily nature, have
some value as repellents for stable
flies, but in preparing these care
should be taken that they are not
made too strong, especially when an
imals are being worked in the hot
sun, as they are likely to cause over
heating and often produce shedding
of the hair.
A mixture of fish oil (1 gallon),
oil of pine tar (2 ounces), oil of pen
nyroyal (2 ounces), and kerosene
(1-2 pint, was found to be fairly ef
fective in keeping the flies off of
live stock for a short time when ap
plied lightly, but thoroughly, to the
parts of the animals not covered
with blankets or nets.
WOOD’S SEEDS
Crimson Clover
The Wonderful Soil Improver
Sow it in your corn and cotton at the working, and'
next year you can plant these two crops on the same land and
make bigger crops. It is considered worth S2O to S3O per acre
in the increased productiveness and Improved mechanical con
dition of the soli.
CRIMSON CLOVER also makes an excellent winter and
spring grazing crop, the best of early green feed and a good
hay crop.
Cow Peas
For Forage and Soil Improving Crop
Pound for pound, cow pea hay is as valuable a feed as
clover hay; it is nearly equal in value to alfalfa and wheat
bran. The U. S. Department of Agriculture says: “No one,
thing can add more to the agricultural wealth' of the South
than growing of cow peas.”
Write for copy of our 1920 Fall Catalog giving price* and|
full Information about fall crops for Farm and Garden. Mailed
FREE en request.
T. W.WOOD& SONS, Seedsmen,
Richmond, - - - Virginia.
=S===: '—" ' -■ " -'I ri.rn.jßT i
Side dress yew Cotton with - ; i
GERMAN POTASH
KAINIT
29 per cent MANURE SALT and
NITRATE OF SODA
100 pounds of Manure Salt go as far as 160
pounds of Kainit and have the same effect as
a plant food and plant disease preventive—
Neither one will injure your crop.
i
For prices write nearest Office of
Nitrate Agencies Company
New York Norfolk Savannah Jacksonville New Orleans Houston, Tex.
Stocks at other leading Atlantic and Gulf Ports
mixed. But I am strong for that old
principle of "equal rights to all and
special privileges to none.” Anyway
the holders of spot cotton should not
permit the sentimental influences on
prices in the exchanges to affect tha
real value of their present holdings,
or what they may produce in 1920.
If it cost 38 cents to produce a
pound of middling upland cotton in
1919, the present price of such grades
show but little or no profit to tha
growers, while October contracts are
being quoted several cents under tha
cost of production and going down
every day. How about it, cotton
growers?
Time to Organize
Isn’t it time to cinch up your belt
another notch, clamp your teeth on
the bit and enroll your name i«t«
the membership of th® American Cot*
ton association and get ready for th<
fight which is now only a few months
off? Co-operation and leadership was •
never —.ore vitally needed by ths
f turners than at the present time.
Never was the local warehouse mors
imperative in w’hich to store ths
crop for protection against the
weather, and finance the stapX
against the rapacious maw of ths
“bear.” If it takes twelve months
to spin up the crop, let the farmers
take twelve months to distribute the
crop to the mills. Let the speculators ;
sell the contracts to their heart’s con
tent, but let the legitimate buyer and
spinner of American cotton under
stand that the price for the 1920 crop
will be regulated by the legitimats
laws of supply and demand and not
by fictitious and sentimental figures
posted on blackboards. The Amer
ican Cotton association will solve
this problem when the farmers ana
the allied business interests of ths
country get together in a purely co
operative spirit and follow its leader
ship. No department of the legiti
mate cotton industry nor any othei
business can or will suffer under a
proper economic and protective sys
tem of handling and marketing ths
qotton crop. The time is short— '
vrork fast and join this great organ
ization.
Yours very truly,
HARVIE JORDAN,
Sec. Amer. Cotton Asso.
—"V —r — *
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