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COMMISSIONER'S TALK
——
Mr. Nesbitt's Monthly Address
to the Georgia Farmers.
BALING AND MAEEETING QOTTOtf.
An Important Kn 4 t Dwelt I'jmn At
Length by the ( titmi**iun<-r of Ajrrl
fiiluirc—The T reitieiiiloti < Waste Oer
, CareU ita Aictkotis lbitaU—FertilUm
liiaciisseil.
Department of AeRrcmTURE,
An. ANTA, St.pt'. 1, IK‘>4.
A subject of vital importance to the
farmer is the more careful hftistUiiig and
baling of our cotton for market. I have
already, more than omsd, called atten
tion to the careless methods of gather
ing, storing, ginning, baling, and then
exposing to all weathers, after it is made
realty for our home market. It is true
that the pricy is not fixed by the home
jparket, that is done in Liverpool and
Manchester, but the reckless methods of
marketing our cotton are so well known
that in fixing the price a liberal deduc
tion has always been made, not only for
bagging and tins, but for dirt, mixed
sample and water, and this heavy per
cent, amounting to millions of dollars
lias come out of the farmer’s pockets.
With the first four reductions \ve are
familiar, bat we know little of the tre
mendous waste which our careless
methods entail, and what a large influ
ence this has in reducing the price of
our staple. Governor Northen, who
has been investigating this subject, has,
in the August number of the “Southern
Cultivator,” made the following ({rota
tions from some of the consular reports,
gad he says lie does not find a single re
jort which speaks favorable of the con
dition of American cotton, as compared
with that of India and Egypt. It is
hoped, that the attention of the farmer?,
being once arrested, and their energies
thoroughly aroused, the result will be
the eventual saving of a heavy yearly
loss, which they can ill afford to bear,
and which seems the more unaccounta
ble, from the fact that the large leak
could be stopped without one dollar of
additional expense.
Mi’. Mason, consul at Frankfort, says:
“American cotton is, as hitherto, the
Worst packed of all that comes to this
part of Germany. It is generally easy
To pick out American bales front any
pile of cotton by their torn and bedrag
gled appearance.”
The consul at Havre says:
“Much of the American cotton ar
rives here in very had condition—the
iron bands broken, the bagging torn and
otherwise mutilated, and often rotten
from exposure to the elements.”
Mr. Munagliau, the consul at Chem
nitz, remarks that “the packing of
American raw cotton causes a deal of
anxiety and complaint here. The jute
cloth covering is so torn before the
bales reach Chemnitz that the cotton is
exposed to mud, water, tiro and theft.
Of the original six or eight iron bands,
two, three, four and sometimes "inoro,
are loose or broken; the cotton bulges
out, takes up dirt and dust, when in a
dry place; mud in the docks; sea water,
when in the ships, and rain water,
when on land or wharves, or in trans
mission by boat, ra't or wagon. In
transport, every gust of wind tears
away pieces of valuable commodity.
Tiie wharves, customhouse floors and
freight cars are usually covered with
pieces torn or dropped from such bales.”
Mr. Crawford, consul at St. Peters
burg, says:
“In this particular, American cotton
hales are compared very unfavorably
With the Egyptian, which invariably
arrive in excellent condition, and per
fectly clean. The Egyptian bales are
only about half the size of the Ameri
can, ami two -wrapped in heavy linen
covers and securely bound with iron
hoops. The number of hoops on a bale
of Egyptian cotton is greater than that
on an American bale, notwithstanding
the difference in size. The Egyptian
cotton has equally rough sea voyage and
handling as American.”
Mr. Neal, consul at Liverpool, says:
“Cotton is shipped to this district
chiefly from the southern ports of the
United States, and the bales are very
eiten in a rough condition, because the
eoarse canvas covers are insufficient in
Weight and strength to stand the usage
$o which the bales are subjected en
route. Bales of cotton are patched and
mended in Liverpool, and sent forward
to consumers by rail or canal. The best
material for outside covering is heavy,
strong canvas, and the bales should be
bound by 10 iron bands instead of by
seven, as at present. The most import
ant matter that requires the attention
of shippers in the United States is the
manner of loading uonliuer steamers at
iflome of the southern ports, where it is
•tire practice to screw the bales into the
vessels and to cut off their ends to make
them fit into the hold. A great deal of
cotton is lost from the bales, owing to
'the tearing of the canvas in the process
of screwing, and as the ship unloads,
this loose cotton fulls about the hold
and the quays, and is more or less dam
aged by being trampled upon and mixed
With the dust and dirt on the floors. It
is never fit to be put back into the bales,
and consequently has to be sold at a
greatly depreciated value. Much of it
ns never recovered at all, being swept up
With the rubbish on the quay, and dis
posed of by the ship owners or dock au
thorities, who are bound to keep the
•ground clear of such inflammable ma
terial.
“Nearly every vessel from tlie son th
em ports of the United States lands a
quantity Of loose cotton, equal to from
cue to eight bales of cotton,, which does
i*iot include quantities given to make up
broken bales.
“In conclusion, the suggestion with
jjrefereuee to cotton are; The use of bot
tler canvas and move bands in making
*p a bale, the abolition of screwing cot
ton into a vessel, the prohibition of cut
ting ends off bales to make them fit
ship's holds, and the adoption of a uni
form size of balo throughout the cotton
ta*e, which would do much to insure
feetter ftd more careful stowing on
hoard ship.”
j Elsewhere in this report, will be seen
’#n article explaining some points as to
lithe • tare,” about which most farmers
Ifcaye ouly a confused idea, -s
$ Uav | these <juotatio#s at length
■ i
commodity is fixed, and therefore
not fall on the buyer or shipper, but di
rect iy oil the fat inet Tim suggestions
as to better covering and more bands in
making up a. bale, us to the abolition of
double piessing, screwing into the -hip,
cutting off bale ends lo make tlvan fit
better jiiio tJie ship’s hold, and also of
adopting a bale of uniform size through-'
out the south, are valuable to the farm
er in so far aS he takes measures to have
them carried out. Lotus begin a mere
careful policy at home; Jet us see to it
that our cotton is put oft the market, in
1 .iit class condition, and tb< n, if im
pmpevlv handled, the fault will not rest
at oar door.
FALL WORK.
As cotton is, at present, almost our
omy money crop, its gathering will nec
yss.a-iiy occupy tin* greater jw-t of dor
attention, until all i? safely housed and
made ready for market. It is the best
policy to gather as last as it opens, for
tlie combined injurious effects of wind,
rain, trash, sand and dew, induced by
too long standing in the field cause a
poor sample, and, though the proportion
of such cotton in a bale be small, the
entire bale is classed by it, and not by
the larger amount-of good cotton, and
the consequence is a falling off of several
points in tiie price of every pound.
If, from storms, delays, or any other
causes, the sample is injured, don’t mix
this cotton in a bale with good cotton.
Keep all such cotton separate, and pack
it to itself, it put in a bale with good
cotton, it simply reduces the price of the
whole.
Another important item is the spread
ing and drying of tin; cotton before it is
stored or carried to the gin. This is es
pecially important for the earlier pick
ings, which have more moisture—both
in'lint and seed—than later, when t r \e
plant is entirely matured, trad ih
mg and failing of the foliage leav m.
boils exposed to the full action of the
sun.
Though the saving of the cotton crop
is the most absorbing work, there are
intervals all during the gathering season
when other farm duties can be safely
attended to. The thoughtful farmer,
even during the heavy pressure of cot
ton picking, will plan ahead, and when
opportunity offers made needed repairs
on terraces, ditches, stables, fences and
lious- \S, and also get his land in shape
for the various fall crops. To succeed
with
HttASSES,
the land should be put in as fine tilth
and manured as highly as for turnips.
In the northern part of the cotton belt
September is considered the best time
for sowing; further south, it is safer to
defer this work until October. The fall
sown grass stands a much better chance
in the straggle for possession with the
native grasses when the. spring comes
on, because it has attained such vigor as
to easily hold its own against crab grass
and other annuals that • rm in ate in the
spring, and the woods can be kept in
check by successive mowings.
In previous reports the proper varie
ties and mixtures of seed have been
given. Bermuda, as a pasture
grass, is all that could ho desired, but
we need a perennial winter grass, and
according to the best authorities the
“Schrader” bids fair to take t.-iis place.
This grass should not be confounded
with the Rescue, which it somewhat re
sembles, but to which it is much supe
rior. They belong to the same family,
but the Schrader is a perennial, grow
ing vigorously; the Rescue is small and
an annual.
George D. Tillman of South Carolina,
who has given the subject of grass cult
ure a grdat deal of study and experi
mentation, says:
“Schrader is most likely one of the
new grasses that will shortly force it
self upon the attention of the whole ag
ricultural world, as neither heat nor
cold affects it injuriously much. A
number of my correspondents in the
northwest write that it resists their arc
tie freezes as heroically as it does our
long, parching drouths at the south,
and I am sure it is well adapted to the
stiff, damp rice swamps of our southern
seacoast. As regards the fertile low
grounds that are subject to overflow by
our up country water courses, Schrader,
rightly utilized, would prove an inesti
mable blessing, by making such lands
the most profitable of any at the south.
“Schrader will net thrive on Kindv
soil, unless clay be near the surface, as
it affects a rather compact gravel or
clay, although it does remarkably well
on the gray granite land of Edgefield.
This arises perhaps from the fact that
the grass seems to need a good supply
of potash.
“The grass also does much better on
stiff, moist land, if not too wet, than
on dry soil; yet it will thrive splendid
ly on the latter, too, if it be fertile, and
I never have seen any grass, not even
the far-famed Kentucky bluegrass, or
the world-wide orchard grass, that
flourishes in the shade of trees as Schra
der does. There is no use sowing Schra
der oil poor soil, unless it be highly ma
nured, as the grass yields such a largo
amount of forage and seed that it is
obliged to rapidly exhaust the land, es
pecially when the seed matures, as they
are as large as oats. The seed can bo
harvested about as easily as oats, and
nearly every seed will come up when
plowed in like oats. Even when not
plowed in, the seed -have an aggressive
tendency to take possession of the land;
still the grass can boas readily exter
minated as oats, wheat or any other
small grain. During 10 years’observa
tion, I have never noticed any indica
tion of disease, and whenever the stand
becomes thin, one has only to let a crop
of seed ripen, or scatter a few gathered
seed, and then plow or rake them in, to
to have a stand again.
“All kinds of stock relish Schrader
as a hungry child does pound cake, and
for all purposes of hay, pasture or soil
ing, it is superior to any crop, on fertile
land, that I have seen, out of over 200
different kinds of forage plants, grasses,
clovers, molilots, medics, vetches, bur
nets, comfreys, etc., with which I havo
experimented for about 80 years, in an
earnest search for the the best winter
grass for the south.”
An experimental plat has been given
to this grass at our station, aud should
it prove all that is claimed for it, it will
become a most important agent in build
ing up the material prosperity of our
state aud section. Once its upromaey
|s established the business of profitable
DAIIIY FAIiMINO,
for the first time in Georgia's agricul
tural history attracting considerable at
tention, will be much advanced. In the
ItIQ-SV cf lfllfl .. , f ~ , ,
cattle range ut\vili during tiiaSvin-
L nionrhs, obraimng a godd < living
lire is pot mcs*
iiortffpru sections, if we would sustain
tim ch-e.se factories, which we hope, soon
to see in successful . peration and make
m<r cows yield a profitable return, we
must plant crop> lor i hem. This ques
tion imS In mi but little studied, but
opens a wide field for judicious invest
ment. One sowing of gra . ;,.if properly
managed, will last several years, and
f .iv< s the. yearly preparation alul seed
ing of the grains. These gra ; s lots, for
onvoitibuoo of grazing and mauuring,
fchou'd boas near the stable yards as
possible, and should be divided so as. to
graze only a part lc a time. To avoid
unnecessary tramping, three or four
hours a day is sudicieut, an 1 will give
stock all the grazing that they need.
Asa fertilizer, nothing supplies the
place of good farmyard manure. While
the sowing of grass may bo del erred, it
is important to sow
RYE AND BARLEY
lots at once. A rich lot of either is
very desirable, and a fanner cannot do
better than to secure this valuable addi
tion to his stock yar 1.
FALL. OATS.
Again I would urgy don’t be deferred
by fear of winter ktiling from sowing a
good area in fail oats. If they succeed,
they make at least twice as much as the
spring sown crop, are not more liable to
winter killing than the spring oats are
to destruction from drouth, and if they
fail there is another chance for a crop,
as the same land can be reseeded, or is
in fine condition .for a different crop.
Bticklen’s AnneaSalva,
The Best Salve in the world
for Cuts, Bruises, Sores, Ulcers, Sail
Rheum, Fever Sores, Tetter, Chapped
Hands, Chilblains, Corns, and all
Skin Eruptions, and positively cures
Files, or no pay required. It. is guar
anteed to give perfect satisfaction or
money refunded. Price *25 cents per
box. For Sale by 1). 1.. J. Sharp &
Bro.
in
Poor
Health
means so much more than
you imagine—serious and
fatal diseases result from
trifling ailments neglected.
Don’t play with Nature’s
greatest gift—health.
If you arc feeling
out of sorts, weak
ffj a and generally ex
gwfVW t Tyvig* hausted, nervous,
hav .e no appetite,'
' *■&*-*■ and can't work,,,
begin at once tak
ing the most relia - (
9 ble str^igthenir'.i
I I ■ SI I medicine,whichis ,
& £ X/ JLG Brown's Iron (Bit-
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a4 4 I comes fior; the,
niTTPrQ E very firtt Cose— it
Ji Jf 1 L left . a TANARUS/ s' lin your ,
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It Cures ;
Dyspepsia, Kidney and Liver
Neuralgia, Troubles, t
Constipation, Bad Blood 1
Malaria, Nervous ailments 1
Women’s complaints. ,
Get only the genuine—it has c'ossed red
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BROWN CHEMICAL CO. BALTIi.bRE, MD. 1
Fui ciitu oy li, A. Vi. A>IO.
Harmony Grove, Ga. 1
- • r
The Dixie Interstate Fair, which
opens in Macon, Ga.,
promises to be one of the, best and
most extensive Exposition,| ever at
tempted, ill the State. Thi manage
ment is in the hands of tie Macon
Exposition Company, wit* a capital
stock of $190,000. The purses of
fered for the races will bring the
best horses in the Sourth, as the pro
gram calls for slo,oofi distributed
over a seven days meeting, and. this
feature is in competent hands. The
Agricullurjal departments are in the
hands of the State Agriculturial So
ciete, and will he connected on a
liberal scale, calculated to draw at
tention to the resources of the South
Tht city of Macon will enlarge and
improve the splendid buildings at
Central City Park, in thee* build
ings alone 85,000 square feet of space
will be available; all the exhibits be-
ing under one roof. Arrangements
are being made to seeme the very
best attractions, which will ho an
nounced latei. The imlutd-aial fea
tures will be a novelty. A 100 feet
building is reserves fp nuuiutticLur
ing ©F 'southern product, and large
premium will be offered JW-thb best
article made on the grot;mis. The
Dixie Inter State Fair will be open
ior eight teen days. All information
can be serred by addressing the Sec
retary J. K. Kennedy, at Macon, Da
[ '* .; .. _ ' >. ■ .... ;I
iiAdii i imEdi 1
Are von a supporter of the pres
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y at the, money centres and keep
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: or do you favor a broad and
LIBERAL SYSTEM
1 UP"- - A:' ' .
! Which protects the debtor while Jt
j loes justice to the creditor?
If you feel this way, you should
lot be without that champion of th
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Tim into filj
CONSTITUTION
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Expansion of
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HARMONY GROVE.
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IF SO
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J. C. GEIGER, Proprietor,
ATHENS, GA.
235 Broad Stret:
W. L. DOUGLAS
IllOft 53 SHOE ™
l £ §5, 84 and $3.50 Dress Shoe.
c i $3.50 Police Shoe, 3 Soies.
f- S2 for Workingmen.
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'^ l ladies and m| sses,
$3, $2.50 $2, $1.75
CAPTION.—If any dealer
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If IHIS IS THE i 1 ntii **'* ‘‘ H ~
. vd ” oa t name stamped
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Used boiovr. Catalogue free upon application. W. L iMiifTPt AS, Brockton, Mass.
"I"'. 10. XOo vg & Cos., A gen