Attend the Big Johnston County Community Chautauqua at Smithfield, N. C., June 9th to 13th
*
VOLUME 36
SMITHFIELD. N. C., TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1917.
Number 26
FELICITATIONS OF THE KAISER.
Congratulates Himself and Ally on
Failure of Entente Offensives. Re
ports Big Drive Now at Standstill.
Results, on Other Hand. Show That
French and British Have Gained
.Much Ground and Captured Over
Fifty Thousand Prisoners Since
April 1.
Although Field Marshal von Hin
ednburg and Emperor William assert
that the Anglo-French offensive on
the Western front has failed after
seven weeks of effort, a French of
ficial statement declares that the
Germans lost more than 52,000 pris
oners alone during the French and
British drives against the German
lines.
Emperor William writes the Ger
man empress that the fighting in
France has reached a "certain con
clusion." Since April 1, the British
have advanced on a front of 20 miles
from Loos to south of Bullecourt, to
an extreme depth of six miles east
of Arras. Field Marshal Haig's men
have taken Vimy ridge, dominating
the plains to Douai and have virtu
ally surrounded Lens and St. Quen
tin and have held their gains against
desperate and repeated German at
tacks, while inflicting heavy losses.
In the same time the French have
advanced along a 15 mile front north
of the Aisne and seized the heights
dominating the valley of the Ailette
river, the last natural defense before
Laon. In Champagne the French
troops in intrepid attacks have gain
ed the heights of Mont Carnilet, the |
Casque, the Teton and Mont Haut, to
the east of Rheims. All the French
gains have been held, gepeated at
tacks by the German crown prince
against the captured have been made
without avail and he has expended
thousands of lives in fruitless efforts
to regain the lost ground.
More than 1,000 officers were in
cluded in the total of 52,000 prison
ers captured. Enormous quantities
of material were taken from the Ger
mans, including 446 heavy and field
guns, 1,000 machine guns and many
trench guns.
Emperor William also has congrat
ulated Emperor Charles on the fail
ure of the Italian attacks along the
Isonzo from Plava to the sea, but
Gen. Cadorna's troops have gained
the Vodice ridge and have made
important advances on the Carso. The
Italians added to their gains on Fri
day by taking Austrian positions on
a front of one and a quarter miles to
H depth of 400 yards south of Cas
tagnavizza on one of the main roads
to Triest.
An advance of 400 yards along a
mile and a quarter front by Italian
troops on the road to Triest, an
nouncement by the Germans that
they had captured a French position
1,000 yards in length northeast of
Soissons and a British air raid on
German bases along the German
coast constituted the chief news de
velopments in the war theatres Sat
urday.
Aside from the battle fronts, oc
currences in Brazil and in Southern
Russia bear important relations to
the war.
Forty-six merchant vessels aggre
gating 240,779 tons are restored to
the world's carrying trade at a time
when they are urgently needed by a
decree signed Saturday by President
Braz of Brazil, enabling that country
to make use of the German vessels
now in Brazilian ports.
Thirty-three of the German ves
sels are of more than 4,000 tons each
and one is of 12,350 tons.
This action was the first step tak
en by Brazil after revoking her dec
laration of neutrality in the war.
In consequence of Russian royal
ists riots in Tiflis, in the Trans-Cau
casian government of Southern Rus
sia, the Grand Duke ^Nicholas, form
erly commander in chief of the Rus
sian armies, is reported to have been
arrested. ? Columbia State, 2nd.
Her Disappointment.
* Little Irene marched into the room
breathless.
"O mother, don't scold me for being
late for supper, because I've had such
a disappointment," she said. "A horse
fell down and they said they were
going to send for a horse doctor, so I
waited and waited, and what do you
'hink? It wasn't a horse doctor at
all. It was only a man." ? Our Dumb
Animals.
THINKS WAR WILL NOT
LAST ANOTHER YEAR.
Melbourne, Australia, Jun 2. ? Maj.
Gen. James Gordon Legge, chief of
the Australian General Staff, who
left Australia in May, 1915, to com
mand the first Australian division
at the Dardanelles and subsequent
ly served with distinction on the Gal
lipoli Peninsula and in Northern
France, said on his recent return
here from the western front:
"I am convinced that the German
resistance will be broken by June,
and I hardly think that the war will
last another year. The duration of
the German resistance after the main
line is broken, can only be guessed at.
Once Germany is beaten on the west
ern front Turkey and Australia will
soon cry enough and collapse like a
house of cards."
General Legge said that the weath
er and the mud had all along been
a greater obstacle than the Germans
on the western front and had pro
longed trench fighting.
Speaking of German warfare, he
said that while on the western
front "on undoubted evidence" he
was shown barn doors which bore
marks indicating that men had been
crucified upon the doors with bayo
nets; that he saw evidence at certain
places that children's brains were
wantonly dashed out. "Personally,"
he added, "I feel as if I could never
again have social intercourse with
a German."
General Legge was the organizer
of the Australian universal military
training system. He went on active
service in this war when General
Bridges was killed at Anzac Cove. He
had served in the South African War.
Cotton Crop Far Below Normal.
? Washington, June 1. ? Cold weather
in April and May hurt the cotton
crop severely through the entire
South.
The condition of the crop on May
25 was 69.5 per cent of normal, com
pared with 77.5 last year, 80.0 in
1915, 74.3 in 1914 and 79.1, the May
10-year average. The acreage planted
in cotton will not be announced until
July.
Revised estimates announced today
of the area planted and in cultiva
tion at the end of June last year
place the acreage at 36,052,000, the
area picked last year at 34,985,000
acres and the yield per acre at 156.6
pounds of lint.
An official statement today by the
Department of Agriculture says:
'Temperatures for many days in
early May were so low that frost
formed even in the Southern part of
the cotton belt. Much cotton was
killed outright and the stand was
damaged everywhere. There has been
much replanting in every State and
the cotton everywhere has a stunted
appearance and has grown but little.
In addition to cold weather, drought
in some sections has kept the seed
from germinating. The crop will av
erage probably three weeks late in
age and probably more -in size and ap
pearance.
"Many sections report lice. There
is some complaint of weevils, but
they have not shown up as yet to
any great extent, probably owing
to the lateness of the crop. General
ly, cultivation ?is fully up to normal
and there is little grass in the fields.
There is a considerable shortage in
the labor supply, but farmers are
well up with their work in most places
owing to the generally dry weather
prevailing during most of the month.
The labor shortage applies to the
States east of the Mississippi River;
those west of the river probably have
sufficient labor to make the crop."
Condition of the crop by States fol
lows :
Virginia, 75; North Carolina, 63;
South Carolina, 70; Alabama, 61;
Mississippi, 66; Louisiana, 74; Texas,
74; Arkansas, 64; Tennessee, 63;
Missouri, 73; Oklahoma, 77; Califcr
nia, 82; Georgia, 69, and Florida 76.
A freshly killed chicken is never as
tender to eat as though it had lain
for about 12 hours, allowing the ani
mal heat to escape naturally, and the
muscles to relax.
Mr. Kicker, you think the editor of
this paper should be able to please
everybody, don't you? We suggest
that you try scratching some fellow
on the spot where he itches the most.
After you have tried it a few times
you will appreciate our position.
STORM SWEEPS MIDDLE WEST.
Towns in Kansas, Oklahoma and
Missouri Are Stricken. Communica
tion Cut Off and Only Meager
Information Available as to Extent
of Life and Property Loss.
Kansas City, Mo., June 1. ? Twenty
one known deaths, more than one
hundred injured and unestimated
property damage resulted from a se
ries of tornadoes that swept several
towns and sections of southeastern
Kansas, north central Oklahoma and
southern Missouri late today and
tonight.
With 400 houses reported destroy
ed at Coalgate, Okla., a town of 3,
000 inhabitants, and possibly 200 at
CoffeyviHe, Kan., it was feared that
the death total at these two places
would be high. One message said
that 13 bodies had been counted at
Coalgate, and that the business sec
tion of the town was virtually de
stroyed.
Three persons were killed, sever
al seriously injured and much prop
erty was damaged by a tornado
which struck Moore, five miles south
east of Olathe, Kan.
Unconfirmed reports from Buffalo,
Mo., told of considerable damage
there. Another storm was reported
to have passed between Springfield
and Lebanon. All wires were down
both directions.
At Drake, Okla., five known death ?
were reported. That many school
children were not killed in the de
molition of the Drake school house
was due to the presence of mind of
a young school teacher who mar
shaled her charges into a storm cel
lar.
Nine persons were injured two
perhaps fatally, by the tornado
which passed north of the town of
Seminole, Okla. Much livestock was
killed and crops in the path of the
storm were badly damaged.
Better Prices for Fruits and
Vegetables.
Further increases in the price of
fruits and vegetables was reported
Wednesday by the Department of
Agriculture in its weekly market re
view. Prices of new potatoes con
tinue to advance slightly it was said,
notwithstanding the steady increase in
shipments. Supplies of old potatoes
are practically exhausted. A total of
2,234 cars of potatoes were reported
shipped during the week just ended
of which about 80 per cent was new
stock.
The Department report continued:
"Present wholesale prices of new
potatoes $3.00 and $4.00 per bush
el, approximately twice as high
as at same time last year. Carlot
shipments of strawberries now at
height. Home-grown berries now
beginning to appear on many mar
kets. Price firm for good stock, but
shows wide range on poor stock.
Best stock approximately 3 cents
per quarter higher than at :ime
time last year. Shipments past week
1,780 cars, approximately 375 iars
more ^than previous week this year
but 634 cars less than correspond
ing week last year. Texas onions
lower, due to continued heavy ship
ments and larger crop than pre
viously estimated. Shipments this
week 676 cars, 320 cars more than
shipped in corresponding week last
year. Both f. o. b and jobbing prices
on Florida tomatoes are about $1 per
carrier lower than a month ago, and
about $1 lower than wholesale prices
at this time last year. Total ship
ments of tomatoes past week were
792 cars, over 500 cars more than
shipped at same time last year. Cab
bage is still high, though nearly 100
cars more shipped week of May 23
29, inclusive, than corresponding
week last year.
"Supplies of lettuce, celery and as
paragus compare favorably with the
shipments at this time last year. Wa
termelon shipments are being made
in considerable volume from Florida.
Shipment of California cantaloupe
expected to begin early next week."
? Dun's Review.
Flowers- Johnson.
Mr. and Mrs. Pias B. Johnson have
the pleasure of announcing the mar
riage of their daughter, Eva Belle,
to Mr. Leslie G. Flowers, on Thurs
day evening, June fourteenth, nine
teen hundred and seventeen, at half
past eight o'clock, Trinity Brptist
church. Relatives and friends are
cordially invited.
DECLINE IN WHEAT CONTINUES
I Vices Show Extensive Losses from
Previous High Levels. Crop
Estimates liaised.
The decline in wheat, which start
ed when the limitations on trading
were fixed less thun a month ago, has
inet with comparatively little inter
ruption, and prices have fallen t>6c.
to 82c. from the former record levels.
This means that the July delivery in
Chicago has dropped to $1.93 and
September to $1.79, and the possibil
ities of further recession are recog
nized in all quarters. Yet, with the
enforced restrictions on trading, in
terest in the speculative situation
has naturally diminished, and crop
advices monopolize attention. Fortu
nately, news from the fields has re
cently taken a decided turn for the
better, and revision of opinion re
garding the probable winter wheat
harvest has become necessary. Rais
ing of estimates has latterly been
general, and if the next official re
port fails to disclose substantial im
provement many people will be sur
prised, as well as disappointed. Rea
son for encouragement is not alone
found in the prospects for larger
yields in the Southwest than pre
viously seemed likely, for the out
look in the Northwest is said to be
highly favorable and it is believed
that with continuance of good weath
er the spring wheat crop may run
over .'100,000,000 bushels. If this
should actually happen, and winter
wheat makes 400,000,000 bushels, as
is now predicted in some quarters,
the result would be highly gratify
ing. In any event, less talk is now
heard of famine. ? Dun's Review.
Comparing Grocery Prices.
A leading North Carolina merchant
in comparing the prices of groceries
with a few years ago says:
"Then I gave twenty pounds of
meat for a dollar. Now I can hardly
give four pounds. I sold flour for
$3.25 per barrel. Now it is about
$15.00. Corn meal "was fifty cents per
bushel. Now it is sixty cents a peck.
Peas were fifty to sixty cents per
bushel, but the price has gone to
$3.50 per bushel. Eggs were seven
and a half to eight cents per lozen,
and I have bought them for six cents.
Now they are thirty cents per dozen.
Grown hens then sold for twenty
cents each, but will bring close to a
dollar each now. Black pepper then
cost me eight and a half cents. Now
it is worth wholesale about sixty
cents per pound. Rice then cost $3.75
to $4.00 per hundred pounds, but
now is eight and a half to nine cents
per pound."
Talk About Eating Rice.
Rice is one of the best/ and cheap
est cereals and should be eaten much
more extensively than at present. In
many parts of the world people have
not learned to cook it or to eat it. In
this section our leading: merchants
who sell rice at all order but little
of it at a time. A merchant will or
der, say one to two or three baps of
one hundred pounds each, and some
times it takes a long while to sell
that much. In a small town about
fifty miles east of Smithfield rice is
sold by almost every merchant in the
town. It is not uncommon to see five
to ten r.nd fifteen baps of rice in a
store. Not long: ago one of these
merchants received thirty-five bags
of a hundred pounds ea'-h of rice. He
states that a few years ago he receiv
ed at one time a hundred bags of rice.
Ten thousand pounds of rice here
would seem like a very large stock,
but this merchant says he had no
trouble selling it. Why this differ
ence in the demand for rice? Why
is so much sold around the little
town mentioned above? It is simply
that a few years ago the farmers
around that town raised rice and
learned to eat it. Then there were rice
mills at Goldsboro and Wilmington.
This reminds us that people eat what
they are taught to eat. They eat what
they try to learn to eat.
America is in the war and only
one outcome can be considered possi
ble by Americans. That is victory.
To achieve victory the country must
furnish the sinews of war. With vic
tory will come peace and therefore
each purchaser of a Liberty Loan
Bond mr.y be considered an agent of
peace.
JOHNSTON < OI N H TO
TEST CLARK BOM) ACT
An agreed case from Johnston
County to test the validity of the
Clark bond act was prepared yes
terday evening and will be submitted
to Judge Albert Cox and then passed
on up tp the Supreme Court on Sat
urday for its opinion. Owing to the
importance of this question the court
last W.ednesday consented to rvceas
until Saturday to receive the case
and after filing opinion, which is
expected quickly, will adjourn for the
summer.
Two townships in Johnston County
have asked the State to take $90,
000 worth of their bonds under the
Clark act. The validity of the act
having been questioned it is necessa
ry for an opinion of the Supreme
Court before any county can take ad
vantage of the act.
The questions at issue are whether
or not the supplemental act chang
ing the date of the first election from
the second Tuesday in April to the
second Tuesday in May affected Qie
act sufficiently to require a roll call;
whether the county commissioners in
providing for tax levy to mature
bonds shall levy tax on poll as well as
property, the language of the act not
cohering this point; and to pass on
the form of bonds as to whether it
sufficiently binds the county for its
indebtedness to the State. ? News and
Observer.
Mrs. Charles Culley Entertains.
Clayton, June 2. ? On Friday morn
ing on the spacious green lawn of
Mrs. Ashley Home on Main street,
Mrs. Charles Gulley entertained the
Wednesday Afternoon and the
Halcyon Clubs in honor of her moth
er and two sisters, Mrs- M. H. Woo
ten, of Warsaw, N. C., and Mrs. Fred
Hines, of Columbia, S. C., and Miss
Theo. Wooten, who has just return
ed from Raleigh, where she had been
attending Peace during the last year,
all of whom are the house guests of
Mrs. Gulley.
The guests were graciously receiv
ed at the gate by Mrs. Ashley Home
and introduced to the receiving line,
composed of Mrs. Charles Gulley,
Mrs. Wooten, Mrs. Hines, Mrs. Mark
Gulley, Mrs. Walter Creech, Mrs.
Arthur Griffin, Mrs. R. W. Sanders,
Mrs. Edith Sullivan, of Gaffney, S.
C., Mrs. J. Graham Davidson, of Ox
ford College and Mrs. John Elling
ton.
The guests were then introduced to
Mrs. J. J. Young and Mrs. Herbert
McCullers, who escorted them to the
punch bowl, presided over by Mrs. B.
M. Robertson and Mrs. Glenn Pope,
where they were served delicious
fruit punch. Mrs. Walter Priddy, of
Wichita Falls, Texas, who is here
visiting her mother, Mrs. Ashley
Home, very charmingly received in
the west lawn. Cream and cake
were served by Mrs. Clement W. Car
ter and Mrs. Will H. McCullers, as
sisted by Misses Theo Wooten, Soulu
McCullers, Thelma Barbour and Lois
Massey.
A very interesting feature of the
morning were the delightful readings
of Mrs. Hardee Home and Mrs. J.
Graham Davidson.
Do Animals Fear Death?
Dr. Paul Balfton, according to a
paragraph in the Globe, remarks
that animals are resigned to death
with a serene gravity which denotes
a sense of its approach. It is only
before death seems inevitable that
they struggle and resist it. An our
ang shot by English sailors in Suma
tra looked at his hunters so piteous
ly that they felt as if they had com
mitted manslaughter. A cercopithcc,
wounded by Brehm, the naturalist, ap
peared so noble and human that he
had to put it out of pain. Jules Ger
ald relates that Algerian lions taken
in pitfalls and there shot, after gaz
ing in scorn at the Arabs, lie down
to die. Tigers, in the like predica
ment, according to Morins, after try
ing to escape, crouch and await their
death stroke. A similar tranquility
has been observed in dogs and horses,
buffaloes, bulls, bisons, elephants, and
so on. Exceptions, however, have
b?^en noticed in the case of dogs and
cats, living with persons. They some
times show real sorrow at the ap
proact* of death, and the separatior
from their human friemds. ? Sidney
Band of Mercy.
"To our task we dedicate our lives
and our fortuncs."President Wilson.
PENDER EXPERIMENT STATION
Fine Farm With 125 Acres Cleared
Run Under State Management. Fine
Herd of ejrsey Cattle. Strawber
ries, Vegetables and Other Crops
Grown.
(By J. M. Beaty.)
On the railroad between Goldsboro
and Wilmington, one and three-quar
ter miles from the town of Wallace
and one and a quarter miles from
Willard, is the Pender County expe
riment station. It is known over the
State by the above name, but its of
ficial name is Branch Experiment
Station. Being placed in the great
strawberry section, for some time
the idea was held that it was main
ly to best the varieties of strawber
ries, but it does much more than
this. It was my pleasure last week
to visit this station. The State has
there 215 acres of land with about
125 acres cleared. Last week they
harvested a large field of oats and
vetch which yielded two tons per acre.
This part of the farm will now be
planted to corn for the silo to feed the
cattle next winter. The silo is cement
and a hundred ton capacity. On the
farm there are seventeen varieties of
pecans. Last year one eight-year-old
tree of the Schley variety yielded
twenty-eight pounds which sold for
forty cents. A Russell pecan tree gave
fifteen pounds which sold for :55 per
pound. A young Rome tree had on it
forty pounds which brought thirty
cents per pound.
There are between forty and fifty
head of cattle, all Jerseys, with a fin?
pure bred bull as the head of 'the
herd. Fifteen of the cows are now
giving milk which is handled in an
up-to-date manner. They have a first
class dairy barn and a good milk
house. When the milking is done the
milk is run through a separator.
The croam is shipped to Wilmington
and sold and the skim milk is used
for the hogs. 1 arrived there just as
the cattle were starting to the pasture
and it was an interesting sight to see
them.
There are on the farm more than
fifty head of hogs. I saw in one place
thirty-one shoats feeding on rape.
The manager told me he gave them
one pound each of grain daily. The
hogs arc all pure bred Berk^ires.
There are twenty-five varieties of
strawberries which are grown mainly
for experimental purposes, but the
berries are sold to help pay expenses.
There I saw seventy-nine blocks of
vegetables of almost every kind. The
onionc, sqtlasli and beets are extra
fine.
There are two and a quarter acres
in a young peach orchard which is
made up of fifty varieties. These
trees arc sprayed regularly, which
insures healthy trees and perfect fruit
free from worms and premature de
cay. V
Ten acres are planted to cotron of
several different varieties.
There are fifteen acres of vineyard
which shows many varieties of grapes
and methods of pruning. In the vine
yard is a fine lot of bur clover on
which the hogs run part of each year.
There are two acres of apple trees
containing ten early varieties. The
fields are terraced and tile drained.
The manager told me he was
rather much limited in help, having
only four mules and four regular
men for the farms besides the two
men who look after the stock. The
manager is Mr. R. G. Hill who seems
to be a very competent man and just
the* man for this place. It would
pay any one who can do so to make
a visit to this station.
Weather Report for Cotton Region.
New Orleans, La., June 2. ? Colder
weather prevails in Oklahoma and
northwestern Texas with tempera
tures from forty to forty-six degrees
in western and central Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City reports lowest of re
cord. Temperatures elsewhere near
or slightly above normal. Maximum
temperatures generally above ninety
in interior of southern districts.
Light to moderate showers in Car
olinas, extreme eastern and northern
Georgia, extreme northern Missis
sippi, eastern Oklahoma, and locally
in northeastern east Texas. Good
rains in central and western Tennes
see and heavy in Arkansas.
Heavy rains ? Tennessee, Arlington
1.26; Arkansas, Dardanelle 3.04,
Mena 1.04, Prescott 2.62, Bentonville
1.44, Pine Bluff 1.18, Oklahoma 2.06,
McAlester 2.0*!.