I
*—
ONLY NEWSPAPER IM
A HOME PAPER FOR HOME f*BOPUB—HOH;^
-u_
VOLUME—XVI
BREYARD, NORTH CARaLINA, pIDAY, DECEMBER 29. 1911.
NUMBER-52
T
SOIL SURVEYS AND
THEIR REAL VALUE
enable farmers to do
BETTER WORK ^
Department Official Explains
Good to Farmers From
the Surveys.
Not long since there appeared an
article in the columns of the Pro
gressive Farmer under the caption,
“What are soil surveys worth.”
•which seemed to hit wide of the
mark and to do considerable injus
tice to a movement everywhere
looked upon as most worthy and
entirely necessary. “What are soil
surveys worth?” What is classifi
cation worth in any science, or in
the study of any related set of facts?
What would botanists of today do
had not Liunaeus, the Swedish bot
anist, made his classification of
plants? What would students of
anatomy do ^^today without a sys
tematic classification of the bones,
muscles and nerves of the human
body? And what would a course
in agriculture be worth today with
out a knowledge of soils? And
what would a student of agricultu
ral soils do today without the class
ification of soils begnn by Whitney
some ten or twelve years ago? It
is hardly too much to say that the
knowledge of agricultural soils in
the United States and, to a great
extent, in the world, bears a direct
ratio to the progress iu the proper
classi9cation and mapping of the
soils in the.United States. ^
Twenty years ago “pigs was
pigs” and “soils was soils,” and
no one knew or cared to investigate
any intrinsic differences existing
among them. Our soil facts were
in a most chaotic condition and re
mained so until Whitney came to
the rescue and Degan to set things
in order and to develop a science of
soils hitherto unknown. True, Mr.
King had done much good work on
soils but his field was soil physics
pnre and simple and did not touch
the all-important classification so
necessary for a broad foundation
on which to build a really import
ant working knowledge of soils as
related to crop production.
Today no agricultural college
worthy of the name would think
of graduating a student iu agricul
ture without first imbuing him
with a knowledge Of the classifica
tion of the soils of his state, and,
in a general way, those of the
United States.
Furthermore,, there is not an in
telligent answer given ” today to a
question concerning the fertiliza
tion of the soil, or the crop adapta
tion of the soil, that is not based
on a knowledge of the given soil
type. Soil types^ are individuals
and must have, to a large extent,
nothing of the kind of land the
mau had for sale. The man in Ar-
konsas took np f* soil map, together
with the report on the area, and
saw for himself just abq6t what he
might expect to ffnd in'thajb region,
After asking the man a few well
chosen questions he found the soil
was a type knoVn as Cecil Sandy
Loam with a field of Cecil Loam
I
lying at one end end of the farm.
He knew at once the crop value of
this type of soil and sent his check
for the price. Two years later the
man in Arkansas came to North
Carolina to see the farm he had
purchased and before getting away
was ofiered more than twice what
he gave for it by “a neighbor who
had known the farm all his life and
farmed on soil similar to that found
on this place. ^
It is an open secret that many Of
the big land doals are based on the
soil survey of the area in question.
Were you in the west you would
find men going from county to
county appraising .the lands on
which prospective loans are to be
made. Suppose a lumber ootnpany
is about to buy a large tract of
timber land. Would they not get
an exx>ert forester to tell them the
amount of pine, oak, cypress, etc.,
on the area ! W"ould you expect a
big land company to do less? They
also want some means of knowing
what they are putting their money
into before they purchase, and
what is true in case of a big land
company is true in the case of an
individual farmer in Ohio or Michi
gan who \vants to buy a small farm
in North Carolina. He wants to
know what he is getting before he
buys, and you do not blame him.
This information he may glean
from a soil map which costs him
nothing, perhajjs, or a very little if
anything at all,'as these maps are
nearly always made from moneys
that would perhaps go to building
warships, equipping navies, dred'g-
ing rivers, subsidizing ships or a
hundred and one other things that
may never be w’orth a brownie to
any farmer anywhere.
Now bear in mind that a correct
classification is just as necessary to
a study of soils as it is to the study
of any other set of related facts,
and that he w'ho undertakes and
carries this classification to success
ful termination is due just as much
of our gratitude as any other sys-
tematist who succeeds in bringing
order out of chaos.
Yes, so far as we know a chemi
cal analysis is made of every soil
type of any importance mapped in
the United States. And this analy
sis means something, too. To il
lustrate, if the analysis of one of
my soils sho^wed a great deficiency
of phosphorous, I may expect an
application of phosphorous to give
me good results. If my soil showed
a great lack of potash, I may ex-
X>ect an application of potash to
give me good results, etc., and this
theory cori*esi>onds to actual ex
perimental facts. On the other
hand, if my soil showed a good
amount of phosphate and potash I
VEGETABLE RAISING
IN WESTERN
OPPORTUNITY FOR CAB
BAGES AND POTATOES
Southern Railway Issues Inter-
' estiog Booklet||C^ These,
Vfegetj
The splendid opportunity afford
ed throughout the Western North
Carolina region for the growing of
cabbage and Irish potatoes is out
lined in an attractive illustrated
booklet which has |tist been issujed
by the Land and Ii^ustrial Depart
ment of the SpTfthern Railway
Company under the title “A West-
ernJNorth Carolina ’ Opportunity.”
While considerabW attention is
paid to the growiB^ of cabbages,
potatoes and othei*; trnck crops in
this section, the Ib^l market is
under supplied fgf' a part of the
year, and the prodijfetion needed to
supply a large porvton of the south
east when the crops Ifrom the
mountain count'i^y Should be avail
able is altogether insufficient. In
the growing ot cabbages and pota
toes, a crop for which the soil and
tjie climate are perfectly adapted,
and for which demand and trans
portation facilities give special in
ducements, a most profitable liveli
hood is opened to the man of small
meanr. The same tools and equip
ment serve for both crops, and
owing to the different requirements
of the tw’o crops it is easier to pro
dude ten acres of ea^'than twenty
acres of eithejf ,Bse
both crops in rotation eliminate'^
the tendency to disease, as the
pests that destroy or harm one
crop will be starved out during the
time the other crop is on the land.
The booklet gives valuable informa
tion as to the methods of raising
the combined crop ; where to find
the best markets, and refers farm
ers or homeseekers desiring advice
to Charles W. Ma'son, agricultural
expert for the ScTuthern railway at
Asheville. The Southern railway
will give the booklet wide distribu
tion in Western North Carolina as
well as in sections from which de
sirable settlers are likely to bc at
tracted.
ft
UNCLE RUSE” PRESENTED
SCHOCL ENTERTAINMENT
on
the
individual treatment. Therefore,may get good results from an ap-
when a farmer writes his state de
partment of agriculture, his agri
cultural experiment station, or the
United States department of agri
culture, concernmg the treatment
of any particular soil on his farm,
the answers to his' questions, if re
liable, are based on a knowledge of
M ^ soil gained from a study of the
classification of the particular soil
ttiiide by the U. S. soil survey or
some other similar agency. Were
these sfirveys not made how is any
Jigricultural adviser to know what
to tell John Smith about his soil
iiianagement unless he actually vis
its John Smith’s farm and person
ally inspects his fields—an imprac
ticable undertaking.
The soil surrey enables men to
bny and sell at a distance without
the usual danger of being cheated
in a deal. Thousands of dollars are
thus saved each year by relianc(9
ypon a faithful soil-map of the area
in which the purchase is to be
Hiade. To illustrate, not long ago
^ ^ man in Arkansas wished to buy a
^ in North Ca»)lina bnt knew
plication of these elements because
those in my soil may be locked up
The graded school closed
Thursday of last week for
Christmas holidays. A general en-
tainment free to the public was
given Thursday night, and in spite
of the unfavorable state of the
weather the auditorium was
packed. ,
The exercises generally were pre
pared to suit the Christmas idea,
es»pecially in the pieces rendered by
the lower grades. Th6 children
acquitted themselves well, and con
sidering the lack of .seating capac
ity, the order was excellent. All
the performers in the play which
-^n the afternoon of Christmas
day an entertainment was given at
Rockbroojs farm, the residence of
3fr. H. P. Clarke,"to the children
and patrons of the neighboring
schools. The entertainment was
given by Miss Nancy Clarke, and
invitations were issued,which were
responded to by quite a large num
ber o| people.
^ ^^0' main hall ot the btiildj^
’^a's turned into an auditorium with
gating cai>acity for about two hun
dred, At the front end a stage was
built for the performers. •
‘ The players who presented “Un
cle Rube” at Brevard last spring
had been engaged to give the same
play before this audience. They
were assisted by Miss Wave Long’s
orchestra. The characters were ta
ken by the same parties as in the
previous performance tvrtth the ex
ception of Charles Ashworth, who
was too ill to attend, and whose
part was taken by Durward D.
Brack^.'^'
It is quite remarkable about this
play—how it bears repetition. Giv
en twice at Brevard, it had a bet
ter house the second than the first
ti!9ie. For an amateur performance
it w also remarkable how well the
players vrere suited to their parts.
The members of this un^>rganized
dramatic club went to the work
with fine enthusiasm. ^Much credit
is due to Mr. Ayres in his oj-
pacity as general manager. To the
people on the other side of the river
the show was new, and for them u
fine Christmas treat y which they
thcroughly enjoyed, ^s ijb was im
possible for an observer not to
notice.
The orchestra, consisting of four
'’^liiis,' aT^ornet, ’cello' antf ^iano,
made good music between acts, and
showed the fruits of the excellent
training given by its leader and
teacher, xMiss Long. As specialties
between acts a quartette consisting
of Messrs. Morris, Jollay, Cantrell
and Osborne, entertained the crowd
with their singing.
The play went through without
a hitch and was a decided success.
The appreciation of the audience
was unmistakable. Hearty laugh
ter alternated with the orderly quiet
of interested hearers. The pleas
ure manifested by the children was
sufficient reward for the players
and th^eherofls hostess.
All \fl{o went from Brevard were
enthusiastic over the pleasures of
the day and charmed with the fine
hospitality of the Clarkes, both to
wards themselves and also towards
tha people there assembled.
WEEKLY SCHOOL REPORT
MR. GPPGEff EXmilNS
FOR PENSIONS
MAINTAINS HIS VOTE WAS
PARTY ONE
Tenth District Congressman Has
No Apok>gies For 'Griti^ -
cized Action.*^'
and unavailable to the plants. But j ended the program were thoroughly
if these elements are in the soil I!
can easily get them out by a liberal
use of stable and green manure |
combined with good preparation'
and good cultivation. The chemi
cal analysis will show you whether
the elements are present in our
soil, and this^is what you want to
know. If they arc present you can
get them out; if they are not there,
you must supply them.
You are entirely correct. North
Carolina has 'spent, in connection
with the U. S. Bureau of Soils,
thousands of dollars in soil surveys
in the state. You might also have
added that Alabama, Missouri,
Iowa, Illinois,. and a number of
other states have spent and are
spending more than North Caro
lina and are likely to spend more
in the future, until a good soil map
of the entire state is completed.
Yon will find also, on investiga-
Continued oif page 6.
familiar^ \\Tith their parts. Music
was rendered by the orchestra, un
der the direction' of Miss/ Wave
Long.
The followdng was the program:
Opening prayer, led by Prof. J.
H. Bennett.
Selection by orchestra, “The
Winning Flight.”
Song by second grade, “Silent
Night.”
Pantomime by first grade chil
dren, “Christmas Caiidles. ’ ’
Recitation by Woodford Zachary.
Song by third grade, “Old Santa
Claus.”
Motion song by fifth grade,
“Christmas liullaby.”
Evergreen drill, by eight girls.
Qaartette, “Star of the East.”
Selection by orchestra.
Play, “Jayville Junction.”
' The school will open again for
the remaining half of the session
on Mon^y, January 8th«
FOR WEEK ENDING DEC. 22.
The week ending Dec. 22 seems
to have been a time when the tho’t
of Christmas was already influenc
ing both teachers and pupils. Thir
teen teachers failed to make any
report at all. This is nearly half
the number that arre now teaching
•in the county. The schools report
ing, all but two, show an average
attendance of 50 per cent. Penrose
High School had an attendance of
54.7 per cent, and Blantyre 52.9 per
cent., both in Boyd township. The
lowest attendance reported is 14.5
per cent, in District No. 1, Glouces
ter township.
The great educational problem
before the people of this county
just now is how to Secure a better
attendance on our schools. Every
child should be in the school every
day during the term. The question
is how can such an attendance be
secured? T. C. Henderson,
Superintendent. •
CARD OF THANKS
Please give us space to ^return
thanks to the good people of Cedar
Mountain for their help and faith
faithfulness during the sickness
and death of our dear little girl.
J. E. and E. J. Huht.
As noted in the issue of this pa
per last week Congressman J. M.
Gudger, jr., of this district, voted
for the Sherwood dollar-a-day Pen
sion bill, which it is estimated will
add something like ^5;<X)0,000 ^
year to the which is
already being paid from nation
al treasury to the Union veterans
of the civil war. Mr. .Gudger wis
the only congressman amotng the
ten frona this state who voted in
favor of the bill, and his action
has been severely criticised by the
bapers of the state ialmost without
exception.
While not agreeing with the course
taken by our representative, at the
same time the News feels that in
justice to Mr. Gudger his reasons
for his vote should be given pub*
licity, and below is reproduced«,
statem^nt from Mr. Gudger :
“Th^last democratic platform,”
decIaras;<Mr.'Gudger, “said, ‘We
favor a generous pension policy,
both a^:a matter of policy, and as
a matter of justice to the surviving
veterans and their dependants.’
“At the time of the adoption of
that platform the appropriation in
round numbers was $160,000,000.
The
ed and convened after that *declar-
ation Appointed ten leading demo
crats 6n the invalid pensions com
mittee and that committee unani
mously reported the Sherwood bill.
The democrats who signed that bill
were I^ac R. Sherwood and Carl
Nander&on of Chicago, George H.
Lindsay of New York, John A. M.
Adair of Indiana, Joseph • J. Bus
sell of Missouri, H. M. Jacoway of
Arkansas, Michael E. Burke of Wis
consin, John M. Hamilton of West
Virginia and W. J. Fields of Ken
tucky. Georgd W. Kipp of Penn
sylvania was a member of the com-
mitt-ee, but he died last summer.
“The bill that this committee
brought out was given right-of-Way
oyer all other bills and placed be
fore the house for passage.
“First,the democratic committee,
after a thorough investigation,filed
a unanimous report favoring the
bill. j
“Second, the" report of the com
mittee was construed as an inter
pretation of the party platform.
“Third, the democratic leaders,,
without opposition, obtained the
right-of-way for the bill. ^
“Fonrth, a majority of the Dem
ocrats of the house voted for the
bill.
“It was supported by the demo
cratic Speaker Champ Clark, and
the chairman of^ the democratic
congressional committee James T.
Lloyd.
“The intention of the bill is to
equalize pensions, which are limit
ed to $10, $20 and $30 per month,
according to the term of service.
The amount carried by this bill i&
greatly exaggerated in the state
ment that it will cost $75,000,000..
The democratic committee estimate
the cost at $27,000,000, which I'as
sume to be correct, as it made an
exhaiistive investigation.
“This appropriation will not in
crease the total appropriation,'as
a reduction wiU be made along oth
er lines without injury.
“While my vote is being^critioi^ed
it will be bbs^ved that I obeyed
the command of the democratic
platform^^ followed the leadership
of the democratic speaker, the na
tional democratic chairman, the
democratic members of the invalid
pensions committee and acted in
concert with a majority of the dem-
Continued on page 6.