7
THE CHARLOTTE NEWS, MAY 10, 1914.
12
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More Corn
One Of
(
' I
ID cODV6rtaliOH . iiit-au iiiti l ... ,
'arraer of the county the other day hejvision of crops So as to maintain com-j
, ?aid he intended to try to make more independence on the farm.
corn this season than he did Mast ear , garaue wh Mr Mcl)on.
corn tins season iu. !
We believe this is the niienuon
most
farmers of the boutn, seiner,
is expressed or not. Forjty
tVia intiMllinll
he past 10 year? there has been a too
treat a iaueucj i--- - - -- i
; - on nnrrhased food
:arraers iu u-'c" " j . . i
the farm. This on its very lace i i'; .
tin? the farmer at a great a'avdmr ;
The farmer
who neglects 10 piouu
ho prptpr nart
. . . e i .
mo K r -
voluntarily mak.ing inmseu
1 " I I I I I
ujuuia.u, ;v 7,:,":"; nn the other
aftiehiFh costoflning. On the otner
oand the farmer wlio grows ni! u
supplies is to a certain extent lnaepeua
ent of the high cost of living. This
does net mean that it is necessary for
the farmer to abandon any one of trie
staple crops of the farm, but it does
nsect Enemies Oj
Cantaloupes, And .
Related Plants
i
(Bv R. T. Smith. Entomolosist.)
. ' lusiur uir:vi'- . -v . j
Succe-iul. profitable growing of can; giy. but more commonly in cluslrs
' uu' y , .ini!M!- lrrirn three to eis it on bloom buds,
taloupes. melons, summer sashH a"d ?caf SSlks or leav and are usually
cucumbers is frequently rendered cx"j.Uached t the plant hairs in such a
tremelv difficult, or prevented by theimanncr that the egg mass seems to
prence of dtruciive injects. Thebc pierced by the hair. The e?gs hatch
,f .riv a score o? different i in .varm weather in about four das.
specks which may at times become,
troublesome, although the chief dam-.
ace i caused bv only a few principal !
offTdcr such as cut worms, striped j
rveumber beetles, squash bugs, melon ,
,S" -".--i, hnrw. :nri ihe -
v." . , . -r., i .ttor ilp-i:,
strov the halt-grown or maturing uuk
and the oi-ening l:af and blossom buds
. i, .v, .v,nti-nf-i nrevent or
h5ndr prcper growth ana Qfwvi th m readilv iroin me reiaicu ,
mert of the piauts from the time thiy;caned the meion worm. After the
-ommer.ee growth. Truck growers whoIOUrth molt pickle worms become great
ra'e cuc.rbit crops lor mavn.ti uac
been torced to learn and practice met J
ods for preventing or controlling these
in-ects in order to obtain remunera
tive reiurus for their labor; farmers
and amateu gardeners, attempting to
raise these crcps for home consump
tion ar too often inclined to give but
client attention to the insect pests,
ceemiag to consider the resulting in
jury unavoidable, as many look upon
the houo-flv and mosquito nuisance.
Twentv years ago such an attitude to
ward insect depredations as some
what pardonable; but. considering the
information now obtainable, failure to
wa-e an intelligent warfare against
insects becomes less excusable, and
virtuallv an offense against others in
a community who do exert their en
ergies reducing the annual loss.
Deep spring plowing oi 5uucu .
fields where cucurbits have grown 1st
advisable, when such land has been,
left untoucued all wmier. ims sci.o
to burv the pupae so deep that they
can not work their way to the surface.
Shallow plowing, only three or four
inches deep, does not answer this pur
pose. ,
Rotation of crops is of some value.
It is not advisable to plant cucurbits
on land that has borne infested plants
during the preceding season.
Remove Borers.
Squash vine borers, may be detect
ed by the accumulations of yellowish
excrement on or around the stems of in
felted plants. During June this is often
quite noticeable and, when detected,
the borers should be searched for and
removed.
Melon Worms.
Annual injury to cantaloupes, cu
cumbers, squash, and ether curcubits
to some extent, is caused by worms
that bore holes in the young or matur
ing fruit, feed on the bads, blooms and
foliage and even burrow in the vines
when blooms and fruit becomes scarce.
Such damage throughout North Caro
lina is caused by two species, one gen
erally known as the pickle worm and
the other called the melon worm. They
differ in appearance and habits, but in
manv respects their work is so much
the same that farmers do not. as a rule
distinguish one from the other. During
' ,ome seasons the pickle worms may be
more abundant than the melon worms,
or vice versa. At any rate, it seems
best to mention them separately.
Pickle Worm.
(Margaronia nitidalis. Cramer.)
Other names, snch as cantaloupe
worm and melon worm, may be equal
ly appropriate; but since the term pic
kle worm was first used for this spe
cies the writer will consider it as
such eBides the term melon worm
iu now applied to a closely related
rorm.
Description and Habits.
Parent Moths. The parent of the
pickle worm is a nightflying moth of
rather distinctive appearancr. The
teneral color, viewed from above, is
vellowish brown. The front wings bear
vellowish, semi-hyaline spot near the
-enter and the hind wings have the
inner two-thirds of the same appear
ance The abdomen terminates in a
large movable brush composed of num
erous elongated scales. Quaintance
Etates that the brush of the female
moth is smaller and the individual
scales flatter and more curved than in
i in vi-t thr moths nave a
.ving expanse ot a little over one inch,
-- . , oVrtiit tivp-i
tvbile the bedy averages about DV
eighths of an inch ivom the tip ot the
head to the end of the brush, ine
hy, retiring habits of these moths
prevent their being often observed for
thev seldom fly in the daytime, unless
disturbed, and then quickly attempt to
hide. In this respect they differ from
the melon worm moths.' which are or
ten seen flying about cucurbit fields dur
ing August or September.
Eggs. Freshly laid eggs are white,
irm
EDITED
BIGHAM-
Is
Out Needs
BY J. N.
a trap plant, ana later puDiisnea
...,. HiJords of a field experiment showing
Rart in the nineties when jur. aicuou-
aM ..,,. rntton statis tician for the conn
when traveling over the
country that he had seen some install-j
' ces
where
the farmers garden asi
niflntP(i
Piariea
to
cotton. Hut that was theu.j
not now. ve Denee n. i i
me laum-' "l j
; . , (ho case cited in the
, M article, to produce
e . oHhwt his farm man-
niorp i im li tiiiu ivr -
. - (A Milt IPP I AY IllUIi O
41 HI V .v -
more selt-supporung ui". vw '
lh of hiRh.priced cotton is strong
and mav in many instances airt-t
a line of practice at anance
outlined above.
As
Yon
then
Moltke used to ay: "Consider,
venture.'
I
but soon turn yellowish, as the larvae
.u.-inr. Tiu.- iviav be laid sin-
.arvace.- ery young lanae are
uniiformly yellowish white, but after a
fcw days the body segments stioA
transVerse rows of brown spots, whicn
fceconie moer prominent and neari
Ma,i- in rnlnr oefore the fourth molt
--j ron o mr't fnur times b
fore attaining mil growtii. anu iut-n
distinctive marking, previous to the
ir.urtii molt enables one 10 Jsepamic
changed in appearance
by
practical-
iv losing the transverse oiacwisw spui.
Full-grown worms are yellowish or
reenish in color, depending somewhat
on the fcod supply. Just before pupat
;rr mnn-.- v.nrnu assume a dull cop-
jrr.ve :ilthn'.12ll SOmC (lO llOl
uo
change. Tlieir itngtn u . pei us .
on whether thev are crawling, resting
or contracted. as when disturbed;
hence thiy measurement may vary
trcm five-eighths to one inch and a
quarter. P:ckle worms feed in bud
lmmis or fruit and often in
Knt coirinm feed, like mel-
on worms on the foliage.
Lilt '
D rnrnnns Punac are near
lv three-fourths of an inch long and are
of a ulnv brown color. The head end
is rather blunt while the caudal end
ich harplv pointed and bears a group
of curled 'spines that serve to hold
IIP IMlLttlC: 111 W- 1
i fthoii rnfnnns. t
The cocoon is a thin, scanty covering
of white silken threads, spun uy iue
worm iu a fold of some leaf before
.v.ncfnrminp tothc Ducal stage. They (
eenerallv found i.i dead or dying!
are
on the !
lpavps near the ground, or lyin
soil under the infested plants
Life History.
Winter Stage Pickle worms pass
the winter in the pupal stage, above
ground, and unprotected, except for the
thin cocoon and its enveloping leaf.
bed or such vegeta
tion as ha'ppens to fall over and around
them. For this reason tne practice- ui
raking up and burning or composting
remnants of infested crops. louoeu
bv deep Dlowing, is of value.
Earliest' Appearance. Fortunately
for cucurbit growers. pic-Kie uim
moths do not emerge rrom tne oei
wintering pupae until late spring or
early summer, thus allowing time tor
an early crop to mature Deiore
worms become troublesome. Around
Raleigh, in 1909, the first generation
of wodms matured about July 30. show
in gthat the moths which laid eggs
must have been present in June. In
eastern North Carolina, where pickle
worm injury commences earlier than
it does here, the moths must appear
the latter part of May. It is thought
that rainy springs bring them out earl
ier. Life Cycle The average time re
quired for the full development of a
generation in the vicinity of Raleigh
was determined by the writer, in 1909,
as 27 or 28 days. This record was
obtained during August and Septem
ber. Fggs require about four days to
hatch, larvae take about 15 days to
mature, and the pupae transfor into
moths after eight or nine days. This
represents the normal rate of develop
ment for warm weather, but during Oc
tober and November, under the influ
ence of cooler weather and scarcity
of food the growth is retarded.
Generations. During favorable sea
sons four or five generations may de
velop, provided the moths appear ear
ly in the summer; but it is doubtful
"if mnr( than four full generations oc
cur normally. This point could not be:
accurately ascertained by the writer
last season, and has not as yet been
determined by any investigator
Remedial Measures
Early plantings of cantaloupes ami distinguished from the pickle worms
cucumbers may escape injury from tnis;until th are nearly grown. After the
pest, owing to the late appearance oi;fourth mojt Dut not until two or three
the moth
IS as already explained. It me
already explained.
heard from growers who
1 " " " . . . I
raise early crops for market, but when
the harvest comes duriQg july or Aug-'
ugt damage may expected.
No ahsolnto remedy is known: still, a
large proportion of the annual loss
small squashTheir partiality to squash
as a trap plant, clean culture and deep
plowing, and possibly by poisons.
Trap Plants. Pickle worms evince
a decided preference for the buds,
blooms and fruit of summer squash.
"Fo
tracted by the large plants and blooms,
which afford abundant food for the
worms. A single squash bloom may . be
inhabited by two or three large pickle
worms, or a greater number of young
ones, and several may mature in a
smal squash. Their partiality to squasli
blooms was observed in Georgia dur
ing 189S by Quaintance, who at that
time strongly recommended squash as
most comnletelv protected by a few
i rows ul summer suua.&u. uunut v
slH nmer of 1909 the writer had an op-
,inrtunitv to verify Ouaintance's recom-
Inpn,iation und hp now believes that
tnis 1)ractiCe is more valuable than
an other sinzle remedial measure.
To secure the best results, seea
snouia dc pianieu iwo or uiree umcs i
intervals of about three weeks, maKing
th fl , Diantine in time to insure hav
th S(iuash Diants blooming freely
i,. tu i.tu, r.f i..np
iiv laic: ii 1 1 va vi 1 1. ui iam i - v. w
, They must then be examined frequent-
y and. when worms are
invrstei blooms and truit
discovered,
should be
gathered and destroyed at least once
a week to prevent the larvae from ma
turing, thus reducing the numbers of
the second generation, while protecting
the main crop in the meantime, r allure
to collect the worms results in an in
crease of the second and third genera
tions; but in case no attempt is made
to gather them tlu hi presence on the
squash plants show the main crop of
cantaloupes or cucumbers is being pro
tected. Some readers may believe that
squash and cantaloupes or cucumbers
will cross-pollinate, thus rendering the
latter of poor quality: but this is sel
dom true, although seed for the follow,
ing year should not be used from any
crop grown under such conditions.
Destroying Infested Plants and
Fruit. All infested fruit should be
gathered and fed to hogs or otherwise
destroyed to kill the larvae within.- If
thrown aside, as is frequently done,
the worms contained therein may
turo and change to moths. If trap
plants become very badly infested they
should be pulled up and destroyed by
composting: and tbc same is true of
the main crops.
, As soon as a cucurbit crop is matur.
ed and gathered, rake up and destroy
the vims, together with all weeds and
trash, to kill the larvae and pupae that
may be present. The compost heap
is advocated, except when plants havt?
been attacked by some fungus disease,
in which case burning would be better.
Deep Plowing and Rotation. Turn
ing the land by deep plowing immedi
ately after a crop is gathered, or else
in late fall, or even in spring, will
serve to bury some of the pickle worm
uuuae which are left on the land and
would otherwise transform to moths.
it is noi advisable to piant cucurmts
on land which has borne infested
plants the previous season, although
the pickle worm moths fly for consider
able distances, rendering rotation by
no means a certain preventive meas-
; ; t s ,.....!,-,, friIit of all cucurbits, and
. ..... . ' .
because, in the writers opinion, they
are of little value against pickle
worms. Poison dusts or sprays applied
to trap plants, or even the main crop,
may serve to catch some young lar
vae that feed on the leaf buds or unop
ened blooms, especially when plants
are badly infested; but the practice
can not b- recommended, except when
melon worms are present. The latter
may be poisoned because of their habit
of feeding on the foliage, as explained
in the following:
ivitiuri vvuim.
(Diaphania hyalinata, Linn.)
unu ocaauu ui "i"u
worms were present in the vicinity of
Raleigh, in numbers nearly equaling
tbe pickle worms, but appeared too
late to injure cantaloupes that matured
Deiore tne miaaie ot juiy. uuring Sep
tember and October they were abund
ant in late squash cucumbers. Con
cerning the usual number of melon
worms, the writer has no -data to
serve for comparison with the pickle
worm injury, but from personal obser
vation during the nast two summers.
I i i i : u a a i HH.AM c
iiu ufiitrvt.s mat mts luiuiei me ui
least imporaa,nce.However, all truckers
and farmers should know and under
stand the habits of both species. Melon
worms are considered to be a more
strictly Southern form, and they cer
tainly ocur in greater numbers in
Florida and Georgia than in North
Carolina.
Description and Habits.
Parent Moths. Melon worm moths
are beautiful creatures, which may of
ten be seen flying about cucurbit fields
during the late fall months. They have
wings of a pearly white color, border
ed with brownish black. The abdomen
is also pearly white, tinged with brown
at the caudal end. which terminates in
a large movable brush of elongated yel
low and dark-brown scales. Nearly all
the underside of the body, including
the legs, is of the same' color as the
wings. The wings expand one inch, or
a little more. The moths, although shy
and rapid fliers, are frequently seen
during the day time.
Eggs. These are pearly white in col
or, very small in size, and are laid in
groups of from two to six or more on
the stems, leaves and buds, but are
seldom attached to the plant hairs, like
the eggs of the pickle worm moths.
The eggs vary in shape by being crowd
ed against each other, usually overlap
ping. They hatch in about four days
in warm weather.
Larvae. Just hatched larvae are
about a twenty-fifth of an inch long,
with a pale brown head, and body of a
pale yellow color, with no distinct
marking. At about three days of age
tbe. skin is molted for the first time,
and then the body shows two faint
longitudinal sub-dorsal white stripes,
which become" more prominent as the
larvae aeveiop. juy tne se two wrnue
, hpfnre th worms transform to
i pupae, these white stripes nearly dis-
pupae, uiese i
apPear after w
ot dier much
t fa
hich melon worms do
from full-grown pickle
I worms, except in possessing flner.shortt
T I
er nairs ana usually a more sicnaer
body. Full-grown melon worms may
measure an Inch and a quarter when
crawling.
These worms often feed for their en
tire lifetime on the foliage, remaining
the underside partially concealed
thin silken webs. Thev also feed
,i the terminal bad clusters, and bore1
into melons and squash like the pickle
worms. The habit, of feeding on
foliage makes.it profitable to use poi
son sprays as a remedy, and in this
respect they are more easily controlled
than pickle worms.
. Cocoons and Pupae. Melon worms
spin thin silken cocoons in the folded
edge of some leaf, like the pickle
worms, but differ from the latter in
being inclined to select a green leaf
rather than a dying one. When the
food plants are nearly defoliated the
worms crawl to nearby weeds or grass
and there spin cocoons and pupate.
The pupae are about three-fourths of
an inch long and brown in color. Com
pared with the pickle worm pupae,
they are rather more slender and have
a more sharply pointed head.
Life History.
Winter Stage. Ttic winter is passed
in the pupal stage like the pickle
worms, and under practically the same
conditions. Some people think that the
moths emerging very late in the fall
may live over winter, but the writer
doubts if this ever ocurs in North Car
olina. Earliest Appearance. Moths do not
emerge from over wintering pupae un
til June or July. Around Raleigh, in
1909, they were not observed in the
fields until about August first, although
a few must have been present fully
a month earlier because nearly mature
worms were discovered on August 5th.
Rainy seasons bring the moths out
carl', comparatively; but, ordinarily,
they are not seen before the latter part
of June, which is rather later than the
first appearance of pickle worm moths.
Life Cycle. The average lire cjcie
from egg to adult, as determined by
the writer during August and Septem
ber. 1909; was practically 28 days. It
was found that eggs hatch in four days,
and larvae, mature in about 16 days,
while the pupal stage lasts an average
of only eight days. Thus it appears
that pickle worms and melon worms
develop in practically the same time.
Generations. No accurate record is
available concerning the number of
generations, although there must be
four each season when the moths ap
pear as early as June; but during some
seasons particularly in the northern
and western sections of the state, the
fourth generation may not occur. Fortu.
nately for truck growers, a crop of
early" cantaloupes, squash or cucum
bers may ordinarily be grown before
mu'!the worms become troublesome.
Remedial Measures.
Because of feeding freely on the fol
iage, melon worms may be poisoned
with arsenical sprays, and the addition
al methods suggested for controlling
pickle worms are equally applicable
to this species, with the exception of
squash blooms as a trap. Melon worms
do not prefer squash blooms, although
sometimes found feeding in such situa
tions; but they do undoubtedly love
to feed on squash foliage and fruit, so
that when this plant is used as sug
gested on page 32. to trap the pickle
worms, spraying with seme arsenical
mixture, such as three pounds of ar.
senate of lead or one-half pound of Pa
ris green in 50 gallons of water, ap-
I plied especially to the underside ot
the leaves, will serve to poison meion
worms which are present. 'The trap
plants are thus made to serve a dou
ble purpose.
Supplementing the poisoning method
the complete removal and destruction
of badly infested trap plants, badly in-
rem-
nants of infested crops, togemer Uu
the pracitce of deep plowing and rota
tion, should suffice to prevent serious
damage -from melon worms. .
FARMERS' PROBLEMS.
I.
Here are some population statistics
of interest to- all Farm Journal readers-
The population of the earth
is silghtlv more than 1.900,000.000, an
increase "of 140,000,000 in the past
four years, according to the bureau
of Universal statistics which has just
announced its figures for 1912. Asia
now nas 933,000.000; Europe, 484,000,
000: Africa, 188,000,000; America,
187,000,000; Oceania, 57,000,000. Ac
cording to these figures the popula-
tion of the world
rate of 35,000,000
several millions
than the entire
United States at
is increasing at tae
a year, an increase
greater in number
population of the
the beginning' oi the
civil war, and
talking about
tion, especially
even then folks were
our congested condi
in the eastern cities.
.II.
Here is a farmers' problem of im
mense importance, for the 35,000,000
annually added to the already great
population must v be fed and clothed,
and both food and clothing must come
from the soil and from nowhere else.
Moreover, as intercommunication
constantly draws the kingdoms of the
world closer together, there is com
ing to be less difference in living
Nations no longer face gaunt famine
as in other times; besides, the stand
ards of living are being raised all
over the world, and therefore it re
quires much more to feed and clothe
the race today than it did fifty years
ago. Thus we may readily understand
the tremendous impetus the increase
in population and the demand for bet
ter living must necessarily give to
the ancient art of husbandry, the
source not only of our existence but
the foundation of all wealth.
III.
It must be borne in mind,' also,
that while the population of the earth
is steadily ' increasing, its area re
mains the same, and therefoie the
prblem of feeding the world be
comes every day more serious. In
view of these facts, it is folly to re
fer to agriculture as though it were
a' declining industry, and to the
farmer as a back number, and equally
unwise to decry "intensive tillage and
the reclamation . of the waste places
as disastrous to the interests of ag
riculture. Assuming the correctness
of , the long-established theory that
each person consumes a . barrel of
flour per year, it requires very little
calculation to show that there is an
annually increasing demand for 200,
000,000 bushels of ?wheat above the
needs of each previous year, and as
the total . yield of this - cereal .last
year was 3,333,000,000 busneis, anu
as there were then l,900,000,ouu
mouths to feed, it is manifest that a
considerable portion of the race is
forced to subsist upon black bread
or rice. -1
IV.
Alone the line of greater production
by intensive methods is the following
observation from a Pennsylvania
reader of Farm Journal: "When I see
the good limestone farms that lie in
the Juniata valley, and note that the
average wheat production is from fif
teen to twenty-five bushels per acre,
I get disgusted,, and I think the some
holds good in other parts of the
stte. Some years ago I knew of a
four-acre Jot that yielded 204 bushels,
and later I knew of a twenty-acre
field that yielded 1,000 bushels, ' and
when that has and can be done, why
be content with fifteen to twenty
five? I think the wheat product could
be doubled with proper care and the
use of proper fertilizers." But there
are many difficulties in the way of
the production of phenomenal crops.
The man who succeeded in raising
255 bushels of corn on one acre ap
plied to the land $300 worth of fer
tilizer, and as the market value ot
his yield was about $125, it can
readily be seen that such intensive
tillage is out of the question unless
by means of this lavish application of
fertilizers the land is permanently enriched.
However, there is no doubt that our
Pennsylvania friend is on the right
track. There is no valid reason why
the yield per acre if wheat and
corn can not profitably be doubled
under present conditions, while leav
ing to the future the work
ing out of a method by which
100 bushels of wheat and 300 of corn
to the acre may be grown with v prof
it to the producer. It is certain that
we are by no means at the end ot
our resources, in SDite of a good deal
of talk about worn-out land. It ?s
incredible that the rich soil of the
limestone regions in the eastern
states, and the black soil of the prai
ries of the middle West, which were
thousands of years in the making,
should be exhausted by a century or
two of tillage. The agricultural doc
tors are working in fields that are,
for the most part,' entirely unex
plored: and since it is impossible
that we have reached the very pinna
ele of discovery, it is not unreason
able to conclude that a means ot
growing two blades of grass where
but one has grown before without
quadrupling the cost of production
will be discovered. This discovery
may come in the form of tabloid fer
tilizers, or in more scientific meth
ods of culture, or in some other
way that will be economical and prof
itable and that will prove that Moth
er Earth never fails to respond to
kindly treatment. -
VI.
But all these things wait upon bet
ter remuneration. A good many peo
ple seem to believe that the primal
anathema, "cursed is the ground for
thv sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat
of' it all the days of thy life." pro
nounced against the first man, follows
the keeper of the garden and the
tiller of the fields to this day. At
all events, there is abroad too much
of a disposition to deny a living
wage to the class which keeps the
race alive. ' It has been estimated
that the average farm income in this
country where agriculture is regard
ed as exceedingly prosperous, is
something less than $700 a year,
which -is considerably less than that
of many classes of artisans w'hose
hours of labor are half those of the
farmer. In any analysis of the causes
which urge the young men to desert
the farm, the matter of monetary
compensation must be considered as
among the most important, and in the
present hue and cry against the high
cost of living, the attempt to place
the chief responsibility upon the
farmer is, in view of the facts, most
cruel and unjust.
VII.
The farmers' inability to secure a
just redress of their grievances lies
in their lack of solidarity. The min
ers are a compact organization, and
standing or falling together their de
mands for wage adjustments have
weight, and the same is true of the
railroad men and of ' trade union men
generally; but the lone ranchers and
the millions of outlying farmers firirl
it physically impossible to join for
mutual protection and defense, and
as a result of this lack of cohesion
they are at the mercy of grain gamb
lers, middlemen's associations and all
sorts of combinations. Sometimes it
is possible in a small, compact coun
try like Denmark, where agriculture
is wisely fostered by the government,
for the farmers to work together for
the common good; but in our vast
domain, with its greatly diversified
agricultural interests, . a successful
working agreement is well-nigh im
possible", or at least it has been hith
erto; and until there shall have
been established a close community
of interest among the farmers they
must continue to hold the short end
of the stock.
VIII.
As one of Our Folks puts it, "due
to scarcity of help, the insect prob
lem, the weather and many other
things too numerous to mention, the
farmer is on his nerve most of the
time, working early and late to bring
about results in the best way, and so
to make both ends meet. The farm
organizations are not doing for the
farmers all thev ought to do. Why
can't they at least start a farmers'
feed and grain store in each town
throughout the country, each farmer
doing his financial part to establish
such a place and thus buy direct and
save the vast profit they are paying
each year to our. local dealers for
feed and seed grains? Itwoxild be a
great saving to the farmers. I know
there is ag reat deal of self-denial
both in the house and out of it to
pay the large grain bills, and I wish
the farmers would establish grain and
feed stores and, refuse to buy other
wise. The farm papers are always
telling the farmer, how to raise more
produce, but what they do produce
they don't know how to sell to their
advantage."
IX.
Farmers everywhere are seeking
not only direct methods of selling
their products, but also closer con
tact with the markets in which they
buy. Along the line of the latter, a
successful farmers' purchasing agen-
Faime?
s
By the. time this is in print the
young corn and cotton plants will, be
enjoying the May sunshine, and like
a new born bape will need to be care
fully narsed and ca.red for. It will be
a time - in . their long - lives when, a
little care and' careful handling will
mean much to their success later on.
There are many things that may hap
pen to them. They "will be tender,
and not having cut their teeth (roots)
their food must be such as will suit
their young lives. Their little - bed
(the soil) should be very soft (finely
pulverized), and their food should be
convenient for they must "gum it
awhile." There are many enemies that
will attack the helpless little fellows.
There .will be the pestiferous weeds,
the cut worms, the. black birds, the
crows and aphis. These, will all want
a share, but the farmer will keep a
watch out. The weeders and harrows
will be going from early morning un
til dewy eve if need be to keep the
little bed (the soil) in good condi
tion, stirring and fluffing the blanket
to let in some fresh air and the sun
shine to warm up the little feet
(roots) and to prevent the packing of
the bed so as to allow too much of the
liquid food (soil water) to pass into
he air. The stirring of the surface
will also dislodge the weeds while
they are also young and tender. These
young plants must be watched and
carefully tended if their owners ex
pect them to fruit well and pay for all
this trouble. If hard rains come and
pack the beds (the soil) the harrows
and weeders should be used as soon
as the -surface is dry enough to stir.
If this is not done the air will be
shut out, the sunshine can not warm
up the bed (the soil), and the soil
water will be pumped out through the
little ducts of the soil which some big
folks call capillaries (whatever that
may mean). Then another crop of the
pestiferous weeds will be killed. These
conditions should be continued until
the plants are larger, and then the
cultivators will take the place of the
narrows and weeders, but they will do
the same thing that the other imple
ments did, that is, maintain good con
cy has' been developed in Southwest
ern Pennsylvania. The king-pin of,
the plan is the order form bill ot -lading.
This is negotiable, represents
ownership of the property and must
be surrendered (properly indorsed)
to the railroad before the property
will be delivered. Long in advance
of the time when certain farm sup
plies will be needed, the wholesale j
markets are searched for the highest .
quality ui sucn supplies, n ueiug
theorv that sood service is necessar
ily connected with high quality. Reg
ular quotations of grades, prices, etc.,
are then mailed to each member
of the - exchange, sometime in ad
vance of the time when the supplies
will be needed. Members are divided
into groups, a common railroad sta
tion being the nucleus. Such groups
are advised that if they wish to as
semble their orders for a certain
kind of material, they must have the
orders and money in a certain bank
at or before a certain time. In order j
to secure a reduction in freight rates (
it is necessary that the entire ship
ment be made upon a single bilLot
lading. - The exchange ; handles . no
money except the dues, and is with
out authority to make any contract
or of buying any supplies except tor
cash in its hands.
X.
An essential aid to thep rosperHy
of the farmer is better roads. The
bill latety introduced into congress
for the appropriation of $25,000,000
for highways is unfortunately not so
much intended to benefit the farmers
a
Money Burns
fm JJ . i I. I i m J 1 l."W.i.n J,
. -Tr'NS - SV j
MOORE- PRICE INSURANCE AGENCY
PHONE 307.
rm
LO
p
aid
We Will Pay Railroad Fare as Follows:
ONE WAY
Within 12 1-2 Miles On Purchase of '$5.00.
Within 25 Miles On Purchase of $10.00.
Within 50 Miles On Purchase of $20.00.
. BOTH WAYS
Within 12 1-2 Miles On Purchase of $10.00.
Within 25. Miles "On Purchase of $20.00.
Within 50 Mlies On Purchase of $40.00.
Men's and Boys' Clothing and Furnishing
and Men's, Women's and Children's' Footwear.
33 EAST TRADE STREET.
Problems
ditions in the soil for the plants u
grow. We want them to grow,
they must have tae right sort, oi' con
ditions. This sort of treatment wj.
be good for all sorts of young nian
If we study young plants we fiini thP.
are very much like young animals.
any rate, they must have care. Co;
is a thrifty grower when it once
a good hold in the soil, hut it V;
not do this if conditions are batf, '
will not grow if its feet (roots i iu
wet, nor wlil it grow anoi.- v.0js
The weeds are ranker growers a
take up too much plant foo-1 ami sir-out-
too much air and yunshhi-j. ,
of our field crops like p!V-ntv c: H',
and sunshine. All the pUnts j;, ,
garden need the same ornt oi t;pnt
nxjut and kindly care.
It -is. taken for granted tiiai gi,or
food has been provided. Vac. , ",,,'
(then the plants must be i-d (j,
tilized) occasionally, .no one r .i,f.,.:;.
a pig to grow without i,:Vr,
shot: Id we expect plants t
without feeding them. Enoaj.ii v0wz
feed (phosphorous and potassiumi an
a little nitrogen shouU Lave be,.;
stirred up in the bed (soi. !,oioi i
seeds were planted, but it may h.. lna,
more nitrogen should be given n0ir
time to time to promote moi j Vl,
orous growth.
There are many things w ahoulc
do along about mis time, out ; j ,s
wanted to talk about one thin-.
-want to make the very big-r-sr (!r,j
of corn this year that old North Car
jolina ever made, and we can do it
we just try hard enough. It v. ill 10i
be done altogether by giving aiu-u
jtion to big things, but giving ciose ;n
- tention to some of the little thm .s
; It is not the big things that i".v,i Uk
! most anyway. It is getting is. !Jf
habit of looking after the little thins:
!of life. Some of us farmers oait u
be doing big things. Just mw v.(
want to be talking politics or thf
' Mexican war, but we had be-rev
1 getting our soil in shape so ve fan
harvest a big crop next fall. lJo!itic:
will not make our bread nor !V.-'i o.n
' babies, nor will the Mexican war dc
' it.
i E. S. MILLS A PS.
as it is- to gratify the pleasure seek
ers. And yet bad roads are the farm
er's greatest handicap when it comc.
to marketing his products. There is:
probably no subject in which the pro
gressive farmer is more deeply in
terested than that of having roads
connecting him with his markets, ovei
which he may be able to haul tlx
greatest possible load. Good roads
like all other good, things, are ex
pensive to build and of too mutt
value to be neglected. The office o'
public roads of the department of a?
riculture has published a bulletir
on "Repair and Maintenance of High
ways." This bulletin does not treat
the subject of road building, but
takes up the repair and care of roads
after they are built. All classes ot
roads, from the natural earth road tc
the macadam roads with bituminous
surfacing, have received attention
The action of automobiles on road
surface ' is explained. This bulletin
ought to have a wide distribution,
and a limited number are accessible
to those who may make application
to the office of public roads, the de
partment ::l of agriculture, Washing
ton, D. C, mentioning the. title or
the bulletin. Farm Journal.
"What can be worse," he asked,
"than taking a kiss without asking for
it?"
"I dont know?" said the girl, 'un
less it is -asking for a kiss without
taking it." Ladies' Home Journal.
If I held the truth in my hand 1
would beware of opening it to men
Fontenelle. Up Rapidly
When a house takes fire. No
matter how quickly and effec
tively the firemen act there is
always a loss which can be
made. up only by fire insurance.
The cost of a policy en your
house or furniture will be trfl
ing. One little fire would cost
more damage than many years
premiums. Better let us is:sue
one for you. Phone us today.
208 SOUTH TuYQN ST.
arlo
9
Fare
Ch
tie
c