\ I.SAC K H AS FRENCH SCHOOLS
In Liberated Part of the Country the
Alsatian* Welcome the Keturn of
the French. Soldiers Are Teaching
the School* Where Free Text Books
Are Furnished.
Twelve thounand Alsatian children
rre now trying to lose their German
accent in French schools in the three
districts into which the liberated part
of Alsacc has been divided for admin
istrative purposes.
A fortnight after the French troops
entered Dannemarie, the first Alsatian
town re-occupied, French schools were
in operation with French officers and
soldiers a* teachers; consequently a
number of the pupils hive now had
three years instruction in French
which at once supplanted German,
under the French system of absolutely
free education with books and school
supplies, furnished by the State.
The progress made by the children
is remarkable, excepting as concerns
pronunciation. The habit of pronounc
ing words exactly as they are spelled
was so strong, they haven't yet mas
tered the difficulties of the French
mutes, diphthongs and Jiasons, but
they a?-e very strong on grammar,
which, after German, they find is
mere play.
The French administration here has
shown every possible tolerance of
local traditions. The daily prayer in
tho school room abolished in French
public schools years ago, has been
allowed to survive. The military
governor of the reclaimed territory
lias given strictest orders that no
infringement, even upon religious
customs of the population be permit
ted.
Schools were installed anywhere (
miii everywhere at the beginning, the
old pchool houses in many cases being
in the danger *one. In weather
c1hss"s were heard in the open air.
Now they are all provided with
comfortable and safe rooms attract
ively decorated and made in every ,
way so inviting that few children are
tempted to play truant.
There are now 8!> of these schools in
operation, with 113 schoolmistresses
and 99 schoolmasters, the latter re
cruited from among the mutilated
oldiers mustered out of the army. A
few of them are the old Alsatian
teachers of French origin who have!
readily rssimilated the French meth- !
I j
oils of instruction. Of tin- schoolmis- ^
tress s 90 are Sisters of Charity of
the congregation of the "Divine
Providence," who had never ceased to
protest against the annexation of Al
sace hy Germany. They render ines
timal.'e services to the French admin
istration whi li has braved the anger
<>'' the anti-clericals by retaining them
at their posts.
The soldier teachers wear their uni
forms in the clnssroom, \vhi<h give
them increased authori'y over then
pupils by reason of the immense pre ?
tigc the French uniform enjoys in
Msacc. The voluntary discipline in
spired by respect for that uniform has
entirely displaced the old rigid Teu
tonic iron-clad disciplines.
The little Alsatians are working
particularly hard to master the
French pronunciation of consonants,
for none of them want to pass f?."
Germans, n'ter war, on account of
their accent. Associated Press Cor
respondence.
Make All Wheal Acres Profitable.
"With a fixed price of $2.20 per bush
el fur wheat the balance of 1917, and
a minimum of $2.00 for next year's
crop, while the. government is plead
ing for r.n increased acreage sown,
it is to be hoped that the farmer will
try and do his part. No doubt here
in the East and South a large portion
of thr> crcp will have to be seeded this
fall under unfavorable conditions, as
most of it will have to be sown sffter
peanuts, tobacco or corn. A fallow of
weeds and grass turned under early
in August always produces far better
wheat than land cultivated in corn or
some other crop, so the above condi
tions mean that extra care will be
needed for us to produce an average
crop, and far better than an average
yield should be every farmer's slo
gan.
Let's see that our wheat land has
most careful preparation and closest
attention in seeding and the quality
of seed sown. Every means should be
used to add fertility to the wheat
land and to increase the yield. With
high prices for fertilizers the quality
used, especially acid phosphate, should j
he increased rather than lessened.
Soil poor in nitrogen should have all
available manure used. See that none
is left rround the barnyard to waste.
It is far too valuable. This may be
pulverized or made quite fine and
spread on the land and disced in be
fore seeding, but we find that it is
usually more valuable when spread
thinly over the grain the latter part
of November or early December. See
that not a particle of the manure
goes to waste, .nor rny old stary piles
or rotting stacks are left in the fields
until next spring. All not used for
bedding should be spread thinly this
winter over the wheat field*. A liber
al use of lime also pays well on
wheat.
Don't make the mistake in seeding
a large acreage if you are to neglect
proper preparation and fertilization.
The idea is for us to make every acre
produce as large a yield as possible.
Better sow a few acrcs of fertile, well
prepared land thun a I .rge number
not so fertile and half prepared and
gotten in Large grain crops will be
necessary for several years, and the
only way to insure such is to see that
the fertility is kept up.
Another thing, be careful and don't
sow damaged wheat. Kainy weather
in July in many sections of the coun
try damaged the wheat crop to a
large extent. Shocks and stacks grew
green by sprouting, and a large quan
tity was housed damp, which mould
ed or heated. Such is worthless for
seed. No farmer can afford to risk
this kind for seeding purposes. It will
be far wiser to buy good seed an-l put
in only a few acres rather than use
such seed simply to seed a large acre
age or to make a big show. There is
no profit in suc h work.
If you are goint; to use your own
seed give it a thorough test before
hand, i.nri if a large percentage does
not germinate it will be a very nice
plan to secure seed from a source
where the germination is better. If a
goodly percentage will germinate, or
sprout, and you run it through a
good fanning mill, fairly good seed can
be made, as the mill will blow or take
out a large quantity of the non-ger
minating or inferior grains because
they are much lighter in weight. I ex
pect to work this plan on my cced.
It will pay you this season to use
more care than ? ver before in your
wheat. (let good seed seed that is
high in germination. Cultivate the
good seed-bed. Do not be afraid to
une fertilizer, particularly acid phos
phate, even if the price is high re
member the price of wheat is high, al
so. Save your stable manure and use
it on your lighter colls. With a min
imum price of $2.00 a bushel, wheat
is bound to pay, and the more you can
rais<" to the acre, the better will be
your profits. Win. Hart Harrison, in
South t n Kuralist.
Preparation for Wheat.
The most important crop before
the farmers of America at this time is
wheat. The great demand for wheat
and the price which it is commanding
r>n the market and which is being as
sured by the government for the l'.?18
?rop, makes it incumbent upon every
farmer in the wheat growing sections
':f the United States to put forth ev
?ry effort to meet the ever-increasing
lemand for bread.
. The Department of Agriculture of
ficials estimate that to meet the de
mands f?.r next year, the farmers ? in
his country must produce more than
>ne billion bushels of wheat. To meet
his demand under normal yields, will
require a sowing of 47,:W7,000 acres
>f wheat this fall, or 18 per cent in
crease over the acreage of the 191(5
?v inter wheat sowing. The number of
\cres required for Virginia's quota
A'ill be 1, <570, 000, a 15 per cent in
crease over last year's sowing.
W<> do not for one moment doubt
:he farmers in our terriory will meet
lie demand and far surpass it.
A seed bed for wheat must be firm,
moist, and well compact beneath with
:i mellow, finely divded upper three
inches of soil, the specialists advise.
If wheat is grown in rotation with
oats or after wheat, the stubble
should be plowed to a depth of at
least 7 inches immediately after the
preceding crop of grain. The ground
should be harrowed within a few
hours after plowing and cultivation
with harrow, disk, drag, or roller
should be given as necessary there
after until planting time..
These operations r.re necessary to
kill weeds, to settle and make firm
the subsoil, and to maintain a soil
mulch or. the surface. The earlier
the preparation of a seed bed for
wheat is started the better the con
dition of the soil will be at planting
time. Late plowing does not allow
time for thorough proparr.tion.
Marly plowing, followed by thorough
tillage, aids in catching the water
which falls and in conserving this
iind the water already in the soil for
use by the wheat plants.
The firm seed bed under the mulch
thus made, enables the young plants
to make use of tho subsoil waters,
which rise when there is a perfect
union between the plowed soil and the
subsoil.
Sufficient moisture is thus assured
for the seed and for the early fall
growth of the seeding, a very impor
t;in' consideration. Plant food is also
likely to be more abundant in the
soil when such methods are employed.
Southern Planter.
At Harbour's Chapel.
Klder J. T. Johnson of P v-n field, N.
Y., will be at Barbour's Chapel Sat
urday night and Sunday October 28.
Come to hear this learned and distin
guished mm. This is your only oppor
tunity to hcT.r him.
J. Q. BAKER.
I'KLSIDKVr SKTS PRAYER DAY.
October 28th Fixed for National Sup
plication for Victory.
Washington, Oct. 20. ? President
Wilson to-day designated Sunday,
October 28th us a day of prayer for
the triumph of American arms. In a
proclamation the President says:
"Whereas, The Ccntrress of the
United Slates, by a concurrent ri so
lution adopted on the 4th day of
the present month of October, in view
of the entrance of our nation into the
vast and awful war which now afTlicts
the greater part of the world, has
requested me to set apart, by official
proclamation, a day on which our
people should be called upon to offer
concerted prayer to Almighty God for
His divine aid in the success of our
arms; and
"Whereas, It behooves a great free
people, nurtured as we have been in
the eternal principles of justice and
of right, a nation which has sought
from th" earliest duys of its existence
to be obedient to the divine teachings
which have inspired it in the exercise
of its liberties, to turn always to .the
Supreme Master and cast themselves
in faith at His feet, praying for His
aid and succor in every hour of trial,
to the end that the great aims to
whi~h our f .i her dedicated our pow
er as a people may not perish umong
men, but be always asserted and de
fended with fresh ardor and devotion
and, through the divine blessings, set
at last upon enduring foundations for
the benefit of all the free peoples of
the earth.
"Now, therefore, I Woodrow Wilson,
President of the United States, gladly
responding to the wish expressed by
the Congress, do appoint October 28,
being the last Sunday of the present
month, as a day of supplication and
[rayer for all the people of the na
tion, earnestly exhorting all my coun
trymen to observe the appointed day
according to their several faiths, in
solemn prayer that (Jod's blessings
may rest upon the high task which is
laid upon us, to the end that the
<au.se for which we give our lives
and treasure may triumph and our
efforts be blessed with high achieve
ments."
What Farmers Get.
The public thinks of prices to the
producers in terms of market-topping
records. Those are the prices lhat
get onto the front pages of daily pa
pers. Few readers have the hardihood
to dip into the detail of the market
pages. "Wheat reaches three-fifty,"
"three dollars a bushel for potatoes,"
and "twenty-cent hogs" a*e tb ? phras
es that catch the wandering eye of
the consumer as he munches his bacon
and sips his coffee. "Farming. is a
great business," rays he.
Hut how much of the total goes at
these prices to the farmer? More
than half the wb -at crop is usually
marketed, > u August, September, Oc
tober and November. Last year the
average price received by the produc
er for his wheat during those months
was about $1.35 a bushel ? far from
$3.50!
Halt the potato crop leaves the
farmer'; hands in S ptnmler, Octo
ber and November. During- those
months in 1916 the price to him r.ver
aped $1.19 a bushel, and it will prob
ably bo much less this year.
Ho, us po to market in 1: r^ost num
bers in November, December and
JanuiH-y, and during the last period
covered 1 y those months the average
price for hops of all grades was about
$8.90 a hundred.
Only a few farmers speculate by
holding their crops for the hiph mar
ket. The records prove it. One reason
more don't do it is that they can't.
There f>re too many chances of loss
and they haven't the cash reserve or
the storupe faciltics. Such crops as
hops must be marketed when finished,
for costs pile up rapidly and pains
diminish.
If farmers could hold their stuff as
lonp as they pleased, the consumer
would have reason to worry. A farm
ers' union could then stick up the
price to the limit of the nation's
pocketbook. But it hasen't been done
and, ns business is now done on the
farms, it can't very well be done. ?
Country Gentleman.
Not a Good (iuesser.
They were discussinp that joke
about pettinp down off an elephant.
"How do you pet down?" asked the
jokesmith for the fourth time.
"You climb down."
"Wrong!"
"You prease his side and slide
down."
"Wronp!!"
"You take a ladder and pet down."
"Wronp!!!"
"Well, you take the trunk line
down."
"No, not quite. You don't pet down
off an elephant; you pet it off a
poose." ? Selected.
The Turlington Graded School will
give holiday on Wttlncsda-y so that
I'll the children may attend.
Feeding Furope.
Food-laden ships sail steadily to
Kurope in spite of submarines. The
best check on what we are striving to
do to feed our Allies is the monthly
reports of exports of breadstuff's. Th(
total for the first eleven months of
this fiscal year showed that food of
much greater value was sent than in j
the name period a year ago. The in- j
crease is greatest "in corn, though .
wheat and wheat flour show gains
Whethtr the Allies are learning to eat ,
more corn or not we cannot say, bu^
anywey the value of corn exported s<
far this year has been double that of
a year ago.
An interesting fact shown by com
parison of import figures for the elev
en months of this and last year is that
imports of breadstuff's have been more
than doubled. This shews that we are
handling more of the surplus of other
nations. Canada undoubtedly contrib
uted the bulk of the increase in our
exports. America is becoming the sup
ply house of the world, which mskej
the careful counting and supervising
of our stores of more vital importance.
Two important facta are plainly
shown by these fiirures: First, we arc
shipping more food to Europe in spite
of the U-boats; and second, our in
creases in exports promise to take up
all the surplus that our farms will
produce this year.
A greater expansion of production
seems likely to be required next yea".
Indeed, it looks as though it would be
imperative. Rep- rts from all parts of
the world, as gathered by the Inter
national Institute of Airrieultuie at
o ,.i : ..a
rvume, siiuw nu uiczvaBr wuiui ti?u
sidering in any country. * * * *
High prices of farm products have
not been a sufficient stimulus. They
have done much loss than we thought
they would. On January first prices
< f ton slaplo crops were 183 per cent
of the average of over forty years,
while on July first they had risen to
the astonishing figure of 290 per cent
of ihig average. The increase in five
months has been greater than hus oc
curred in (he past ton ye- rs. The
world is bidding frantically for the
food we alone can supply. The high
prices of previous years have been
ho eclipced as now to appear trivial.
These are hard facts. The promise
of big corn and potato crops offers
little substance for optimism.
In joining the Allies we pointed to
our broad and rich acr?s and said:
"Wo will give you food." Our pledge
is still unfulfilled. The next year's
burden will be a huge one. We must
prepare to shoulder it.? Country Gen- j
tlemsn.
American soldiers and army civil- i
ian employes have purchased more j
ihan $32,000,000 of Liberty Bonds, i
Of this amount, men in the l(i na- ]
tional army camps have subscribed ;
$10,600,000 and those in the 1(5 na
tional guard camps $9,200,000. The
national army soldiers have averaged
$24.52 each, while the record of the
national guardsmen is $33.36 per cap
ita and the average for the entire 31
camps is $29.97.
BOSCHEE'S GERMAN SYRUP.
Why use ord:iHrv couch comedies,
when Boschee's German Syrup has
been used so successfully for fiftv-onc
years in all parts of the United Slate- j
for coughs, bronchitis, colds settled in
the throat, especially lung trouble*, j
It gives the patient a good night's
rest, free from couching, with easy
expectoration in the morning, gives
nature a chnnce to soothe the inflam
ed parts, throw ofi" the disease, help
ing the patient to regain his health.
25 and 75 cent bottles. Sold by
Creech Drug Co. ? Adv.
When y?u ihink of GROCERIES? let your
thoughts turn to
TURN AG K
Smllhfield's Lending Grocer
i ::c bcai is >one Too Good l or GUR Customers!
S> O. Turnage
Smithfield, N. C.
$725 F. O. B. Jackson, Mich.
Briscoe Model B-4-24
"1 he Car With The Half-Million Dollar Motor"
You wart the car you buy to look well and to run well. The
:ew Briscoe B-4-24 does both.
It's the best looking car that you meet on the road. When
designing the Briscoe B-4-24 we never lost sight of the fact that
l;rst impressions count for much these days, with the result that
the Briscoe has won the reputation of being "The best looking
h'ght weight car built." Its beauty grips you.
Beneath its handsome body and high hood are a motor, a
transmission and other mechanical units that have been proven
in hard, constant service.
The Half-Million Dollar Motor is famed at home and abroad for
its inexhaustible power, for its speed and quick acceleration and
for its astonishing economy of oil and gasoline.
C. A. CORBETT, Agent
Selma, N. C.
Can Make Prompt Delivery for the Next Ten Days.
The Nation's Lesson
All people are children, either young or grown up.
And all children must learn life in many lessons.
This year's lesson for our people is
Food Economy
It will not be learned by depriving yourself of needed
food. It will be by .judiciously selecting the foods that
you need.
In this we want to help you.
We have many suggestions that will help you to cut the
H. C. of L.
Economy prices, too.
City (Troeery Company
Smithfield, N. C.
Send us your order for Job Printing.
The Herald Office
E usizr
Brown
and his Pop
T" S
T,ge
To ib* sior? of
LEE HENRY CO., - - - - Selma, N. C.
On Thursday, Nov. 1st.