The Grenada sentinel., 1903-11-28
Mississippi State News
For 4 Delta Experiment Station.

! For 4 Delta Experiment Station.
The Yazoo Sentinel, in a strong
editorial, comes out for an expert
ment station to be established in the
Yazoo- Mississippi delta. The SEN
tinel points out the fact and Justly
complains of the neglect with which
the legislature in past has treated
the great delta in the location of it's
schools and experiment stations.
There are now two agricultural ex-
pertinent stations in the State, one
at Starkville and the other down in
Southeast Mississippi in the great
pine wood section. Both of these
are doubtless needed where they are
located, but, as the Sentinel says,
the delta with the crudest of farm
ing methods in the hands of the most
ignorant negroes yearly produces
more corn and cotton in proportion
to acreage than any other country
on the globe. "The lands of the del
ta," says the Sentinel, ':are not i'm
poverished to the extent that fertili-
zation is demanded, but there are
other things which comes within the
scope OF an experiment station emf
nently more important. The variety
of soils should be analyzed and tho
adaptability of each tested by prac-
tical experiment, SO that the planter
may know what he can produce
thereon most protitably. Sometimes
the land is lacking in some one in
gredient, though otherwise fertile,
and this fact ought to be known to
the owner, so that he can supply the
deficiency. Drainage is an impor-
tant question, which very few plan
ters understand, and experiments
along this line cannot be otherwise
than profitable. Insects are numer-
Gus and often do serious damage,
and many Of these are peculiar to
the delta section, hence a remedy
can only be found by study of the
local conditions. There are many
obnoxious weeds and grasses that
have defied the antagonism of the
plantation darky for years, and
means could doubtless be found to
destroy them" The Sentinel urges
the matter upon the attention of the
next legislature.
A Sweet Potato Freak.
An agricultural product that is
causing much comment is sweet
potato grown by Mr.. Charles
Broach, living near Conway. If
stretched full length it would meas
sre 33 inches, but doubled up and
twisted as it is, it can lay claim to
only inches in length. The ap-
pearance of the tuber is that of
| coiled snake. One end represents
reptiles head, protruding from the
coil, there even being small root in
dentations which serve for eyes and
it tapers off at the other end similar
to snakes tail. The potato is slen-
! der and nearly of proportionate size
the entire length, there being only
one Or two protuberances along the
body proper, none of which measure
over i inches in circumference. The
coil is not a continuous one, but. is
broken one or more times f,r
length of about inches, and then
twisting over the body coils again.
How it attained such peculiar
growth is occasioning much wander.
Growing Meridian.
President c.. G. Harvey and Sup
erintendent D. D. Curran of the
New Orleans and Northeastern, and
General Manager G. S. Clarke of
the Mobile and Ohio, General Mana
ger N. A. Garrett and Superinten-
dent A. Griggs of the Alabama
Great Southern, and Superinten-
dent F.. Ford of the Alabama and
Vicksburg were in Meridian last
week in consultation about changing
the railroad yards to make room for
the new union passenger depot and
additional sidetracks to accommo-
date the growing traffic, and to con-
slider measures to relieve the pres
ent congestion of the Meridian
yards.
To Assist the Public Schools.
Among the bills introduced in
congress last week by Senator Nc
Laurin was one to assist the COM
mon schools of the State by donat-
ing to the State Of Mississippi the
proceeds derived out of the sale of
public lands of the United States,
situated in the State of Mississippi.
Mules Kick May Prove Fatal.
James Gable, a prominent farmer
living near Windham, was probably
fatally injured last week, the in
inries ros11lfinn from tho kink nf q