The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-07-22
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} che Farm and Grove.


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BOOMING CROPS.
Just at present two crops, in the
returns from which our readers are
deeply Interested, are being doomed
ny the professional spectators who
make their profits from lowering
prices through spreading reports of
large crops. 1t would seem that any
one with sense to grow cotton or
oranges, must know that things are
cheap when they are abundant and
dearer when scarce. 1t naturally
follows that large crops always
mean relatively low prices, and that
small crops must bring comparative
ly high prices.
Acting on this fundamental law of
supply and demand, there is no
business in the world, except that of
crop making, the men engaged in
winch may ever be found actively
engaged i'll attempts to increase the
public conception of the production;
but Tor some ineXplicable reason the
cultlNators of the soil seem to take
pleasure in endeavOring to boom the
production Of the crops ON the re-
turns from which they must live.
There are even alleged agricultural
periodicals which lend their aid to
these efforts at reducing the in
comes Of their clients, by booming
the yields of the crops they grow.
We are now hearing Of fourteen
million bale crop Of cotton, and of a
crop of 4,OOO,OOO boxes of oranges for
FLORIDA, this year. Both assertions
are equally impossible and prepos-
ferrous, yet there are growers of each
crop taking pride in disseminating
the fraud. There is not All iota OF
foundation for either statement.
They are being industrously repeat
ed solely for the purpose of the effect
on the speculative market. The eX-
cuse offered for these tales is, in the
case OF cotton, the government re-
port OF an increase of ten per cent in
the planted area of this year, over
that OF last year. With oranges the
whole fraud is based on the excessive
heavy bloom Of last spring. No al
lowance is made for the vicisitude of
Il whole growing season. AS a mat
ter of TACT, if the bloom was exces-
sive, so was the following May
drought If the bloom of March
actually indicated four millions of
boxes, the unprecedented dropping
because of the drought in May, re-
duced the crop in sight to 100000
boxes. One fourth of the alleged
crop disappeared is two months
from one cause alone. There still
remain five months, with many
possible vicisitudes, before the crop
can really begin TO move. Two and
a half million boxes is II crop large
enough for the growers to admit,
and is an estimate much nearer the
probable truth than any larger ole
will be.
The ten per cent Increased acre
age planted in cotton, was reported
before cold and excessive rains
made the blowing up and replant-
ing of tens of thousands of acres
necessary. Indeed three different
paintings We're made on many of the
largest and best cotton plantations
in the whole country. | have in
mind a typical plantation. The first
planting, on which the acreage re
port was made was fully eighty per
cent total failure. A second and
then a third planting became neces-
sary, before anything like stand
was secured. Today the number of
acres in cotton on that plantation,
500 acres, is ten per cent greater than
that planted last year There are,
however, three distinct crops of cot
ton now growing on that land, One
kind of cultivation cannot possibly
be equally good for all, one or more
paintings must inevitably suffer.
The yield, therefore cannot possibly
be up to standard, even if all three
paintings are harvested and mar
keted in good condition. The actual
fact on this plantation is, that al
though the number OF acres is ten
per cent over that of Hast year, the
actual condition of the crop today is
twenty-five per cent below that of
last year. The planter himself adj
lrlits that he planted for ten per cent
more cotton, but that he will prOba-
bly harvest twenty-five per cent
less. Yet his expenses of produc-
ton have necessarily been increased
in proportion to the increased acre
age, blowing, fertiIizing aud other
expenses being in proportion to the
acres planted. Smaller yield and
greater expense Comparison be-
tween probable profits of the two
crops is needless. This case is typi-
cal of thousands over the entire cot
ton belt,
1t is bad enough to have to con-
tend with the spectators whose en-
tire endeavor is to depress prices.
Let the producers of crops cease aid
ing the conspirators by Joining them
in booming our crops.
MILK FEVER.
Some two years ago the Peters
method of treating this common and
nearly always fatal disease of re-
Gently freshened cows was made
known. This was the injection OF
iodide of potash solution into the
nddpr, The cause of the disease
having been proved to be seated in
n noisen accumulated in the udder,
which the iOdide Immediately neu-
tralized. Now we have announced
nv the highest veterinary authorl-
ties. A treatment Of the same nature
but so much simpler as to be far
more useful. This consists simply
Of forcing air into the udder of the
sick animal. All that is required
for the treatment, is a bicicle pump,
and short piece Of small tubing a
milking tube is desirable for insert,
mo into the teats, but its place may
he successfully taken by a small
Quill. With this simple outfit air is
bumped into the empty udder'
through each teat separately
Each quarter is then thoroughly
tmeeded till the air is forced out. In
this way the poison is oXydlzed and
II borp,1pSS The process