The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-07
FARMERS HEAR
ABOUT COTTON.
Addresses Before the 18th District
Farmers Congress.

Addresses Before the 18th District
Farmers Congress.
Statesboro, Ga, July 6.-The Farm
atorial district was in session here to-
day and was attended by 300 or 400 in
terested farmers, mostly from this
county Harvie Jordan, director of the
state institutes; Willmon Newell, state
entomologist, and Prof. J. S. Stewart,
state agent of the university at Athens,
were present and made addresses.
Mr.. Newell spoke of the wilt or black
root disease in cotton. He said that
about the only remedy for this is to
grow resistable seed, that will not sue
cumb to the disease. The Agricultural
Department at Washington will fur
nish small amount of seed to anyone
and from this can be grown variety
that will hardly be effected by the dis
case. He mentioned the methods of
destroying caterpillers by using Paris
green, mixed with lime, one pound
to one and one-half pounds of Paris
green to the acre, at a cost of about
50 cents every ten days during the
trouble with the worms.
Boil worms are shorter than cater
pliers and of a uniform color. They
first appear in corn tassels and corn
silk. BY planting a row of corn about
every twenty feet through cotton fields
will help keep them off the cotton, but
they can be killed largely by blowing
up the land in December and January
and by the use of Paris green the same
as for caterpillers.
Mr.. Newell exhibited some specimens
of the Mexican boil weevil. which were
eagerly inspected by the farmers
present He said law should be pass
ed prohibiting the importation of the
weevil from infected districts by the
means of lint cotton, cotton seed, or
cotton seed hulls.
Prof. ]. S. Stewart delivered an ad-
dress on the necessity of farmer boys
being scientifically educated, as we'll as
other boys, for professions or other
callings. He is projecting the County
High School for agricultural instruc-
ton, and said that boys can now take
an agricultural course at the State
University for nine months at a cost OF
not more than $125.
Mr.. Jordan was warmly received by
the audience and devoted his few min
utes to the discussion of the plans for
the sale of the cotton crop and the
making of fertilizers When he an
nounced that he had some formulas
for the proper mixing of compost to
give away, almost the entire audience
went up to get a copy. Mr.. Jordan
mentioned the introduction of his bill
in the Senate last week to force fer
tilizer makers to print the formula of
their goods on each sack put on the
market. The fertilizer makers are
fighting the measure hard, he said, as
they realize that it would be detri-
mental to their business if the farmers
knew the formula. There are some big
combinations now to put the price OF
this years cotton crop down to the
bottom. 1t is now nearly down to the
cost of production and though there
are about $1,000 900 bales yet in the
country, the mills are shutting down so
that they will have a surplus on hand
when the present crop is ready for sale.
A Texas representative has visited Mr..
Jordan with a view to organizing the
Georgia farmers. He said, however,
that the only way to organize is for
them to become independent at home
first. He was loudly applauded when
he said that any farmer who has a
barn crib full of corn and smoke house
full of meat can fight successfully all
the spinners and spectators combina-
lions in the world. The three speakers
will be at Claxton tomorrow.