The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-26
SOME UNEASINESS
ABOUT THE CROPS
But Most Planters Think Rains
Did Good
INTEREST IN THE TICKET
A Complete List for Democratic Pri-
mary Will Be Published Friday
Mornng-other News
of Montgomery.

Montgomery. July 25.-(Speeial)- Along
with the talk of politics and the gossip of
candidates there is much discussion of the
crop situation at this time, inasmuch as
It is a critical time with cotton especially.
The recent wet days have made many I'M
easy and not few have felt that dam
age had been done by the excessive mois-
ture. especially i'm the rich land sections
where water stands long on the soil. The
most susceptible part of the cotton terri
tory, save in the bottom land. may be
found about Montgomery and in the black
belt of the state, and it will be good
showing of the whole to find out how 1t
is here.
The writer looked up one of the largest
planters in the state and asked him what
had been the effect of the continued rains.
so far as we are concerned" he said,
there has been no serious damage, save
in very low places. where the soil is quite
rich. In fact, I believe that the other eff
feet has followed, and that we are really
better off than we would have been with
out it, Cotton was in good condition TO
take care of large amount of moisture.
The dry days of the early growth gave
opportunity to get the fields clean and
the we'll cleared earth took the water up
almost as rapidly as 1t came down. Only
now and then have we had to do with
any washing and 1t is well established
that the crop as a whole is doing very
well indeed
Cant William NJ. Sheldon of the COM
missioner of agriculture's staff, has been
much over the state the past two weeks
and finds that in most every section the
crop Is good Cotton, he says Is better IN
the lower part of the state than the up
per, while other crops are holding their
own. other gentlemen who have gone
about a great deal agree that this is the
case. W. H. Seymour. president OF the
Alabama Cotton Growers association
mears the best of reports from the grow
ing crop In every county. with rare ex-
captions. and Is preparing report to be
made on the situation as whole. He has
over 600 correspondents now about to
make report and from these he will get
out In a few days a report that Will be
the first concentrated summary of the
conditions of so wide scope of the sea-
son.
There seems to have been good crop
of peaches in this section M. M. Dawson,
the peach authority of this part of the
state has a depot In this city. out of
which has gone some of the best seen in
years. The fruit stands are full of large.
juicy Elbertas, and they are cheap as
we'll as plentiful. Many fine peaches have
! been shipped from Troy and vicinity.
which has become large peach section
in the past five years.
Labor Is Scarce.
Ross c. Smith. commissioner of the I'm
migration and Industrial association of
that the labor situation in the farming
section is something dreadful, and many
farms are going to the bad for lack of
men to work them out. He related the
case of a farm In the black belt on which
an enormous crop of alfalfa hay was
raised. The crop was valued at almost
the price of the farm. yet 1t went to
waste because 1t was impossible to get
hands to work 1t. Another instance was
that of r. X Miner of Birmingham who
has a large plantation in Clarke county
which is lying idle because he can not
get any help.
Mr. Smith says he and his men have
been able to send many hundreds of la
borers to the industrial sections and some
to the farms but they have been wholly
unable to get as many as are wanted
They are now at work getting others
headed this way and he hopes during the
summer to be able to land large num-
Der and to relieve the labor stress to
some extent Mr.. Smith was down with
Mrs Smith. who had come to Montgomery
to consult local occulist about her eyes
Both returned after few hours to their
| home In Birmingham. Mr.. Smith Is we'll
known at the capitol having at one
time served the state as a member Of the
railroad commission.
The State Ticket.
| The ticket for the state democratic
| primary of August q is now about ready
! for publication and will be In the papers
| OF Friday morning 1t is not regarded
that there will be any more entries at
this late day, as July 2 Is the last day
| in which a candidate can qualify. J.
| Kirk Jackson, private secretary of the
governor, has the details of the ticket
| in hand and has ii all ready to print as
soon as the time is up.
| There is every indication that the race
will warm up in all lines as soon as 1t
Is settled who will be in the fight. The
| fight is clean cut between two men for
governor and two for chief justice of the
supreme court. so that there is no specu-
lation as to what other thing will dis
turh calculations. There is only one man
for each of the offices of superintendent
| of education. attorney general and treas
urer. All the others are hot races and
will take the run out to the end to tell
which will win
The total vote in the convention will
he 4l4. making 1t necessary for the win
ming chief justice to have at least 20S.
Good School Work.
w F. Feagin, secretary Of the state
board of examiners of the state education
department has returned from Tuscaloosa
where he went to hold examinations for
teachers after the close of the Univer-
sity summer school He says the school
this year was made up of a number of
hard workers and believes that the rec
ords made will be good He will not
grade the papers, however, until after
he finishes with those from the regular
county examinations held the first of
July.
or the 1856 applicants to teach at the
end OF the summer school term there was
one for a life certificate fifty for first
grade. sixty for second and twenty-five
for third. This is a fine showing. thinks
Mr. F'eagin as many are for the higher
grades. There were 256 matriculates of tine
school and the students were from among
the best workers in the Alabama school
service. Mr.. Feagin was greatly pleased
with the class of people there and Is con-
strained to believe that the summer
school Is going to be great unit in the
educational advancement of the state.
There are several counties yet behind
In the grading of the July examinations
and this will cause delay in the finishing