The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-03
FARMERS TALK IF
 DAMAGE ID CROPS All Sections of State Report
 Injuries from Storm STATE MAKING MONEY In Spite of Recent Calamity Alabama Is In a More Prosperous condi-
 ton Than Ever Before
 In Her History.
STATE MAKING MONEY

Montgomery, October 2.-(Special.)- There is great fear among the farmers of the state that the bad weather of last week and the continued rains Will make the loss in crops enormous. Capt. A B. Russell, one of the best known planters of this county, estimates that the crop of cotton open will be damaged to the extent of 40 per cent. President w. H. Seymour of the Cotton association, Alabama division, expects to find that the losses in this way have been very heavy. He has sent out letters asking about the situation and will be able to make report by the last of the week.
 It is found that the cotton was largely open, this being an early season, and fell an easy prey to the winds and the rains' Where it has ont been blown from the bolls it has been tied up in strings about the sides of the boil and around the, stalks. The result is to practically ruin it. That blown upon the ground can hardly be saved and if taken up at all will grade so low as to make it hardly worth the trouble to save it.
 "The cotton in southern Alabama says MT. Seymour, was ripe when the winds came. The farmers had not been able to get it out for the lack of labor. Hang ing from the bolls it was easy to knock out It would be hard to estimate the damage now, though l think the quality has been hurt as much as the quantity It is also difficult to say now what the effect on the price will be-
 As an instance of the individual damage to sections the following report from Bikb county is quoted: "rhe storm which did so much damage in the state was most disastrous in this section. The cot ton was practically destroyed
 Reports from the lumber section tells the same story of damage and loss. In all the turpentine sections there mas been destruction of trees and 1t will take some time to get them cut out and nor nal conditions restored. The effect Of handling this down timber will be to low CT the grade of the lumber output as well as to reduce the amount. The out put of the mills will be curtailed as result of the storm at least 25 per cent In the sou.I Alabama, Mississippi ana Florida tt< tory. This Is regarded as certain sign that there Will oe great rist in the price of the product or the mills
 Good Showing.
 In the midst of the calamity to which the state has fallen victim recently IL IS good to look along and see that tpere Is great prosperity and that the fiscal year just closed has been the best Tn the ms tory of the commonwealth. The reports of the time now being made up will show that in every department things are bet far than even the most Sanguine eA- pected.
 As noted in the paper of Sunday, the ret1,rns of the state convict department have gone far beyond anything yet ac- complished and with some accounts yet to come in This has been accompllsned as A result of the policy of renting the prisoners only at the same range of hlgh prices paid for free labor. In many eases they have been let for $1 per day 30 days in the month, and in some cases even higher. This is the net to the state, the contractors paying the expenses.
 Another thing that has given the state officials so much pleasure is the fact that with all the betterment in earnings there has been remarkable decrease in the death rate. that having fallen below the great record of 3 per cent of last year There has been only one epidemic and that short lived. Reference is made to q seize with pneumonia at Pratt mines This was a result of local conditions, one being the age of the mine and the diff ficulty of hedging against such things in the older openings However, it was held up before any great damage resulted.
 Good of Meeting.
 The coming of the Southern Educational association in December Is regarded as good thing for those who will try to get school legislation through the next legis- lature. This organization will bring to the city several hundred of the leading school men of the state and other southern states and the help they will give to the pro- posed school work will be good beyond doubt.
 Dr. J. w AbeEcrombie. president of the state university, is also president of the Association and he will do everything he can to make the meeting success. He is interested for the reason that the next session of the legislature will be asked to do much for the advancement of the university, now in the best shape 1t has been for years. Other work Is also to be enterprised for additional of the institu- lions of education in the state
 However, the big effort of the school men at the next session will be for the common schools This will be led by the present state superintendent and his as- sociates, and 1t is expected that So good a front will be presented the legislators will be induced to do much for the bare foots and the needy In the rural com