The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-31
Wilkinson Party Concludes Trip
 To-day at Joppa
ALABAMA NOW IN THE LEAD
Commissioner Says State Now Has $30,0o0 Year Available for Soil Surveys-Pleased With
 Present Trip.
BY WALTER HARPER.

Walter, August 3O.-( Special. )-Commis-
 sioner of Agriculture Wilkinson and party
 of agricultural experts completed a most
 successful tour of the western part of
 this county last night. One of the most
 enthusiastic meetings of the week was
 held here today. The attendance was
 exceptionally large, and the interest in-
 tense The meeting yesterday at Arka-
 delphia in the southwestern part of tb
 county was success in every way
 The weeks campaign which is the long
 est yet given to one single county. will
 close tomorrow at Joppa, in the north
 eastern part of the county.
 Before returning to his office at Mont
 gomery. Commissioner Wilkinson will go
 to Athens to attend to some official basl-
 ness in connection with the state agri-
 cultural school located at that place. J. Asa Rountree. the good roads man,
 will go to- Hartselle for a few days visit
 to his father before returning to his home in Birmingham.
 In discussing the work of the week to-
 day, Commissioner Wilkinson said: T am very much pleased with the success of
 the agricultural work in Cullman county.
 The people have responded heartily and I
 feel that some good has been accomp-
 lished. I propose to carry this educa-
 tional work to every county in the state
 as soon as possible,
 "I shall go to Washington in a few
 weeks to arrange for the cooperative soil
 survey that was provided by the last 1apiala tIfra in
 bama Is the first state in the union to CO.,
 operate with the federal government in
 anything like business way in the mat
 ter of making soil surveys.
 Alabama In the Lead, .f got the department at wasl1fngtor to agree to put up g for every N provided 1 by the state, and at the last session l of the legislature the Horton bill. which
 l prepared, appropriating $10,00O to state soil survey annually, was passed. This means that s30.O00 is to be spent in Alu- bama annually by the federal and stats government until every county has been
 surveyed
 And we propose now to follow this
 work up by placing practical. experienced
 men in the field soil interpreters men who will visit the farmers IT. their fields and explain their soils and adaptabllities. T consider the soil survey as one of
 the most important steps ever taken by this government for the practical benefit
 of the farmers.
 Active work will begin at an early date
 and will be pushed as rapidly as possible until completed. Young men from the | state agricultural schools will be assigned to the surveying parties, and In this way
 will be given an opportunity to secure l some practical experience In one of che | most important branches of the govern | ment."
 | One of the heavyweights of tho party | is J. T. Burgess of the Sixth congress slonal district. who joined the party last | Tuesday and made part of the western ! trip as well as the eastern. | Professor Burgess Is a government ex- | pert and was placed in the Sixth district
 at the request of Congressman R. P. Hobson. He has the reputation of being the best practical man in his line in the agricultural department of the United | states and his addresses on utilization of
 soil and adaptablity of crops are of
 much practical benefit and are well re- ceived
 He shows how seeds should be select
 ed for their adaptability to the soil to be cultivated and gives some practical ad- vice on the selection and preparation of soil He illustrates now a fine and per feet variety of cotton or other seed may prove a failure on certain soil to which 1t is not adapted, and lays down a new theory of well founded practicability on the adapts tion of soils to particular plant cultivation.
 Makes Model Truck Garden. One of the principal features of the tour is the practical discussions of Jo- seph Schunck, president of the German Farmers association of Cullman on truck farming and gardening. President Schunck has attended all the
 meetings and has made many valuable
 suggestions of great value to the farmers A yew years ago Mir Schunck purchased
 an old worn out farm one mile from
 Cuilman that had ben abandoned and which had been allowed to grow up in sedge and pine trees. His neighbor laugh ed at him when he made the announce
 ment that he would make a garden of it.
 How well he has kept this promise is best proven by visit to the place, which
 was done this week by the members of Commissioner Wilknson's party. It is in
 reality a garden on which Mr. Schunck
 not orly makes good living but a handsome profit each year.
 He uses but little or no commercial fertilizer and produces some of the finest fruits and vegetables seen in this sec tion. The story of how MT. Schunck has transformed this pine orchard into gar- den is interesting and offers a fine object lesson to others
 A very large crowd of interested farm CTS met the party at Walter and an all