The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-03
Bay State Man Has Several
Thriving Plants Grow
ing Now.
MAY MEAN new INDUSTRY
BUT UP TO THE PRESENT TIME
IT IS ONLY AN INTERESTING
EXPERIMENT MADE By AN EN-
TERPRISING MAN.

Springfield, Mass, Oct. Am ex-
pertinent in raising Southern cotton
in Massachusetts, now being tried by
a young farmer and mill worker at In
dian Orchard, near this city, on the
banks OF the Connecticut River, is
Just now the subject OF much curiosity
and interest among professionals who
understand the culture of this suppos-
eddy hot climate industrial stable.
Today the plants grown out Of doors
by Arthur Meyers are sixteen inches
in height, they have all lowered, the
petals have fallen off, and the snowy
cotton itself is beginning to make it's
appearance.
Should it prove that the product of
the bolls is ready for harvesting be-
fore the frosts of the fall injure the
plants, 1t is said that Mr.. Meyers will
have demonstrated in a new way how
Northern farmers may greatly add to
the profits Of their industrial returns.
Tobacco Planted Near.
Only short distance from Meyers
cotton plants are thousands of acres
of tobacco growing along the banks
of the Connecticut, an agricultural
product which, until comparatively
short time ago, was believed to be i'm
possible OF successful production in
New England.
The cotton experiment, important
as it's results may turn out to farmers,
was undertaken in spirit Of curiosity
by Meyers, rather than to test the
hardy possibilities of the plant.
Meyers, who is regularly employed
in a shop adjoining a cotton mill, one
day picked up few seeds lying near
the mill. Being a farmer in small
w2y. the idea occurred to hi INTO try
out some of these seeds in his garden,
and accordingly several of them were
carefully planted and watered.
The sowing was done in April. In
June the shoots were above the ground
and thriving excellently. Meyers re-
Trained from giving these plants any
especial protection from the changes
In temperature, allowing them to re-
main in his garden, we'll weeded and
watered, and finally took up few of
the strongest and placed them in pots
in order to be able to take them under
cover if they did not ripen before the
heavy frosts.
Expect Good Yield.
Today each of the plants is in fair
way to produce it's quota of cotton ere
they are killed by the autumn cold
The flower petals, first white and
then successfully purple and dark red
finally dropped to the ground and the
embryonic fruit is steadily advancing
to the state where it will be real harry
estable cotton.
Since the bIossoming, scores of in
terested farmers and those interested
In the cotton industry have called at
Mr. Meyers home to take note of the
progress and success of his expert
ment.
1T is interesting asserts Myers
''to note what can be accomplished in
our so-called harsh New England eli
mate. I should say from what have
noted of my plants that each will fur
nish Its share Of cotton before the
plants are killed by the cold. II this
can be done with small number of
plants. why not cotton fields in New
England? We have tobacco fields
here: now cotton is evidently just as
adaptable.
However, my experiment was
prompted more by idle curiosity than
for scientific purposes, and it is like
ly that experiments on large scale
will have to be made before the farm
er will adopt cotton as one Of his pay
Ing agricultural farm ventures"
The Father-Dora. don't you think
It's past bedtime. The Daughter ZEN
tertaininc a cailer)-Yes. indeed mana