The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-07
GREAT DISASTER
 ID COTTON CROP Deterioration In Mississippi Is
 Very Extensive HALF A CROP IN SIGHT Farmers Are Picking Cotton in South ern Part of the State and General Opinion Is That Damage Is
 Fifty Per Cent.

Jackson, Miss, September 6.-(Special) From nearly every section of the state come reports of disaster to the cotton crop, and there Is little or no doubt that there has been serious deterioration dur ing the past two or three weeks-or since the government report was made up, showing the lowest average in many years.
 The fearfully hot weather, the long continued dry spell, extending over period of more than two months in many places, the boil weevil, the boil worm and other pests have assailed the crop with vengeance, and there are many of the oldest and best farmers of the state who declare they are not going to get one-half as much cotton they did last year, and their only salvation lies In the fact that the price Is somewhat bet ter.
 Picking has begun in earnest, especial ly to the south of Jackson and in very few more days business will pick up in every direction The oil mills are get ting ready for their annual run, con vinced before hand that their season is going to be the shortest on record, and offering already s15 per ton for seed. They will hardly get many at that price, as the farmers have learned to hold their seed as well as the staple, and are expecting to get at least SIS or S20, perhaps more, for their seed this year.
 The Farmers union, the most powerful
 oto a,to kpn in Mississippi has more than 60 great warehouses in various sections of the state, all organized into one management, and will do their utmost to induce farm CTS to let them handle and sell the cot ton as the world needs it, instead Of dumping it on the market as fast as ginned. President Hightower has issued a statement in which ne predicted 1o- cent cotton before the end of the season, provided it is sold judiciously and on its merits, and is prepared to grade and classify every bale that comes to the warehouses This has never been done in this state before, and the union is satisfied the farmers have lost millions of not knowing the value of their cotton.
 The legislative committee, appointed jointly by the senate and house. and Of which Col. H. M Street of Meridian, the speaker of the house, Is chairman, will not meet here on September as was announced several days ago. Colonel Street states that several of the members of the committee could not be present on the 9th and for that reason he has postponed the meeting till the 20th inst.
 A great deal is expected of this commit- tee, and 1t has no easy task. The object is to devise some plan by which equal and just assessments and taxation may be secured to the several sections of the state. and is the demand of the counties in the piney- woods belt, whose represen- tatives contended that they were paying more of their share of the expenses of the state government and getting little, comparatively speaking in the way of money for their schools in return, while their representation in the legislature is not based on present population.
 This committee is composed of 10 menl- bers-three from the senate and seven from the house.
 Commissioner of Agriculture Blakeslee. who is also chairman of the live stock sanitary board and in charge of the tick eradication work that has been going on in the upper tier of counties the past year or more, is now agitating the ques- tion of applying the tuberculin test to all cattle shipped into the state. The United States government will not per init the state to ship cattle out, save for immediate slaughter, and every other state applies the tuberculosis test to cat tie shipped in, whereas Mississippi has never insisted on anything of the kind, and the consequence Is that she is all ways getting sick animals that would not be permitted elsewhere.
 Commissioner Blakeslee states that the Department of Agriculture at Washing ton has rendered Mississippi very great service and assistance during the year in fighting the weevil and other pests, and that there is more interest just now in advanced methods of farming than ever before in the history of the state There are eight or ten counties that have elected county commissioners of agrcul- ture, and these are being supported largely by the general government-es- pecially in the matter of demonstration farms where the farmers of the counties may see for themselves that scientific farming pays after all
 Among the new enemies of the cotton crop in some sections of this state is a which is believed to belong to the light ming bug family. By some he is called