The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-24
THIS MAN USES HIS !. BRAINS ON THE FARM John WinSIow's Interesting
 Work Near Thorsby HIS SWEET POTATO CROP He Is Also About To Produce a Cotton Plant That Has No
 Sterile Stalk To Sap
 the Strength.
HIS SWEET POTATO CROP
By WALTER HARPER.

farmer today training and watching tn growth of two different kinds of win from the same root stalk. One was DO tato and the other morning glory vine The potato was crawling along tn ground industriously as it had been taugh by it's parents and grandparents. Tn morning glory vine was climbing poll as it had been taught and as its ancestor had done for time immemorial.
 Yet nj case of these vines you coult detect some strain of character that be longed to the other. The morning glorl i vine had been grafted on the potato root.
 In another part of the patch l wa! shown a row of morning glory plant: that had been produced from seed pol ! lenized by male sweet potato blossoms.
 Further out in the field was a large square of cotton plants that are watched with the care of human children. Every stalk has character. They have been de- veloped from the intermarriage of two separate varieties.
 | Every cotton farmer knows that al every joint of the ordinary cotton stalk which gives out a fruit limb there is a 1 second limb that is sterile. This Is a | waste of plant energy and drain on the food supply of both the plant and the l fruit.
 Wnslow's Work.
 Several years ago John L. Winslow l conceived the idea of breeding out this l sterile limb and breeding in one that will l bear fruit. Long study and careful work ! has about accomplished this end. John | Winslow will make it succeed Everlast- ing perseverance and dogged determina- tion can do anything. John Winslow is a plain farmer but he is using his brains as well as his muscle. His neighbors may look over the fence and smile at his breeding morning glory vines with sweet l potatoes but John Winslow doesn't care | for this.
 About six years ago he began expert. menting with different varieties of sweet potatoes, trying to develop a prolific va riety that will keep from year to year He has several hundred bushels of las years crop not yet sold. They are as sound as dollar. More than this h, l produced at the rate of 600 bushels tC , the acre. This is not the place in tn; joke where the neighbors laugh.
 Large Potato Yield.
 MT. Winslow carried me out to a meas ured acre planted in the sweet potat that he bred himself. It is covered witt vines. The plants are six and eight inche apart In the drill. If l do not gathe more than 600 bushels from this measure, acre this year I will be very badly dis appointed" remarked this farmer wh, oils his blows and irrigates his fields witl brain juice. T am not through breedin, and developing this potato. I will no be satisfied until I have a variety tha will produce 1000 bushels to the acre. O course part of my development schem is to discover the best fertilizer for tn, plant, develop the soil and understand thoroughly every combination of soil, at mosphere and fertilizer"
 Marvellous Patience, In the development of the new cotto, referred to above MT. Winslow disnla VI marvellous patience and application n thought and research. Last year afte the plants had reached the blooming poin ne went over the patch and cut out ever, stalk that did not come up to the fulIes requirement of the characteristic desired Of course, these were not perfect. bu those best developed in the desired trait were saved. This pruning left only si, | plants in the field. The others wer 1 destroyed.
 The same thing is being done this year Many of the stalks this year have no ohiy thrown off the sterile limbs but tn ltmhS ITO
 ing fruit. Enough has been demonstrate, to prove that MT. Winslow will ultimatel, succeed. It may take two more year to perfect the process-it may take six but If 1t takes lifetime MT. Winsloy will carry it to the end.
 Another and much more importa n characteristic is being developed in thi new cotton plant That Is extra earl, maturity. MT. Winslow hopes to outwi the boil weevil by this means Early ma turity Is the only method by which tn boil weevil can be conquered
 Successful Farmer.
 Now, John Winslow is no idealist O experimental dreamer He is a praotfca man and success. He does not deyot his entire time to the breeding and watch ing of plant growth as the scientist wh | lives in perpetual atmosphere of men | tai research. He is hard worlfn farmer He is Just now gathering an shipping the last of a very large peacr crop. He has 14,O00 peach trees and wit the exception of a few hundred that ar not. old enough to bear full crop tn production for the season has been nor than satisfactory. Prices have been goo and MT. Winslow is highly pleased wit the financial returns for the year. Whil other growers in all parts of AIabam have failed this season Mr., WinsIow Ina gathered full crop. This is not en tirely due to special providence. M, Winslow studies the character and need of every plant on his farm as careful ly as most parents study the character o their children. Care, personal care, the secret of MT. Winslows success wit almost everything he touches.
 The Winslow farm is about two an one-half miles from Thorsby in Chilto county. It is situated on rolling Ian that ordinarily would be pronounced poo and unproductive The average Ala bama farmer might starve on it or strue gle in and out of the years with bur den of debt and worry hanging abou his neck. l have seen men fail on muc more fertile lands. But not the Joh Winslows. Those who fail may have a much brain matter as John but someho, they do not appreciate its value as farr