The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20
TICKS AND NARROW
TIRES ARE MENACE
Huntsville Man Praises "All
Alabama" Movement
SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE
Ben p. Hunt Thinks Conference should
Hear Something About Loss From
Cattle Ticks and Narrow
Wagon Tires
SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
I have just read with much interest
in your issue of this day the very ap-
propriate programme for the Alfalfa
bama Movement" conference, to be held
in Montgomery November 20 and 80,
and l feel sure great good will result
from what will be said and done at
that time to our state. But Il occurs
to me two timely and very impontant
subjects have been overlooked, viz:
The Cattle Tick" and 1.-THE Broad-Tire
Wagon Wheel" admit there may be
affairs of state of more momentous
magnitude, but certainly in these two
matters are involved very greatly the
prosperity of the farmers of Alabama,
| the advancement of all interests of the
state, and necessarily the welfare of
the entire people. You had an In
structive letter the other day from
your field man, Walter Harper, in which
| 1t was stated that the southern states
are losing annually by reason of the
cattle tick half billion dollars. This
is one of those leaks that cause a
tremendous loss and Is entirely mex
say ignorance, of a great many farm
ers on this subject is astounding, and
the pity and shame of 1t is many take
pride and glory in such ignorance.
It Is to be hoped Governor Jelks viii
fully exploit this one tremendous leak
and drive home to our farmers the
terrible and shameful mistake they are
making in not cooperating with the
tick inspectors and have this curse
eradicated at once. It is foul blot
on the intelligence of all the people.
The people, rather the farmers, of Ala
bama seem to think they are accom-
plishing great things in the feld~of
agriculture, but compared with some
other states they are not doing half
what could be easily done. AS bus
mess proposition we are paying but lit
tie attention to poultry, and yet no
state in the union is better adapted to
that great money making industry.
When we consider that the state of
Missouri last year realized from the
| sale of poultry and its bi-products,
over $4,000, 900, not counting what the
people consumed it will be seen that
one county in the state of Kansas
raises 100000 bushels of wheat and
also its complement of corn, hay, oats,
cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry, it will
be seen that our banner counties of
Alabama are not doing as much as
they think, not near as much as the
lands are capable of producing. When
the county of Lancaster. Pennsylvania,
last year from its tobacco crop and
other crops realized s20,00o,000 our
people should begin to realize that our
state is still in its A, B, C's of wealth
production as an agricultural state. 1t
will be found that in every great and
prosperous wealth producing state or
section of a state one of, If not the
main, factor in its condition is cattle.
and that industry brings around in
evitably diversified crops. and that is
the one great need of Alabama farm
ers. Hence the crying need of eradi
eating the cattle tick curse. So. If 1t
will not be out of place, think it
would be for the programme commit
tee of said conference to invite and
have Col. William Youngblood discuss
and present to the whole people of
the state this cattle tick question and
try and get a concerted movement on
the part of our entire farming people.
And on the broad-tire wagon wheel I
would be glad to have the committee
assign Senator Spragins of Madison
county to present that question, as l
see he is to be present and address
the conference without any special sub
ject. Fourteen years ago when can
didate for the legislature of Madison
county discussed the broad-tire ques-
ton, but found no favorable response
from my people, but / have never let
up in its advocacy, and today there is
a considerable sentiment in favor of
it. 1 think the next Legislature should
exempt from taxation all wagons that
will use 3h Inch tire. In the state
OF Oregon not only are all wagons so
exempt that have that width of tire,
but for each additional inch In width
up to and including six inches
81 is paid to the owner of the wagon.
and hence the wagons of Oregon are
road builders and not road destroy
ers as the narrow tire always Is. In
France, you know, where they have
the best roads In the world, the rear
axle is seven inches longer than the
front, ana SO no TWO WHEELS run al ehC
same track, but are rolling the road
bed all the time. The general idea
among many farmers that the broad
tire is heavier haul or pull than the
narrow one Is a mistake for actual ex-
periments on all kinds of roads and In
all conditions of weather have demon
strated to the contrary. however, l ad-
NIT that among rocks and in the noun
tains and among stumps the narrow
tire is preferable, but the overwhelm-
ing bulk of hauling is not done under
those conditions. and then the publc
road issue overshadows all pleas for
the narrow tire. The board tire is
conservation force In action In most
practical way, while the narrow tire is
vandalism in It's destruction or good
roads and prevention of bad ones pc
ing cheaply and more easily made bet
ter and ultimately good roads. Yours
for the uplift of Alabama all along the
line. Very truly yours.