The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-16
DR. 5. 4. KNAPP
 TALKS ID FARMERS Has Large and Enthusiastic
 Audience At Anniston GREAT NEED OF SOUTH
Just Now tho Cotton Grower Must Pre- pare For Boil WeeviI and Prepare For Larger Food Crops-Needs
 of Diversification.
By J. E. STANLEY.

By J. E. STANLEY.
 Anniston, January 15.-(Special. 1.-The meeting held here today under the aus pices of the local branch of the United benefit of the farmers of Calhoun county was success in every particular. At the opening of the meeting at Il o'clock 1t was estimated that more than 300 peo- pie were in the circuit court room, and many more came in before the address of Dr. 8. A. Knapp of Washington was begun.
 J. A. Wilkinson of the state depart ment was first introduced and delivered a short talk. In which 1t was shown that Alabamas future lies principally in her agricultural development. and that with out the diversification of crops cultivated on scientific basis the state cannot hope to take the place to which she is by all manner of means entitled. MT. Dickin- son introduced Dr. Knapp, who was re- ceived with cheers.
 His opening remarks were given over to dispelling any idea the people may have that the government has singled out the south as the place in which there is the greatest room for improvement, and he made friends with his audience by saying that with the gathering of a banner crop no matter whether in the north. east, south or west, we are all inclined to make less effort in duplicat- ing the crop the next year. He cited instances to show that people in all sec tions of the country were not getting the results they should from their lands and declared that the United States de- pertinent of agriculture had been estab- lished for the purpose of improving farm ing conditions all over the country.
 Coming directly to the south he pro- duced figures to show that 70 per cent of the clothing material for the peo- pie of the world was raised here and that this vast amount of material was threatened by the approach of the boil weevf. Our people must prepare to fight its approach and to exterm1nate 1t if pos sible. Unless the pest Is exterminated. the future of cotton in the south depends almost entirely upon the cultivation of the plant for the bottom crop, as the weevil will destroy the top crop.
 He called attention to the fact that only one-sixth Of the farm lands of the south was under cultivation-that this one-sixth of the land must pay the taxes and sup port all tho people-and said: How
 
 work2 You put idlers on the chaingang and make them work. I wish 1t were possible to put every idle acre in the south on the chaingang and make them produce the results they ought to pro- duce. The hills on your farms not adapt ed to grain or cotton raising, and which lay idle year in and year~out, can be put to work raising timber and grass. and you will thus have the finest grazing land in the world for your stock" Regarding the raising of alfalfa he said that any good acre properly worked aud seeded would produce ten times as much as an average in corn and would leave the ground in much better shape. Tt would renovate the soil and your pocketbook.
 There are three things necessary to the raising of any crop successfully, and you don't have to go to college to learn them,, he said First have perfect seed beds which have vegetation enough to feed the plant. and cultivate 1t so the air can get to the plant. second, get perfect seed. Third, intensive and shallow cultivation" He declared that Ignorance in cultivation after the plant has started to grow has cost the state more than two billions of dollars; that in many cases blowing was too deep and the mouths or feeding roots Of the plant were either cut off entirely or were in- 1ured The question, Shall we duplicate
  answered by the simple solution of deep eninr the soil and attracting the moisture necessary for the life of the plant. Fla explained that a seed contained not only a miniature plant but enough nour- ishment to help it till 1t can take hold of the world, and said that fertilizer was used to help the plant spread out after 1t has taken hold ''In seed is written the history of all generations that have gone before,'' said Dr. Knapp, 'and if the seed has been surrounded by poor plants the contamination from that association will surely show The best results are obtained by wedding out all the bad plants and having nothing but good ones.' In illustrating his point that publicity and comparison are the greatest educational forces in agriculture, he told of the man who considered 15 bushels to the acre a good corn crop. and who had never raised more than that in his life, sitting on 8 dry goods box whittling with 8 knife willed to him by his grandfather because he could not afford to buy new one, and telling his listeners how to raise corn! sHrhat man believes in himself-in his ability to raise a banner crop, and all you have to do to convince him that he is wrong is to make a comparison between his and a good corn crop. Make a man believe he is not satisfied, and better results arc OptalHoO. f1o said the three essential things in raising a crop became a three-card monte in the hands of the farmer and it never loses. He said that corn needs a seed bed over a foot thick, and advised the making of soil as deep as the blow went, but cau- toned against turning sub-soil. He said that Alabama was singularly blessed with atmospheric and other conditions so nec- essary in the raising of corn and declared that if we get our soil a foot deep and filled with humus the raising of 150 bush