The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-29
APPEAL FOR CARE
OF RURAL SCHOOLS
School Conditions in Alabama
Are Abnormal
TALK ON PECAN CULTURE
National Authority Speaks to the Farm
ers mt Summer school at Auburn.
The Attendance Is Still on
the Increase

Auburn. July 2s.-tSpecial)-An ap-
peal for attention to the care of the
rural schools was directed to the Ala
bama farmers at the farmers sum-
mer school here when Miss Frances
Higgins of Montevallo of the State
School Improvement association, ad-
dressed the assembly.
Miss Higgins drew a picture of school
conditions in Alabama. characterizing
them as greatly deficient and abb
normal. Much of the disregard fof
education she laid at the door of the
unattractiveness of the country schools
Miss Higgins lectured in Langdon
hall wednesday night. At the same
time Mrs. HUT delivered an illustrated
health lecture with its warning to the
men and women of the farm to observe
the ordinary laws of health.
C. X. McQuarrie of Gainesville, Fla.
delivered a lecture on tomato culture.
Today's programme included the dis
cussion of cotton, fertilizers, sheep and
chickens.
Pecan Culture
The alchemy of pecan culture. the
en- tn railing story of an industry which
Is more or less familiar. was revealed
Wednesday at the farmers summer
school when C. e. Pabst of Ocean
Springs, Miss, one of the national au-
thorities on pecans, told of his work.
His explanations were those Of the
practical, successful, pecan grower,
with nothing of unfounded theory and
promise about them. So his statement,
at the first that the possibilities of
pecan culture were greater than OF
any. other fruit tree in the south.
aroused the interest of the farmers
from the first. A master of his sub
iect. Mr.. Pabst held the interest, thus
aroused.
Pecan culture, he said was work
for posterity.
you are not planting pecans for
yourselves. There are many genera
lions coming behind you who will en-
Joy the fruits of your work" This
he told to explain the necessity of care
in planting the original grove.
Mr.. Pabst condemned the idea of
planting seed. You are wasting time
planting seedlings" he said. Seldom
do seedlings bear fruit"
Mr. Pabst also explained his theory
of planting old trees. He stated that
he did not stand with the general
theory of putting out young trees. He
went into the details of grating and
budding. The manner of making
grating and grating cord he ex-
planned.
Mr.. Pabst declared that the market
for fancy pecans was greater than
there is any hope to supply for many
years. His fancy pecans were sold in
eastern markets for so and 60 cents a
pound, he said. and there is an inces-
SAINT demand for more than can be
supplied
The speaker denounced some vari-
cites, notably the Mobile" and the
Columbia" as being all great shells
without kernel. Pecans should never
be bought for breeding merely be-
cause of their size and outward ap-
pearance.
The speaker told of a manner to
ItLHcuy SltIlllty III ptCdH trees ny CUT
ting off the upper tree during the DOR
mant season and budding from pro-
ductive trees. He warned against
planting pecans too close together and
declared that most soil in Alabama is
adaptable to successful pecan culture.
Except soil that Is foo dry and land
that Is not under water too long in
summer there Is none in Alabama that
is not excellent for pccans.
Mr.. Pabst spoke of fertilizing the
land on which pecans are planted. His
pecans, he said, had never been fer
tilted directly and received no fer
tiltzer except one or two years whom
COW peas were planted in the grove and
when the ordinary fertilizer was pu,
for the COW peas for two seasons, after
that, nothing.
The necessity of plenty of room for
each tree and plenty of sun space
was stressed.
The farmers at the school interrupted
Mr.. Pabst with questions at every
point; there has been no lecture of the
school which has ELECTED more inter-
est.
Forty Counties Represented
The third days session of the farm
ers summer school opened with the
largest attendance of the term. Forty
counties of Alabama are represented in
the enrolment. The work of the day
was marked by a spirit of co-opera-
ton among the farmers; a freer inter-
change of ideas is apparent. and after
each lecture the farmers rose to tell
of their respective experiences in yari-
Gus phases of experiment
Prof. E. F. Cauthen. assistant director
of the Auburn experiment station, was
the first lecturer Wednesday with an
exposition Of the various feed CROPS,
He spoke of the results of his ex-
periments in the pasture crops. grasses
and clover. and in tho grazing crops,
oats, rye and barley, which are plant
ed in the winter and early spring The
crops for green feed and ensilage,
corn, COW peas and sorghum and for
hay, oats and clover, wheat and clover,
COW peas and say beans. we're also dis
cussed and the experiment results in
regard to each, were explained.
feature of the days work was the
lectures and demonstrations In peach Gull
ture. During the morning Prof. P. II.
Williams of the department Of horticul-
tura lectured on peaches. and during the
afternoon spraying demonstrations, in
the application Of self-boiled lime-sul-
phur wash for brown rot, were made
on the college farm.
Alabama farmers should try out more
varieties of peaches" was the advice Of
fered by Professor Williams, -and every
farmer should conduct his own expert
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