Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-04-19
DOCTOR KNAPP'S DEATH
A Loss TO FARMERS
Was in Charge Of Farmers
Demonstration Work.

Washington, D. c., April 1S.-Presi-
dent w w Finley, of the Southern
Railway Company, has addressed the
following letter to the farmers of the
South:
The death Of DR. Seaman A. Knapp,
of the United States Agricultural De-
partment, which occurred in Washing
ton. D. c.. on the list inst. has been
a great loss to the farmers of the
United States.
''Dr Knapp understood thoroughly
the agricultural problems of the
South, and, as the official who was
in charge Of the Farmers Co-Opera-
tive Demonstration Work Of the de-
partment, it may be said, comprehen-
sively speaking, that he did more than
any other one man in our time to
bring about the adoption of improved
agricultural methods in the South.
When the Mexican cotton boil Wee
vii began to spread over the fields Of
Texas and there were predictions that
it would spread over the fields Of Texas
and there were predictions that it
would render cotton production I'M
profitable i'm all the territory to which
it might spread, Dr.. Knapp devoted
himself to solving the problem of
maintaining cotton production in spite
of the presence of the insect. He and
those who were cooperating with him
in this work were soon able to demon
strate that cotton could be grown
'profitably under boil weeviI condi-
lions, and that, simply by the adop-
ton of proper cultural methods, far
mers could, in some localities, at
least, grow more cotton per acre with
the Weevil in their fields than they
had produced before it's appearance.
AS a result, by the time the weevil
had spread eastward to the MISSISSIPPI
pi river the farmers of the South had
been educated up to the knowledge
that, by following intelhgently the
advice given by DR. Knapp, it's destru"-
ttiyeness could be greatly reduced. DIR.
Knapp was an apostle of good farm
ing in every department. He taught
the value of fall blowing with deep
breaking of the ground, of growing
winter cover crops, and of building Up
soil fertility by the proper rotation
of crops and by the Intelligent use
of manures and commercial fertilizers.
He believed in growing live stock, at
least to the extent of utilizing all
the waste products and idle lands of
the farm, and in producing on each
farm, as far as possible, all of the
foods required by the men and ami
mails on the farm
''One feature of DR.. Knapp's work
which I believe to be of inestimable
value to the South was his organiza-
ton of Boys Corn Clubs. While the
immediate purpose of these clubs is
the growing of corn, they are perform
! ing a much more valuable work for
the South in the growing of farmers.
Their full value to our section will
| be realized when Dr. Knapp's corn
club boys, as groWn-up farmers, ap-
ply the same methods of intensive
farming to other crops and to entire
farms that they have used in making
record yields of corn on single acres.
while doing so much for the boys
of the South, DR.. Knapp did not meg
lect the girls, and the organization Of
| q Girls Tomato Club at Aiken, IS. c.,
last season marked the beginning Of
work which has been greatly en-
larged for this season and which,
at the time of his death, he was pre-
pairing still further to expand.
''T feel sure that I voice the senti-
ments Of the farmers of the South and
Of all the Southern people in express
ing the opinion that DR.. Seaman A.
Knapp was one o. the most useful
citizens Of TIE United States in his
generation, and that, in his death, our
whole section has suffered a great
loss"