The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-14
vANQERPUTTESU SURE
 OF BUMPER CROP Not Suffering from Worms
 Nor Caterpillar POTATO IS A WINNER President of Truckers Association Asserts That North Alabama
 Crops as Whole Are High ly Satisfactory
POTATO IS A WINNER

Henry Vanderputte, president of the
 Alabama Truckers association, was in
 the city yesterday at the Morris. He
 states that the crops are not suffering
 from worms or caterpilars in the
 northern part of the state but that their growth was somewhat retarded | by the recent heavy rains. He reports | that potatoes, both white and sweet. vii be plentiful and that the truckers
 are we'll pleased with the outlook.
 "We are not bothere with the worms | about Cullman and in the northern part
 of the state" said MT. yanderputte.
 and therefore I do not know very
 much about the recent reports. But I | do know that where they gain hold ] they cause material damage. When I was in Mississippi some years ago we | had an invasion of worms. The worms do not kill the cotton but they eat the leaves and the cotton does not mature
 as early and as well. They are bad little pests.
 "The cotton and corn near Cullman is doing very nicely in spite of the re-
 cent rains and the farmers are well pleased with the outlook. The first of the cotton will be received about Sep tember l. Then the shipping and gin-
 ming season will commence and all
 will be pretty busy I expert a bumper crop, one that will exceed last years.
 "The corn is coming along nicely and the biggest crop will be harvested in
 the history of Cullman and the vicinity.
 However these recent rains are retard- | ing the rapid growth of this product
 and it will be somewhat late. But 1 the prospects good and the mer-
 chants and farmers are happy.
 But the most pleasing harvest is the
 potato crop We have been shippins g | regularly and in all about IS car loads | have been sold. The sweet potato crop will be very fine Then the white
 potatoes will be plentiful. I expect
 more potatoes will be shipped out or l Cullman this year than in any preced-
 ing year
 The other big crop is the grape. We
 will have an immense harvest of Con- ! cord and other grapes. The season 1 has been ideal and everything is nice l ly progressing. The truckers about Cullman were never so well pleased
 with this delicious fruits harvest as | this year. Birmingham will receive
 the bulk of all that are grown. Some of the crops are very disap- pointing. The people about Cullman
 usually raise many large and delicious watermelons but this year the melons are very poor. The recent rains have ruined the flavor of the melons and the | farmers are bitterly disappointed in the harvest. The late tomatoes are not at all good or plentiful. The rains have also hurt them. The crop IS very light.
 Another disappointer is the apple. While nearly all have been received they were very poor. In fact they
 were nearly all killed when we had
 the drought. Following the drouth the rains came and these two elements killed the crop. There are no plums. While the farmers have been some what set back materially by the truck crops they will be enriched by the cot ton and corn crops All are very pros porous about our vicinity and I think no place has grown fast as Gull
 man. The growth has been marvellous