The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-02-06
PEOPLE AWAKE To
need OF BETTER
METHODS
EXPERTS ACCOMPANY q. g. 9. I.
SPECIAL ADDRESSED LARGE
CROWD LAST NIGHT.
TRAIN is GREETED By
& LARGE CROWDS OF FARMERS
At All Points Where Stops Have Been
Scheduled the Attendance Has Been
Good-Traln is Well Stocked With
Interesting, Instructive Exhibits.

A large number of people, among
them many ladies, heard the lectures
given by the specialists accompanying
the Gulf & Ship Island Railroad COM
pany's Agricultural and Live Stock
Special that is visiting all the stations
on that line.
The train, under the direction of
Hon. H. e. Blakeslee, commissioner of
J agriculture, arrived here last night at
3 six o'clock, too late to give a demon
stration at the station, but the lee
lures were given at o'clock last
night at the court house, which had
been provided for the oc aston by the
Commercial Club.
The meeting was opened by Mr.. F.
H. Lister, director of the Gulf C Ship
Island Industrial Department, who
stated that this is the first agricultural
and live stock train carrying exhibits
to be run in South Mississippi. Dur
ing the day the train had been met by
large crowds at all the stations and
1900 people had been talked to.
The Industrial department of the
railroad company was organized for
the purpose of giving assistance to the
people living on the line in planting
and marketing their crops and in i'm
proving the thousands of acres of cut
over land.
Hon. H. e. Blakeslee stated that this
train would prove to the people that
the railroad is vitality interested in the
welfare of the country, that the pros
perity of the farmers is of as much
Importance to the railroad as it is to
the farmers themselves.
Commissioner Blakeslee stated that
if only one twenty-fifth of the people
who visit the train can be impressed
with the lessons taught that it will be
worth the time and expense given
to it.
The speaker discussed the live stock
situation in Southern Mississippi, say
ing{ It the greatest handicap to the
industry is the diseases that infect the
cattle and hogs here, which can be
eliminated by following the instruc-
tions of the department of agriculture.
A hog cholea serum is being furnished
by the department at cost to the farm
ers and if it is used each hog treated
will be immunized for six months. An
other serum is being prepared which
will immunize hogs for life. Hogs
=. can be produced here at least one and
half cents a pound cheaper than
elsewhere. Heretofore the farmers
have been too busy raising cotton to
give much attention to live stock rails
ing
The cattle tick, according to Com
missioner Blakeslee, costs the state
millions of dollars each year. The
campaign for the eradication of this
nest is being very successful and with
in few weeks, more than twenty
counties will be free of it and their
cattle can be shipped to any market.
He advised the use of dipping watts
voluntarily until the department can
take up the work here.
Commissioner Blakeslee quoted U.
s Commissioner of Agriculture Will
son as saying that within few years
the South will produce the larger part
of the nations supply of beef that is
n low coming from the West. He urged
I the farmers to give more attention to
live stock raising and to profit by this
change in the source of beef supply.
Fertilizers.
Importance of fertilizers was ex'
plained by E. G. McInnis of the state
agricultural department. He stated
that fertilizers should not be used be-
fore the soil has been properly pre-
nared for it, because commercial Ter
tilizers contain only plant foods, and
the soil should possess sufnclent
bumus to make the fertilizer effective
BEFORE using commercial fertilizers
the land should be well drained u
too wei and in aTy seasons sons
+, n ..As, T.