The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-08

IND the boys of the U. c. T.'s have a good time at their semi-monthly 0 meeting Saturday night? Say, did 1t rain Saturday night?
 That was one of the most enthusiastic meetings ever held by Birmingham coun- cil, No 172, United Commercial Travellers of America It was the occasion of the annual election of officers and the foi- lowing were chosen:
 J. P. Oliver, senior councillor.
 R. K. Kennedy. junior councillor. A. J. Davis, secretary.
 T. B. Marshall. conductor
 L. A. Callen, page.
 W. F. Bridges, sentinel.
 The executive committee is composed of Thomas R. Epperson and A. w. Beck. who will serve two years each, and o. l.. Andrews and c. E. Abram, who will serve one year each.
 ]. P. Oliver and B. F. Wikerson were chose to act as representatives of the local council at the annual meeting of the grand council at Anniston in May, with $. A. Mitchell and R. K. Kennedy as alternates.
 Following the election of officers sev- eral applications for membership were acte1 upon. and the candidates initiated into the mysteries of the order. Much
 
 think that they show the magnitude of Italy's war preparations. This inference is in part justified by the fact that Italy has bought many horses in the United States There Is, however, a strong sus- piciof that some part of this American hay will be eaten by horses in Austria and in Germany.
 These exports tend to show how varied and far-reaching are many of the con- tracts which have been made by belliger- ent and neutral nations with manufac- turers and with commission houses in the United States
 The Harvests of Next Summer
 If climate proves favorable, the Amer ican grain harvest, especially of wheat of next summer and early fall should De the largest ever garnered. One of the bits of informa ton which have come 10 the financial district from the wheat belts of the west is constantly referred to With expressions of qualification. The report is generally credited as accurate that the farmers have now winter wheat upon 4,- 900. 600 acres more than were ever before devoted to that kind of crop. So also re- ports come that the weather on the whole has been especially favorable for winter wheat. If the climate is benign through out the late spring and early summer the harvest of winter wheat should exceed the phenomenal harvest of last summer, ana the quality should be as good as that of the winter wheat of last year. An add1- ton of 100000 bushels, passing the esti- mate upon the average production for re- cent years. to the wheat supply, that la 70 say, 6O,O00O00 bushels in excess of the best record heretofore made. With weather conditions all that is hoped for, there should be a correspondingly large increase In the acreage devoted to spring wheat.
 A statement made by an excellent au- thority who has recently spent some months in Russia and who is familiar with conditions in that empire may, if 1t be accurate, somewhat effect the export of wheat next fall This authority states that if the Dardanelles be opened to Rus sian vessels there will flow into Europe an amount of grain simply stupendous. lie estimates that food products are now awaiting export from southern Russia of the money value of considerably in excess of $500, 0,0O0. Our own grain mar ket must have had some intimation of this for in no other way can the recent decline for the quotations of wheat be explained