Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-24


ture which our farmers can build requir-
ing so little in the way Of an initial out
lay and providing anything like the same
fstorage capacity. There is no other
structure which will enable the farmer
I to take the crops produced on his land
and convert them into as palatable and
desirable a food as the choicest blue
grass or Bermuda sod affords. Moreover,
the silo preserves feed and renders Ii
available at any season of the year. 1t
may be said to be a complete substitute
/ for grass and il can be made 50 cheaply
that it is the one rival with which grass
/ has to contend. In many cases which
have come under my personal Observa-
tiOn the silo has had the better of the
argument, and this would seem to be
particularly true in the case Of a part
/ OF the great area known as the Pied
mont section and the coastal plains re-
/ gion Of the south. As a matter of fact,
much more food can be obtained from an
acre OF land devoted to silage crops than
/ to grass. Years of experience at Athens
/ indicate that as much as thirteen tons Of
silage per acre can be obtained from
the red clay lands of the Piedmont area.
There is reason to believe that a large
yield can also be obtained from the
sandy soils Of the coastal plains region.
Even if not more that six or eight tons OF
silage per acre could be made. ii would
still constitute the cheapest and most
desirable form OF roughage which can
possibly be fed to Eliminating animals.
This review Of the situation would in
cIcate that the campaign for silo con-
struction in Georgia and in the south Is
not a new enterprise, but has been con-
sistently supported and promoted by our
agricultural colleges and experiment sta
. - 1,
of the undertaking was slow and disap-
pointing for many years, but at last the
light has broke athwart the horizon and
now the silo is not uncommonly met with.
Wherever built, Il has commended itself
50 strongly to the land owner that the
friends and neighhors Of the pioneer
have shortly erected similar structures
and so the movement is spreading until
i'm a few years more We will have IN
many Of our southern states a supply OF
silOs somewhat commensurate with our
needs. thereby enabling the farmers to
produce milk, butter and beef at remun-
erative prices and to supply their COM
munities I'm some measure with these inn
portant fOodstuffs which now command :,
price which makes their use in many
homes almost prohibitive.
These suggestions are offered TO the
public in order that they may be in
formed about the progress being made
in this direction. The silo fortifies the
southern land owner and places him on :
competitive basis with the western
farmer. IL also means that every farm
er who possesses one of these struc-
lures may supply himself with an abuh-
dance of cheap and desirable winter feed
so that he can proftably maintain a
very considerable number of live stock.
thereby enabling him to minimize his
cotton production to a reasonable de-
gree and still have an income equal TO
that which he enjoyed before the boil
weevil invasion. This point can not he
emphasized too strongly, for IL enables
the land owner who is wise and pro-
gressive TO satisfactorily solve the stu
alton which is the most serious by
which he has been confronted I'm recent
years. These suggestions will also in
form the public in general that the agen-
cics charged with agricultural leader
ship i'm Georgia are not sleeping over
their rights, but have actively promoted
the campaign whereby Georgia is be-
ing rapidly supplied with silos.
PREVENTING SMUT IN OATS
r. X. H., Quitmon, Ca. writes: ] want
10 treat my seed oats for smut. Please
give directions for treating fifty bush
els.
The best way to treat smut in oats
is as follows: Secure one pound Of
fornalin and dissolve in fifty gallons OF
water. Clean the oats to be treated as
carefully as possible by running them
through a tanning mill several times
as to eliminate dust, dirt and light seed
Then sack the oats and immense sack
at a time in a barrel containing the
solution recommended above. The oats
should be left in the solution for thirty
minutes They should then be lifted up
and drained and allowed to stand in a
sack for an hour or two. Then spread
out on a clean piece of floor and dried
before planting.
Ordinarily IT takes about gallon of
the solution to treat a sack of oats.
You would probably have to make up
at least two barrels, however. to treat
fifty bushels. Much depends on the
time you take in training the water out
Of the sack and the care with which the
work is done There is no simpler, cas-
Ter or more satisfactory method of
treating oats for, smut. Where the work
| is done in a careful manner the chances
are you can increase the yield of your
crop by about 10 per cent.
DESTROYING RATS ON THE FARM.
J. =. k.. Ateihs IA WTlleSs Ahu SNu
tell me SoIne plan by which I may exte--
inmate the rats my place? For the last
five years they have destroyed at least one
third Of | estimate that they
cost the farmers alone. TO say nothing OF
merchants and warehouse men, at least
S2.OcO,OoO Ter year.
Undoubtedly the rat has done and is
doing. a great deal of damage TO farm
ers and warehouse men in general and
certainly ii is desirable that this pest
| be eradicated. This can not be done,
however. except all persons afflicted by
/ its presence take an active part in the
campaign for its destruction. The writ
er has built a number of houses and
/ other buildings and in doing so made
| them rat proof. and in view of the tenn
porary character of much of the con-
struction work done in the United
| States. d the plan of building rat-proof
| structures were followed up systemati-
! cally, the damage inflicted by them
would be greatly minimized.
The determination Of rats can be
brought about by the protection of their
natural enemies such as hawks and
owls, and the use of dogs, cats and fer
rets. Dwelling house, yards, ware
houses. stables and various old build
ings in cities should be kept clean
3 waste and garbage cans should be KEEP,
I covered and disposed of promptly. AS
/ long as people insist on supplying rats
with an abundance Of food they will
continue to multiply. Buildings and