davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

Sweet, a man Of genius and persever-
ance. resolved to show his countrymen
what could be done under discouraging
circumstances.
Potatoes were chosen with which to
make his demonstration. Year by year
his fields grew until he had $50 acres
planted in that underground vegetable.
For some time past. however. he has
centralized his efforts on a decreased
area His crop Of 1916. with which he
made his killing" was grown on a
hundred acres less.
Commonly. Mr.. Sweet plants a field
with potatoes once every six years. The
period Is reduced to four years on fields
that have grown alfalfa He sows al
falfa and cuts two crops the first sea-
son and many crops the second sea-
son. The third year he let's the alfalfa.
now deep rooted and rank. grow and
plows IL under to improve the soil.
Then follow potatoes in the spring and
a harvest. frequently Of 500 bushels to
the acre.
Last autumn Mr.. Sweet had $4,000
bushels OF potatoes in the mammoth
cavern that he calls his cellar. will
give you So a bushel for twenty car
loads" a dealer telegraphed from Chi
ea&o. The offer was refused. All of the
crop could easily have been disposed
Of at that figure. Two times $4,000
bushels. computed III money, "ouiu
have been $4,000
This spring Mr.. Sweet sold his po-
tatoes for seed to other farmers at
prices ranging from So to IS a bushel
The average. say. was s. after losses
through rotting had been subtracted
Five times $4,000 is S230,000. Thus the
killing was artistically completed
while men were plowing Mr.. Sweets
domain for the crop of 1917.
Will potatoes be cheaper next winter
than they were last winter? The wisest
man in the world would be helpless in
the teeth of that inquiry.
Seed" Charles J. Brand, the ener-
Setic chief of the Office OF markets and
rural organization, Department of Ag-
1culture. said to the writer. cost farm
ers this spring from $3.50 bushel up
to almost any price the owners of the
seed demanded. II requires ten bushels
to plant an acre. The crop of 1917.
from blowing time to harvest, will cost
the average farmer from $50 to $40 an
acre. He must pay out that amount
before he can have any potatoes ready
to be marketed. For such an outlay. he
can purchase a good farm. with build
Tags. in many parts of the country.
~ don't look for any wild speculation
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

Of the war. His Episcopal prayerbook
is in possession of a member of the
family. and according to the story there
is bullet hole. showing that the
prayerbook. which was. of course. car
ried over the soldiers heart. saved his
life. John settled near that historic
place called Old Fields. between Wash
ington and Marlboro. in Prince Georges
county. He is buried at Queen Anne's
Chapel.
John the Immigrant had two sons.
John and Benjamin. Benjamin went
west and trace of him was lost. but dur
ing the civil war a Union officer named
Moore came to Glen Moore. In Virginia,
and said he was a son of Benjamin.
John left his home near Old Fields and
made his new home with Capt. Ever
hardt of Loudoun county, who dwelt
near Lovettsville, and when he grew up
he married Mary Mann of Loudoun.
They had son, Louis T. Moore. who
was educated at Pennsylvania College
on Seminary Ridge, at Gettysburg.
practiced law at Winchester. Va, and
was an officer on the staff of Stonewall
jackson. His property was confiscated.
but his old home still stands at Win
chester. One of the incidents in the
career of John was that he built a
section of the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal and mortgaged his farm to carry
out his contract. There was some de-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08
amber Writes of "F1agruders Folly and Glen Moore

lay and difficulty for which he was not
responsible ard the canal company
gave him a special issue Of bonds In
the sum of $4,000 or $4,000. Those
bonds are in possession of his descend
ants and are looked now only as
valuable souvenirs.
John Moore later took up his resi-
dence in Georgetown. living on JEFF
ferson street. He became Interested
in shipping, and one of the boats he
owned was the Flying Cloud. a steam
packet. which ran between Georgetown
and Harpers Ferry through the canal.
number OF federal civilian employees.
was captured by troopers OF Mosby's
partisans. The employees were re-
lieved of certain property. turned
loose and the little packet burned. John
Moore died in Georgetown at the age
of eighty-seven and sleeps in Oak
Hill. The Rembler forgot to write in
its proper place that John Moore was
war of 1872 and saw service at Fort
McHenry and North Point.
A son of John CD Moore and Mary
Mann was John (3) Moore. who mar
ried Sarah Coltman of Washington. a
descendant of Robert Coltman. a
revolutionary officer. and member OF
the Society OF the Cincinnati. These
Glen Moore and among the principals
in the creation of Hermon Church.
Moore bought a tract out of the grant
called Beall's Honesty from Charles
wife was Miss Elizabeth Davidson.
daughter of Robert Grant Davidson,
who owned vast tracts of good land In
the region of which the Rambler is
writing. The Rambler has been told
that Robert Grant Davidson was tho
son of Samuel Davidson. one of the
original proprietors of the site OF
Washington. and that he is living. Mrs.
Moore was a daughter of Charles Lilly
Coltman Of Washington. who was SUI
b perintendent of buildings and grounds
under the administration OF President
jackson. and who built as his home the
large fine house at the northeast side
Of Thomas Circle long occupied by the
late Judge Wylie. The Coltman family
came from Philadelphia to Washington
when the government offices were
brought to the new city In 1900
In 1922 there was William Coltman.
brick mason, who lived on the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue between
18th and 18th streets west. In 1860 Charles
L. Coltman. brick manufacturer. had his
brickyard at Vermont avenue and 18th
street. conducted flour mill on Ohio
avenue near 18th street. and lived. ac-
cording to the old system of street
numbers. at 420 NJ street. He died at
about the outbreak of the civil war. and
Mrs Coltman continued to live in the
old house. The -four mill was taken
over by Robert Coltman. presumably a
son, who lived on 18th street between
l. street and Massachusetts avenue.
This advertisement appeared in the
Washington Directory Of 1862:
Metropolitan Mill. 18th street and Canal.
Washington. D. c.. Family and Other Flour Of
an Extra Quality Constantly Hand and AL
Kinds of Mill onal. Robert Coltman.
John Moore and his wife Sarah Colt
man of Glen Moore are both dead. but
the fine place is still in the family and
is farmed by Charles Butler and his
stalwart sons. William and Roscoe.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

British did what damage they could to
the Capitol and destroyed the books in
the library. but that happened long.
long ago. and the Rambler speaks of 1t
merely for the purpose of helping along
his story of Patrick Magruder.
and owner of the mill before which the
Rambler set up his camera, was mem
Der of the Ninth Congress. and he
served one term from 1905 to 1907. In
that Congress were a good many men
whose names are now historic. Samuel
Smith Of Maryland was president of the
Senate pro tempore and Nathaniel Ma
con of North Carolina was Speaker of
the House. In the two little legislative
halls of that day were Theodore
Dwight and Benjamin Tallmadge Of
Connecticut, James A. Bayard of Della
ware. John Milledge of Georgia, Henry
Clay and Buckner Thruston of Ken
Pickering, Josiah Quincy and Joseph B.
Varnum of MASSACHUSETTS: Samuel Ten
ney and Thomas w. Thompson OF New
Hampshire, John Lambert Of New Jer-
sey. George Clinton, jr. Henry w.
Livingston and Killian K. Van Rens-
Willis Aston, Thomas Blount and Mr..
Macon of North Carolina; Thomas
Worthington Of Ohio. George Logan of
Pennsylvania, Thomas Sumter and Rob-
ert Marion of South Carolina, Israel
Smith of Vermont and John Randolph
and James NJ. Garrett of Virginia. The
territories were represented as follows:
delegate: Mississippi territory. William
baltimore delegate: Orleans territory.
Daniel Clark. delegate.
The Maryland members and senators
who served in Congress during the two
years that Patrick Magruder occupied
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

cool and the rainfall Is heavy. They
have never outgrown their early en-
vironment and yield best, perhaps. in
Scotland because the growing months
there are much like those of Chile.
THE potato. then. is a northern crop
in this country. and Aroostook county.
Me-. which is Just south of the Cana
dian border. produces more potatoes
than any other region of the United
States. Last year the average nation
al yield was so Is bushels. In Aroos-
took county the yield has averaged as
high as 275 bushels. and the crop as a
whole has. in instances, measured TO-
100000 bushels"
Farmers everywhere grow potatoes
for their own tables. Market potatoes.
however. which city people eat, are
mostly raised in the double tier Of
counties extending from Maine to
North Dakota and lying just below the
Canadian boundary. 1t Is for this rea-
son that there is SO much variation In
the supply from season to season.
Prices widely fuctuate. going farther
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

them in the Capitol. Purchase of books
was to be made by the secretary OF the
Senate ard clerk Of the House under
such directions as shall be given, and
sucn catalogue las shall be furnished by
joint committee Of both houses OF Con-
gress to be appointed for that purpose. :"
pose"
The old mill at the junction Of the
River road and Cabin John creek was
sold by Patrick Magruder and his
brother George to George Hunter. who
converted 1t into a paper mill 1t was
quite busy and prosperous place for
many years. There were rows of cot
tages for the employees and some Of
these are still standing. The mill was
destroyed by fire and the ruin became
landmark in that part of Montgomery
county. being called for more years
than the Rambler can count "Old Burnt
Paper Mill" or "Magruders' Folly"
When Frank Pelham Stone of Stoning-
ton bought the Samuel Brewer Ma
gruder property on the River road ana
named 1t Stoneyhurst he turned the
ruins of "Magruder's Folly into a barn
and the miller's house close by became
tenant house. One OF the fine springs
OF the Washington country flows at this
historic place. 1t gushes from solid
rock formation and little further on
fills large terra Gotta basin where
horses drink, and the overflow from
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08
Texas the Largest State i'm the Umom AS War Asset

more than $50. 200. 900 bushels, and if all
the available corn land were used it
would be more than 1000, 100000 BUSH
els. or two-thirds as much as all that
is raised in the United States when we
have big crop.
Texas has raised 100000 bushels of
oats in ayear. 1t grows something like
100000 bushels of Kafir corn and
sorghum, and it has about 100000 acres
in rice. Its rice crop is worth 100000
900 and upward, and it can easily be
doubled. The state is now going in
for peanuts. l will write in the future
of this as food crop. 1t promises to
be one Of the most profitable products
of the south. There is a girl here who
grew 1900 pounds of these nuts on
one acre. and in addition she had over
two tons of peanut hay. which is as
good as alfalfa.
The whole United States is going into
gardening this year. Texas can raise
almost any fruit and vegetable under
the sun. and she will put up enough
canned stun in 1917 to fill railroad
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

duction of mohair is 100000 pounds
per annum, and 1t is valued at a half
million dollars.
just at this time Is horses and mules.
The state has already shipped vast num-
bers to Europe and 1t still has hum
dreds Of thousands to spare. It is tho
leading mule state of the Union. hav-
Ing twice as many as Missouri, which
once held the first rank.
The Texas mule brings about So more
a head than the Missouri mule 1t is
especially desirable as a transport ami
NAL in war. and it will do its duty in
Europe. We used thousands of mules
in the Philippines during the Spanish
war. / remember taking a trip around
the islands on mule transport which
landed supplies at the different camps.
The animals were slung out from the
decks and dropped into the water, and
they swan ashore. They were easily
accl.mated, and were harnessed at once
They frightened the Filipinos, who had
never seen such large animals before.
The scare which has gone over the
country as to a scanty food supply is
binding the people as to the :mpor-
lance of the cotton crop. The Agricul-
tural Department has been urging the
farmers to diversity their crops by
raising more corn and less cotton.
Diversification is good thing, but the
COTTON crop Is very important to our
war in Europe. We need the lint to
make munitions of war and we must
have it to clothe our armies. The cot
tonseed also has become the foundation
of our dairy industry. and 1T is fast
growing to be one of our chief food
stufs as we'll Cottonseed is now
worth $40 a ton. A few years ago it
was plowed under as fertilizer or
burned as nuisance. There are now
22o cottonsced oil Vills in Texas. and
they are crushing about :. million and
half ton of seed every year. the re-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

of Congress call to his mind something
about the beginnings of the great IL
brary itself Herbert Putnam. the
librarian. in a report in 1901 said:
The Library of Congress was established by the
act Of April "a. 1900. providing for the removal
1900. The need, however. Of a collection of
books for the of Congress in connection with
the work of legislation was felt and In some
measure provided for in advance of the first
meeting of the Continental Congress in 1874.
Before the assembling of the Con-
tinental Congress, the Library Company
Of Philadelphia passed resolution,
August 81. 1774. That the librarian
furnish the gentlemen who are to meet
In Congress with the use of such books
as they may have occasion for, taking
a receipt from them" On September
6. 1874, Congress ordered that THE
thanks of Congress be returned to the
Philadelphia for their obliging order"
When the Congress was removed to
New York and sat from January II.
1855, to October 81, 1888, in the city
hall. the New York Society Library
placed its 5000 books at the service of
members of Congress. MFR. Gerry. in
The House of Representatives. on Au-
gust 6. 1889. moved that committee
be appointed to report catalogue of
books necessary for the use of Congress
with an estimate Of the expense and the
best mode of procuring them. The
resolution was tabled. Various efforts
were made to have Congress buy itself
was taken. and when the Congress
went back to Philadelphia congressman
borrowed books from the Library Com
pany. The act approved April "a, 1900.
appropriated $4,000 for the purchase Of
books and for fitting up a room for
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

up and down than almost any other
standard article of food. Can the prices
ever be stabilized and feasts and
famines ended? The question was
of the office of farm management, De-
partment of Agriculture. and the man
who will tell any landowner in the
United States what to grow, soil and
location considered. most profitably.
The potato crop can be regulate !"
he said. land without large expense to
the public. would do 1t with observ-
ers and bulletins. A start, let us sup
pose. is made in Florida. Potatoes
grown there are. Of course. perishable
and are not stored for use in the win
ter.
Il would give the acreage planted in
Florida. stating the percentage above
or below normal. and follow the plant
ing northward to Georgia. North Caro-
lima. Virginia. New Jersey. New York.
Maine. Michigan. Wisconsin, Minnesota
and the Dakotas. as the season ad-
vances. Thus. with bulletins printed in
the newspapers and farm journals.
growers Of potatoes would know. ap-
proximately. the situation south OF
them and could govern themselves ac-
cordingly.
What business needs. whether 1t is
agricultural or commercial, is informa-
ton. This year census of $4,000
farms. practically S5 per cent of all the
farms IN the state, was taken IN Two
days by the teachers and older pupils
of the public schools in New York. All
that 1t cost was the blanks on which
the reports were written"
The price of potatoes in Germany
when that empire is not attempting to
conquer the world. changes little from
season to season. The difference" DR..
Orion said. between the highest and
lowest average monthly price in Berlin
curing nve years was only 81 cents per
bushel. while the fuctuation in Chicago
during the same five years was $1.34.
Until surplus above the needs for
table purposes is produced in the Unit
Cd states and means are provided for
disposing of it at profit to the farmer
the present succession Of fat and lean
years must be expected, and until this
Is done potato-growing for market will
be speculative enterprise"
For many years Germany was getting
ready for the war that 1t began with
so much confidence and vigor in 1914
IT meant to fight with potatoes. as well
as with men and guns To this end II
gave a by-product company authority
10 tel farmers how many bushels Of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

this drinking fountain. that is wide and
deep enough for a swimming pool. con-
stitutes a little branch that ripples on
to Join Cabin John creek.
Leaving the mill and walking along
that part Of the abandoned Seven Locks
road, part Of the old highway that is
called "Persimmon road" one comes.
after walk Of half mile, within view
Of little church and big house
closely SHADED by tall trees. 1t Is Her
mon Presbyterian Church. and although
it is given the name on certain govern
ment maps as Herman Church." it was
named after Mount Hermon. the high
est mountain in Syria, which the ST.
domains called Sirion. the Amorites
"Shenir," and which to the Hebrews
was a sacred mountain. The view from
Mount Hermon looks over all Lebanon
and the plains east of Damascus and
looks out on Palestine as far as Carmel
and Tabor. The little church of Hermon
stands on as high land as there is in
that hi6h part of Montgomery county.
The house among the trees Is closely
associated with the little church. 1t is
Glen Moore. John Moore. revolu-
tionary soldier. was the first of this
branch of the Moore family to come to
America His father was a printer in
London. the kings printer: as the Ram
bier has heard the story. His son John
, evidently ran away from home and
came to America as stowaway at the
age of fourteen years.. He was eighteen
when the American revolution broke
out and he served the full seven years
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

ing imported. Texas now has large
herds of Shorthorns and Herefords,
and it is also bringing in the big
bumped bulls of India to better the
stock. The farmers are putting up
silos. They have live stock associa-
tons and they are largely increasing
the meat supply.
A big dairy industry is growing up.
The state has more than million
mich cows. 1t has over a hundred
creameries and it is now producing
something like 65,000.000 pounds of
butter a year. OF this the greater part
is used at home, and the state imports
about 35.000.00O pounds of butter as
well. With the conservation of food
stuffs and the development of indus
airy now going on these imports should
be cut off, for the butter can be raised
here at home.
We are now having famine in wool
Texas has 100000 sheep and she pro-
duces wool in 2O7 different counties.
She has almost 100000 goats, and
among them many Angoras. Her pro-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08
BY JAMES B. MORROW.

a ZEN. and they are only hand
MMl full in number, who know the
uWU astonishing story say that
SVS Lou D. Sweet made the great
est killing" of its kind on record.
Killing" is the word they use. It's
meaning will develop as the facts are
stated.
Mr. Sweet lives In Denver. He owns a
farm Of 800 acres at Carbonate.
among the mountains west of Leadville.
Potatoes for years have been his main
product. He has seed beds and prac-
tices what is known as bud selection.
No guessing is done on the Sweet farm.
There. in Colorado. the original home
Of the stripeu beetle. that instantly
switched its diet from weeds to potato
vines. when the first farmers moved in,
and. eating its way eastward, spread
itself all over the natioa-there Mr..
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

ONE roads call up SO many mem
~ cries and yield so much matter
N. for a stroller's notebook. that it
~ is desirable and profitable to pass
over them more than once. and so it
was that the Rambler travelled again
last Sunday over the Red Hill road.
short stretch of the River road. which
runs along and crosses Cabin John
creek about two miles north of the
Potomac river, and that part of the an
cient and interesting Seven Locks road
which leads from the Conduit road to
Cabin John creek.
That is a romantic region of woods.
rocks, water courses and bad roads.
The roads are so bad that the foot
traveller will surfer no disturbance from
automobiles. In this region there Is
plenty of scenery and solitude.
On Cabin John run-which. by the
way, ought to be called by It's olden and
reasonable name of Capt. Johns creek
stands big frame barn. painted red.
1t rests on heavy gray stone founda-
tons. The barn occupies the site of and
was partly built of the ruins of a IA
nous mill. mill that at one time was
the most famous in the environs of
Washington. 1t was built by Patrick
MaRruder and George Magruder. sons
of Samuel Wade Magruder of Locust
Grove his country seat in Montgomery
county, and who was a prominent figure
in the pre- and post revolutionary times
in lower Frederick and later Montgom-
cry counties When this mill was built
the Rambler does not know. but he does
know that Patrick Magruder was born
in 1853 and George Magruder in ITO.
1t Is probable that because of the ad-
vantageous site on the creek there was
an older mill at that point and that the
Magruder brothers replaced it with a
larger mill. This new mill. because of
the extravaganza of its builders in
making of 1t what might be called
the country people of that part of
Montgomery county the name. Ma
gruders, Folly" It retained that name
long after 1t became vine and foliage
tangled ruin. and even after the build,
ing of the present barn II was still
spoken Of as 'Magruders' Folly" It has
long been the habit Of the people in
the vicinity of Washington to refer to
some improvement of which they do
not approve as somebody's folly"
When a man would build house or
barn or a road or a fence which his
neighbors considered very much better
and handsomer than theirs. they were
apt to call it folly" and If the build
er of that better house or barn later
got into financial difficulties. his neigh
bors were almost certain to call his am
bilious attempts at betterment a
folly"
A part of the story of Patrick Ma
gryder ought to be interesting to the
people of Washington and Georgetown.
for he was a particularly we'll known
man and picturesque character. with
4 dash of the eccentric in his makeup.
He became a member of Congress, was
clerk Of the House of Representatives
and was the second librarian of Con-
gresA He was the librarian when the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

that popular item, of the nations daily
diet. 1t is said that from IS to 80 per
cent of the potatoes eaten in cities dur
ing winter is grown by the states of
Maine. New York. Michigan, Wisconsin.
Minnesota and North and South Da-
kota.
Farmers pillow. seed and cultivate and.
IL the season is favorable and the COM
mon diseases are governable. there Is a
large crop. Otherwise the crop is
small. Potatoes" DIR. William A. Or
ton. a plant pathologist of distinction
and the potato expert Of the govern
ment, told the writer, are believed to
have originated in the high attitudes of
southern Chile. where the summers are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

Sweet, a man of genius and persever-
ance, resolved to show his countrymen
what could be done under discouraging
circumstances