The Pensacola journal., 1917-08-07

Editor Pensacola Journal:
You doubtless remember that in
the early spring when all foodstruffs
had advanced to fax Gus prices, ana
the high cost of living bid fair to
take still further aviation flights, an
editorial appeared in the columns Of
your paper requesting every one ire
spective of age, size, sex, race or
color to 'do his bit" by planting
small area in corn, peas, potatoes and
vegetables, thereby insuring an extra
supply of commodities for nome con-
sumption which should be exempt
from expectation and at the same
time immune from the prices fixed
by wholesale and retail dealers.
AS a good citizen and one desirous
of showing his patriotism, your hum
Bile servant straightly resolved to "do
his bit" by preparing a small plot Of
ground, 45x121 feet (one-eighth of an
acre) which he felt was as much as
he could cultivate with hoe and gar
den plow, being already handicapped
with the burden of eighty summers.
This, resolution becoming known to
a hberal-hearted friend, a bag of
commercial fertilizer, 200 pounds in
weight, was gratuitously donated by
him as a recognition of your laudable
efforts towards relieving the scarcity
of provisions, and in furnishing a
medium supply for home consump-
tion.
Now, Mr., Editor, this communica-
ton is not prompted by a vain desire
to see my name once more in print
nor is it an evidence that I have ex-
| perienced a fresh attack of cacoethes
scribendio. On the contrary, it is
! submitted under protest, for no one
is more cognizant of the fact than
that l have already reached the
stage in life when memory becomes
| treacherous, when coherency OF
thought is interrupted and when ade-
quate words fail to respond to ideas
in word. l recognize the fact, la;
mentable though it be, that I am one
| of the "has beens." This is nothing
more than a humorous conversation
which occurred between a neighbor.
! ing farmer and myself concerning the
modern methods of agriculture anC
which at the request of many friends
to whom l repeated it, that l tender
it for your consideration. Should il
! appear frivolous and undignified tC
your many intelligent readers, remind
them that
"a little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men,"
| But to resume:
Ny little plot of ground was pre-
pared and planted in corn, peas anc
vegetables, but no provision wa:
made for potatoes, the same, botl
seed and eating potatoes, having
been consumed when hard times came
knocking vigorously at my door. The
cCrn especially took on a vigorou:
growth, and at the proper stage be
gan to shoot like the advanced post:
on the picket line, and bid fair tc
yield in due season good return IN
delicious roasting ears" But all oul
plans are often blasted by some un'
foreseen disaster. In the latter part
of June a storm laid flat on the
ground every stalk of corn. My fer
tilizer rad already been assimilateC
by the soil and could not be reclaim
ed. I had expended too much labor
on my little farm to let it go by de
fault So I resolved that l woulC
with hoe straighten the stalks, anC
with a mound of earth some twelve
inches in height, reinforce the root!
and hold them permanently in an up
right position. After a period of hare
work, at length saw my little patel