davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
LIANT A GOOD RAPE PASTURE FOR YOUR HOGST
Caps Make Hay Better

Hay caps-covers used in curing hay in cocks-give protection from rain, reduce the loss of leaves, improve the color and increase the feeding value of
 the hay. according to farmers bulie-
 tin 977, recently published by the
 United States department of agricul-
 ture. One of the strongest recon
 mendations for the use of hay caps
 is the fact that hay growers east of
 the Mississippi river. who have used
 them. are nearly always very enthu-
 siastic regarding their advantages Ths
 chief reason hay caps are not used
 more extensively. both north and south,
 according to the bulletin, is that most
 hay growers are of the opinion shat they cost too much to warrant their
 use Tn many sections, the bulletin
 adds, the reduction in the value of hay through discoloration by sun and ram in normal season amounts to as much as. or perhaps more than, the cost of enough hay caps to prevent this los.
 Hay caps are of two distinct types
 those that are entirely impervious 10
 both air and rain and those that shed
 nearly all of the rain, and at the same time allow most of the moisture laden
 air from the interior of the stack to pass through and be carried away. The caps are fastened on the hay cocks ty weights attached to each corner of the camp by heavy wire pins run through eyelets in each corner of the cap and into the hay, or by the use of strings tied to each corner of the cap and fastened together near the ground on opposite sides of the cock. Caps 1 should be put in place as soon as the | cock is made. but when there Is no | indication of rain this may be delayed
 until the following forenoon. When | the caps are not in use they should be
 erly cared for they will last several
 seasons, and can be used on three or 1 four cuttings each season
 | At the New Jersey experiment sta- | tion it was found that when some | cocks of alfalfa were covered with | cotton sheeting caps 45 inches square l and exposed to a heavy rain lasting l 24 hours, the hay was damp only two or three inches below the top. The | cocks that were not covered received
 a thorough wetting and the hay was
 more or less bleached. the stems britt l tie and the loss of leaves heavy
 Hay caps are especially valuable in curing alfalfa and clover hay which | do not dry out as readily as the l grasses Alfalfa hay must be handled constitute from 40 to 60 per cent uf
 it's weight, accor ding to, the bulletin.
 Farmers making a speciality of produce | ing choice hay for market, or feeders, such as dairymen, desiring good. pal ] atable hay free from dust will find \ that under certain conditions 1t will | pay well to cure hay in cocks, under | hay caps. when ordinary methods have been found to be unsatisfactory
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
Canning Fruit Juices
By LAURA BUFFUM

The preparation of quantities of ffdlt jellies in these days is neither helpful to- ward fool conservation or economicaI Sugar is expensive. but even if we can buy it without inconvenience, 1t IS one of the things needed for shipment to our allies The alternative offered instead of jelly making is to can fruit juices Juice from grapes, entrants, cherries, tlackbarrles, raspberries, strawoerrtes, aplums and apples make delicious bever- ,ages.. These may be put up with small quantity of sugar or with none. Write sto the national war garden commlssloh s Washington, for a free canning manual. which will be sent you upon request. A s2-cent stamp to cover postage should oe enclosed.
 {, Sound, clean fruit should be heated un- til soft lover hot water, double boiler | device is safesU. Strain through bag, soueezing the bags, or use fruit press. Inexpenslve ones for household use may be obtained and they are a great con venence.
 Pour the hot juice at once into stefi!- sized bottles-one level cupful of sugar into each gallon of juice may be first added if desired. Fill the bottles to within one inch of the top and seal loose iy with new corps, soaked one-half hour in warm soda water (one teaspoontu. soda to a quart of wateD, and dipped into clear l4iling water just before us- ing.
 Place in simmering hot water bath ana pasteurize in this for 8 minutes. Ine water should come to within an inch or tops of bottles Remove and press corNs in tight With a sharp knife cut off each cork even with the top, placing the neck of the bottle on edge of table.
 When coot dip each top of bottle lnto melted pariffin or sealing wax. Equa' parts resin and beeswax melted togeth- CT make good wax. Melt over not Wa ter. Store in a cool, dark place. The commission will gladly answer any aues- .tiorr written on one side of the paper ana sent in a self-addressed stamped eri-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
Hog Sales For Barbour

The successful hog sales held at Louis
 vile and Eufaula have attracted the at
 tention of the people of Clayton and
 Clio in Barbour county. according to J h. Watson, marketing agent of the Ala
 bama extension service. The farmers
 around these towns, seeing the higher
 prices obtained at these sales, insisted
 that they should have the same privileges
 for themselves.
 lust recently pr. Watson assisted
 County Agent R. NJ. Martin in organiz
 ing these hog sales associations in tha
 above named towns A board of direc- tors representing the farmers and busi-
 ness men of that section was elected for each association. Steps have already heen taken to put in scales and grawing
 pens so as to be ready for work when the time comes to market the hogs. Clayton and Clio are also preparing to market diversified farm produce more efficiently. Clio has already installed a city scade in charge of a bonded weigh CT, and Clayton is preparing to do the
 same at an early date. Andalusia is ex- nectinp to install the same equipment. During the past season several towns in southern Alabama particularly Ozark and Enterprise operated city scales with bonded weighers. In every case the weighing has been so Satisfactory taat huvers everywhere have been willing 10 settle according to these weights. Byl standardizing the weighing these towns have so greatly improved the marketing of diversified crops that the county agents in other parts of the state, as- sisted by the marketing service of Au- burn. are working for the same faclir ties for their own farmers
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18

Field Agent Gist issues the follow ing crop estimate for Alaabma:
 With the farms of Alabama IA per cent short of their needed labor at planting time, a shortage which nds been growing instead of diminishing, the owners and operators have made 4 supreme effort to meet the urgent need for agricultural production. How well they have met the emergency is told in the story of planted acreage which embraces the estimates of the bAreau issued today through its field agent for Alabama.
 The report. as of July 1. deals with the acreage planted to corn, peanuts. velvet beans, cowpeas, sugar cane, sorghum for syrup, sweet potatoes. Irish potatoes, Irish potatoes, th1 acreaees of cotton, hay, wheat and oats having already heretofore been announced for the present season. The following summary gives the estimated acreage planted to the crops named for 1917 and 1918 and the cont parative percentage of each. (The figures for 1917 are the latest revision by the bureauO:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18

Also crops except beans and sweet po- tatoes are above last year and also the average in prospect of yield. The cause
 is found in splendid condition of soil from winter freezes, better preparation of land. increased use of fertilizers, ex- cellent growing weather for the past two months, and the very best cultivation possible The high condition of corn more than makes up for the decreased acre. age and present prospects are for much larger production than last year. Bar ring the possible boil weevil damage. cotton should produce somewhat larger crop. Peanuts with the increased acre. age, the larger proportion planted on solid area, and the present high condi-
 tion should produce for market ano oil purposes almost a third more in the aggregate. The prospects of total pro ducton are likewise favorable for ma terial increase in all other crops except velvet beans and sorghum syrup.
 MINOR CROPS
 The prospects for the production of tho minor crops in the state are fair 10 ex- cellent. Apples and peaches arep roduc- ing the heaviest crops in years. Truck and garden vegetables have been large ly gathered and were all good. The berry crop was quite heavy. and much .of it was put away for future use. The melon crop is just coming in, and is not so good as other fruits. Pastures are still holding up to splendid graz ing.
 Altogether farm production bids fair to exceed former years 1T harvesting can be accomplished without loss. Labor is con stantly diminishing, and while cultiva- ton is being maintained, the shortage may be seriously felt at harvest time for the main crops The splendid spirit of the farmer and his allies, however. will hardly allow any material waste of his hard earned products.
 No inhabtant of this state need go hungry after the coming harvest. and a very material surplus should be avail able for the needy in other sections ana othcr countries The enemy may, and probably will, kill some of the Alabama i boys lover there but if it can be sent | across. the remainder may be well fed | from the surplus grown by those at home. Intelligent distribution following | careful harvest will give the state more than it's share of the food and feedstuffs which it's soil is now bringing forth.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
Short-Measure Container

The bureau of markets is gradually eliminating all short measure containers covered by the standard container act such as berry boxes and baskets, till baskets, and Climax or grape baskets Manufacturers are now making these In
 standard sizes and discontinuing the production of short or nonstandard pack ages, even for local use, because most of the fruits and vegetables are shipped across state lines. Local supplies Of short containers that were in stock at the time the act was passed are now almost ex- fhausted and can be used locally only where state laws do not prohibit them
 The present act is said to be but be- ginning on standardizing packages and the investigations of the bureau of mar kets show the need of standardizing, other containers such as the hamper, round baskets, and tomato carriers
 Thirty different sizes of hampers have been found between the peck and the one and one half bushel sizes, while three sizes are said to be sufficient for the legitimate demands of the trade.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
WEEVIL MAY BE POISONED

"lsh to modify my previous statement that weevils could not be poisoned We have known for long time that strong poisons would kill boil weevils if they could be induced or forced to eat them. There seemed to be no practical or eco nomical method of bringing the poison and the weevil into contact through his diet without injury to the plants. Pois- oning the weevIIs drink opens up a new theory which had mot occurred to us. Iherefore, 1 wish to modify my former statement in order that we may not con flict with higher authorities until their theories and experiments either succeed or fail.
 The method of poisoning the weevils s drinK With arsenate as explained by MT eoad appears rather expensive and may prove impractical for that reason. He estimates the cost of the poison at s1 per acre Tor each application and recom- mends Tour to five applications. If we ngure the labor necessary to make the applications, we will have total ex- pense of s6 or s7 per acre Figuring a bale to three acres, which is about the south average, we have an additiona expense necessary to the production of cotton or approximately $20 per bale VIII the expenses of producing cotton take care of this additional expense and stlil yield profit? I am inclined to think that it could only be used on in- tersively cultivated farms where large mend this remedy to the farmers yet Let the government keep it until t passes the experimental stage.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
GIST ISSUES CROP ESTIMATE

acreage 257 900 additional are growinS.
 Last year only 65 per cent of the as
 gregate area was on solid acreage,
 while this season 74 per cent ss grow
 ing alone as the main crop. This
 change of area gives a prospect of &5
 per cent in the production of nuts,
 should the average yield prove equal
 to that of last year. The southeast and
 south central counties still grow the
 bulk of this crop, S02000 being found
 in that section.
 Only slight increase in the acrea SC
 devoted to velvet beans is found. This increase is general except in the sou ,h
 central, the east central, and the mid- dle districts. The harvest of beans last
 year was not very satisfactory, owins
 to the delay in gathering and the dam
 age from early frost. The crop is still recognized as splendid cattle
 grazing and soil-building source.
 though with the scarcity of labor there
 is some hesitation in using it as a commercial production.
 The estimate of hay acreage is. of course, at this time merely tentative, and only reflects the intention of the farmer. The largest part of the hay crop comes from cowpea and peanut vines, and no certain knowledge can be available yet of the volume of either which will be turned into hay Both these hay sources. having been in- creased. the natural consequence win be an increase in the saving of hay; and there is also a disposition to save more hay from grasses and other forms | of forage. The increase is very evenig distributed throughout the state The area upon which cowpeas have | been planted is very materially ant quite generally increased over last year. large surplus of cowpea seed was on hand at planting time, the price | of which was unsatisfactory, inducing | the faHmer to plant instead of sell. This | crop is practically all grown witS corn 1 and after small grain. The distribu. | tion of the acreage between these two methods Is probably about the same as last year. 70 and Fl per cent The utilization of the crop cannot be fore | cast at this time
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18

crop acres ... 1S.159,0o0 14,344.00o lo9. Q
 The total number of blows operated last year (revised tiguresl was 379,20o, while the estimated number in opera tion this season is 37S.400. Some exten- sions of farm holdings have taken place iE western and southern Alabama coun- ties, which have a little more than off, set the losses which appear in other sec tions of the state.
 With practically the same number of blows, manned and supported with con- siderably less man labor, it is seen that l,lS5000 crop acres have been added to the statess productice area, which means an increase of per cent over last year. Of this added acreage 712,0oo are actually cultivated land. as shown in the follow ing summary which only includes those crops and parts of crops which require cultivation during their growth as main crops on the acreage covered:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
BENEFITS IN MISSISSIPPI

Benefits of tick eradication are mol cated in reports that are coming to me denartment of agriculture from Mis- sissippi, Since the quarantine was raised in December, 1917, there IS sala to have been an unprecedented lniluA of capital and purebred live stock 10 the state Thousands of pure bred eat tie and hogs have been taken tnere, and large numbers of people nave lohe from corn growing states to buy iano and establish breeding farms 10 tthe advantage of the favorable conditions for stoek raising The same reports always have followed wherever me tick has been driven out.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
OFFER TO IMPROVE BEE HIVES

aias of the Alabama State Fair. $40 to be distributed as premiums for displays in the bee kingdom.
 MRS J. A. GRAVLEE. ''2pll North Fourteenth avenue, Birming- ham. Phone Main S522.'
 The State Fair association has offered $40 in prizes for the products of the bee Kingdom, and much interest is attached to Mrs. Gravees effort to push the culture.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
SWEET POTATOES PUSHED

The increase in the acreage of sweet potatoes is fairly well distributed throughout the state
 A heavy increase is shown in the acreage devoted to Irish potatoes. the commercial acreage in the southern counties being almost trebled while the area for home consumption was evenly increased over the entire state This crop has been gathered. the pro- duction being heavy and of splendid quality The price was disappointing.
 The small grain crop has been grown and harvested. and the results heretofore announced and generally understood all thought the official estimate of produc- ton awaits results from other sections of the country
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18

operator to plant, cultivate, and har-
 vest full acreage of the crops best
 suited to his land and the needs of
 his country, than to let some of the
 land lie idle, or, at best have it pre- pared and worked poorly and the
 crops out of season.
 In farmers bulletin 9S9. Better Use
 of Man Labor on the Farm just is- sued by the United States department of agriculture photographs of actual farm scenes are printed to show that in many cases work can be doubled by the use of larger implements and greater motive power. and sometimes the gain is considerably more than that. If the nature of the work and
 the machinery for doing it are such
 that the best implements will increase the efficiency of the worker by only 30 or 75 per cent their use may make possible an increase in acreage hy just that amount and at least will enable the farmer to do his work n less time and allow him to take better advah- tage of good weather if the season is II ia
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
COMBINING TO PURCHASE

Can all farmers afford to buy extra horses and large implements to save man labor? Of course, those whose farms require but one or two hourses to do the ordinary work seldom eah afford to do so, But they can secure this additional help by combining to purchase larger machinery and dou. bling up their teams to operate it; ot one, usually more skilled in operat- ing machinery, or better able to pur. chase it. may own the larger imple- ments. and do the work for several neighbor farmers. besides his own, tt the advantage of all concerned. Botk these methods have been tried out ih many localities with overs, harvest CTS. tractors thrashing machines, and other farm machinery.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
1891 .00o. S,60S, ,o0O INTERPLANTED CROPS

The remainder of the acreage is covered
 by crops which are interplanted with
 other crops or which do not require cus-
 tivation between planting and harvest.
 To this character of crops 473,ooo acres
 have been added this year.
 The cultivation of this increased acre
 age is beinS accomplished by intensive
 blowing longer hours, less holidays, and
 by a return to active on the part of many
 farm operators who had heretofore given up active service in the field.
 only two corIs show less acrea se than last year-Corn and sorghum Tor syrup, Corn which last year became easily the leading crop of the state, stiIl occupies that position, though it
 comprises this years 145000 acres less
 land The last crop produced a con
 siderable surplus above the needs Of
 the farms, by reason of the large
 amount of supplemental feedstuffs
 grown. This sur olus in many cases
 still remains on tlte farm, there being in all sections of the state a marked
 lack of knowledge of and preparation for the marketing of this commodity. On this account the crop proved to be more or less disappointing as an 1n- come producer The present season, therefore. farmers were inclined to use other crops as commercial con- | modities In the district comprising the northeast COulltleS HI luGItdoc ol 1 5000 acres was pla nted this season; Tn the west central counties an increase of 1000 acres Is discovered; in the southwest section, where some new lands have gone into farms and a general increase in farming operations has taken place, 5000 acres have been added to corn. In the remainder of the state 229, 900 acres have been taken | from corn and given to other crops. A generally distributed decres in | the acreage of sorghum for syrup has | taken place while the area devoted ] to sugar cane has been materially in- | creased An enormous amount of sor- /, ghum syrup was made up last year, and some difficulty was experienced in disposing of it at profitable price. | consequence.
 | The extreme high price of cotton at ! planting time, the absence of serious | boil weevil damage last year, and the | long established ease of marketing the staple induced a very marked and gen I eral increase in the cotton acreage.
 PEANUT AREA INCREASED l A very material increase has been added to the peanut area, both in the aggregate planted and in the crop I grown on solid acreage. A slight re- l duction has occurred in the west l tral counties, but everywhere else the l increase is heavy. especially in the | southeast and couth central counties | In the aggregate planting 172,Oo0 acres have been added. while in the soll.l
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
MACHINERY PROFITABLE

Where the farm is large. and it is not possible to procure sufficient la bor, specialists of United States de- partment of agriculture say it is more profitable. as well as patriotic to in- stall machinery which will enable the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
PROGRESS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina progress has been rapid Eradication of the tick was taken up ac- lively in that state only in April, 1914, when the legislature provided funds for cooperation with the department or agriculture Fourteen counties had been released at that time, but the great body of the state was still tick infested. The work has been carried on steadily and systematically and has been free Of dls- turbauce and hostile agitation.
 With the eradication of the tlck Tn South Carolina new era for hve stock raising is expected to open South Caro- lima. like other southern states has ex- ceuent soil and climatic conditions for pasturing Cultivation of both plant and animal life will go hand in hand. One of the great obstacles which has pre- vented the south from feeding itself VIII have been removed from South Carolina as it will eventually from all the south- cfa4n
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
CROP CONDITIONS

The growing condition of these prnei- pal crops on the first of July is expressed in detail in the following statement showing the condition of the crops named in percentage of normal on July 1, 1918, and 1917, and the average condition for 10 years on that date:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-18
Tick Eradication Grows

Records made last year in eradication of the cattle fever tick and the release of territory from federal quarantine will soon be eclipstd. The bureau of animal industry of tie United States depart ment of agricu ture expects to win more ground from tie parasite this year than in any year since the cooperative fed eral and state campaign was started in 1906 The 1917 mark of 7o,749 square miles released from quarantine is ex- pected to be considerably bettered in 1918.
 Further than that. the tick fighters are going to smash through to the ocean. It is practically certain that all of South Carolina will be released from quaran- tine next December l. the department specialists say. South Carolina will be the first state on the Atlantic coast to entirely freed. Last year the antiticS forces drove wedge through Mississippi to the gulf. This year they hope to widen the wedge to the gulf by including Louisiana in the trick-free area. With the wedge to the gulf and the wedge to the Atlantic. the cattle fever tick will be the victim of an encircling movement. His days are numbered. By 1921 the tick fighters hope to have driven the para site permanently from American terri fory