The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-28
BUY SEEDS AT HOME AND GET IN AN EARLY GARDEN
Wade's Letter

Present indications are that springtime is breaking upon us nearly month earlier than usual When the warm days come, birds begin to sing and trees begin to bud, people get restless and want to plant their crops. This is a time when planting seed are very high and scarce. There is not enough seed in existence to plant all the crops a second time. When a considerable percentage of stands are lost, large quantity of food is wasted for the nation and much money value is lost. Farmers should use good judg- ment and plant only the hardest crops early and arrange to protect such crops as are easily injured by frost or freezes, both of which are almost sure to come. Gardens may be planted and sweet po- tatoes bedded. Covering should be pro- vided for potato beds, beans and other tender plants that usually succumb to cold. Corn may be planted at any time hereafter, as it will spring again after being bitten down by frost. It can only be destroyed by freezing to the depth of the germ. Orchards have already spring to the danger point, Wood should be distributed at convenient places throughout the orchards and everything made ready for keeping the temperature up with fires in case of damaging wealth er Without such precaution, the fruit crop is in serious danger of being lost.
 Cotton should be planted in south Ala bama up to Montgomery from March 20 to April 10, central Alabama between Montgomery and Birmingham from April 1 to April %, and from Birmingham north April 15 to May 1. Velvet beans and peanuts should be planted in the month of May.
 The shortage in farm labor is one of the nations greatest problems. Meetings of public officials have been and are still being held. Many Be 1t resolved" and eWhereases are being offered, but so far no one has offered a practical pub lie solution to the question. One of the latest plans offered is for the govern ment to allow the farmer boys who have been drafted to return to their homes to make a crop and then report for ser- vice abroad in the summer. This plan is without logic to begin with. It is impossible to give men military training when they stand one in a hill behind a blow or hoe handles. They would be poor subjects for fighting Boches, if trained under any such system. The number of farm laborers in the army is small compared to those in the ship. yards nitrate plants, intuition plants, la. borers at cantonments, and all other pub. lie works where high wages are being paid These industries are necessary and must go on, hence no remedy there
 In our opinion, the labor problem can only be solved by the boys and girls. patriotic women, gentlemen of leisure, old men and retired men going vigorous ly to work on the farms and gardens Every habitually idle man or boy phys ically capable of service should be forced to produce something or be declared yagrant and be dealt with as such re. gardless of his means of support. We do not need any drones now. We need the Capt John Smith plan and back iteup- work or stop eating. Are you a producer or a parasite? Your conscience will an. swer and the world will know your an- swer by the fruits of your labor.
 J. A. WADE, Commissioner of Agriculture and Indus-
 tries.