The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
Exasgerntion-FoolIns Ourselves.

 bug does about a billion dollars worth tf damage annually to crops, and another profound student of en- tomotogy will gravely assert that the caterpillar does another billion dol lars worth of damage; another learned professor will assert that the ravages through the cutworm will exceed a billion. dollars per annum and we new have profound thinkers who assert with a militant degree of positiveness that the bean beetle is doing another billion dollars worth or damage. One distinguished. learn ed doctor, asserts positively that the aphides-in other words, lice-do an annual damage in the United States to the extent Of five billion dollars. Another learned authority asserts that the damage to wheat by ths grain moth, in the state of Pennsylvania alone, amounts to considerably more than three mil lions of dollars. Another obscure professor in northern college makes a statement that the damage wrought by the doodle bug runs far into the millions. Another bunch of researchers claim that field mice and woods rats contributes loss of more than a billion dollars to American agriculture. Even the lowly sweet potato comes in for an official scoring, and it is now claimed by the wise ones that the damage being done to the southern sweet potato crops through the activity or the sweet potato weevil runs well up into the millions. He is doubtless too modest tC set definite figure, but the indications are that he has visions of losses very much over one hundred million dollars. One wise savant has recently stated that the earth worms, which we are prone to dig prior to fishing trips, does an annual damage to potted plants ex- ceeding ten million dollars. The lowly grubworm is supposed to de- stroy more than one million dollars worth of strawberries annually.
 These remarks must not be con- strued as eXtrava ganda, but are merely reproductions of the honest to-goodness opinions of certain scien- tific men, whC feel called upon to express their opinions, and who ex- pect the public to accept them as matters of fact.
 There is no purpose in this article to criticize scientific data, and cer- tainly no purpose to discredit any thing promulgated by our agricul- tural departments, because fortun- ately, our national agricultural de- partments and our various eXperl- ment stations dc not promulgate any information, or sponsor any, except it has been proven by actual ex- perience.
 Anyone reading the varied agri- cultural bunk published should be careful to note from what source it emanates, and if it happens to be from the government or any ether related or affiliated organization there can be faith placed in state ments made, but If the various state ments in print are simply the opinion of some individual that has no basis or foundation derived from actual eX- perirnents, it should have nc impress sion on the average intelligent mind'
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 More About Fall Gardens.
 A lot of folks were too lazy to make a spring garden, while others did not have the opportunity, and some others, owing to excessive rains since the first of January, could not really plant anything. From all Of these sources comes insistent inquiry to The Age-Herald seeking infGrma- tion about planting fall garden. It would seem that some people imagine that it Is really necessary to walt until some set time before planting anything for fall and winter use. It ought to be understood that many vegetables that occupy the spring garden and are available at the present time for the table, can be grown as late summer and fall crop. For example, such vegetables as beans, beets, carrots, cabbage, corn, cucumbers, squashes, to- matoes, etc., can be planted any time during the summer and come up as late as August. The truth about the matter is, that a succession of plant ings of the early spring vegetable should be practiced to insure suc- cessful fall garden. When fall gar den is mentioned large percentage of people think of nothing but tur- nps and collards, when, as matter of fact, the fall garden should con tain practically everything that the spring and summer garden contains, and some very excellent vegetables actually do better in the fall than in the spring and summer-
 People in the latitude of Birming- ham and south of here should under stand that there is rarely any frost to occur to injure fall gardens be- fore December and. IS matter of fact. last year there was no frost to speak of until after Christmas and we'll into the late winter months. The main factor for the success of the fall garden is thorough cultivation, preceded by adequate preparation. Generally speaking, during the fall months, the weather is hot, the rain fall greatly reduced and 1t becomes necessary to conserve what moisture n l. plants alive. There is always diffi- culty, of course, in getting seed tG serminate and make start during the hot, dry period, yet if the soil is adequately prepared and properly filled. one can succeed in not only getting seed up, but growing splen- did crops of the much needed vege- tables. So the writer can only say to the numerous inquiries about making fall gardens to gG ahead and make successions of plantings already undertaken, and where spring gardens have not been made, to prepare ground thoroughly, go ahead and plant anything you may want. as there is yet plenty of time in this climate to produce any vegetable you may desire.
 More About Late Corn.
 There is an insistent inquiry to The Herald, the burden of which Is the question, "Is 1t too late to plant seed corn now?" These in- ouiries have come about for the req son that during the ordinary months in Alabama for planting seed corn; namely, April and May, the rains have been persistent, making it im- possible to prepare the ground for corn crops The purpose of this short arIcle Is to point out some facts regarding the production of corn in the south, which should be a reasonably safe guide to go by.
 Many corn growers will read a description of a variety which may .4ata that if will renuire a hundred