Southern Illinois Record

              The Southern Ilunois Record
A  Good  Newspaper  is a  Power  in   the  lionie,  Sch(M>l.  State  and  Nation
VOLUME V.
FLORA. ILLINOIS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1917
NUMBERS
NAKES $30 LAND
WORTH $200
Dr.  Hopkins Has   Done This in
Narion County.     It Can b«
Done in Clay County
Not many years ago a strange man and by the way a very wise man as well, came into Marion county seek¬ ing to buy a farm, and ills require- ments were so strict and peculiar in [ tiielr nature tliat for once every real estate man was baffled and found himself confronted witli a mtglity ugly situation. For tlie tirst time in 4ilieir lives tliey could not tind a talk¬ ing point in favor of tlie farms they desired to sell. One would say that •ice would freeze in tiie streams in Marion county in .luly before our real 'estate men, wiio are always on ttie alert, would have their hands called in this wajT The ice is not yet frozen and they sure were called, good and proper.
Tills man was no other than Prof. Cyril G. Hopkins, wiio at tliat time, 14 years ago, and is today tiie instruc¬ tor in agriculture at the State Uni¬ versity at Ciiarapaign, 111., and Is said to be one of tiie brainest men in tiie United States In agriculture, soil an¬ alysis and treatment. He miglit well be called a doctor of the soil for in tills line lie has possibly not a peer dn the wide world. His reijuirements In looking for a farm was tiiat he wanted tlie p^mrest farm in Marion ¦ county. Tiiat Is, tlie farm on wliich there was tlie least coating of soil.
It was liard for the real estate men to adapt themselves to these reijuire- ments and each according to the old rule, tried to talk tlie good ijuallties, etc. Mr. Hopkins tinally bjught wliat was then the Telford farm in Tonti township wiiicli certainly met tiie re¬ cjuirements. Dr. Hopkins named it "Poorland Farm."
Now we come to the point shortly. He bought tills farm of ;}00 acres 14 years ago and began the treatment of a part of it witli limestone, about two tons to the acre and some pliospiiorus, using practically tiie following six year crop rotation: 1st year corn: 2nd oats and seed to clover, leave clover one year, turn under and sow wheat; Sth year clover and sixth yei."- wheat. The lime and piiosporus ana*iegume crops have worked wonders on the productiveness of the soil on "Poor- land Farm ". To make a long story siiort witliin tlie last 14 years the average treatment of an acre of this land iias cost iess than «25 per acre, or less tiian S2.i»U per acre per year.
Now get tills comparison—tills year on the small tield wlilcli he lias never treated made a yield of '; busliels of wiieat per acre, wiiile tiie tields wiiicii he treated with lime and piiosporus and crop rotation, yielded him wiieat, one forty acre tield 37 busliels per acre, and the otlier tields alwut the same number of busliels. The dif- rerence in bushels was :v.) and at tlie pr>ce of say *2 per busiiel liis increase this year in money was W) per acre, to say notliing of an increase last year of atxiut tlie same auiount and a correspondingly less increase as tiie years date back fo tlie tirst year of the treatment. Mr. Hopkins does not make the experiment In garden plots, but on his big farm, in forty acre tields, and anyone who lias ever vis¬ ited Ills farm in tlie summer or har¬ vest time will see a revelation in crop production. His corn this year will run around H) bushels to tiie acre. ^is wiieat atxiut 36 busliels, his ttme- ^hy hay about 3X ton per acre, and jfiiis big Held of early oats run over 'i.5 F bushels per acre. In other words Dr. ° iloplcins has come dowo here into Marlon county and demonstrated tliat by (pending t'2^ per acre on tills land stretclied over a period of 14 years, that one wiio does this will liave farm land right here that produces eijulv- 4lent to any t200 an acre land.
The crops produced on the Hopkins farm for tiie last few years under hissoti treatment, will compare fav¬ orably witii tiiose on S'JUO an acre land any where. Get tlie point, he only spent 125 an acre on the average, ' bouglit tlie land In the beginning for about t30 per acre and now has a farm that is, putting it low, worth tlSOper acre. 1;^ And all the Ume h« has been get-
^       ting a big return on this little amount )       of money tie spent in soil   treatment i'       every year, in bigger crops.    We have Ylaited the Hopkins farm a number of time* and there can be no doubt  but tlie farmers of tills  county,  all who [       try and stick to tlie text can get  the I'       aame results as Dr. Hopkins ha^ got¬ ten.   There are four tilings tiiat   will operate greatly in   putting Southern
Illinois and Marlon county to the front: more and lietter cattle and stock of all kinds, tlie silos, dairy farming and last but most important of them all. soil treatment.
Wlien alman of tlie prominence of Dr. Hopkins will come Into this coun¬ ty and do wiiat he lias done for the purpose of showing the farmers of this county what can be done. It would seem that the farmer who desires bet¬ ter conditions would make a trip to tlie above farm and see wiiat they are doing and liow they do it. There can be no doubt but limestone and legume crops is wiiat the soil of tills county needs, and it is up to tlie farmers to not lag beliind in tlie onward marcii of progress. It is up to us to roll up our sleeves and give the soli tiie medi¬ cine it needs, and get this soil where it will produce and grow great crops. We are not doing our duty to our¬ selves and are certainly not treating tlie coming generation fairly if we take away tlie last vistage of soil and turn these vast acres over to tiiem unproductive and worthless. On the other hand it is our duty to turn these acres over to tlie coming generation better tlian we found it, and tills can be done and will be done In time by the trail that has been blazed by Dr. Hopkins and according to tlie above suggestions. Let us n6t leave it for our cliildren to do, but rather get busy and do It now and reap a part of ttie lienelits wittiin the next few years.
if you liaven't got ttie money with wliich to purcliase limestone, call on your banker: lie knows the value of its application and will gladly loan you the money.—Salem Republican.
Camp Taylor, Ky.
Dear Editor:-We have tiad a touch ot winter In tiie past few days. Last Friday morning we were greeted by a sleet when we fell out to setting up drill. The weather is more pleasant to day.
My father, E. F. Malinsky and brotlier, Aria, visited Camp Taylor last Sunday. They thought tliey would like to stay.
Raymond Gibson's wife visited here last Saturday and Sunday.
We received our second "sliof last Monday. All tiie txiys stood it fine. We had to take care of our arms for a day or so, but we are all O. K. now, good for anotlier one wiilch will come in about four days. This will ba our last one. These "shots" will entirely eliminate Camp Taylor of typhoid, it is said.
Rudolpli llilderbrand, wtio we all thought would always tie just a com¬ mon private, has been appointed to select horses for the 3;{4tli Regiment. He told us tliat King Ullom taugiit tlim tiie trick.
All tlie boys are well and getting along tine.
Tiie Record is always welcomed by tlie Clay County boys at the Camp, and Is read until it's worn out
Floy Malimsky.
P. S.-:-No transfers iiave been made among tlie boys this week.
Business Change
Tlie Flora Cleaning and Dyeing Company,with W. A. and J. L. Bright as managers, have secured a lease from tlie Steam Laundry for thfe use of a part of Its tloor space, and on Tuesday of this week opened for busi¬ ness witii J. L. Bright as sales man ager. W. A. Bright will remain wltii V. O. Suggett until Nov. 1, when he will become an active member of the new tirm. Tiiese gentlemen have al¬ ready arranged to secure the best up- to-date equipment, and as they are favorattly known in Flora for lionest and ellicient work, tliey will, witliout doubt, succeed in their present en¬ terprise.
Exemption Board Work
The Local Exemption Board, at its call session on Monday, examined the proof OtTered by twelve of tiie drafted men. each one of whom had claimed exemptions because of dependants. These men were Roy H. Cook, Wm. E. Hall and Geo. T. Colborn of Bible Grove. Fred Boyce. Alley A. Win¬ chester. Robert E. Smith and Earl S. Fender of Edgewood. Chester Miner of Sailor Springs. Wm. R. Newby and Marvin Brooks of Louisville. Frenzel Humphrey of Xenla, and Floyd Col¬ elasure of lola. A discharge was grunted In each case.
Last week the claims of Raymond Gilison of Flora, Charles Lindsey of Clay City. Owen Hasler of Noble and Adolph Rudolpli of Waketield were re-opened, and upon a showing of furtlier evidence of dependence, tliey were discharged. These boys had been accepted aqd were sent to Camp Taylor with the -second contingent from this county. They will now be permitted to return to their homes within a sliort time.
The applications of Harry Nugent of l-'lora and George Poelilerof Mason iiave lieen passed upon and disctiarges liave tieen granted.
On Monday, also, the applications of Robert .letfries and Harold Hogan of Flora were passed upon, and both were discharged.
The application of George Quinn fur a discharge on industrial grounds is still pending before tiie District Board.
The Local Board now liave forty- one raen certitied for service wlio liave claimed no exemption, a suf- ticlent number to till the county's quota of 10' men under tiie tirst call for service.
Women Getting Ready to Register
Tlie work of organization and prep¬ aration for tiie great struggle tiie nation is now engaged in proceeds steadily, and Ciay County is not lag¬ ging. Complying wltii Governor Lowden's proclamation, published elsewhere In this paper. Miss Jessie SpaHord, chairman of the co-ordina¬ tion committee, Woman's Committee of Council of National Defense, has appointed Mrs. Karl Pritchett of this city, ciiairman for Clay County.
Mrs. Prltcliett's work Is to bring to the women of this county tiie import¬ ance of registration, and to organize in each townsliip a unit for tlie Na¬ tional Defense, and accordingly the Flora unit has been organized witli Mrs. R. S. Jones as ciiairman for Harter Tp.; Xenia has been organiz- •«d wltli Mrs. C. F. Haug as chair¬ man, and Louisville with Mrs. Henry Hord as ciiairman. Tlie remaining townsiiips will be organized as rapidly as possible. I IWatch the papers for registration place in your townsliip, and let every woman register during the week lie¬ glnnlng Nov. 5. Do It for your country's sake.
He Blew His Whistle
Charlie Chaplin
The old adage "Laugh and the world laugiis witii you, weep and you weep alone,''does not apply tliese days when so many are sad and all are thoughtful. But we must laugli sometimes or reason will be en¬ dangered. Charlie Chaplin In "Tlie Count" Monday exactly tills the bill. You will laugh, and Tuesday's task will be lighter.
ABewUMm Girl
LttlisnGlBt Isone of the sweetest most appealing actresses in pictures. In the romance uf a southern girl she is dearer than ever. See tier in the Fine Arts Triangle production at the Opera Saturday.
k
Miss Kate Peeples cama up from Sliawneetown Monday and will visit with relatives in this city for several days.
In response to a call for every en¬ gineer on tlie Illinois line ot the B. & O. Ry. to blow his wliistie at 2:2