Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, February 14, 1914, Page 12

€Written Specially For The Bulletin.) ‘Whenever you pick up the paper and vead a story of great farm prosperity, of farmers getting rich and all that sort of thing, the date line is pretty wure to be somewhere out west. It’s been so for several years; is so mow. It won’t do to dismiss all these stories as just so much western brag, either. Statistics show that western farmers are buying and using automobiles by the ten thousand. Now it might be possible for a farmer who wasn’'t mak- ing money to buy a bubble wagon by mortgaging his farm. But I think any one who has ever used one of the things will admit that no farmer could run one after he'd got it—supply it ‘with gasoline and oil and new tires and repairs,—unless he were either making money or had a surplus in bank. There are net very many Eastern fermers—real farmers I mean— who find themselves in the automobile class. Yet there are many thousand ‘western farmers who do. Why is it? Probably thers are several reasons. I don’t profess to know them all Y'm not even sure of a single one. But I've got a sort of suspicion lurking arownd in that sub-liminal conscious- ness of mine that one reason may be because the western farmer is a lit- tle more apt to wake up before he goes to work. It s a fact that a whole lot of east- ern farmers do most of their farming asleep. Oh, | don’t mean that they are physi- eally asleep and snoring. They gener_ ally have the eyes of their faces open. But too often they are either unable or afraid to open the eyes of their minds. They can seé a stump or a fence, and know when they've got to the end of one row and must begin tnother. But they aren’t wide enough awake to see the reasons for their farming. They're too sleepy to strike out for themselves along new lines of promise. Their mental eyes are closed tightly against all suggestions from others of help from outside. It’s the regulationn thing to say of & farmer that he's “awful set in his ways.” And we ourselves know, if we're honest with ourselves, that there’s too much truth in the half- sneering criticism. The average western farmer is, | think, a little more likely than his eastern colleague to open all his eyes when waking-up time comes around. When some fellow who has come upon an agricultural discovery that prom- ises better and bigger crops happens along and slaps him on the back and yells “Hey, Uncle, here's a chance to make your farm pay better,” he wakes up at least to say “Show me.”” That attitude has come to be known the world over as one belonging to “the man from, Missouri.” For instance, and as one illustration of the sort of thing I mean: They have a law out in Nebraska that, whenever a certain proportion of the farmers of any county petition the county commissioners for a“farm dem- onstrator, the said commissioners have got to hustle around and get them one, laying a special county tax to meet the WHAT DEMONSTRATORS HAVE AND MAY SHOW Volunteer Agricultural Development ’ Commission, made up mostly of bank- ers, packers, millers, railroad men, etc., who agree to pay half the expense of such a demonstrator, whenever the le_ gal number of farmers in any county will pay the other half. The machinery being thus all pre- pared, last season happened along the hardest farming summer known to the state for years. | don’t know whether the farmers of Nebraska think themselves “western- ers” or “easterners.” Reckoning on a line from New York to San Francisco, there are about as many of them east of the middle as west of it. Perhaps theyre a little of both. Anyway, they hadn’t up to last season get their eyes open enough to see the possibilities in the farm demonstrater propesition. To that extent they showed the eastern spirit. But the government, which had sensed the situation, last season pick- ed out four counties in different parts of the state and, on its own motion, sent four demonstrations into them. As has been noted, the season turned out phenomenally bad for all farm op- erations. The four counties into which the demonstrators were sent were Seward, Gage, Merrick and Thurston. When the season had ended and re- sults could be counted up it was found that just four counties in Nebraska kad done better than any others in the state, in point of total yield and actual prefit. i And those four counties were Se- ward, Gage. Merrick and Thurston. Now comes in the western spirit. No sooner had the exceptional success of the farmers in these four counties been made clear than the other farm- ers of Nebraska woke up to their op- portunity. Already the farmers of thirty-eight other counties, embracing more than half the farms and more than half the farmers of the entire state, have put in applications for farm demonstrators for the coming sum- mer. Since I've read about this move out in Nebraska, {'ve been wondering a little how such a thing would take in Connecticut. Remember that the average demon- strator is apt to be a rather youngish man. Remember, also, that he is apt to be a man with experiment station or ag- ricultural college training. Most of us have grown and griz- zled working our farms. We may not have much “book learning,” but we feel pretty well acquainted with the dirt we've worked for forty odd years. Now comes the proposal that we submit our farming operations to the direction of some fellow of half our years, a stranger to our land, and full of ““book ideas.” ‘What would be our attitude? Never mind about the Don't wa; neighbors. let’s worry ourselves over the they’d take it. How would WE i you and I? You know, just as well as | do, that we'd both feel our bristles rising at the very suggestions. But right there comes in the perti- nent inquiry whether we are farming with our bristles or with our brains. cost. There is also on that state al ‘We would resent as something akin “Against Substitutes . Imitations HORLICK'S MALTED MILK Made in the larg'ost, best equipped and sanitary Malted Milk plant in the werld We do.notmake:milk products- Skim-Milk, Cendensed Milk, etc. But che Original-Genuine HOREISK@&MALTED;M!LK - Made. frompure,¥full-cream mill GettheWell-Known Round Package HORLICKS ‘A'T kA= first to get rid of the minor and make all sufferers feel ventive of these troubles. enjoy life. For that reason Sold everywhere. 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They insure better feelings alone, Beecham’s Pills are Ta boxes, 10c., 25¢. to an insult the suggestion that some brash young fellow with his head full of theories from a college could tell us how to manage our farms bhetter than we had learned from Q:Perience. cont -minded a8 a matter of cold fact that four of these brash young chaps had enabled four other farmers to beat a bad sea- son and get better crops, despite it, than any other farmers in the coun- tryside, what then? Another pertiftent inguiry is wheth- er we are farming for results, or flnp’ly for the sake of having our own way? It may not stand to reason, as we d “reason”, that any strang- er is likely to knew better than we what to do with our farms. But suppose actual trial shows that such a stranger really does know bet- ter how to get profit off the farm than we do? Shall we forego the profit in order to maintain our dignity and cossett our good conceit of ourselves? Or shall we whack dignity and self-con- ceit into the scrap-heap, and take the extra dollars? 3 It seemis that more than half the Nebraska farmers have promptly de- cided to take help from any direction that it is offered, if only it is real and profitable help. ‘ I tell you, experience is a grand teacher. My own opinion is that it beats theory all hollow. But why in the name of all that is NEW LONDON'S WINTHROP COVE Gradually Disappearing by the Filling in Process—Changes Along the Water Front—Money Needed to Complete Re- modeling City Hall — Explanation of Expenditures Would Bring Harmony. The remains of the whaling schoon- er, Charles Colgate, the last of the new London whalers, has been for years lying on the muddy bottom of ‘Winthrop's cove, growing slowly but surely into permanent decay, so slow- ly that portions of the old hulk will be visible for the next century, a black- eve to the progress of the city unless the Municipal Art society, or some other organized body interested in the beautification of New London gets busy and causes the demolition of the eyesore. There are men of today who wonder how the dismasted old vessel reached its final resting place, for now there is barely water sufficient in the cove to float the float that came to New London from Norwich many years ago and took aboard that mini- ature of the old court house, at the head of State street, and toted it off to Norwich During the big fight in which effort was made to have Norwi the only shire town of the county,' that little court house was in a Fourth of July parade in New London and painted on the sides were these significant words: ‘Too Old To Go To Norwich.” But it went, the miniature court house, though New London and Norwich are still the shire towns. In this connection the Winthrop cove referred to is what was former- ly the water that extended from the New London Northern Railroad bridge to Mill street, yhere e stream from ‘the town mill 'pond empties into the cove. Nowadays, since the govern- ment has done dredging between the big Central Vermont pier and the water front from the old Norwich line pier in Water street to the railroad bridge, that section is refarred to in government literature as ' Winthrop cove, but was not so when the gray- haired of today had knowledge of lo- calities in that seection. Winthrop cove is being fast filled in and encroached upon by a utting owners who evidently claim riparian rights, as the late John Bishop used to guote so frequently in town meeting. If this filling process continues as rapid in the next half century as it has in the past, Winthrep cove will be among the coves that was and is no more. Bven now above the Crystal avenue bridge the only water is the brook through which the water from the mill pond empties and the occa- sional blending with salt water at extraordinary high tides. In the =pace enclosed by that bridge vessels of considerable size have been built and launched, and not away back in the revolutionary period at that. William Miller, the father of Cap- tain William Miller, the well known yacht master, built schooners there that were engaged In the coasting trade, and the present Captain Miller as a young man, wielded the broad axe and helped“at ship building. In the section now enclosed between the Crysta] avenue and the raliroad bridges was one of the busiest mari- time sections along the entire water front. On the west side, and not far from the rotting hulk of the Colgate, was a ship vard of considerable proportion. Here many coasting ves- sels were built a8 were also some of the most noted of schooner yachts, in- cluding the Rambler and the Calypso; and many vachts made the cove their winter quarters. . , On the opposite side of the cove, just inside the rairoad bridge was a coal yard where coal carrying vessels discharged large cargoes. Just above was the big manufacturing plant of the Albertson and Douglass company at whose wharf large steamboats, such as the City of Boston and the City of New York, of the Norwich line, received boilers and engines and were overhauled and repaired. A short dis- tance bevond, at and near the ap- proach from Main street to the pres- ent Crystal avenue bdridge, on what was known as the Mather property, was another large shipbuilding plant. This is only to show that the waters of Winthrop cove was of great benefit to thriving New London industries, but this gradual filling in Process, making land of private ownership, has tended to lessen the facilities of new London for manufacturing pur- poses. The industries that once bord- ered Winthrop cove can never be re- vived, owing to lack of water facili- ties. But the Colgate eyesore will probably be permitted to remain, for- ever, or until the last born babe of the present year reaches its centen- nial anniversary. There sure have been changes that are not in the line of progress on the shores of Winthrop cove. Going back to whaling days, note the changed conditions that have come to the wat- | erside of Water street, then the bus- lest section of the whole city, now al- most abandoned. When the men of rofitable should T insist or you in- fm that all the experience that is worth anything to us is Just that which we have ourselves picked up? Aren’t there about eleven milllon oth- er farmers farming and finding ex- perience? ' Arem't they likely, as an eleven-milllon bumch, to accumulate somfewhat larger and more varjed stock than has got under my hat-brim or yours? And if comes tions into a sort of nee, isn't it, after all, within the bounds of possibility that heimay be able to give useful pointers,‘even to us Wise Men of the East? 2 It seems that the Nebraska farmers weren't enthusiastic over the plan un- til a year's field test of?it under ad- verse conditions had proven its practi- cality. Probably we of the east will have to go through a similar ceurse. Has anybody thought of making a start in that genéral-direction? Now that a soil survey has been made of New London county, affording a basis to work from, why mightn't it be a good thing to see if the government couldn’t be induced to send a demon- strator here, to try for a year and see what he could accomplish? Of cour: such fammers as are already doing ai well as they want to needn’t seek or accept his advice. But I fancy there must be some who, are not fully real- jzing their utmost ambition in the way of crops and profits. They ought to be willing at least to “take a chance.” . THE FARMER. e - v N § whaling business of Willlams and Haven and the Coit lumber and Coal plant, now the plant of the gas and electric light company and the New England Carpet Lining company. Then came a couple of dwelling houses, a store, the large marble yard of James Lyman, a dwelllng house, two black- smith shops, a block yand spar yard, the large boat building ‘plant of Shar- ach Reeves andthe Hobron coal yard All this ter section is now idle, fenced in by the Central Vermont Railroad company, except the freight house of accommodation. So it will be readily seen that the changed conditions of Water street do not indicate increased business in- dustry. This same comparison might be carried on along the entire water front. It serves to show that the nat- ural advantages of New London har- bor have not been taken advantage of, and that business, the manufacturing establishments, are not located on the water front especially in the section of “the city here mentioned Since the abandonment of the shores of Winthrop cove for manu- facturing purposes, since the passage of those good ld whaling days, New London has more than trebled in population and increased ons hundred fold and more in real progress, in- fluence and importance, and has de- veloped from a whaling station into a real live city and is still on the grow, with prospects brighter than ever. The city has outgrown its old city hall and is now building, and has been for the past two years, a magnificent municipal building, the term city hall having been cast into the debris of old New London. That municipal ' build- ing, if it will be really worth what it will cost, will be a fine building even for progressive New England. It will cost three times more than the orig- inal estimate, so much that some of the people, just a few, perhaps, are developing into full fledged Missouri- ans and want to be shown. In fact the query has been made as to expenditures, and official reply was made by explanation that did not explain. Figures were printed to show that certain amounts of money had been paid te the centracter, paid by reason of payroil and the like, tend- ing to show that cash in large sums had been pald out by the city treasur- er on account of the building and in the regular wawm. That point was patent to everybody. The momney could not be paid out in any other way. There are some busy-body tax payers who wanted to knew what the money had been paild for, so as to judge whether the people’s money was being Jjudiciously expended, and that the tax payers have the right to know, for they are to the city what stockholders are to a big corporation. The committee and the court of common council, too, biundered In call- ing a city meeting far the purpose of issuing bonds to the amount of $72,000 for the completion of the bullding, under that home rule law, and the meeting was called off. Subsequently the court of common council renewed the vote recommending the appropri- ation of that sum of moneyv for the purpose, and the city meeting to be called will act on the renewed propo- sition. It is planned to have the money appropriated, the specified tax laid, and all the legal details carried out, but there is no intention to in- crease the tax rate by reason of this appropriation. Should the appropriation be made, and under the circumstances it should be, only such sums of money as are actually needed will be hired from time to time, until the next session of the legislature convenes and then au- thority to issue bonds to meet the ex- pense will ‘be given the city, and the interest wil be met without special appropriation. As the tax would not be due until next July, or after the bonds are issued no special tax would be collected. That is the way the matter was explained in the court of common council when unanimous vote prevailed in faver of the appropriation of $72,000. The municipal building is so far advanced that its completion is ab- solutely necessary, and the city meet- ing should approve of the ecouncil's action in that particular. Just the same the city meeting is the proper place for the committee to prove its efficiency $100,000, before spending $72 of the people’'s money. The committes should render to the taxpayers an ac- | count of thelr stewardship. The per- sonnel of the committee, as a whole, is beyond reproach, and it is well that it 1s so. Just a little explanatiom, even a skeleton report of what has been done and how it long way towards a harmony and sat- isfying a city meeting. There is no doubt but the sum specified is required to carry to completion the municipal building, as planned, and that sum this time, new past midddie age, knew Water street, it was business from one end to the other, so much so that car- goes from vessels could not be accem- odated en the wharves and lined the Street, At the upper end was the wharf of the New Londen and New York line of pvopellors, where practic- ally all the freight from the metrepo- Us was landed and where there was always a return cargo. This site is new unused except for a small fish market. Next was the Darrow coal and cement plant, now vacant. Then the old woelen mill, now silent. Next the Williams and Barnes whaling wharf and the Badet coal and lumber plant. now occupied by the old Bish- op plant and used for storage pur- poses. Next came ‘the - extensive should be appropriated at the coming ‘city meeting, and it prebably will be, and without question. if the whole matter is properly explained. It would never do to suspend the work on that building in ils present stage of con- struction. The demecrats have a majerity in the court of common council and in the (Centinued on Page Fifteen) Children Cry FOR FLETCKER'S CASTORIA in the expenditure of over ! 000 more | has been done, will go a SPECIAL SCENERY Powerful 2-Reel Mon., Tfie-., Wed. MARION KAY Comedienne ~ THE LIE MIKE AND JAKE—LIVE CLOSE TO NATURE—JOKER COMEDY TODAY—FINE VAUDEVILLE AND PICTURES VADDAR & MIRGON “A Cry at Midnight” OUR MUTUAL GIRL Colonial MATINEE 50 AUDITORIU 5--BEAR COMEDIANS--5 WITH PAULINE Live N Majestic Drama I Keystone CHARLES McNULTY, Mgr. FEBRUARY 16, 17, 18 HELLOTT'S COMEDY BEARS DAN COLLINS The H = 2 REEL GOLD SEAL FEATURE Theatre REAL LIVE TEDDY BEARS GLASGO & WALKER Wire Comedians 3rd REEL OF THE GREAT SERIAL PHOTO-PLAY 1 Comedy EVENINGS 100 2000 Ft.—“An Unseen Terror,” 2-Reel Kalem—2000 Ft. Alice Joyce and Tom Moore in a Powerful Drama HE BLINDED HEART". HE CONQUEROR” “QUANTRELLE’S SON” Hear the Wasser: Featuring Mr. . Exceptional .eriminate The Toggery Shop 291 MAIN STREET Correct Wear for Men The first purpose of this shop is te offer an alternative to men who dis- between following after current fashions, and dress as a means of distinctive per- sonal -expression, Everything in fashionable accesories to Men’s Dress for Town, Country, Motor- ing or Sporting wear. JAS. C. MACPHERSON Norwich, Conn. Electrical Contractors FRIDA FIRST TI LOUISA ™M dress as a mere One Solid Ye: Prices Yo 2 Mail Orders MAT. EVE. The Success of the Century WILLIAM A. BRADY Presents World Famous Classic LITTLE WOMEN Original New York Co. That Played House, New Mat. 25, Seats on Sale Wednesday at 10 a. m. . Arthur Johnson ly Strong Feature .Sterling Vitagraph Attraction Photo-Orchestr: Today FEB. 20th ME HERE . ALCOTT'S ar at the Play York 50, 75, $1 35,50, 75, $1, $1.50 Attended To THE NORWICH ELECTRIC CO0. 100 Franklin Street Electrical Supplies Mazda Tungsten Lamps Let Flowers be your Valentine WE ARE HEADQUARTERS FOR EVERYTHING REUTER’S, Phone 1184 NOVEL IN OUR LINE A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR VALENTINES CORSAGE BOUQUETS of Violets, Lillies of the Val- ley, Gardenias, Etc., in heart shaped hampers. BASKETS filled with flowers and plants appropriate for the day. Cut Flowers, Roses, Carnations, Sweet Peas, Tulips, Jonquills, Etc., in Fancy Boxes Delivered to any address $1.0 Bulletin Building, HOT AZR — SAND TRAY Special Valentine Boxes of Flowers for Saturday Leading Florists 140 MAIN STREET Agents for PRAIRIE STATE INCUBATORS 60 Egg Kéystone ... . ... ki . o5i.. $1050 100 Egg Keystone ..........cvusoweuas $13.50 HOVERS — GRIT BOXES — FOUNTAINS — LEG BANDS — FOOD HOPPERS Poultry Netting Call and see Pittsburgh Electrically Welded Square Mesh THE HOUSEHOLD 74 Franklin Street DR. . W. HOLMS, Dentis! Shannon Building Annex, Room A. TFelcphone 623. Whitestone octlod . | J. F. CONANT, 11 Franklin 8t bc and the J. Cigars are the best on the F. C. 10e