The Cambria Daily Leader

SUNDAY SERVICES. PrsacHsrs in Swansea I To-morrow. Sexage.-I,ma Sunday. BAPTIST. I Tabernacle Chapel.—11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m, Preacher: Mrs. R. J. Willoughby. 2.45. Bible Classes i»nd Sunday School. Mr. W. Hughes will conduct Men's Bible Class. Mount Zion Church.-M¿ming at 11: Rev. R. S. Rogers (Capel Gomer); Evening at (i.30: Rev. E. Worthing (Pastor). Sunday School & Bible Classes 2.45. Parlyswydr Church.—11 and G.30 p.m. Preaeher: Rev. A. Beynon Phillips. Evening Subject: The God Who Keeps His Word." St. Helen's Church, Madoc-street—11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. J. W. Causton. Sunday School at 2.45. Mount Calvary, Manselton.—Preacher at 11 a.m. and G p.m.: Rev. James Owen (Swahsea). Mount Pleasant Chapel, Swansea.—11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. C. E. Stone, (Cheltenham). Memorial Church, Walter-road.—11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. R. J. Willoughby. "School at 2.15 p.m. CONGREGATIONAL. Manselton English Church, Manselton-rd. -11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. W. Dyfodwg Davies (Morriston). Sunday School & Bible Classes at 2.30. St. Paul's Church.—Preachers: Morning at 11. Rev. J. Gilbert Rees; Evening at (5.30, Rev. J. Matthews. St. Helen's-road Chu.-ch,-Il a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. Thos. Sinclair Evans (Pastor).. Carmarthen-road Church.—11 a.m., Rev. J. Phillips (Pastor). Sunday School at 2.30. CALVINISTIC METHCDIST. Rhyddingo Park Chapel, Ilhyddings Park- rt)a,Il a.m. and 0.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. Arthur Hughes, B.A. (Carmar- then). Alexandra-road Chape!.—11 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. Preacher: nùv. J. 11. Owen (Pastor). Sunday .School at 2.30 p.m. Terracs-road Church.—11 a.m. and (5.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. W. W. Lewis. Sunday School at 2.15 p.m. CHPilSTADF-LPHIAN. Christcdclphian Meeting Rocm, St. p.m. Subject: "The Three Eras," by Mr. J. Williams PRESBYTERIAN. St. Andrew's Church, Str. Helen's-road.— 11 a.m. and G.30 p.m.. Preacher: Rev. R. Greenshields, M.A., B.D. (Pastor). THE FORWARD MOVEMENT. Central Hail, O.-cliard-Etrect.-Il a.m. and 6.30 p.m., Rev. W. Watkin Williams. Sunday School at 2.15. UNITED METHODIST. Oxford-street Church.—11 a.m.. Rev John Ninnis; G.30 p.m.. Lccture on National Problems by the Rev. F. Sparrow. Subject: "The City with God Left Out." Communion. Visitors Hear- tily Welcome. WELSH BAPTIST. Cape! Goi-er.Nior.,iiii- at 11: Rev. W. Eiulyn Morgan (Sketty); Evening at 6.30: Rev. R. S. Rogers, B.A. (Pastor). Sunday School in the Afternoon at 2.45. Bethosda, Abertawe.—Pregethwyr: 11, Parch. D. Price (Gwcinidog); G.30, Parch. E. Ilormas Evans (Libanus). Ysgol 2.30. WELSH CONGREGATIONAL. Eglwys Annibynol Henrietta.—Oedfaon 11 a G.30. Parch. D. Eurof Walters, M.A., B.D. (Gweinidog). Cytnundeb. Y Tabcrnac!, Treforis.—11 a 6 o'r gloch. Pregethwr; Parch. J. J. Williams (Gweinidog). Ysgolion am 2. WESLEYAN. Wesley Chapel. Colicgc,-sty-,oet.-Morning at 11: Rev. r. T. Buckingham; Even- ing at 6,30: Mr. C. W. Slater. Brunswick.—Prcaehers: Morning at 11: Rev. II, C. Floyd; Evening at 6.30: Rev. F. T. Buckingham. OTHER SERVICES. A!bert Hall, Swansea.—Services at 11 a.m. and fi.30 p.m. Preacher: Rev. Frank Joohua (Neath). Gopûl Hall, (' 'cor,e street.- (D.V .) a Gospel Meeting will be held at G.30 p.m. All are Invited. BROTHERHOODS. Sketty (Unsectariatt), Wesley Cliapel.- 3 p.iU. Speaker: Mr. John Thomas, B.A. (Workers' Educational Associa- tion). Subject; Man—the Thinker." Chairman, Dr. Rawlings. Men and Women Welcomed. I Y.M.C.A.—3 p.m. Speaker: Mr. Herbert L. Morgan. Soloist, Miss Olive Owen. Accompanist, Miss Lillian Stratton, A.R.C.M. All Men Welcomed. Manselton.—At 3. Speaker: Mr. John Gillet (Llaueliy). Subject: "Old Things Made New. Chairman, Mi. I J. II. Lofthousd Wesley.—At 3. Speaker: Rev. F. T. Buckingham. Chairman, Mr. Harvey.

Primitive Methodist Church, PELL STREET. To-morrow (Sunday), February 11th, C.E. ANN IVERSARY Preacher.—Morning at 11. Evening at 6.30, Rev. S. BRYANT. Afternoon at 2.45.-Soloiqts: Miss Hetty Davies and Mr. Tanner; Elocutionist, Miss Muriel Day; Violinist, Miss Rowe. } Speaker— Rev. S. BRYANT. — Collections for C. E. Funds. — ST. rviARY'S PARISH CHURCH, SWANSEA. To-morrow (Sunday), February 11th, MEN'S SERVICE. Speaker-Rev. M. E. DAVIES, M.A. (Vicar of St. Mark's). ORGAN RECITAL at 2.45 by Mr. ERVAN ST. JOHN. LADIES INVITED. Walter Road Congregational Church. To-morrow (Sunday), February 11th, Preacher—Rev. GWINYiVI JO WES (Late of St. Helens). Services: Morning at 11; Evening at 6-O. L. :¡ The SALVATION ARMY7 Swansea SPECIAL VISIT OF CommiMtfher HIGGBNS Remember the GREAT Meetings to be h<ild in tlie GRAND THEATRE, SWANSEA, On SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13th, 3 p.m., Lec,ure, Aid. B. Jones (Deputy Mayor) wiU preside 6.45 p.m., Special Service,

Sun Rises 7.41, Sun Sets 5.27. Lightins-iip Timer, 5.57. Cutiuo Lights visibia from the sea- Swansea 5.27, Llaueliy 5.2G 2-3, Aberavon 5.27, Pembroke 5.315. Subdue other Lights- Swansea ,7.27, Llanelly 7.28 2-3, Amman- ford 7.2a, Aberavon 7.27. Neath 7.27, Carmarthen 7.29, Pembroke 7.31, High water, 8.3 a.m., 8.23 p.m. 4in. a.m., 5Sft. lin. p.m. To-morrow, 8.21 a.m., 8.50 p.m.

THE MILITARY SITUATION. Closing his dispatch upon the I Somtne-Ancrc operations last year, Sir Douglas Haig said that the three main objects with which the offen- sive was commenced in July were achieved, in spite of the fact that the heavy autumn rains had pre- vented full advantage being taken of the favourable situation created by our advance, at a time when we had good grounds for hoping to achieve yet more important sue cesses." This week has seen the re-opening of the tele. In the ex- citement occasioned by the sub- marine war development of the week—the possible entry of the United States into tho fray—the menace to our food supplies—the first chapter in the "sequel" has not attracted the attention its im- portance demands. The capture of Grandcourt, and the success in the centre at Sailly Saillisel—ground fallen over from the French, who arc now south of the Somme—are big events. The raids which led up to them were bigger affairs than we had imagined. The raids, the achievements, show that we are eat- ing mto the German defences. They establish our mastery. Grandcourt is specially signif. • cant. It was evacuated without fighting. Mr. Edmund Dane, a military writer whose cautious and well-informed comment renders his views of extreme value, points out that it was not that Grandcourt was a position without* tactical value. On the contrary, the enemy at- tached so much consequence to it that he had fortified the place with elaboration and care. Nor was it that these defences at Grandcourt had been put into a "pocket. Pozieres, Combles, and Sailly were, towards the finish, in very tight "pockets." Nevertheless, the Ger- mans defended each of those posi- tions to the very hist. These inci- dents at Grandcourt derive signifi- cance from the fact that nothing of tho kind has been done by the 01101113* before since the war began. It is so striking a departure from his hitherto uniform practice that the reason for it cannot be trivial. What are the conceivable rea- fOns? .One conjecture is negative. It is that the move does not look as if the Germans mean an offen- sive here! Mr. Dane suggests that we should look east for a cause. It is one of the obvious essentials that the Kussians should be prevented when the campaigning season on the cast reopens, from invading Hun- gary, because that would at once raise the spectre of a disruption of the confederacy, and all the more so because the German lead has be- come frankly coercive. Besides, if Hungary were exposed to invasion, Kumania would have to be evacu- ated. That, of course, would let the Russians into the Balkans and leave Bulgaria, subject to pressure from two sides, a pressure Bulgaria could never withstand. Once more, as the lead is coercive, the conse- quences can readily be foreseen; and they can be more readily fore- seen because the situation in Turkey is going from bad to worse. Whatever we may make of the mystery of Grandcourt, whatever significance is to be attached to the fact that it was deserted by the enemy, who although in a hot corner, usually fought under such circumstances to the last, the en-I couraging fact stands out that come what may, we arc not only safe, but masters in the West. This notwith- standing, will the qnemy, as a gambler's throw, try again? Col. Kepington says that the German wails of anguish from the Somme make it probable that the German commanders in the West have told Hindenburg that there are limits to human endurance and that the stonewalling tactics of 191G cannot safely be prolonged. In this case I the Marshal may be compelled to adopt heroic measures, t6 mass his best troops for one more great effort, to hold the rest of his Wes- tern front defensively with a thm line of the worst elements of his new levies, and, if all this fails, to go back to the Meuse or spiiie other river line where the defensive can be conducted with greater ease than on the front now held. This is a course for which we must con- stantly be on the watch. Hindenburg is an easterner," but as Col Repington says. however much he may still be bent upon the resumption of his Eastern advance, he is no longer lord of the marshes alone, but of the marches and ail the marches, and he will have re- ceived many warning s that he can- 'not neglect the West and retain 'publieönHdcnèc. Thc5"" cst-;thh '?bic'tx?bath ofv>tho Somme the "p.' ;1; plains,,of Flanders—the,hiU3 "of the is there the Gcr- rhans ha? been taught to fix tbeir gaze. It is there we have pinned the main masses of their army, ancU where we &hall keep them until we select the tiiiie to offer the last trial of srength. The lines upon Mr. Hilaire Bellcc 1 arue's' the supremacy of the Allies in the West are as follows: The prime element in the calculation is! the respective weight of numbers and material by land. In the Wcsi the enemy is mastered. On the East he has a permanent and heavy superiority in material countered only by supply to our Allies by over seas routes. The West is not only superior, but is growing in superi- ority. The Western Powers are morally and intellectually superior to the enemy. They have developed better tactical methods. They have shown themselves better strategists. They have handled their railways better, and they have concealed their movements better. We have mastered the enemy in men, in moral, in gun-power and gun handling, in tactical methods. The enemy's fronts for some 2,000 miles are a ring kept at hign tension, a ring which is perpetually tension a rin?, iN-l iI(- ,h 1is perl)cttioll,? which the Wastage is replaced grows only at about a third or a fourth of the rate at which the wastage pro ceeds. Their opponents can keep the ring at tension indefinitely, and have, for a similar rate of monthly wastage, more than double the amount of monthly recruitment. while the Allied material supply in the Western section is increasing the tension more and more. But there is to this aspect of the matter one profound modification. It is the nature of tho Allied communica- tions. It is because these com- munications arc maritime that the enemy finds one chance left upon which to gamble. If he fails here he has failed altogether, and soon. By land the enemy is in immediate and deadly peril. But it is clear that the unaided submarine weapon cannot be decisive. Mr. Belloc proceeds to show that the recent enemy peace notes to the neutral powers were a bluff, de- signed to hide the failure of his cam- paign in Rumania, v/hich was countered by America's attitude. The bluff having failed, Germany suddenly turned round and went savage, a convincing proof of the last stages of a hopeless resistance. There is, then, everything to keep us cheerful. Our raids, our suc- cesses, this week have tended further to discourage the enemy. And when the spirit of an army be- gins to sink the wastage from sick- ness and fatigue always rises, end sharply. Depression spreads lifve an epidemic, and has much the same physical effects. None of thesa things, another well-known expert points out; is lost on the German Higher Command. They know quite well what trench raids portend, and that the British Army is exercising for its stride. They know now the weight of the portent. This force sprung up out of the impossible is hard and deadly. They know that! it has turned the whole military! balance of the war, and turned the balance finally. .-inn. ■ .0 ■ i ■ From an industrial as well as from a patriotic standpoint, the an- nouncement made by the Llanelly j Corporation that they have success- fully negotiated with two firms for the sale of plots of the town estate is very gratifying. Both transac- tions have been carried out within a brief space of time, and* the Cor noration have already authorised the investment of the proceeds, which j amount to Loan. While the price per acre paid is, ir?m one standpoint, somewhat low in each case, it must be re- membered how imperative it is to take a comprehensive view of such transactions. Failure to do this has in the past meant a heavy loss to Llanelly. For a plot of 8A acres the G. W .R. Co. have paid £ 400 per acre, and tlc intention is to erect a large locomotive shed at a cost of some thousands of pounds. It is interesting to recall that some years ago preference was given to Carmarthen over Llanelly because the company thought the latter's council were- demanding an exces- sive price for a site. What is applicable to the tran- saction with the G. W .R. Co. applies in the case of Messrs. Tregoning and Sons, the Llanelly tinplate manu- facturers, who at a cost of £2,500 hshre acquired the other plot re- ferred to. The lease in respect of this firm's works would have ex- pired in 33 years, and for this rea- son they did not feel disposed to speculate by further expansion. The price of the freehold was sought about ten years ago, but works were established elsewhere. This time, however. Messrs. Tregoning and Sons offered 40 years' purchase, and after negotiations the Corpora- tion agreed to accept £ 2,500, which is almost equivalent to a 50 years' purchase of the freehold—nearly J65CO per acre. With a fixity of tenure the firm will be able to ex- tend and develop their works. The income derived from these rents was £51 per annum, and now the Cor- poration will receive about £ 135 per annum on the investment in the War Loan, while the G.W.R. Co/s contribution will yield about tl-j.3 per annum. Both transactions will make for the future prosperity of Llanelly.

A GERMAN GENTLEMAN. I Norfolk, Virginia, Friday.—Lieutenant Ilerg and tho £ (> (Joripans who brought in I-he, liner ,Appura liave. left for Phila- delphia* under. guard, wkore theyi will he interned. Berg was,most insolêÍlt, to the marshal, and kn'otk?d down Mr. Stein on to the deck of the Appain and snapped his lingers in tho marshal's face.—Exchange. ■ii i'■ ■ • (

Kev. Henry Oliver Thompson, bohd of tbs Christian QCOUlt Cjiurcli Secsrs, at IIox*e, was summoned for failing ti report hiciself for military service. The justice. dismissed the summons, folding that th* defendant taine within the exceptions of (lift Act.

ALLOTMENT NOTES <C> M The Potato. 1' By CULTIVATOR. I Let the sky rain potatoes." Shakespeare. The potato is tho most valuable of all esculent vegetables, and ranks second in value to that of corn ot all crops grown for foodstuffs in this coilnlry. I t is a native of Chile and Peru, in South America, and was known on ttic Continent for eome years before it was introduced into this country, having been eent to Spain in 1553 by Spanish colonists from the elevated town of (Juita, close to the Equator. From Spain it found its way to Italy, Austria and Germany. The introduction of the potato into this country has been ascribed to various [ peopl&, notably Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, and Sir Waiter Raleigh. Sir John Hawkins is Said to have brought it to England in 1503; but he probably ob- tained it from some Spanish prize ship. To Sir Walter Raleigh is generally given the credit ofite introduction and he seems to have received it from colonists whom he sent to the island of Roanoke or Vir- gmia, in 15S3. j It is generally accepted that he culti, vatcd the potato at his &cat at Hayes, Devonshire, and on his estate in Ireland at Yonghal, Co. Cork, and that he dis- tributed the tubers to his fiieuds from these places. To tho Irish people, indeed, belongs the credit of being the first people in Europe to recognise its value as a field crop and as an article of diet, while our Scottish friends beyond the Tweed, who now make so much out of it, were the last Such. briefly, is tlia history of the intro- duction of the potato, but its cultivation oa a largo scalo was not practised for very irany y.ars. The Royal Society in IOCS took srs'ine measures for encouraging its cultivation to prevent famine, but even then no very high character was bestowed oi it, and it was not until near the middle of tho eighteenth century that its excel. lent qualities became generally known, and silica that time it has been extea 4 lively grown. In the special leaflet No. 68 which i recommended last week it is stated that those who wish to grow the potato suc- cessfully must attend chiefly to the fol- lowing two points:— I. Tho selection of seed, ii. The preparation and manuring of the s'jil. The'cultivation of the potato must begin i with the preparation of the seed." The j potato used for planting is not in reality a true seed, but is an underground stem, and, liko other underground stems, pos- sesses buds or eyes from which, when planted in the ground, the new shoots spring. The buds at the base of the potato are not go strong or so numerous as at the apex or top end, and, as strong buds give rise to strong shoote, and these give the best crops, it is not a matter of indifference which end of a potato' is used for" sets," Again, it is often a matter cf n rgumen t between people as to whether whole or cut tubers should be planted, but it has been been proved by experi- laalt many times thnt uncut tubers of medium size give much the beat return iu weight of crop. The size of the tubers selected for "seed" should be about that a lienti egg. If, however, the supply of whole tubers run shortydo not cut the seed eize, but cut larger tubers a.nd select the top ends. Im- mediately the tubers are cut they should be dipped into finely-powdered lime or charcoal dust. The effect of the lime charcoal is to form a cake over the cut ^urlac^ and prevents the evaporation oi moisture, and also prevents obnoxious fungi from germinating and entering tho tissues of the potato; and diseased tubers must on no accobnt be planted. In times of great scarcity even the singlo eyes can be utilised, by scooping them out' with a knife, or using a hollow punch; but the people who adopt these methods must have plenty of 6pace in glasshouses to grow tho buds, or in pots preparatory to planting on the open ground, and, as allotment holders seldom possess these facilities, this method can be dismissed as impracticable from their point oi view. # Directly yon obtain your seed," ar- range the tubers in single layers in A cool, dry plac3 in full light, but secure from frost. The eyes will commence to grow, and the free admie^ian of iight will have the effect of producing s hort, sturdy growths about an inch Ions by planting time, and they will not Ik* so liable to get broken off when planted as long spindly shoots produced in the dark. The advantage of sprouting oi chi tting" the seed tubers previous to planting is that it (secures earlier crops, often amounting to ten and even fourteen days over unsproutcd eete. an advantage which will be fully appreciated later ou. With regard to the selection of seed, it should be borne in mind that & chango of seed from another district, and even from a difiereut class of is always advantageous. Scotch or Irish seed al- ways gives better results tn the'South of England or Wales in comparison with home grown seed, and the reason tor this is that being grown in a colder climate, the crop is generally planted later than in the south, consequently the season of growth is shorter and the tubers do not become so ripe. As the best crops are produced from potatoes which have not arrived at full growth when lifted, or as they are termed immature and, as the smaller tubers which arc selected for seed ara tho^e produced last on the, roots, con- sequently they are unripe when lifted, it will thus be beon why Scottish tlnd Irifllt secd produces a much more abundant crop when trans-ported to the south than lioiae grown swd. Unfortunately, owing t& the bikd Mason last year, no Scotch grown d is now available in any quantity. In fact it la eaid that many tons of seed potatoes ha-e beep reiit from Lincolnshire to Scotland. Most cf the seed now being offored ii known as onco-grown Scotch fd. that is the wd is the produco of plant* grows in England kt year froaa stod grown 11 Scotland in 1S15. The planting, manuring a.nd salw* qufoit culture will be dealt with nest tfeek.