Newspapers / State Agricultural Journal (Raleigh, … / April 23, 1874, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of State Agricultural Journal (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
5 eay-thU, that, and the other can't be done Jbr lea3 money than their, produce brought them. Well, I will agree with them taHngTJheir plans. But when they do as I recommend, first learn how then they wilkbe sure to make money by farming. J Let us see if I know anything about the case : In 1SG3, 1 bought a piece of land .from a man who worked hard, and kept up a two horse farm. When he left the place, which was about the first of January, he had only ten barrels of corn, a very small lot of wheat, say 25 bushels, and about . as" many oats, . pork enough to last him barely half the year, and no cotton at all. I did a little better than this out of my first three crops. I had some to spare, and in 1866, 1 commenced getting some agricultural works, and soon became in terested in them. ; The first thing I learn ed was, that I knew nothing about farming. As soon as I discovered my own ignorance, I began to learn, and so last as I learned, I be eFfo put in practice ray knowledge. And theresult of this was, that upon the same place that one man had left because he could not make support, five years after, I commenced farming according to the plans I had learned from agricultural works, I raised produce enough, outside of support for ten in family, to last me hauling to market four months in the year. I lived nine miles from my market -Raleigh. V . - You can see, Mr.- Editor, that my -whole aim is to get our farmers to read, -j As it took some time to haul my produce to market, some may wish to'know what crop I raised, I will answer : Corn, fodder; Wheat, ' oats, potatoes, sweet and Irish ; cabbage, tur nips, and from ten to fifteen bags oj. cotiOr. I had only a two horse farm. , ? : . G. W. Atkinson. - Apex, N. C, April 7th, 1874. .'. The Fence-Law Discussion. J$I. State Acfl Journal : , 1 have read with much interest the commu nication of (your correspondent 'Quankey,' ,on the abrogation; of the present fence-laws. I agree with him that in most of the States' of the Union there are laws in operation on laws so as to require the confinement of stock, u--lyafter considering the matter ; pro and con, the people of a community, or town ship, or .county, should not be decidedly !qy overwhelmingly favorable to the law requiring crops to be fenced sutficiehtly. to protect them against all manner of stock, T for one-should oppose the change. To put such a radical "change in law and custom, on the people, by any sort of trick or legerdermain, before they desired it, fully understanding its consequen ces, and cordially approving it, I admit would be. "folly. approaching to madness." 'J' j Now reminding 'Qtiankey'. that would do what I propose, in this matter, entirely by and thrdiijhthe people, and for the whole 2eople, or would not do it at all, let us take up seriating the reasons he gives in opposition, lie speaks of the''hardship?i of cut ting off -the non-landholder from the benefits ot tne range. 1 he non-landholder is, one of the people, entitled to his vote equally with the owner of the land. Without his muscle and brawn, land would be comparatively ol ' little value to those .who hold the title deeds. , lie is subject to road duty, military and all civic duties as well as the free-holder. In this discussion, he is allowed , to be morally as he is legally entitled to all rights under th'e law, that the land owner enjoys. Finally he is interrogated at the polls for his wishes concerning all changes in the law. Now, hav ing accorded all this to the non-landholder, I object to go further and'make him a special legislative pet, by firing him grazing privi Jiges on other men'slands : giving him the use of lands by a law that requires somebody else to pay the tax upon them ; giving him this priv ilege, too, when he does' not asjQit -even when he is presumed as one of the majority to have voted against it. So I take it . ths the "hardship" on the nbn-landholder is not a sufficient ground of objection to the proposed change. All laws impose sacrifices, or hard ships, or duties, on some persons or classes. Taxes on lands lying waste that are as useful to other people as to the owner, are in this sense a hardship. But the will of the people makes them law, and so they are just. But I contend that non-landholders and la i borers, who are engaged in agriculture, are as deeply interested in the proposed alteration as any other class, of people. The more exten- the cheaper the tenant can rent hislaud. The more extensive the area, equally well manured and cultivated, with. a given amount ot labor, the more active will bo the deVn nd for hibor and the better tlie pay proprietors can atf rd to give to labor. Since nothing operates so effectually to circumscribe the quantity of arable land as the fence laws, I am asking non- landholders, both'tenants and turn hiburcrc, to consider whether their interests do not con cur with the "new way." V'Quankey" asks "will 'Husticus' name, tor our enlightenment, any country in the world, where farmers attempt to cultivate their crops without an enclosure ?" Rusticus would' nut forbid farmers to enclose their crops by fences. He thinks if the plan he favors should tirt be endorsed by public opinion and then made ef fective by legislation, still many farmers woulJ have some sort! of enclosures or at least marks around their crops. Slight fences, hedges, ditches and various other devices would mark lines, over which persons would be warned not to trespass. Such, we suppose, are the fences in Europe. Those men who desired to build stone walls around their farms could do so. No man and no law would let or hinder them No doubt under the "new" plan proposed, crops would sometimes be damaged by stock hot more I think - than they are damaged now hy the same cause. y'Rusticus," our friend says, "underrates the lvalue of the range." I know that in ; some sections of the State the range is valuable. I ! take it that the people in those sections, coun Ities or townships,' are capable of deciding that Uheir range jis valuable, and would not by their votes compel the' confinement of stock. But what remedy will Quankey provide for those other sections of the State where there is no range, very little. timber, little forest and long lanes between fences that are decaying to the ground? Will he say to the laborer. and the landholder to all the inhabitants of such sec tions no matter what your wishes are, you must import timber and keep strong fences five feet tyigh ? Or would he have us abaudon all crops in these regions and give up the soil to cattle, sheep and hogs ? Would he make a solitude and call it a range? The Need Supplied. : Editor Slate Ag. Journal : Sin your i?sue of the 9th inst.l, an article ap .ea'rs. under the head, "A Plow Needed Who 7iil Invent It V The description of this implement which you say is required, is pre cisely the 'description of a plow already' in vented and patented : The single swi-c" at tachment of Underwood's Cotton Cultivator, Onr friend's "ransre" that be thinks it would has i ts d rawbacks, according to h is ow n s t a t a which may be used in the cultivation of all crops. .In speaking of the Dickson sweep,; you say that "we have not been rble,in using it,' to leave a thin layer of frosniy pulverized earth uniformly spread over the surface of the ground." iThe single sweep attachment of the D. X3.'fc Cultivator wa3 invented with an eye single to this very mode of cultivation.-. -; '"'''.:' Your article elaborates a liystem ot cultiva tion, which' i6 unquestionably the best system, i. e , a cnr.ivaiion that is so light as to break the ground ho deeper than a half inch or three quarters; and that does not turn, nor drag, nor move away, nor pile up the top soil ; but that simply stirs the top soil ; leaving it uni formly spread out iust where the dirt is found. This very system of cultivation which has been endorsed by such men of . Ala., David Dickjon, e: tU'eir stock. We men t. 'ilXwfchQ-j' ' 1 1 " " rev will waich and nurse will have better stock,. and ,it I wljl bj better fed in wiater and in sutfimer. ;0f tur cattle. he truly says, "we starve them in the" winter and when spring opens they are mere skele tons, thus depending on the 'frozen North' for our butter, and depriving us of milk for ouf coffee. This is alike a shaine and a dirace." Rusticus could not have uttered stronger lan giiage against the reckless, iniprovident, lazy, starving, range system. But for fear of trespass over, limits not dis tinctly marked to me, I forbear for the pres ent. ' Kcsticus. Wake Co., N. C, April 17, 1871. as N. B. Cloud, of Georeria. Gov Jr. -MWr Pjtiirfi TsT15riMiss sas in the mind of Mr. Underwood when, - he invented his single niuiei iaKe r suppryaif implement with wnich this system could be put in force practically and economically to the planters ot the coun- 1 he single sweep attachment of the Dia mond C. C. and Cultivator will side the plants in the drill, as well as sweep out the middle of the row. This attachment can be set at any depth desired, and cari be held there with the utmost certainty, doing its work with precision!. -; ' - In attempting to obviate the evil ot untea dinel, the point of theickson Sweep is made long so as to. run deep Jin the ground, causrug a heavier draft than would .otherwise be nelessary. . Owinorto two iwheels in front of it, !ie single sweep attachment of the Dia tuoud Vj. Q; and Cultivator, has a steadiness of motion, thai no othernswee'p ever nsed pos sesses ;Vand this is accomplished without any" n create of its draft. J There is also a harrow sweep attach ment to the D. C. C. and Cultivator which accomplishes the same result ; and which' has been held to be- supe rior to the Dickson -sweep by many intelligent and prominent cotton planters who have seen it in operation. ' In your columns of the issue of Sept. 13th, 1873, an artic'.ej from the pen of Mr. J as. II. Thigpen appeared, which gave this harrow sweep a lie arty indorsement. V ery respect! n I ly. Wayne. April 10th, 1874. Fanners' 3Ieetinsr in Old Caswell. At a Tneetinir ot the farmers held at Pea Bidge this day, on motion of E. B: Hold en, George N. Thompson .was called to the chair, and George M. Burton and Monroe Oliver chosen 'Secretaries. - The object ot the meeting was then ex plained by E. B. U olden. He said its pur pose was to enable the farmers and their fami lies to meet together and enjoy themselves in social Con versationj and to- hear each farmer's method of cultivating their .respective crops ; the best method of co-operation, and to ex press their wishes in the social government of our institutions. : George N. Thompson was then called upn who gave us a very interesting speech upon the Grange movement, showing, in the plain est manner possible, the rise and progress of the Grange movement, laying bare all the no tions of opposition to the Patrons of Hus bandry, and calling upon the ladies and gen tlemen to come forward and join in this move ment, so that we could be a united and pros perous people, showing that within the circle of the.Grangb was the only hope to redeem the farmer from the down-trodden position in which he ba3 so long been confined. ' Capt E. G. Mitchell was then called upon. who expressed his views in a few appropriate remarks. , ' ' '- . Capt. Ned Pace, from Danville, Va., being called upon, stated thav he could not speak, but if he was not -a married man from the appearance of the pretty ladies 'present ho would easily know where to find some one to make a speech to. V - y:- - Mr. Thomas, ot Danville, Va., was called upon, who stated that after ndsyear he would cast his lot with the Patrons of Husbandry. We are happy to state that there were some forty to fifty ladies and gentlemen pres ent who placed their names upon the rolls,, arid that tyo new Granges were immediately '! formed. : . , - r 1 ' There were some four to five hundred per sons present, and they enjoyed the good things mat were spread upon the tables, and also the company of each other as only farmers and their families could under such glorious cir cumstances. . ; The following resolution was then presented by our friend; Geo. N. Thompson, of Leas- burg, and adopted : ; Jtesolved, That we the citizens invited, and 1 having participated in the hospitalities of the good ladies and 'gentlemen of Pea Bidge, do hereby heartily return our thanks for the same, and indulge the hope that the memory of this day will tend to unite us more nearly in the bonds of love and friendship, j The raeetjng then adjourned and all the farmers and their families departed for their homes, delighted with the day's proceedings. GEO. N. THOMPSON, Ch'm'n. Qko. M. Burton, i c Monkoe Ouvee j Secretaries. . - Pea Ridge, April 11th, 1874. I' Nitrogen in the Soil. - , IBostott Jourual of Chemistrj.J ; . The conditions necessary for nitrification of arable earth are well known namely, slow combustion of nitrogenous matter presence of a carbonate, arid a certain degree of heat and moisture but the jexact relations which exist between1 these conditions and the conversion of the nitrogen of organic substances into nitric acid' or nitrates,, are still unknown. " , Mr. H bchloesing has made a report upon'; some exoerimentsjri ri-.-r ' -.r. viuib. Maine Law Concerning Fertilizers. ' EXTRACT. ' rabufltioTTOf organic matter and nitrifi cation are still active even when the earth is saturated with water, if any oxygen at all is present. But if all oxygen has' disappeared, the soil becomes a reducing agent, and the re- ias.c piace; uie nunc acia is reduced to ammonia or the lower oxides of nitrogen, or in extreme cases nitrogen is set free, very mue ammoni pemg produced. 'Jxperiment' has proved that earth kept in an atmosphere destitute of oxygen will give off more nitro gen than that contained in the nitrates, part f ii i - ' .. vl iue ammonia Demg set tree. COMMERCIAL MANUKES. Sec. 48. Commercial manures sold or ' kept for sale in this State, shall ha affixed to ev ery bagi barrel, or parcel thereof which may contain fitly pouuds or -upwards, a printed la bel which shall specify the name of the man facturer or seller, hi placer of business, and the percentage which it contains of the fol lowing constituents, towit : of soluble phos phoric acid, of insoluble phosphoric acid, and of ammonia ; and, whoever violates this pro vision, or affixes labels specifying a larger percentage ot either of such constituents than is contained therein, shall be punished by a fine of ten dollars for the dSilst, and twenty dollars for the second, arid each subsequent offence : to be recovered on complaint before anyvtribnnal of competent jurisdiction. ; Sec. 49. Any purchaser of commercial ma nures bearing such label, and containing! less percentage than stated therein, may recover from the seller, in an action for debt, twenty five cents for every pound of soluble' phospho ric acid, six cents for every pound.of insoluble phosphoric acid, and thirty-five cents tor eve ry pound ot ammonia deficient therein. Sec. 50. By the term k soluble phosphoric acid, whenever used, is meant such acid in any form or combination readily soluble in pure water; and by the term insoluble phos phoric acid, is meant such acid in any combi nation which requires theaction of acid upon it to cause it to become readily soluble in pure water. r Sec. 51. The three preceding sections shall not apply to porgy chum, nor any manure prepared exclusively from fish, and sold as such, nor to any commercial manure which is sold at a price not exceeding one cent per norind. eive the area open' to profitable cultivation, Approved January 25, 1871. The above experiments show how import- t it is to-keet) thfi Roil Wfll Rtirrorl if wo ov. f - - . - WVlt I VU A & IfW W A. . pect vigorous vegetation. In case- the soil; becomes solid and- all circulation is stopped, the xygen will be soon consumed, and it then commences to Use nitrogen. Most persons re gard the stirring of the earth as merely an in- fiucuiiii occurrence in ine oneration nr nisno- sing of the weeds'; or if; they go any farther man mat, ic is merely that the roots may not have snch hard work to get through the soil, and that the" rain may penetrate more easily. Tnese experiments also serve to explain in part the gre&t benefit which is often derived from allowing1 a field to remain fallow during a portion of the year, care being taken to keep it stirred and exposed to the air. " ; Measures by Weight. One bushel Wheat weighs Shelled Corn, Corn on. the cob, Bye, ; "; -V Oats, ; 1 Barley, Potatoes, Bran, Jr,?: 1 - Clover Seed;, . . ; Timothy Seed, . ; ' Flax Seed, Buckwheat, Blue-Grass Seed, , Castor Beans, . .; Dried Peaches, : . Dried Apples, ' Onions-, ' Salt, ' - r LBS. CO 56 70 C5 86 40 CO 20 CO 45 45 52- 14 46 33 24 57 : 50 Don't Leave the Faeli. The Rural New Yorker ot the 11th inst., says : ' J Boys and young men who purpose leaving the farm for city employment, should pause they have places engaged, or a special taste or aptitude for the proposed business, it will be folly to leave home upon an uncertainty especially the present season, when business i3 worse than dull, and thousands of compe tent yeung men clerks, mechanics, etc., are vainlv seeking emnlovment. No. no "stick to the farm" boys, tor it is the surest and best, as well asihe most natural and healthy pursuit. i . 1
State Agricultural Journal (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 23, 1874, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75