■ THE DANBURY REPORTER.
OLUME XXXIU.
HOW TO KEEP IRISH POTATOES.
Three Methods Described !
Says Use Slacked Lime-
We are glad to print this week,
says the Progressive Farmer,
I three methods for keeping Irish
potatoes which have come to UB in
,reßponnes to a request printed two
iweeks ago. One of these comes
from the mountainous county of
Rutherford, and another from the
more humid trucking section of
Craven County—these two ex
tremes should cover well the
„ -conditions likely to exist in any
potato-growing section of The
Progressive Farmer's territory.
A third letter, coming from Gates,
an eastern county on the Virginia
line, introduces the use of slacked
lime as an agency to aid in the
safe-keeping of the Irish potato.
But the letters will speak for
themselves.
Messrs. Editors: Complying
■with your request, I will give the
method I use for keeping Irish
potatoes.
Dig as soon as potatoes are well
matured, which will be when
, vines have died down and dried
up. Early planted will ripen
better, with thicker skin, will
stand more handling uninjured,
and keep better than late plant
ed.
Early planting, even at the risk
of a frost or two, should be
encouraged. If a killing frost
comes after plants are up, and
* you can anticipate its coming, the
plants may be covered shallow
with dirt by plowing with small
turn-plow ; or, if this is not done,
and plants are bit down, cut (IT
with sharp hoe the frost-bitten
' plants, being careful to cut off
all the affected part and as early
after the frost as the work can be
done. Last year mine were killed
after the plants were up four or
five inches high ; and frost com
ing on Sunday night, they conld
ribt be covered as had been done
* on several previous occasions.
So plaLts were cut down early
i next morning before withering,
. and they grew up again right
away, and at digging it could not
.be seen that tho crop was at all
** injured.
; Potatoes are gathered up right
after the digger and not allowed
to lie in the sunshine and put
into a covered wagon. An old
. ' quilt will do to cover wagon box.
It can be raised up and spread
back as potatoes are poured
> in. »
Last year (190>) was a wet
season here previous to digging,
and potatoes were put on floor
in a dark house for a month to
■lightly toughen and dry. Then
they were put in a i'ry, dirt-floor
cellar that was well ventilated
and kept dark at all times. These
kept woll
This year (1907) has been very
dry at and before digging, and
•potatoes were put in cellar as fast
as dug, and at this date seem to
have that dry slightly tough
appearance that indicates keep
ing.
I have tried them in a two
walled house, such as many keep
sweet potatoes in, but they got
too warm and sprout. Have also
tifed them in old plank-floored
house. Here they dry too much
and oan't be kept cool enough to
prevent their groeuing some,
which injures their eating
qualities so much.
I have had several years'experi
ence in growing both the first
and the second crop, and in keep
ing them, and for several years
' we have had them nice right on
till the new crop came in.
I should have said that no ecab,
out, or bruised potatoes should
be put in. C. C. GETTYS.
Rutherford Co., N,C.
KI& -
Messrs. Editors : I see an
►y As Many Farmers--One
Early Digging Advised.
inquiry in last week's Progressive
Farmer about keeping Irish pota
toes. We seldom have trouble
in keeping them, even here in
the humid atmosphere of Eastern
North Carolina.
If we can get them dug in a
fairly dry condition, we have but
little trouble. I spread them not
more than one foot deep (thinner
is better) in an outhouse where
they will keep dry. Let them
stay there a few weeks and
thoroughly dry. It may be
necessary to pick them over if
there was any indication of rot
in them when dug. After three
or four weeks they may be culled
out and such as are salable or
eatable be put in well-ventilated
barrels. Set in a cool place.
Wo sometimes keep them that
way all through the winter, from
spring planting, though the
general custom in Craven county
is to plant a second crop in Au
gust, as they keep much bettor
and are better to eat.
Some farmers keep them in
barrels all winter, but it needs
a very tight house to keep them
in severe winters.
We generally bank thorn very
much as wo do sweet potatoes,
using plenty of pino straw, but
not a very thick covering of dirt,
completely covering the bank.
Somo shelter the land with
boards; others do not; and if
F'ater is kept out we seldom lose
1 per cent of the crop. I have
kept them this way for 25 years,
aud seldom have a month out
of the twelve that we do not have
potatoes, grown on the farm, to
eat, and if they were low in the
oarly summer sales wo keep some
to sell in the fall.
D. LANE.
Craven Co., N. C.
Messrs. Editors : To keep Irish
potatoes, use air-slacked lime
when putting them in collar or
hill. Put in a few potatoes and
sprinkle on enough lime to
whiten the pile. Repeat until
ail aro put up. After a few days
movo them and sprinkle on more
liiue, picking out all that are
rotting. We use lime on our
seed potatoes and think that it
prevents bugs from bothering
them so early.
E. A. STOREY.
Gates Co., N. C.
Mr. Boles To "A Far.ner."
Mizpah Route 1, Aug. 2(5.
Mr. Editor :
Please allow me space in your
columns for a reply to "A Farm
er's" letter in the Reporter of Aug.
5, in regard to "332."
Now, Mr. Farmer, I don't know
who you are as you did not give
your postoffice address. Y r ou try
to make it appear that I can't keep
him with mo long enough to make
a crop. Did you ever know of
him leaving mo when I was mak
ing a crop ? Ho never has. You
try to make it appear that he has
never done anything but run from
"city to city." Mr. Farmer, I never
made a crop since he got large
enough to help me that he did not
help me from sturt to finish.
Now, Mr, Farmer, I don't think
you had any cause for writing
such a letter as you did, as you
know he wroto the truth.
Mr. Editor, I will leave the case
with tho people to decide which
shows up the best the one who
wrote and put his postoffice and
name, or the Mr.'"A Farmer" who
wrote and did not put his post
office.
With best wishes to the Re
porter and its many readers,
D. A. BOLES.
DANBURY, N. C., AUGUST 29, 1907.
A LETTER FROM IAEGER, W. V
Dr. Geo. E. Dennis, Who Is Well
Known In Stokes, Writes In
terestingly.
laager, W. Va., Aug. 12.
Editor Reporter:
I enclose herewith my check for
the amount of statement rendered
to W. D. Dennis which was for
warded to me.
I wish to state that I enjoy
reading the Reporter very much,
as it me iu touch with the
progress that my native county
and Stnte aro making
I am glad to know that Stokes
county is making such energetic
strides and progressing so rapidly,
commercially, financially and ed
ucationally.
As the Reporter advocates, what
it needs most is good roads and
more of them. The proposed elec
tric railroad through Stokes, which
is being agitated aud advooated,
in my opinion, would be an enter
prise which would do moro to ad
vance the value of property and
everything in general, thereby
making conditions more favorable
and money circulation greater for
its citizens, than anything else
that might bo operated. Take
West Virginia for an instance.
The railroads have made her what
she is today, because they furnish
facilities for the transportation of
her resources and productions,
whereas before she was only a
rough mountainous forest, thinly
settled and considered almost
worthless even by her natives.
But today with her many rail
roads she is one of tho leading
States financially.
In behalf of our friends who
tnay read this, I wish to say that
myself, wife and son are enjoying
good h :alth and like this country
very well. The greatest amuse
ment we have is plenty of work,
which keeps us busily engaged.
Besides my professional practice
I own and manage the laegor Drug
Co. of this place and have in con
struction another building at the
terminus of tho laeger Southern
railroad 30 miles from here, where
I hope to conduct a drug store as
soon as completed.
This county is fast being devel
oped and offers various opportu
nities to young men of ability ai d
will. But like everywhere else
any one has to hustle to succeed.
While there are advantages here
that Stokes county does not offer,
yet there are advantages aud op
portunities right in Stokes county
that aro continually presenting
thonisolves and beckoning to the
industrious, energetic, ambitions
and honest young men and women
to grasp them and make life worth
while. My advice to every yc ung
man and woman is to take the best
of every opportunity that may
present itself which has a ten
dency to elevate humanity, and
remember that only the wide
awake, industrious ones see them.
They are not realized in dreams
nor is success found in air castles.
In closing I wish to say my
mother and brother, of Pinnacle,
are now visiting us. They ar
rived on the night train. The
next morning mama walked to the
door to take a view of the city,
looking all around and seeing we
were entirely surrounded by tall
mountains she quickly seized a post
and after inhailing a deep breath
and giving a long sigh exclaimed
"how will we ever get out of
here ?" Shu is now more
reconciled and enjoying herself
fine. Father has a position near
hero and often spends Sunday
with us.
With my regards for tho readers
of the Reporter, and wishing it
success,
I am respectfully,
GEO. E. DENNIS, I). D. S.
I am am at Hartman, N. C., ready
to make your tobacco flues, and
sell all kind of repairs.
J. H. ROBERTSON.
SCHOLARSHIPS.
At the State Normal and Industrial
College—the Daughters Of the
Confederacy Establish Two.
The Daughters of tho Confed
eracy of Western North Carolina
have decided to offer at the State
Normal and Industrial College to
deserving descendants of Confed
erate Veterans, resident in the
counties west of Greensboro, two
seholaiships at the State Normal
and Industrial College. Any de-;
scendant of a Confederate Veteran
who wishes to secure one of these
scholarships should apply at otice
to President J. I. Foust, Greens
boro, N. C. On Sept. 10, two will
be selected from among the ap-[
plicants.
MKS, J. G. BRODNAX,
Chm. Ed. Com., Western Section ;
U. D. Or
Mr. "Show Me" Answers Mr. "Look
er On."
Jamestown, Mo., Aug. 21,
Mr. Editor :
I received the Reporter con
taining another letter from Mr. j
"Looker On." It seems that he'
takes some offense at my reply to
his letter which he left open for'
reply, and if so I am sorry. He'
seems to insinuate that I am not
a true North Carolinian, and that
the broom sedge is all plowed up
and Dick and Ball are dead, and
that Moore's Knob has been con
verted into horses and mules, aud
Pilot Mountain a bank of fertili- j
zer, He also spoke of j
me beiag located in a central!
State. If he will study his geog
raphy a little he i 3 not so far west j
and that to say "show me" to a
Coloradian and ho knows tho rest,
is no State for him. He admits
that I was of the first water arid
dreaned ont and settled in Mis
souri some time ago. If you will
read up a little you will find that
Missouri furnishes the ham and
eggs and a considerable portion of
the busouit that is eat. He says
he did not refer to me. I could
not tell that he aimed his gun at
anybody and if he did the chargo
went astray. At any rate you
couldn't hardly feel it but the
load of bb he had in store was all
right but the powder flashed iu
the pan and he made a long fire.
He said in his letter of June 20
that if anyone wished to know
who he was not to tell them he was
Sam Jones number two. Any-
I body conld tell that easy.
I suppose the reason he signs
| his name "A Looker On" is that
ho lias dono nothing but rubber
since he has been up near the
Rockies. Mr. Looker On, why
don't you write home for car fare
and go back and grow you some
"peavine hay?" While I have
been iu Missouri 10 years, that's
j not long, and I could tell very easy
' that you had not been away from
| your mammy long. Dojou snp
j pose she really knows that you
are away so far west, and arn't
1 you afraid the "injuns" will get
| you way out there on the fron
' tiers? Say its dangerous, boy,
you wooden kitch me out tliar.
I've done red too much.
I did not aim to get into a
| newspaper quandary, but as Mr.
Looker On aimed such a direct
blow at me in his letter of Aug.
| 10, 1 ask for this space for reply.
I am a true North Carolinian and
am aware of the fact that the ways
jof farming and all other indus-
I tries are greatly improved in North
Carolina as well asall other States.
I hope my friend did not mistake
me to think that the people of our
old native State were not up-to
| date in evory respect. So I will
not promise my good friend to
koep this up as I am afraid I will
cause him to lose his star of Beth
lehem and might run against the
seven stars or some of the other
planets, Job's coffin, maybe.
"SHOW ME."
PROF. W. B. HARRIS WRITES AGAIN.
he Goes Down To Lake Chatcolet On a Week's
Camping Trip and Has a Big Time Catching Fish.
Garfield, Wash., Aug. I'.*.
Messrs. Editors :
Wagons loaded with feed and
tents had been passing evory day
for a week intending to spend the
4th at tho lakes. The boys were
anxious to go fishing and I offered
no objection when they pro
posed a trip of a week at Lake
Chatcolet. Some of our neigh
bors were talking of such atrip
and when I called up Boss Gifford
to know if they had gone, ho s:iid
that they had and further said he
would stay at my place and do
chores for me till I came back.
Now byway of digression I
will say that Boss Gifford is a
widower of 50, who owns a ranch
adjoining mine. He could sell it
any day for SS,OOO. 11 is children
•ill being married he rents out the
ranch and works at deep well
drilling. He don't chew, smoke
or diink, but if you shako him up
a little he'll cuss like a sailor. If
he has a little job liko killing a
beef or hog to do Sunday suits
him as well as Monday. But with
all that, his heart is in the right
place, and nothing he has or can
do is too good for a neighbor.
He would not be averse to mar
rying. So if you know of some
1 good middle aged woman who
would like such "a chance" tell
'| her to write to mo and I'll open
negotiations with due form and in
j the m«st npprovod style.
Well, after this offer to take
care ot "things" for me, I had no
excuse; so 5 o'clock on the follow
ing Monday morning found us
loaded up—feed, beds, tents, skil
let and fishing tackles galore. The
dog took his place in the
wagon, tho boys shouted their
good bjes to Boss and the Madam
cautioned him not forget her
chicks and flowers and your hum
ble servant not caring much
which way the wind blew we
started off on our forty mile jaunt
to spend a week among tho fish
which inhabit lake Chatcolet in
the Coeur'de Alene Indian reser
vation in northern Idaho. This res
ervation is to be thrown open to
se'tiers next year and will offer
homes to 1,500 or 2,000 families.
These homesteads will be sought
by 50,000 people, among whom
your humble servant expects to be
one. Some of the land is prario,
but mostly timbered, with fine-pine
fir and tamarack.
After traveling ten miles we en
tered tho reservation at the sum
mit of an outlying spur of the
Coeur'de Alene Mountains. There
we entered the timber and the
roads were narrow and rough. Of
ten I had to bite my finger to be
sure that I was not dreaming of
the good old days of my pilgrim
age along the roads of my old
Stokes home.
The remaining 30 miles of our
journey was through the Indian
country with here and there a
white renter. Many of tho In
dians live in fine houses with large
barns just behind the house. The
front of the house with its fine
glass doors, fancy porches and bay
windows invariably fronts toward
the barn. The Catholics conduct
a fine school for them at " The
Mission," and many of the Indians
use good English, but moro are
still Indians with their peculiar
habits and strange characteristics.
We met many squaws and their
families in open hacks. The bucks
usually ride a cay use. 1 inquired
the way of one and got this laconic
reply : "Go on to mill —not far—
road turn that way —no g©—road
turn that way —no go—road on
that way go." There he turned to
his team and 1 was gone. Well,
we nooned at the mill, which
proved to bo run by the general
government for the benefit of tho
Indians, The government fur-
nisbes a man to run it and the
Indians do the help work and get
their lumber sawed free. A tlour
ing mill too is run the same way.
Many, in fact most of these In
nians hare fine herds of cuttle
back in the timbers, but their
horses are still of the cayuse class.
On* our return we nooned at
Chief Soltice's spring. From the
mill wa pressed on along the In
dian trail, crossing endless ridges
and skirting the mountains here
and there till at Inst we got the
long coveted view of the beautiful
little lake nestled down among the
mountains. We paued for a view.
'Twas a scene of singular beauty.
The waters of the lake were clear
and cold. The mountain tops and
trees were reflected from its bosom
like seens from an inverted world.
The beautiful shadowy St. Ji e
river with its narrow island banks
separates the waters of Chatcoht
from lane Coeur'de Alone. That
bellowing sound in the distance
calls your attention to a beautiful
steamer moving gracefully up to
docks, while on the lakeshore tl e
panting of the railroad train waits
impatiently for the ponderoi s
draw bridge to swing into place.
From fifty camp fires the smoke
curls gracefully up bearing on its
bosom the sound of happy voices
while the winds waft t) our olfac
tory nerves those savory odors of
the evening meal and hunger
wakes in fro n our ecstatic state
and the long shadows hasten us
on.
After lying down and looking
jvor at the road down the Sieep
mountain side I quickly concluded
that at ordinary pair of breaks .vas
not sufficient to let lis down tl e
steep incline. I put on a rout h
lock and by the help of the breaks
and a pair of good horses, we man
aged to keep the wagon tim er
control. We pitched our tent,
hired a boat for the week, and gut
license so that we could fish early
>n the morrow. But being wear
ied by our long journey we slept
sound and long. We awoke to
find the lake dotted here and tl ere
with boats and launches laden with
the early fishers and merry maker.-".
At this seas >n of the year ve
catch perch, biss and Trout. The
long. Tlie tuadam ami the two
buys could natch them as fast as I
could take them oil' the hook?.
We did not fish for trout but vo
caught bass that weighed from 1
to 4 pounds.
Three men caught '.'lS* perch in
one day. 1 was sure put to it for
bait and could get but time
worms but when I got there they
informed me that they used fith
eyes. With my three worms v.e
caught at least 2o fish. Once we
g«it out two miles on the lake and
f jund that we had nothing in the
bnt to bait with but I dropped
©ut a minnow ho )k and soon hi d
a tine fish to stai t on.
When we first went out in cir
boat my least son, ten >e:rs olt',
was scared nearly to death but I y
the third day he had learned to
use the oars with tho assurance of
an old fisherman. S > much so
that ongoing to the lake 1 found
that a woman had entrusted to
him two children about 4 and 6
for a boat ride on the lake where
the water was 100 feet deep. We
caught all the fish we wanted and
the week passed ail too quickly
and we had to fold our tent like
the Arab and silently we passed
away. Nearly everybody here has
a tent and goes camping for a
week or s > every summer. Ho now
Messrs. Editors, I give you a
cordial invitation to come out and
go fishing with us next summer.
We will be found at the lakes for
a week or so fishing and bathing.
W. B. HARRIS
No. 27