.1
! i
I! " " '' I- I III II-I
I ; i S " "
1
3
'i
m
3
Vol. 1.
OUR FARMERS' CLUBS.
What our Farmers are Doing and How
the Work of Organizing is Progressing.
I TRINITY CLUB.
I
Subject: Winter Work on the farm
A Parker. A matter of great im
portance in farm work, during suit
able weather is to plow the land you
intend to cultivate next season. I
niaKes me son easier to woik and
gives an earlier start when the push
of spring work comes. It enables
3tou to plant earlier, and thereby
avoid annoyance from the cut worm
The land will also stand the drouth
better by being more retentive o
moisture and consequently produce
better.
Another very important matter
that should be faithfully attended to
is the care and feeding of stock
Now if you have not the necessary
shelter for their comfort go straight
way and prepare such without delav
T . I . I
it will abundantly pay in saving
feed; and the manure will be three
times more valuable, than when
exposed.
I have an utter contempt for any
man who makes any moral or relig
ious pretentions and then preteiub
to feed his cow by throwing a -few
shucks in the jam of the fence in an
open lane after strippinir the last
drop of milk from her, leaving her
to stand and shiver in the cold dur
ing the long cold winter nights while
he and his family are comfortably
housed with a glowing fire to sit by
and warm beds to sleep in, and thei
hurriedly rise in the morning and
throw a few more shucks to that
same cow, if she survives, and pro
ceeds to milk her ere the icicles have
melted from her sides. To see such
a man take a conspicuous seat in
the amen corner of the church with
'hfs liquid eyes apparently enjoying
the sermon, and,absoIutely assist in
singing the doxology, and then have
the self complacency to invite the
preacher home with him to share
his hospitality and how he can do
all this is a mystery ! fail to com
prehend, unless he has inherited a
streak of barbarism from some
remote ancestry.
"The righteous man regardeth the
life of his beast; but the tender
mercies of the wicked are cruel."
Dr. Parker. Having gathered in
and securely housed all the crops,
now is a good time to review the
past year's work and if any mis
takes have been made, and like
enough there are many glaring us
full in the face, think over the whole
field and see wherein we failed, and
let us resolve upon better methods
and better work for next year.
Failures teach wholesome lessons
and will, if we heed their warning.
Fix and mature our plans for next
year. Before the weather gets too
bad get in an abundant supply of
fire wood and cut it ready tor the
stove and fire place and put it under
shelter. This no sensible, prudent
man will fail to do. For the want
of this precaution many a breakfast
has been spoiled, resulting in hard
words at the festive board, and these
in turn producing alienation and
connubial infelicity. Get in your
wood now while the weather and
roads are favorable.
It would be well for some of us at
least while we are overhauling our
vear's blunders to look into our man
ner of buying and using fertilizers.
Did we do this judiciously and
economically has it paid us? I
regret to say that quite a number in
this section have been seriously hurt
by the foolish buying and improper
application of commercial fertilizers
this ;year., . But. :at the same time
there is no fact in all the curriculum
of the farmer's philosophy any better
settled than that fertilizers pay,
when bought with judgment and
properly applied. And it is equally
as well decided that when they are
applied to thin land devoid of humus
they do not pay. During open days
we ought to rake up all rich woods
mold, ditch banks and muck we pos
7V INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS
sibly can, and cart out on our fields
there is an abundant supply of
these on almost every farm. Don't
clear up any more land until all the
present area is highly improved.
Look after the ditches on your
bottom lands and see that they do
not become clogged up with trash &c;
and then overflow and damage your
best lands. Don't allow the winter
rains to wash out all the fertility of
the soil. All the muddy water
running off of grain fields the soil
in solution is a sure sign of coming
poverty. Stop it.
Mild days in winter is a good time
also to make under-d rains in low
wet places, which in their
present condition are almost worth
less to cultivate. Another perma
nent improvement you may make
now is gathering up the rocks on
rough ground where they have been
in the way of cultivation for genera
tions get them out of there and
thereby lighten the labor of tillage
and increase the yield.
The farmer has a standing job all
winter, whether the weather is fair
or foul, in looking out after the
making or saving of manure; this
cannot be neglected if he would
hope for flourishing crops.
Cut up all rough feed for stock
and make the feeding and watering
as convenient as possible. Keep
everything about the barn and barn
lot neat and clean. All this requires
work and that is just what we are
talking about winter work on the
farm.
And then there are the roads on
the farm that need attention make
them at least good enough to render
them passable. 'And if the farmer
has one spark of patriotism in his
soul or a decent regard for self he
will fill up those ugly places in the
public road in front of his house.
Don t wait, my brother, for the com
missioners or the overseer, for they
are generally a Ipn time in coming
and you may be disgraced beyond
remedy by depending upon them.
In passing a farm, if you see the
dwelling and out-houses, the orchard,
the road, the fencing and the farm
all neat and tastily arranged and in
good order, you need not stop to
find out how those people live, that
is plain even to the "passer-by .
But on the other hand should you
see a few poor cattle in the lane and
scattered about the premises gener
ally without shelter, old wagons and
plows and other farm implements
left here and there to take the
weather, the barn and stables dilap
idated and leaky, the door-way of
of the stable filled in with crossed
rails to serve as a shutter, but
through this obstruction may be
seen the head and neck of a poor
horse, patiently interviewing the
outside world and anxiously hoping
for better times, it is needless for
you to go in to sec how they live.
I have been there and can testify of
the true inwardness of the whole
sheJbang. The window frames are
noisy and reckless, the sash is almost
without a pane of glass and in these
multitudinous openings are to be
seen rare specimens of cast-off gar
ments, such as obsolete breeches legs
stuffed, old hats and superannuated
bustles, besides a great variety of
et ceteras too numerous to men-
ion. These are show windows
indeed and in truth. On all such
arms, and I am sorry to say there
are thousands of just such even in
North Carolina, there is an urgent
opportunity for winter work. Let
us strive to do better work in all of!
our farm operations. So mote it j
r
. " J I 1
be.
D. M. Payne. Men who plant
more tobacco than they ought, as
we, think, find, plenty work for the
winter months in preparing it tor
market. This is one reason of the
great causes arising from that , crop
;hat deteriorate our tarms. ine
on i? tedious iob of casing, assorting
and handling a crop of tobacco con
sumes nearly all of the time set
part by nature for us to enrich and
prepare our land for the next crop
Nature in her wisdom has suited the
OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO
WINSTON, N. C, DECEMBER
seasons in all latitudes so that suffi
cient time is allowed from the culti
vation of crops for us to restore it
to its virgin richness. My vanity
if such it is constrains me to
believe that by persistent effort we
may make our lands more product
ive than they were when we took
the forest off them. In this way we
are allowed to provide for the mul
titudes of increase in population ; and
thereby leave to posterity a super
ior inheritance to that of stocks and
bonds. Nature provides a non-vegetating
season of sufficient length to
afford time to put the farms in a
productive state. Neglect on our
part at this season is as wrong-doing
as to neglect to plant and cultivate
at the proper season. Idleness
has no place in nature's programme
and when it prevails it is counter
balanced by want.
Let us be up and doing at this
season. Dig, scrape, haul and com
post every fertilizing thing found in
unavailable places. Do this as early
in the winter season as possible
while the weather is suitable and
while these scrapings contain most
nutriment for plants, and thus give
more time for decomposition to take
place. Occasionally take a back
sight and see if you can improve on
former methods. Back sights are
as necessary in engineering as front
ones. Later on when the wet
weather sets in see after water fur
rows. Take a shovel with you and
trace each one and at the first ap
proach of a break mend it, and
where the water has been near the
top make them higher. Eternal vig
ilance is the. price of success in this
important callings ... - .
The resources for fertilizing mate
rial are ample. Less than an eighth
of the earth's surface is under culti
vation. There are left seven eights to
replenish from. Scarcely a day
passes but I see a field deeply cov
ered with grass and weeds just killed
by the frost. These are in a better
condition for turning than they can
ever be again. The weather at this
time is fine for it and yet I see none
of it doing. The dead growth will
bleach and leach and get poorer
each day. It should be turned under
and locked up for the next crop.
Bare lands need not be turned this
early in the winter, unless it is stiff,
clayey land. The object of winter
fallowing is to decompose the previ
ous crop left on it, and render clayey
land friable by freezing. These pre
cautions demand as strict attention
as the gathering and housing crops.
D. M. Payne, Secretary.
The farmers of Edgecombe are on
the move. A meeting was held at
Tarboro yesterday to organize a
club, the call for which was signed
by sixty of the leading farmers of
that section of the State. The
club movement is spreading in
all. portions of the state. The
editor of The Progressive Farmer
acknowledges a cordial invitation to
be present.
The farmers of Ormondsville town
ship, in Greene county, organized a
club on the 3rd inst.
PURE MILK SAVES A MAN.
"I rise to offer ah excuse," said
W. E. Clark, Esq., in court yester
day when the name of Mr. 'Henry
Staub was called as juror. " If your
Honor please, this man is a milk
man of New Berne; he has a great
many cows and no one to do the
milking but himself and the people
- i : i . :n
caniioii get aiung w iniuuc mill.
"What sort of milk does he sell?"
asked his Honor.
"Pure milk, may it please your
Honor; I have been getting milk
from him for a week and I find it
perfectly pure not a particle of
water in it."
"Then he may be excused,"
responded his Honor.
The milk of human kindness flows
around Judge Graves' heart, but he
recognizes nono but pure milk.-
Jseicbern Journal. v
ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF
8, 1886.
Fifty thousand dollars worth of
cotton was destroyed last Tuesday
week at the depot of the Raleigh &
Gaston railroad in Raleigh, partially
covered by insurance.
Seventy more convicts passed
through our town last Friday on the
way to work on the Mt. Airy section
of our road. Work is being pushed
rap i d ly . Germ a n to n Tim es.
Alex Sloan, the negro murderer
of Victor Sloan, was found guilty
last week, and Judge Boykin sen
tenced him to be hung on the 31st
of December. Salisbury Watchman.
The fifth and last bridge
between Shelby and Rutherfordton
on the Carolina Central road has
been completed and by the 15th inst.,
trains will be running through from
Charlotte to Rutherfordton Char
lotte Democrat.
A Yadkin county babe was
recently born into this world of sin
with quite a novel relationship, being
blessed with five livinggrand-fathers
and three living grand-mothers. The
Outlook says the father of the child
is Newton Dickson, living near Con
rad's Post-office in that county.
Winsto n Itepu bl ica n .
Thieves and their nocturnal
depredations have become the topic
of ordinary conversation among our
citizens, and almost every day
brings information of some new rob
bery committed in this section.
Washington Progress.
-We understand that the Bap
tist church at Scotland neck will
soon have a pipe organ.- -Mr.
James Cotton killed a genuine prai
rie chicken on one of the river farms
near Scotland Neck last Friday. It
was the first ever seen in this local
ity and it is not known how it got
so far away from its usual haunts.
Roanoke News.
It is not true that Congressman
Reid has made an assignment, as
stated in some of our exchanges.
Some heavy mortgages and deeds of
trust have, however, been recently
offered for registration. It is sup
posed that his liabilities will amount
to thirty odd thousand dollars, while
his assets will not exceed seven or
eiffht thousand dollar's. Webster's
Weekly.
A t the price paid foir.cord wood,
heavy timbered land near Salem, is
becoming very valuable.- We heard
of one person who paid $127 for 4
acres of land, cleared one acre of it
fenced three sides of it and made
enough cord wood besides to pay
for the whole 4 acres.- While
some chickens were being dressed
at a house in this place for a Thanks
giving dinner, on Wednesday of
last week, there was found in a hen
that was opened 8 fully developed
eggs of usual size and one about the
size of a troose ecrcr. Inside of the
large egg were two eggs, one of which
upon being opened contained a little
dead chick. This may seem a "tough"
chicken story, but it is vouched for
by reliable parties. Salem Press.
Robberies and burglaries are be
coming too frequent. We again urge
our citizens to be on their guard. A
little gunshot policy might be quite
effective when stragglers are seen
around the premises. Dr. Zeno
H. Brown was the victim of a bold
robbery last week. During his
absence on Wednesday night some
thief entered his bed-room and took
money and notes to the amount of
about $1,000 from the bureau, where
he deposited it.- Greenville Befiec
tor. Tho cotton factory last week
shipped 30,992 yards of Chambrays,
and 4,256 yards of bag cloth. The
Woolen mill is running on full time.
In the paper box shop at Duke's
factory thirty persons are employed
and in one day ; 4,000 boxes were
made. Durham shipped last week
61,084 pounds of smoking tobacco
worth 122,106.63 ; 4,144,040 cigar
STATE POLICY.
No. 44.
ettes worth $13,721.33; 927 pounds
of chewing tobacco worth $324.45 ;
12,159 cigars worth $392.50. At the
warehouses last week 372,150 pounds
of leaf tobacco was sold for $22,591.
62. Durham Plant.
C. H. Robinson has purchased
Goat Island and is clearing it up
preparatory to stocking it with
blooded stock and part of it, we un
derstand, he will devote to cranberry
culture. Reports from the por
poise fisheries of Hattcras represent
the catch as large without a pre
cedent. It seems to us that there
is a mint of money in these marine
waltzers. They say there was
"never, or hardly ever" such crops
raised in Hyde county as in this
year 1886. A friend told us that an
ox cart could not drive in the field
to gather the corn until the stalks
were cut down with axes before
the cart. Elizabeth Citu Economist.
Monroe has the best fire depart
ment and the best water supply of
any town of its size in the State.
Mr. I). C. Wilson, of Goose
Creek township, has brought us a
sample of tobacco raised and cured
by him this year, which is a beauti
ful yellow. The ordinance of bap
tism was administered to twelve
persons in Richardson Creek, two
miles south of town, on last Sunday
afternoon, by Rev. I). M. Austin,
pastor of the Baptist church in Mon
roe. Mrs. Harkey, of Monroe.
killed a 93 months old pig a few
days ago which netted 225 pounds.
Mr. Chap Hill, who lives at the
Crow mill, has killed a 11-months
old pig which netted 307 pounds.
Esquire J. D. A. Secrest, of
Monroe township, recently killed a
pig 24 months old which weighed,
after being cleaned, 491 pounds.
Monroe Enquirer.
CHATTEL MORTGAGES.
Mr. H. A. Forney, of Catawba
county, has published a vigorous
open letter to the farmers of that
county, which might with equal
reason be addressed to the farmer
of the whole State, to which, it
applies with as much point, in which
he comments on the chattel mort
gage, reviews its history and manip
ulation and shows how it operates
against the man who puts himself
in its power. It is a strong and
sharply written letter and cannot
fail to make an impression upon
those to whom it is addressed and
on others who read it. , Mr. Forney
suggests that a convention of farm
ers be held at Newton on the 18th
inst., before the meeting of the
legislature, to consider this question
and see whether a method cannot be
devised of securing creditors without
oppressing the farmer who may be
compelled to buy on credit.
A WORD FOR THE FARMERS
Rev. Joseph Wheeler, in his ser
mon last Sunday morning, said in
substance this: "Many tillers of the
soil seem to be displeased with their
occupation. They are not satisfied
with being simply a farmer and are
disposed to want a change in pur
suit. But the farmer is the mon
arch of the land. He is freer, hap
pier, and better on in almost every
way than those engaged in other
pursuits. The merchant reaps the
reward of his toil in silver and gold,
but these 'are not essential to the
enjoyment of human life. The farm
er furnishes food for his neighbor
and for the world, and there is
in this thought a satisfaction that
does not come from being engaged
in other occupations." Let those
farmers who are disposed to be dis
satisfied from the humbleness of
their lot, or from short crops, or
other causes take courage and
remember that they are indeed tho
"monarchs of the land," and that to
them the world owes a living. There
is.no more independent being on
earth than an honest, systematic,?
industrious, frugal farmer. Con con
Time's., " . ".. ". , . Ai'V.
'I
7t
3
i
i
i
4
it
I
1
Jt
1
1
I
1
l
:
h
! 5,-
Hi
n
I ; ;
f-- '
it
.r" s