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THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
Vol. 2. RALEIGH, N. C, JUNE 9, 1887. No. 16.
OUR FARMERS' CLUBS.
What our Farmers are Doing and How
the Work of Organizing is
Progressing.
WILDERS CLUB NO. 1, JOHNSTON COv
This Club was organized March 5th
1887, and elected the following officers
President, W. B. Eason ; Vice-Presi
dent; J. R. Barnes ; Secretary, R. E,
Wall : Treasurer, J. K. Batton. Execu
ive Committee- J. H. Boyette, J. T,
Hinton, W. T. Hinton. Postoffice,
Archer Lodge, N. C. '
This Club is young, but it is in
earnest, progressive, and its members
realize the importance of organization
and co-operation, not only for their
own interests, but the interests of the
farmers of - North - Carolina. By
mingling together and giving each
other the benefit of- practical ideas and
experience, we are all the gainers.
R. E. Wall, Sec'y.
FARMERS CLUB OF CRAB ORCHARD TOWN
SHIP.
The farmers who met two weeks
ago and partly organized a farmers'
club, and of .which notice has already
been given, met . according to appoint
ment at Hickory Grove last Saturday
and organized permanently.
The following officers were elected
for a term of one year:' President,
J. M. Caldwell ; Vice-President, E.W.
Lyles ; Secretarv, C. B. Cross ; Treas
urer, M. F, Trotter. Also a commit
tee consisting of W. W. Gaither, S
H. Farrow, N. P. Lyles, W." Harvey
.Taylor, R. B. Trotter, P. Berryhill,
and A. F. Yandle was appointed to
draft by-laws. ,
There were twenty-two members
enrolled,- and the club is to be known
as the Farmers' Club of Crab Orchard.
It will meet regularly once a week at
Hickory Grove church, . and the next
meeting will be held at that place next
Saturdav at 2 o'clock.' Charlotte
Democrat.
OAKS FARMERS CLUB.
The Oaks Farmers' Club, at the
regular meeting in May, discussed the
proper construction of farm houses.
Much interest was taken in the dis
cussion, and accounts were given of
model barns and stables which some
of the members had seen, and of the
English stalls with stone and cemented
floors, with gutters for conducting the
liquid manures into cemented tanks.
All agreed that stock of all kinds
should be housed in winter and the
stalls kept well littered.
The subject for the next meeting is
the gathering and storage of forage.
A resolution was adopted recommend
ing that the farmers of the county
hold a Fanners' Institute at Hillsboro
at such time during the summer as
the President of the Club on consulta
tion with the farmers may designate.
It has been suggested that July 29th
and 30 will be a suitable time, and
that the farmers of the county at that
time will organize a county club.
A. M. I.
For The Progressive Farhzb.
MANURING CORN.
The subscribers to the Progressive
Farmer should take notice that now
is the proper time to manure their
corn, and the proper way to manure
is to manure it beside the stalk after
it has been weeded out. Chop your
stable manure up as fine as you can
well get it, fill your cart full, take
baskets that will hold about half
bushel or three pecks, fill full of
manure, take on your arm and put a
single handful to a stalk. By so do
ing, two full loads say about 40
bushels will manure one acre inborn,
the rows being 4 1-2 feet wide and
planting the com 30 inches apart, and
the results will be surprising. This'
has been my way of applying " my
stable manure for four or five years.
And one man will manure five acres
a day. Now. take your stable manure
and compost it as ' most . everybody
does. He will put about one. load of
stable manure with eight or ten loads
of poor dirt, and then one can manure
about one acre per day, and in order
to do that, he will have to tram it be
tween the rows with a shovel ; he
can t take that m baskets, either. And
besides, it is the stable manure tha
does the good, and not the poor dirt
It is also a good plan to have large
stables, and not clean them out unti
you get readv to use the manure," then
you save one handling, and besides it
.will keep packed down, and not burn
up. nut it you dig tnem out, it wn
be sure to undergo a heating which it
ought not by any means to do.
R. D.
For The Progressive Farmer.
SENSE AT LAST.
Capt. Williamson on Grasses.
I wish to congratulate the readers
of The Progressive Farmer on its
success in laying before the farmers of
this. State some practical ideas, of
V How to Succeed in Farming. .1
believe the farmers' institutes wil
solve the question of agricultural sue
cess in . North Carolina. . Open, : free
debate, a comparison of views and the
conflict of mind , with mind, is just
what we need. - . .
I was especially pleased with the
views of Capt. B. P. Williamson, of
Wake, on grasses. And it so happens
I, can fully endorse his general views,
and especially his plan for making up
land , meadows. In.- -following the
-
common slip-shod statements of others,
I experienced the same difficulties, and
did not succeed till I fell on the same
plan. It would do to re-publish.
A Stock Farmer.
For Thk Progressive Farxhr.
FARMERS' INSTITUTE.
Grain, Grass, Stock and Fruit Exhibi
tion. : (C)
Arrangements are being made to
establish at Mount Hollv, in this
county, a permanent . Farmers' Insti
tute, and in connection have annually
an exhibition of gram, grass, stock
and fruits.
It is proposed that each farmers'
club in the State shall have erected a
club house, where the members of the
club can stay during exhibitions, so as
the expense of attending the annual
fairs will be comparatively small. The
cost to each member of the club will
not exceed one dollar and fifty cents,
as a greater part of the material and
funds for erecting the houses have al
ready been guaranteed by business
men and farmers in and around Mount
Holly.
This location has been selected be
cause it is conveniently near the finest
portion of the grass and grain lands
of South Carolina, a number of
South Carolina farmers having prom
ised to interest themselves, provided
the locations were , selected m some
county adjoining their State.
We shall expect to have the Editor
of The Progressive Farmer present,
and guarantee that the Catawba Valley
farmers will give him a hearty wel
come. Trulv vours,
: Catawbian. ,
OUR NEIGHBOR IS SUCCESSFUL
AS A FARMER.
Because he takes, some good agri
cultural journal, : reads it and tries to
profit by its teachings.
Because he works according to some
system, with common sense to vary it,
if necessary. .
Because he doesn t believe in over
cropping his soil and constantly taking
away without replacing. He gives as
well as takes. -
Because he keeps ahead of his work
and drives it rather than let it drive
him. f
Because he plants ahead, and when
his hired man arises in the morning he
knows what is the first business of the
day after breakfast, because he was
informed the night before.
Because he keeps an accurate ac
count with his crops and his stock,
and knows what field or what r cow
pays and which does not. -
Because he watches the market and
studies the demands of the same, and
neither buys nor sells with eyes hood
winked. v Because he purchases the best seed
and is careful to get no other because
it may . be cheaper. And he doesn't
wait until he wants to sow or plant
before he purchases ; everything is
ready when w4nted for use.
Because he takes good care of his
team and stocl and never allows them
to be misused.
Because his farm tools are carefully
housed when t ie season for their use
is oyer, and ar i .repainted and put in
order for f utur 3 use.
Because he s ives all possible fertil
izers made during the winter by his
stock, and doesj not let the spring rains
wash the best part out into the road.
Because he doesn't sit around the
" corner groceries " in winter and go
to town every night in summer.
Because - he I is temperate, kind,
economical, honest, industrious, wide
awake, fore-sighted, contented and
.
COL. PETERS' ADVICE. r .
One of the most honored advisory
members of the Young Farmers Club,
as well as one of ripe and rare expe
rience, is Col. Richard Peters, of At
lanta, Ga., a man of big brain, big'
neart, Dig enterprises ana Dig results.
His experience as a breeder of, all
kinds of choice strains of live stock
has been very fruitful of cheer or
warning to less jpresumptuous breed
ers. When aslld by a reporter what
his advice would . be to a young man
who was thinking of going into the
stock business, he said he thought it
was best for a beginner to start on
low-grade stock and build it up to a
good standard, for the result would be
better than if started on costly thorr
oughbreds. alone. I think, said he,
that those who know me will acquit
me of selfishness and certainly those
who know how readily I sell all the
animals I can spare will acquit me of
any need of being selfish when I say
that one of the most important things
is to improve the breed of our stock
It costs no more, in fact it. costs much
less, to keep a good cow or hog than
"f -m i . t
a poor- one. F or example, taKe a man
who owns five or six scrub cows. If
he will buy a good Jersey bull of a
pre-potent family, the heifers of his
first cross will give him 50 percent.
more butter, on an average, and of a
much finer quality than their mothers
gave. It is an axiom that the bull is
half the herd. I have seen grades of
the third cross that no. one could tell,
by looks or butter, from registered
Jerseys. It is hard to calculate how
much good a fine, vigorous Jersey bull
can do in a country neighborhood.
One mistake is frequently made that
should be avoided. A half-breed male
should never be used to breed from.
It is the male that lifts the grade, and
a half-breed will lead a herd down
ward, no matter how fine the females
may be. Where a Jersey is intro
duced his sons should be killed for
beef or used for oxen, and his
daughters crossed to another pure-bred
Jersey.' In one cross any man can
see such a difference that he will thank
me for my advice. -In three crosses
he will have a most valuable herd
as , good butter makers almost as
registered Jerseys. And so of hogs.
A farmer, by crossing his scrub hogs
to fine breeds, will get, in one cross,
a compacter and better hog- that will
fatten more readily and on less food
than his scrubs. Another thing will
follows : When a farmer improves his
stock he will take better care of it,
and will increase his herds and flocks.
The compost heap, the pasture, the hay
rick and corn fields follow cattle and
sheep, and this gives us diversified
farming, without trenching one bale
on the cotton crop, which, of course,
must and should remain our great
crop.- Southern Cultivator for June.
Apply hartshorn, cologne water or
vinegar for the treatment of poison
ous bites or wounds -made by insects'.
A poultice of ipecac is also said to be
good. . - ' ;-.,; .. .,:.- . ' -- .
THE INTER-STATE COMMERCE
LAW.
The5 Voice of the Grange.
BY MORTIMER WHITEHEAD.
The strongest efforts are being
made through the press and by taking
advantage of technicalities in the act
1 .1 T .
to Dnng .tne inter-state Lrommerce
law into dispute, anil to influence
public sentiment against it that the
attempts eviden$to be made in the
next Congress to have it repealed may
be entirely sufceessf ul. r armers who
more than all others helped to, bring
about this law, and who above all
others are interested in its enforce
ment, should not be misled by false
statements or let evil overcome good
because of their apathy or want of
knowledge in this matter. The very
essence of the Inter-State Commerce
law is equality, anti-discrimination, "
fair field and no favor,'.' equal charges
for equal services, equality in persons
and in places. No higher charges for
a short than for a long haul; no pool
ing of earnings, no free passes. We
hear of petitions from railroads and
those who have been enjoying unequal
advantages against portions of the law:
,but so far there are more petitions
representing more persons and'interests
against any repeal of parts or all of
the law. Today we read the telegrams
that tell of the failure of two large
barbed wire manufacturing establish
ments in Chicago to the amount of
$755,000, and "the failure is chiefly
attributable to the Inter-State Com
merce act." If special rates of freight
and undue advantages have been given
firms, by which they became monopo
lies and could crush out other firms in
the same line of business who had not
these favors, and with the Standard
Oil Co., whose freight rebates have
been' announced m eighteen months
time to amount of $10,000,000, and
who have crushed out hundreds of
other oil refineries because of these
special favors and they cannot com
pete on an equal footing with other
firms they must fall. And it was to
suit just such cases that this law was
made and passed. Let justice be done
though the. heavens fall." Our fore
fathers said in the Declaration of In
dependence, all men should " have an
equal chance in life, liberty and the
pursuit of hapiness." That principal
is the foundation of all our Govern
ment, and it is the chief cornerstone
of the Interstate Commerce law.
HOEING CORN.
Corn, properly planted on well pre
pared land, should rarely need the hoe
in the early stages if the . plowing be
skillfully done. While our personal
experience does not approve the gen:
eral practice of planting in the water
furrow (as advocated by Dr. Jones),
we have found it very helpful in the
way of subsequent cultivation to plant
in very wiole, deep furrows, and cover
ing very shallow, so that the plants
will be beloW the general surface. The
first plowing should be done with an
implement that throws but little dirt
to the corn, yet enough to cover well
the step between the hills or plants.
The thinning (if needed) should be
done ahead of the plowing, and the
latter should be done only by con
scientiously (?) careful laborers. The
plowman should be required to stop
and uncover plants, or cover or pull out
weeds or grass with foot or hand as he
goes, ne should De impressed witn
the idea that the work of cleaning the
young plants must be done by the
work of his plow, or his hands and
feet no hoe to follow. It is not a
bad idea to furnish each plowman
with a small, short-handled, one-hand
hoe, to be carried ;with his plow and
used as occasion may require. It will
be found that he will be : much more
careful to do good work with his plow
if he is given to understand that care
less work will not be endured and left
for the hoes to remedy.' - v .;'.
Of course it will of ten. occur that
the land is sufficiently smooth to admit
of thorough work by the plow, except
around trees and stumps ; but it will
not pay to go over a field, row by row,
in order to clean around such ob
stacles. Better make a job of it,
early in the cultivation, going from
one to another without regard to the
intervening rows.
It sometimes pays well to go over
the corn crop with the hoes about lay
ing by time, each hand taking two or
more rows at a time, and destroy
scattering bunches of grass and clean
ing around stumps and trees. This
will depend upon whether the hands
can be spared from, the more exacting
cotton crop. farmers rriend.
DON'T DEPEND ON THE YOUNG
GRASS.
However eager cattle may be to get
on the fresh spring grass, and however
greedily they eat t, . remember that it
alone is not sufficient to ,keep them m
flesh, much less to fatten them any.
As many people will be turning cattle
into pasture earlier than usual on ac
count of scarcity of feed, they should
bear this in mind. On this subject
the National Live Stock Journal says :
Cattle never make any gain on the
first grass of the season, but the ques
tion properly considered, it will be
found that they always lose ground
for the first two or three weeks if
turned upon feed that is inadequate to
meet their wants: These needs aro
always considerable, and very impera
tive, at the close of winter, espec
ially a winter on short keep, and
in. some form or other, is the rule
rather than' the exception. Cattle
that have been wintered on very
coarse feed, hay grown on very rich,
low ground, especially if the land is
wet, or, on the other hand, on straw
mainly, will become at once very weak
if put upon grass of the first growth.
There are two reasons for this. In
the first place, the growth is scattering,
as time is required for any crop of
grass to thicken up, that it may fairly
cover the grpund and give the beast
what is termed a "fair bite." In the
second place, this early shoot of grass,
so far as the nutriment contained is
concerned, may be likened to a head
of grain before the berry is formed.
It looks as though it might have nutri
ment in it, but the trial proves that
appearances are deceptive. , It may
also be added that the taste for it is
but a taste that cattle obtain of this
early growth, destroys the appetite
for the dry provender they were fed
upon before. Hence, for every reason
bearing upon the subject, it " will be
found in the end much more economi
cal to keep the cattle stock upon dry
feed, and to the hay, fodder or straw,
there should be added a fair ration of
ground feed.
ESTIMATE OF THE WOOL CLIP.
An estimate of the wool clip of this
country, prepared by the Philadelphia
Textile Association, places the total un
washed wool at 208,595,126 pounds,
and washed, 52,469,524; grand total,
9A1 nfil A5fl ru-mnrls whiph rpdnrftd t.rt
scoTed wool, taking ordinary shrink
age, makes 116,136,685pounds. An
other table shows the estimated de
crease and increase between 1884 and
1886, and between 1886 and 1887.
For the former period there was a
total decrease of 41,951,424 pounds,
and an increase of 9,032,217 pounds,
making a net decrease of 32,919,207
pounds. The total estimated decrease
between 1838 and 1887 is 22,582,195
pounds, and an increase of 1,720,783
pounds; net decrease, 20,861,412
pounds. The increase occurs in Ore
gon, Colorado,. Montana, yommg,
Utah, Washington Territory Nevada,
Dakota and Idaho. All the other
States and territories show a decrease,
For a period between 18S4 and 1887.
Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska show
an increase, but these States are in the
decrease column for the period 1886-
7. Texas shows a decrease of .1 9, 1 66,-1
664 pounds for three years, and 12,-
244,704 pounds the past vear. . Ohio
decreased . 1 85, 6 1 5 pounds in the;
hree. years,. 950,605 the jat year;
art
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