' 4 I
THE INDUSTRIAL AN3 EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
Vol. 2.
RALEIGH, N. C, OCTOBER 20, 1887.
No. 35.
XMAEER.
OUR FARMERS' CLUBS.
What our Farmers are Doing and How
the Work of Organizing is
Progressing.
The AYarrenton Gazette says, the
fanners of Warren propose to organ
ize a club of the farmers of the county.
There ought to be an agricultural so
ciety in overy county, and we are glad
to see that Commissioner Robinson is
organizing clubs, or societies, at the
Farmers' Institutes, which he attends.
This is the legitimate work of the
Agricultural Department. It is its
duty to place itself in close relation
with the farmers of the State.
The Bershavia Farmer's Club of
Viena township, will hold a fair at Oak
Grove, this county, on Friday, October
21. The opening address will be
made by the president of the club, Mr.
J. M. Long, at 10 a. m., and will be fol
lowed by addresses by Hon. Edgar
Lineback, Mr. A. AY. Bevil and Hon.
C. 1. Watson. Over forty cash pre
miums, on articles embracing nearly
every droduct of the farm and house
hold, are offered. Space will be fur
nished free to all who wish to make ex
hibits. This will bo the first country
fair ever held in that section, and we
wish lor it all the success its promo
ters could hope for. Twin-City J Mil;
COUXTY FARMERS' CLUB.
The Club met according to adjourn
ment last Saturday. The subject for
discussion was - The best mode of
preparing the soiJ for wheat, the best
fertilizers adapted to its growth, and
their amplication. Mr. J. 11. bwice-
good made the opening remarks, and
was followed by other speakers. The
topics selected for the next meeting
are " Slaughtering hogs and curing
bacon,'' and The making of compost
and manure." It is resolved to hold
the regular meetings of the Club on
the first Saturday of each season in
Finch's hall in Lexington. Adjourned
to meet on Saturday, Dec. 3d. Lex
ington Disjniich.
.V Farmers' institute for Rocking
ham county will be held at AVent
worth on Thursday and Friday the 3d
and 4th of November next.
The following topics will be dis
cussed : North Carolina Agricultural
Department : How it protects the
farming interest, by Col. John Robin
son, Raleigh.
Manures, Composting and Fertili
zers, Dr. C. W. Dabney, jr., Raleigh.
How to restore a run-down farm,
Dr. D. Reid Parker, Trinity CollegeA
Farmers' Organizations, Col. L. LJ
Polk, Raleigh.
Extensive and Intensive Farming,
Grasses and Clover, Chemistry, as ap
plied to Agriculture, Defects of our
Agricultural System, Tobacco and
Corn Culture, will be assigned to
speakers in our own county. Short
after-talks on the above topics.
Exercises begin at 10 o'clock a. m.
T. B. Lindsay, Chm'n.
For The Progressive Farmer.
Raleigh, N. C, Oct. 7, 1887.
The Wake County Farmer's Alli
ance convened in the court house in
this city to day, and was called to or
der at 1 1 o'clock by the President, J.
D. Allen.
A committee on credentials found
Sub-Alliances represented.
The quarterly reports from the Sub
Alliances were sent in to the Secretary
at this meeting. The reports showed
the Alliances to be in a prosperous con
dition. Repor t3 from several committees,
appointed at former meeting of the
Alliance consumed a part of the time
Vm-o imTM'fnnt, resolutions were f
r V1U; llilVJ. ' - l
offered and debated at length. Col. L. U
L. Polk, of The Farmer, and one oW
the delegates from this county to the
State Alliance at Rockingham, on the
4th of October last, gave an interesting
account of the organization of that
body.
After having transacted much busi
ness of importance, the AVake County
Alliance adjourned to meet in the city
of Raleigh on the first Friday in Jan
uary next at 1 1 o'clock a. m.
AY. G. Crowder, Secy.
For The Progressive Farmer.
ANOTHER ALLIANCE ORGAN
IZED IN CUMBERLAND.
There was a Farmers' Alliance or
ganized at Godwin, Cumberland
county, on the night of the 30th of
September last with 30 members, viz.:
President C. C. MeLellan.
Vice-President W. J. Pope.
Secretary D. G. MeLellan.
Treasurer I. AY. Godwin.
Chaplain Rev. Gray Culbreth.
Lecturer A. B. Yarborough.
Asst. Lecturer Angus Bain.
Door Keeper Hector Mclntyre.
Asst. Door Keeper AY. E. Rhodes.
Postoflicc of officers, Rhodes, N. C.
Respectfully,
D. G. McLellax.
For Tiik Progressive Farmer.
CAMDEN FALLS INTO LINE.
Pursuant to a notice, the farmers of
Camden county met at the court house
on the 24th of September, 1887, for
the purpose of organizing a Farmers'
Club.
On motion, M. N. Sawyer was made
Chairman and 1'. G. Morrisett, Secre
tary. T B. Boushall was elected Presi
dent, John Upton, Arice President, and
Noah Burfort.
The Chairman appointed a commit
tee of three, to-wit : T. B. Boushall,
M. B. Huuhes and Noah Burfort, for
the purpose of drafting a Constitution
and By-Laws for the government of
the Club.
On motion, the Club will meet on
each third Saturday in every month at
2 o'clock p. m., and the next meeting to
be at Camden, court house.
The following query was adopted
for discussion at the next meeting, to
wit : AVhich is the most profitable to
raise in Camden county, cotton or pea
nuts ?
M. B. Hughes and John II. Sawyer
were elected to open the discussion.
On motion, the proceedings of this
meeting be sent to The Progressive
Farmer and Falcon for publication.
On motion, the Club adjourned.
M. N. Sawyer, Chm'n.
P. G. Morrissett, Sec'y.
For The Progressive Farmer.
Raxdlemax, N. C, Oct. 13, 1887.
As I have just returned from a re
vival meeting at Columbia factojy, and
have had some opportunity of talking
with the farmers on Deep River, I am
sure your presence and council are
very much needed in that section as
well as the Randleman section. There
is a great deal of good farming land
that needs reclaiming instead of clear
ing more land. I know from past ex
perience that it is a great deal cheaper
to reclaim land than to clear, and be
sides, it is morally wrong to destroy
the timber when that timber justly be
longs to our posterity. The timber of
Eastern North Carolina would have
now been a grand source of wealth had
there never been one stick of tim
ber cut; whereas the county has been
impoverished instead of being enriched
from this source. AVhile your paper
is making a change in the minds of
the people, I trust that that change
may be a radical change and dig up
the very tap-root of old fogyism in this
line. The farmers in the vicinity of
the factories ought to supply the man
ufacturers instead of these companies
supplying them, as is now the case.
The bacon and flour supplied by AYest-
ern markets, making both the farm
and the farmer poorer, should all be
made at home, no matter what the price
may be, the result is the same. I know
that many people say that they cannot
afford to make bacon at Chicago pri
ces, and their money goes to pay the
whole saler s profit then the retail deal
er's profit, and pay for a large amount
of salt at 10 and 12 1-2 cents per pound,
and then pay all the freight ; and all
this goes from our section of the
country, which should all go into the
farms. It matters not from what
standpoint we view this matter, we
are surely growing poorer under the
present system (or rather the lack of
system.) It is startling to see the
amount of freights alone that the
farmers of this section pay, to say
nothing of the cost of the articles pur
chased. AVith the lien law and the home
stead, our people never will become
independent, from the fact that in the
first place men are not disposed to im
prove their farms above the home
stead; and in the second place, when
ever men commence with lien they
soon spell it lean, and thus continually
become leaner.
I believe that we should look from
the farmer down to the President of
the United States instead of looking
from the farmer up to the President.
Now who are to blame for all this
hick of economy ? Assuredly not the
merchants for the farmers compel
them to bring their supplies, and hence
the responsibility rests with the farm
ers. Are want educated farmers, and
must have them.
There is another matter that I wish
you to look into, as the AV ;.? and Oh
server entirely evaded my questions in
his reply. I know that there are men
in Western North Carolina who have
been boarding their families from
North Carolina's commissary and are
still boarding their children, with no
vouchers for the same. The men to
I whom I have reference are supervisors
of convict camps on the railroads in
the mountain section of this State. If
necessary, 1 can give the names of
some of them and one or more wit
nesses. Please look into this matter
and oblige.
Your friend,
A. L. Mexdexhall.
GREEN MANURING.
Number S.
How to feed the land is probably
the most important question for the
farmer to decide. Another equally
important question is how to produce
and cure a large amount of cheap
forage for his horses, mules, cows and
hogs, for upon the successful manage
ment of these two things depend in a
great measure the future crops. The
old proverb, ; No grass no stock, no
stock no manure, no mauureno crop,"
! is as true today as when first written.
making it necessary for the farmer to
know how to raise crops for the land,
and for his stock, and also how to cure
and keep the forage for winter use.
The farmer should be able to raise
forage in such abundance, and so
cheaply, that he would find it to his
interest to make his stock consume as
much as possible. The cow pea and
crab grass gives the heaviest and
cheapest forage crops that can be
grown at the South ; it is therefore
important to know how to cure and
how to stack the cow pea vines. The
following plan for curing and stacking
this forage is one of the best that has
been tried, and with ordinary care and
judgment can be used by any one with
success : Haul a supply of rails into
your pea field, or to the most conveni
ent place for the stacks. Make a pen
as large as the rails will permit, with
a rail floor about one foot above the
ground, build the pen three or four
feet high from the floor, and fill it
with cured or partially cured pea for
age. AVhen the pen is filled lay six or
eight rails across in order to form an
open floor for the next pen above,,
which build in the same manner, and
fill it with forage, repeating the opera
tion until the stack is as high as de
sired ; finish the stack with as sharp
top as possible to allow for settling,
cover it with hay and lay a rail from
each corner to the centre and top, to
prevent the hay from blowing off, and
you will find the forage to keep per
fectly until you are ready to use it.
If pea vines are fully cured before
stacking the leaves will fall off. If
they are put in the barn before being
fully cured they will mould. By using
the above plan they can usually be
stacked the day after being cut.
A.
A CALL TO THE FARMERS.
The State Convention to be Held in
Columbia, Dec. ist. r .
Extracts from the Address. '
The following address has been
issued by the Executive Committee of
the Farmers' Association of the State.
Capt. Tillman puts the whole matter
tersely and pointedly. Let the farm
ers throughout the whole State organ
ize at once where they are not already
organized, let good, level-headed men
be chosen as delegates to the State
Convention and let there be a full
convention. The ball is rolling and
the farmers must work for their in
terests. In our judgment much good
will come out of it all for the farmers
of the State :
To the Farmers of South Carolina:
''The agitation known as the
4 Farmers' movement crystalized last
November into a permanent organiza
tion under the name of the 'Farmers'
Association of South Carolina.' The
objects for which we then organized
were clearly set forth and are as fol
lows : The encouragement,- protection
and advancement of our agricultural
interests, and the securing of such re
forms and the passage or repeal of
such laws as will compass these ends
and enable us as tillers of the soil
to secure at least a fair share of the
profits of our labor.
"AYe seek to elevate and educate
the farmers of the State by any and
every means possible, and to bring
about such changes in our system of
farming as will preserve the fertility
of the soil and increase the profits
therefrom.
" While we deprecate political agi
tation, we will not hesitate to assert
our rights as citizens and taxpayers ;
and, feeling that we have just cause
of complaint, we will continue to de
mand a fair and proper recognition of
our rights and needs, and will use our
ballots to secure it.
The above extract is from the Cot
ton Plant and that paper says, edito
rially :
"It is important that the entire
farming community take an interest
in this convention. Whatever the
farmers of the State have to ask or
demand at the hands of the law-makers
should be sought with decision,
firmness and unanimity. Every
farmer, no matter how humble, has an
interest in this matter, and every nook
and corner of the State should be rep
resented." SKILLED FARM LABORERS.
CC)
No idea has done more to repress
farming progress than the idea that a
farm laborer need not be skilled, that
brute strength is the main requisite.
This nev5r was true, and is less so
now than ever before since improved
machinery has to be handled. But
even in handling such old-fashioned
implements as the axe and the hoe
efficiency depends as much upon skill
as upon muscle. It is by no means
the largest hired man who will do the
most work in a day. And when help
is hired that is entirely unused to our
methods of farming, its inexperience
greatly detracts from its value. The
truth is that farming is a trade, that
has to be learned if the workers at it
would be effective. It requires knowl
edge and skill in a far larger number
of things than most other kinds of
business. In fact, it is never fully
learned. The oldest and most suc
cessful farmer is generally the most
ready to learn something new about
his business, and it is usually this
habit which he has kept up through
his life that has given him his success
That farmer shows only his limited
idea of his business who thinks that
he knows so much about it that he
cannot learn anything more. And
though skill in farm help is desirable,
it is sometimes better in rough work
to have a green hand willing to do as
he is told, and to learn, than one self
conceited with the idea that he knows
everything already. Much depends
upon employers. Some are them
selves so conceited that few hired men
are willing to try to learn from them.
Cultivator.
COPY OF THE PLAN ADOPTED
By the Earmers State Alliance of
Texas, Establishing the Farmers'
Alliance Exchange of Texas.
by-laws. C )
This corporation shall be known as
The Farmers' Alliance Exchange of
Texas.
The object of this corporation is to
negotiate the sale of the cotton and
other products and stock and such
other property, personal, real or mixed,
as may be desired by the members of
the Farmers' State Alliance of Texas;
also, the purchase of such commodi
ties, machinery and other things as
may be desired ; also to erect suitable
buildings, store houses and appliances
for conducting such business, and
furnishing the necessary hall-room
and offices for the officers of the said
Farmers' State Alliance, and such
other purposes as may be desired by
the said order.
The capital stock of this corporation
shall be $50,000, divided into 25
shares of $20,000 each, and one-tenth
of one per cent, shall be paid on the
subscription of the stock. The 25
stockholders of this corporation shall
be elected by the Farmers' State Alli
ance of Texas, as follows : At the
present August session of said State
Alliance of 1887, there shall be two
elected from each Congressional dis
trict in the State, and three from the
State at large, and immediately after
election their names shall be placed in
a hat and drawn one at a time. The
first nine drawn' shall hold office one
year, the next eight drawn shall hold
office for two years, and the last eight
shall hold office for three years ; and
the term,of office for each stockholder
shall hereafter be three years, and the
said State Alliance shall, at each regu
lar annual session, elect stockholders
to fill all vacancies.
Each stockholder shall hold one
share of stock in this Association, in
trust for the benefit of the members
of the Farmers' State Alliance, and
shall discharge his duties as owner in
trust of said stock to the best inter
ests of his constituents, and turn over
all stock and every privilege accrueing
therefrom to his successor in office.
The stockholders of this corporation
shall elect from among their number
an executive board of three members
who shall be the board of trustees,
and who shall have the general super
vision and management of all the
business and shall procure such char
ter or charters from the State of Texas
as may be necessary to carry on the
work and business desired to bo done.
They shall be governed by such gen
eral by-laws as the stockholders may
from time to time adopt.
In order to raise the capital stock
above entrusted to stockholders for
the benefit of the members of the
Farmers' Alliance in the State of
Texas is hereby called upon to vote an
assessment of $1 per member, both
male and female, due and payable Oct.
15th, 1887, and $1 per member, both
male and female, due and payable
Dec. 1st, 1887, and those voting in
favor of said proposition shall imme
diately notify the State Business Agent
of the fact, and the money on such as
sessment, when received, shall be sent
to the secretary of this corporation,
and a notice of the remittance sent to
the secretary of the State Alliance.
It is understood that when as much
as $50,000 has been paid to the secre
tary, each share of stock will be cred
ited with ten per cent, paid in, and
for each subsequent payment of that
amount, a like credit will be made.
Unanimously adopted at regular
session, in AYaco, Texas. August 12,
1887. Evak Joxes, Pres't.
H. G.' Moore, Sec'y.
He that "gives good advice builds
with one hand; he that gives good
council and good example, builds with
both; but he that gjves good admo
nition and bad example, builds with
one hand and pulls down with the other.
Arirtue is the first title of nobility.
Mbliere.
?