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THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER, NOVEMBER 17, 1887. L. L. POLK, -. - . , ' Editor. Raleigh, N. C. ... , SUBSCRIPTION: $2.00 FOR ONE YEAR $1.00 FOfci d MONTHS POST-PAID. ....;. InvariaMy in Advance, ' ; Special add Liberal Hate to'-Ctabe.l ; -Subscribers will be notified 'itwQ weeks before their time expires, apd if thet do not renew;, the ' paper will stopped promptly. ' ,;T :V H: " ' A'Qtive agents wanted-in every .county,, city, town and village in. the State'. Write for terms: ' :- Money, at our risk, if sent tb-y. registered letter or mcfney order. ' , Advertising Rates qmrtfed on application. -Oh all business matter relating to the paper, . .Address : Proqressive Farmer, lidleigh, 3. C.! -p. 'i . "-i- . To Correspondent : ' Write all communications', dfrfgu'ed' M publica--tion, on one side of tlje paper only. Hi. . JVe want intelligent correspondents '-m- every ; county in the State. We Aranft-te af, vaWey'.re eults accomplished of value, experiences of. value; plainly and briefly told. One t-'olid; ' tlemdrtstrated fact, is worth a thousand theories.; ; ; - ., Address all communications to ' t . The Progressive Farmek, Raleigh, Nj C. EALEIGH, N. C; N0W'17;; 1887. This paper entered assecond-elavMnatterat thfiJPost '. ' . . OfiiceiiIMeigh,X. C The Progressive Farmer is the Official Organ of the N. C. Farmers' Association and N. G. State Farmers' Alliance. PLEASE NOTICE. In writing to this office to change the address of a paper, our subscribers will do us a favor by stating the office at which the paper is received, as well as the one to which it is desired to be sent. Failure to do this puts us to a great deal of trouble and the necessity of going through a long list of names, involving not only much work, but much loss of time, when time is valuable. SUBSCRIBERS, READ THIS. Is there a Cross Mark on the margin of your paper ? We adopt this as the simp lest and easiest method of informing our patrons that their terms of subscription have expired, and that the paper will be stopped if we do not hear from you. So if you see the Cross Mark, let us hear from you. A FLUTTER IN THE COTTON MARKET, -There was a marked advance in the price of cotton last week. The reports of tlie Department of Agriculture in "Washington showed a considerable shortage in the crop, and the specula tors and gamblers became excited and the farmers, for once, reaped some advantage. These speculators and cotton lords have their agents all through the South, to keep them informed as to all the details of the crop, from the time for preparation of the land to the end of the gathering, but by some means these agents miscalculated and it was. only when the Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. Coleman, got his report ready, that they discovered that the yield of the present crop would fall short of their estimate. Hence the sudden advance in price. Here is a practical question for the farmer to solve : Why should not he who producer this crop know more about the acreage planted, the con dition of the crop while growing, and the probable yield than1 any one else ? Were he possessed of these facts he would know how to take , advantage of the market. He would : know whether or not to hold his crop. He ought to know more about these mat ters than any one.' else, ;and here is where the Alliance propqsqs tp aid him. . ; . ; .; ( ; v.- i-. :" When its business system is per fected and established throughout the cotton States, it will erdbrace a sys . tern' for obtaining t the speediest and most reliable information as to casual ties to the crop, its: -condition, pros pects, &c, from the time it is planted to the ginning and i packing. Its : Business Agents . will D( able, to im part this information to the farmers wherever the Alliance! -;is; organized, promptly, and thus keep them so well "posted that they may - know as well, :and even better than the speculators, . what is the present or future outlook - - '."iY? CT. J " . . i rm 1 . il oi tne cijpp. JLms is one or- me many '! practical benefits wici'.ke-Alliance will"- give to its - members. N .'They : may . kop w every day as welt as any cotton broker TDrcottcm- exchange, -theexact- condition of the markets of the world, and they may. know too, as well as the Wall Street Exchange, the con dition and yield of the crop. With this information always at their com mand, and having their cotton handled and sold by and through their own exchange, the "bulls" and " bears" of Wall Street will not have them and their crop completely at their mercy. With the system of the Alli ance in full force in each of the cotton States, and with the cotton farmers making their farm supplies at home, we will be masters of the situation and can control the crop.: It will take time to perfect it, but it can and will be done. Texas has HG Alliance cot ton yards,, and a State Cotton Ex change, which will handle over 400,000 bales this season for its members. Let us be patient, prudent and persevering and a better day awaits us. Wre must first organize arid organize thoroughly before this system' can be of much benefit tous, ET IT BE UNDERSTOOD, That the fundamental and primary object of the Farmers Alliance is to improve the farmers Socially, morally, intellectually and financially. It adopts such meansand methods as are perfectly legitimate and as may best promote this object. It makes war on no man or men engaged in legiti mate business. It will protect its members, as far as possible, against imposition and oppression, let it come from what source it may. It will manage and control, as far as possible, the products of its labor. It will en courage and foster education, and the industrial development of the country. It is strictly non-sectarian and non partisan. It has nothing to do with a man's party affiliations, but it does have to do with those great political questions which override and over shadow considerations of a mere par tisan character, and upon which the science of true economic government is founded. It asks for no special favors at thehands of government all it asks is, for "a fair field and an even chance " with all other interests. Class legislation and unjust discrim ination against the agricultural inter ests of the country, will be fought and fought earnestly and persistently. It demands equity and justice for the farmers of the country it wants nothing more it will take nothing less. It will aid and encourage its members to sell when they can get the best prices, and to buy where they can buy cheapest. It will foster closer fraternal relations between the farm ers of the country, and thus cultivate and strengthen the bonds of union and co-operation. It will use all the means in its power to do away with the credit system and the lien mortgage system, which it regards as evil, and evil only to the farmers. THAT 0Ie-SIDED TRADE. Gov. Vance at Fayetteville: "Farmers, what control have you over the productsof .your labor ? Do you price your corV or wheat, or to bacco or cottoju? re you not com pelled to take just ie price which others see fit to offer you ? Have you any voice in the matter ? An old man named Roaik lived up in the mountains. He was a great horse trader, and when, near the close of the war, Stoneman was making a raid through our western counties, Roark concluded he would ride out and make a reconnoisance. Mounting a good fat horse he started, and soon met the raiders, and the officer promptly or dered the old fellow to dismount. Roark got down, and about that time he saw a Yankee private sliding down off a. terribly dilapidated animal. The officer commanded Roark to takeioff His skddle and put it oh the Yankee's horse. Roark obeyed. "Mount!" said the officer. Roark mounted the Yankee's horse. 1 i Now take the rbad f or your home," said the. officer;: Roark gathered his reins and turned to the s officer and said : " Will you please allow me one word before I go ? I've been a swappin' bosses for about sixty year, but durn me, ef this aint the first time I ever swapped in all my life and didn't have a word to say in the trade." ? "How many of you are playing Roark: evry day in; : your business transactions ? Get out of debt, organ ize and take care of yourselves and your interests." ANSON COUNTY ALLIANCE. President -Dr; J. A. McRae. Vice'President-iDrV Ai A. May hard. ' ' : ' ' ' Secretary James ' ''A. McLaucMin. Treasurer Di'M. Johnson. " ": Chaplain p. C,' Tillman. : Lecturer J. C. Hines. . ' Asst. Lecturer Z. T. ed f earn. . .Door Keeper rR. P. Little.. . : - j : Asst. Door ; Keeper W. R.. Diggs; ' Business Agent Ed. D. Gaddy. Anson has twelve subordinate Alli ances with an aggregate membership of about 350. The order is in health ful and vigorous condition and the membership is enthusiastic in the work. They feel at last that they have found something that will be of great benefit to the agricultural classes, and they intend to do all in their power to " get good " out of it. For The Pkogressive Farmer. Concord, N. C, Nov. 13, 1887. The Mt. Gilead Farmers' Alliance, Cabarrus county (Concord postoffice) was organized with 19 members Satur day, Nov. 12th. The following offi cers were elected : President Allison Fink. Vice-President Michael Scott. Secretary E. P. Deal. Treasurer W. A. Misenheimer. Lecturer Geo. M. Walter. Asst. Lecturer Luther Walter. Chaplain E. C. Luther. Door Keeper L. "W. Blackwilder. Asst. Door Keeper "W. F. Barn hardt. Sergt.-at-Arms Adolphus Neisler. RESOLUTIONS OF THE FARM ERS' ALLIANCE OF UNION COUNTY, N. C. Whereas, The Bay State Shoe and Leather Company, of New York, de clines and refuses to sell their goods directly to this Alliance ; therefore Resolved, That this Alliance and every member thereof will not pur chase from any dealer or vender of the said company's goods or merchan dise in the future. And it is further resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent by our secretary to the Bay State Shoe and Leather Company, and also to The Progressive Farmer for publication. W. A. Austin. J. S. Marsh, Sec'y. SENATOR VANCE AS A FARMER "The farmer is the greatest and most important man in the world. Magnify your high office, and by studying your business in all its phases and relations, prepare to meet the demands which the world will make on you." Vance. "Congressmen are buttonholed and worried out of their lives, almost, by every class of people, who throng the lobbies and corridors of the Capitol, looking after their interests. But during the fifteen years I . have been there I have never seen a farmer there lobbying for , his interest. But the others are all there and always there." Vance. " You must organize and' bring your voice to bear upon the legislation of the country. United and thrown into one volume it would be as the mighty thunderings of Niagara to the silent drippings from the waste-pipe of a moonshiner's whiskey still; You should make yourselves felt more at Raleigh and Washington." ..u , .... r Vance. . , , "Thave seen men make fortunes since the war, but I have-' seen f no North Carolina farmer get ;rich. I have seen some . who thought- they were making money when they were selling their tobacco at high prices, but they see now that they were not only selling tobacco, but tllat they were selling also the very cream of the fertility of their soils' : r : v z, ; Va'ce. - J 4 Some farmers turn up their noses at 1 Book farming,' but science agri cultural science, must and will be recognized as the great power in agri cultural . and industrial .. progress. Agricultural colleges and schools must be. established and liberally pat ronized and create a new force in the agricultural world." Vance. THE COST OF FARMING. As we have before and of ten stated, the Argus is peculiarly interested in the welfare of. the- farmers, because.upon the prosperity of the farmers depends the prosperity of the country , , hence we are. constantly casting about for pointers in their behalf. It goes without controversy that the farmers as a class do not sufficiently consult the cost of cultivating the re spective crops to which our lands and climate are: adapted. and govern them selves accordingly; and this is a ques tion that form a purely economical standpoint is worthy of the brightest consideration. The wise farmer should know the cost of every article he pro duces. It is as unwise to farm blindly as it is to conduct any other business blindly. The merchant who would sell goods without knowing, their cost would probably soon -find himself a bankrupt; and the farmer who desires success should farm on strict business principles. Great advances in this di rection have been made of late; but it is evident either that the cost of pro ducing variety materially in different sections, or that farmers themselves are unable to tell with any approach to accuracy what the real cost is. But all our farmers agree that there is too much cotton planted in the South and too little attention given to the raising of grain, for bread stuffs; pork, hay, feed and other of the every day necessaries on a farm. All these arti cles the majority of our farmers now have to buy, imported from the North and West, at immense expense, all the year round, and depend upon their fluctuating cotton crops to pay them out in the fall ; and the consequence is that they are in debt all the year round, year in and year out; the "farm is mortgaged;" the crops are mortgaged; the stock, horses, cows, hogs, esc, are mortgaged; the house-hold and kitchen,, furniture is mortgaged all for sup plies" to "run" them while they are raising their crops of cotton, the culti vation of which is year by year sink ing them deeper and deeper in debt, out of which they will never, because they can never, pay. Goldsboro Argus. LET THE GOOD WORK CON TINUE ! The development of the ''small manufacturing " interests of the South during the past five years has been remarkable. Not a very great while ago nearly all the small wares, uten sils, etc., used by the Southern people were manufactured North. Now there are small factories producing articles in almost every part of the South. Very many of these factories have been built up to considerable proportions, after having been started from very small beginnings. It is not difficult for one to procure Southern made hubs, spoke, axe and hoe helves, currycombs washboards, etc., but still the bulk of these articles come from the North, and the prices paid for them are such as would make it profitable to establish many other small factories for their protection in this section. If one will step into house fur nishing or a notion store his attention will be at once called to a thousand and one articles which are in daily de mand everywhere, and which are sold at prices representing many times the cost of production. Such articles are made of wood, cast iron,, tin, wire, glass, copper, brass, leather, cloth, thread and paper, and it would not be a difficult matter for even untrained amatures to master the manufacture of many of them in a very short time. Pluk, industry and tact are neces sary for the success of small industries. These are more difficult to enlist in the enterprise than the pecuniary capital required. The finding of a regular market for the products is one of the most important requisites. This requires, steady and persistent can vassing in all the centres of trade iii the country. Some important advan tages small manufactories have are that in seasons of unusual depression they can shut down, and little capital will be idle and few workmen put of employment, and they are not affected to any great extent by.labor agitations and strikes.. Every town and village in the .Soutn almost is a suitable loca tion for such enterprises, :and scares .of them, ought to be; in operation in every Southern city. Headlight. " WHAT WILL SAVE OUR FARM ; ERS. This is a very important question and one 'that is asked almost every day by thoughtful men, as they gaze over scope of our farming , country, was once beautiful, level, rich and splen didly cultivated, but which now pre sents year after year an aspect of d0 clining beauty and fertility. There are two important' questions for all those who feel an interest in the well fare of their county, to consider first what is the real cause of, certain parts of our country so declining ? Second what will save the whole country from becoming worthless?- In- regard to the first, is it because the farmers do not work as hard as they did, or as steadily as they should ? Such cannot be the case, for almost every farmer will tell you that he works ''much harder now than- he did ten years ago, or before the war- It is because the general drift of things in these declin ing sections seems against farmers? Certainly riot" To express it in the fewest words it is simply because the farmers do not cultivate intensively and scientificallv. The remedy, then, to restore such coun ties, so as to make farming profitable, is simply to farm on a scientific and intensive scale; or, in other words, to cultivate less ground and cultivate it better, adopting and using all the most improved method of cultivation. While it is true it will take many years of seemingly and perhaps unprofitable labor to restore such worn-out sections, yet there is but one way to succeed in doing so, and that is, as the old adage says, to stick to it, and finally by in tensive and scientific work, by the nec essary restoratives, the may bring his land back to its former fertility, and instead of decreasing in value, as now, it will yearly increase until it shall bloom like the rose, and the farmer's home spread an influence for inlustry, education and Christianity throughout the length and bredth of the land. Pro Bono Publico, in Forest City Neivs. E FARMERS ALLIANCE. The members of the learned profes sions show a professional courtesy for each other and a to great extent pool their differences, the merchants have their boards of trade, the Knights of Labor their guilds and lodges and the tillers of the soil must have their clubs and alliances. The Farmers' Alliance has no poli tical feature about it that we know of but in some quarters it has put itself on record against the High Tariff. We hope that every Alliance in the country will do this. If the farmers will not take up arms against this enemy who will? In the Farmers' Alliance does nothing more than re duce the Tariff and taxes of the gov ernment, it was not born in vain. But we trust that the Alliance is just what the word meads and that it will make the farmer a better friend to himself and the most independent be ing in reality as well as in name that the sun shines upon. The farmer is undoubtly the coming man and the balance of the world is showing him more deference and respect day by day as he continues to hold or drive his cast steel plow that was once a wooden plow. Central Express. THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ONE CENT. It is almost impossible to attach any importance to one . cent, but at the same time it is a very important com at times, says an exchange. It will take a circular to California, and it will make you madder than' a hatter and a March hare combined w hen you go to pay your fare on a horse car and find that you have but four cents and a ten dollar bill. r One cent is very small, but when it is added to the rate of interest you receive on a stock, it possesses a stern, magnificent grandeur that carries you away like a strain of, music. The penny, it seems, was made to put on church plates; andT al though a man may say it amounts to nothing, he. will strike matches and lift mats and crawl about in the straw on a horse-car to find the one he drops. It is so small a coin that you have to take off your glove to take hold of it in your pocket, and yet- is so large when the baby swallowed it, the chan ces of the baby's living are sometimes not worth a cent. Although one cent is less than ten cents, yet one cent is a great deal larger than a dime. Many a! man has'one thirsty all day with four cents in his: p;ocket.'' for the want of that one e'ehtr the four were as useless as the eleven men on a who ar held "out against by one.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 17, 1887, edition 1
2
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