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THE L-JSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. RALEIGH, N. C, OCTOBER 29, 1889. No. 38 VOL 4. DIRECTORY OF FAKMcKo u- GANIZATIONS. PCKTH CAEOLI5A rARS' STATU ALLIANCE. President-Ettas Can, Old Sparta, ?T.C. VPr"Sent-A. H. Hayes, Bird- toIeftarCy-L. L. Polk, RaleigK N. O. TrWer-J. D. Allen, Falls, 5. 0. Lecturer Thos. B. Long, Longs, N. C. StLecturer-R. B. Hunter, Char- totcSaflain-J. J. Scott, Alfordsviile, N'lSor Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay atteville, N. C. ' Assistant Door Keeper H. E. King, rgeanaArms-J.'S. Holt, Chalk UState Business Agent--W. H. Worth, Raleigh, N. C. ' Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. . 5XMUTITK COMMITTER OF TIER WORTH CARO LINA FARMERS' STATK ALLIAKCX. S. B. Alexander, Charlotte, K. C, Chair v an; J. M. Mewborne, Kinston N. 0.; J. S. Johnston, Ruffin, N. C. OEFICERS OF THE VIRGINIA STATE ALLIANCE. President G. T. Barbee, Bridgewater, Va. Vice-PresTdent tfaj. . Marm Page, Brandon, Va. Secretary J. J. Silvey, Arnissille, Va. Treas irer Isaiah Printz, Stonyman, Va. Lecturer J. D. Shepperson, Smithville, Va. Assistant-Lecturer P. H. Strode, Step hen City, Va, Chaplain Wm. M. Rosser, Luray, Va. Doorkeeper B. Frank Beahen, Kim ball Va. Assistant-Doorkeeper, Gk E. Brubaker, Loray, Va. Sergeant-at-Arms Milton Pence, For- estville, Va. State Business Agent S. P. A. Bruba ker, Luray, Va. m . , Ch'mn Ex. Com. E. T. Brumback, Ida, Va. NORTH CAROLINA RAILROADS VERSUS NORTH CAROLINA EDITORS -THE R. & f U. XV. t r t In the Raleigh correspondence of the "Wilmington Messenger, we find the following paragraph, viz : "The railway men are reticent to the last degree, and hate-to see any mention of their affairs in the papers. The railway men in some cases keep scrap-books for clippings relative to their roads taken from newspapers. If an editor says anything against a road he is a marked man forthwith. This custom obtains all over the country, but is comparatively new in North Carolina.'' The editors of North Carolina, while abundantly able to stand alone against the saracenic scrap-book brigade, will not thus be left by the people of the State, for the people cannot, except at the risk of all that " makes life worth living," be merely lookers on, while the enemy is driving in our skirmish ers. The people of North Carolina, if they would save themselves from one of the most remorseless tyrannies on earth, must go into battle with hats off and sleeves up, burning up every bridge in the rear. Shall the people rule the railway or the railway rule the people, is the issue, and surely no intelligent Amer ican citizen can hesitate in deciding upon which side of it he should be found. We are delighted as one of the peo ple to learn that the railway men keep acrap-books, and having always thought scrapping a good thing when judiciously done, we have on hand quite a supply of "mighty interesting reading " for railway men. No doubt they will do a brisk scrapping business during the next few year3, but if they find business slack at any time for want of raw material, they need but hint the matter to " one of the peo ple," and we guarantee that the Forum will furnish on short notice "job lots" without the slightest "ad vance on manufacturer's prices." The railway scrap-book business as reported by the correspondent of The Messenger, deserves the denunciation of every editor and citizen of the State. What reason can any corporation give for "hating to see. any mention of their affairs in the papers, " except this: Our deeds are evil, and we prefer the darkness which hides us from public view. Burglars and thieves have always hated moonshine and al ways wilL This devilish work is preparatory it means proscription, and proscription means death to every editor who dares to lift his voice or push his pen against a tyranny as remorseless and insatiate as the grave. . It means to muzzle the press, mislead the people, mount the tiirone and run the State m the interest of a corporation it means the subj-ction of the Old North State to Railway Kiugs. North Carolina is a very small dose, comparatively, for such throats to gulp, and that they are licking their lips for her now is unquestionable. In your issue of the 12th I find an article contributed by Charles F. Wil son, of Winston, N. C, in which he takes the position that the position of "one of the people" is too strong in regard to corporations in general and the .Richmond & Danville m par ticular. I welcome into the "People's Fo rum" this gallant champion of the Bichmond & Danville "in particular," for as such he appears in the arena. We confess a feeling of kindness to ward this gentleman, which, no doubt, he is, when considered as the Scotch sav. "in-the abstract, ana we feel a regret that we cannot deal with his gentility, unmixed with;and undefiled by the Richmond & Danville in par. ticular. The mixture is exceedingly unfortunate for Mr. Wilson, because his masters have imposed upon him the task of defending what must in evitably be the lost cause of injustice and oppression; and it is unfortunate fof the R. & D. " in particular " in that the corporation has selected champion who thinks he can cover up a multitude of sins by spreading over them, some of the flimsiest tobacco cloth rhetoric we have seen in many years. The crossing at the Fries plantation was an obstruction of the highway, because loaded wagons go ing into town were compelled to travel another road. And any obstruction of the highway is a nuisance, and the R. & D. " in particular " put up the nuisance. That crossing was the dirtiest, muddiest fact that Mr. Wilson has ever run against, and it is not at all surprising that he gets " stuck in the mud," when he wiggles around it. Wagons have been running along that highway and the "Old Man Providence" has been raining on it from a time " whereof the memory of man-xunneth.not to the contrary, but never till that powerful corporation " like a wounded snake, dragged its slow length " across the road, did a wagon stop. Mr. Wilson says (very truly, we doubt not), " I know some thing of that Brookstown road." There are multitudes of men who also know something of that Brookstown road, and this knowledge is the highest degree experimental, acquired by plodding "their weary way" along that road in summer's heat and win ter's cold, till that powerful corpora tion reared its pile in the highway, and said stick and stop, and they stopped and stuck. Mr. Wilson acquired that something which he knows about that Brooks town road, probably, while sitting in his tent door, smoking a cigar and enjoying the breezes whispering among the pines. Our friend, the valorous defender of corporations and of the R. & D. "in particular," is too clever a gentleman not to know that distance lends quite as much enchant ment to the view of the Brookstown road as it does to the Balsam moun tain, .and that as a witness he is pos sibly not as competent as other men. In this case the testimony of the teamster is more reliable than that of a topographer even a topographical engineer of a powerful corporation. The Richmond and Danville has no doubt found some difficulty in run ning the sun, moon, stars and weather, but by no means greater than the world has found in getting an inter ested witness to see that which he has determined not to see. Mr. Wilson says, " We labor under some grave misapprehensions relative to power and authority vested in a railway corporation. Possibly. Will he not kindly lift this burden of mis apprehension under which we labor ? Will he not pity us who sit in dark ness, and bring us the light? We beg leave to assure him that he shall be patiently and courteously heard. Let him rise to the " height of this great argument," and justify, if he can, the ways of Railway Kings, and he shall be heard to the end by at least One of the People. ENCOURAGING FROM ROWAN. Craven, Rowan Co., N. C, Sept. 30, 1889. Mb. Editor: The name of our Alli ance is "Hattershop," No. i,389. We meet twice a month, on Saturday be fore the fourth Sunday at 2 p. m, and on Friday night before the serond ouuua; ujl tsacn montn at 7 a n Our members are very punctual an seem to he verv mn-th intn,fj - m. d Alliance work. We keop gaining in ouiiie luouiucia, auu some outsiders say that they must join and help on with the battle, for if the victory is given up we willjbe in a worse condi tion than we ever were All of the cotton ginners in the surrounding country belong to the Alliance and no one can have their cotton covered with jute bagging unless they furnish it themselves, and then some of the ginners say that they dont know whether they will put it on or not. The Alliances are adopting resolu tions not to sell a bushel of cotton seed unless they get 25 cents. We have been organized nearly one year and this one year's organization has brought about more love and fellow. ship towards one another than any People seem more friendly, help each other more, and pay more attention to the sick than they ever did before. The right kind of an Alliance, man will love an Alliance brother, it does not matter who he is, or if he has been his bitterest enemy heretofore. Then who will say that the Alliance is not a good thing? I count it next, to my church. Any one who knows anything about the Alliance knows that it has already wrought a good work in our country and now is the time we have the hardest to do But I would say stick to it; pay up your subscriptions to the business agency fund, and let us begin to reap more and greater benefits. He who would find fault with the Alliance let him first consider whether he has not derived some benefits therefrom; let him also consider whether he hasn't bought some things cheaper since, the Alliance has been in operation and let him go to the cotton platform and see the cotton weighed (for the next three months) and see what covering it has, then let him consider why the cotton is nearer all covered with cot ton bagging. It is to break down this trust business, and who will find fault with anything that is doing such a grand things for his country ? Respectfully yours, J. A. Lentz. HOW TO MAKE FARMERS PROS PEROUS. Mr. Editor: I have been several years located in the Eastern part of North Carolina, and my occupation as a surveyor has given me good oppor tunities of noticing the quality of the soil, the mode of farming, etc., and from the many advantages that are offered in this part of the State, it seems to me there should be a much greater degree of prosperity. The land is adapted to almost all kinds of crops, and the climate is one of the best in the world, so what more does a farmer want ? I have seen farming carried on in many parts of the world, but I am sorry to admit that it is carried on in the Eastern part of North Carolina in a most backward and unfarmer-like manner. In the first place I will try and point out what seems to me to be the matter. The first thing is, the land is not ploughed deep enough, is not sufficiently drained, and the greatest want of all, there is no stock to make manure. Without these three great factors no country can be prosperous any length of time. The lands where there is a clay foundation should be ploughed at least ten inches deep with Oliver's chilled plough, or one equally good, in the fall or winter so that the winter frosts will pulverize the soil. The bad gasses will then escape and many grubs will be destroyed. In the spring the land should be again ploughed crosswise to the same depth as before. Then, if necessary, harrowed and properly cleaned of all weeds before planting or sowing. In the case of cotton and corn, the plant should be cultivated close up to the roots (after it is of sufficient size) to the depth of the plough furrows with a cultivator. The roots of the plant require air as well as the tops and it is only by loosening the soil well down that this can be gained. Deep cultivation hojds the sap better in a dry year and drains the land bet ter in a wet year. As it is just now, the land is ploughed to a depth of from 3 to 4 inches and the seed sown on a hard bed. After the plant is up a bit a plough (if it can be called one) is run along the top of the ground and a little earth is thrown up to the plant, but the soil beneath is left unculti vated and as hard as ever. Of course the soil should be thrown up to the plant but it should.be cultivated well down first. - - How could a young child grow if it - . got hard food to eat wnen it was young and tender ine same witn a plant. How can a plant, when young and tender, push its way into the hard, uncultivated ground? I, mentain that a cultivator, if properly constructed, (the same as used in the turnip and potato fields in Scotland and England) will kill the grass better than a plough and do twice as much work in a day, besides it stirs up the soil where a plough, as is used here, merely turns over the top soil and covers up the gras3 and if it. comes rain it grows again the same as ever. Drainage. Any system of drainage does good more or less, but the land can never be drained in the proper sense of the word by ditches, as is the only system adopted in this country. The' only proper and paying way to drain land is to lay tiles underground. The first thing to consider , in tile draining is to lay the pipes by the natural lay of the land. The drains shduld be cut to a depth of, say, 2 1-2 feet for clay or stiff soils and 3 feet for black soils, but the depth depends a great deal on the subsoil. The drains should be about 12 yards apart in the rows and the pipes from 2 to 3 inches in diameter. These small pipes should be led into outfall pipes of a diameter according to the area that is drained, and the outfall drains should lead to a canal or some proper outlet. If this plan is adopted the land will become porous and no surplus water will lie. The heavy and stiff lands (which I consider the best) are rendered almost useless for the want of the drainage. A ditch will carry off the top surplus water but it will not drain the land. The close tiles (which are made of burnt clay) are porous and have a certain suction tha: an open ditch has not which draws the water. When the land is water -sobbed it runs together, and in dry weather turns perfectly compact like a stone. In wet weather it is like mortar and the roots of the plant rot for the want of air. And even although they do not rot tkesoil is cold and the plant be comes yellow and sickly. I have seen lands produce double the crop the first year after this sys tem of drainage without any extra manure. And I say that where it will not not pay with drains it cannot pay without them. Farm Yard Manure. The produc tion of farm yard manure is the great est factor of all in the production of crops. After drainage and deep cultiva tion then if the manure is applied then there is no fear of the result and the damage from an excess of rain or dry weather is almost nothing. In order that farm yard manure can be got we must have stock, and in order to feed stock we must grow food. So the first thing to consider is what can best be grown in this climate to feed stock. My opinion is that almost anything can be grown here. It is a great mistake to think that clover requires a rich or highly ma nured soil. What clover requires is a new soil and the stronger clay the better. Lime should be applied and it must be drained. Clover does not like a soft bed but the more compact the soil is the better. After it is well rooted a heavy roller should be fun over it so as to press it well in. A flock of sheep run over it would answer the same purpose. In sowing down clover pastures, grasses should also be sown. The grass will act as a shelter for the clover in the hot weather. Wnen hay is wanted the first crop should be taken, and after it has grown up a bit again, cattle or sheep should be turned on it. In order to have the pastures fresh and clean the field or enclosures should be made small, not more than 8 to 10 acres, properly fenced, or more properly speaking, whatever quantity a man has he should divide it up in small divisions so as to enable him to shif c the stock from one to the other, by this means he need never have his pasture eaten too close which in very dry, warm weather, is in danger of being burnt up. Land left in pastures of this kind will become richer every year besides the stock will become in fine condition and fit for the Northern markets where good, paying prices can be ob tained. Peas, beans, turnips, sweet potatoes, ensilage, etc can be grown in any quantity and along with plenty of oats, wheat, rice straw and hay will enable a man to keep his stock all the winter in pens. Those cattle will make enough manure during the winter sufficient to pay for their feed and then you can apply, say, 20 tons to every acre of cotton and if the increase does not pay then there is no use trying any other way. Proper, warm buildings must be erected for the stock, for a great deal depends on keeping stock warm and comfortable. A certain quantity of food must be taken by the animal to keep up the proper temperature of the body, the excess then goes to meat, etc. So the warmer the stock is kept the less food it takes to keep the stock in good con dition; also the manure should not be exposed to the rain or weather. When the vegetable matter in the soil is used up or destroyed the soil becomes useless for most crops, and this must be supplied in the shape of farm yard manure. I am perfectly convinced that any farmer, ploughing deep, draining the land and then ap plying a fair quantity of pure farm yard manure, say 10 to 20 tons per acre, will grow more cotton on one acre than they now do on four. Even taking the best crops into con sideration and the expense will not be one-fourth. The three other acres he now plants in cotton should be in clover pastures and the rest of the land in whatever is most suitable for cattle feed; but if you keep cattle over winter there must be an extensive supply, of straw and hay both for feeding and bedding purposes. Of course the oats, turnips, etc., must all be well manured, otherwise will not be worth growing. I have seen 100 tons of turnips grown on one acre in Scotland, and I see no reason why that amount cannot be grown here where there is a much better climate and plenty of the ground quite as rich naturally. If there is a proper proportion of cattle kept then there will be plenty of manure for all crops. After a crop of turnips has been made they should be sufficiently manured so that oats or wheat, etc., sown after should not require any. By this means you will have a good crop oi turnips, also a good crop of grain the year after. Although the farmer has plenty farm yard manure he should not neglect his composts; also he can apply certain artificial manures for certain crops that .will rav bnt it is I like giving a drunken man a drink to make him feel good for a little time to give. poor land, devoid of vegetable matter, artificial manures. It will only make the plant feel good for a little, then the reaction leaves the land poorer than ever and the plant worse than dead. Artificial manures can only act with profit where the land is rich in vegetable matter and lime. I find that there is very little atten tion paid to tne proper rotation in cropping, but it is of the utmost im portance. No two crops of a kind should be grown on the same land in succession, and clover snouia m no cae be sown on the same land until after a term of at least 8 years, but clover pastures should be left as long as convenient. I am inclined to think that Italian rye grass would suit this climate well and it makes excellent hay, but for pastures, red, white and Alsace clovers and timothy and cock's foot grass are the best for pasture, al though many other kinds of grass may be very good. With regard to the labor question. It would be much better for the hands to be engaged by the year, the hands to be paid at the end of every three months, but always a per cent age kept in hand to ensure the fulfill ment of the contract, the hands to work ten hours a day all the year through with an occasional holiday. Ten hours a day, is quite sufficient for both man and teams and it has bee a proved that more work can be done in that time than by the sun to sun business, -o need no comment." I make bold to say that the farmer does not work two-thirds of his time in this country. The time he now take3 up in going to town, attending Alliance meeting and generally loaf ing, also the rainy days, he should be employed in digging drains, fencing, etc. He has simply not a moment to lose if he wants to make farming pay. In order to adopt this system Qf farming, the farmer should begin small, especially if he is short of cash, but I say it is within the reach of the poorest farmer to adopt it, and he has no excuse for not doing it. The smallest farmer can sow one half acre of clover the first year, get, say two fair cows with calf to a good, blooded bull, the second year he will have two stirks and his cows with calf again; out ne must increase nis acreage of clover, etc., with his stock. In this way he will soon have a large stock at little or no expense. Tile makers would soon turn up if they were patronized, and tiles could be bought cheap as the proper kind of clay is in great abundance for making ! them right in your midst. When the i hands are not busy, or in rainy days, an a-ire at a time can be drained, care being taken to drain the most valuable land first so as to reap the advantage as soon as possible. - In this way the drainage can be guadually done and the expense hardly known. One of the greatest drawbacks to the improvement of the land is this miserable system of year to year. The first thing a tenant does is to look around for the richest pieces of land or a place that the proprietor has possibly improved a bit, crops it for one year, takes all he can get out and put nothing in retnrn. The year after the same process is repeated until the last heart's blood of the soil is sucked out. The tenant is not to blame; he lias no inducement te make any improve ment as the next year he has gone to pastures new. He cannot have any farm yard manure or stock for it takes the year before for the stock to make the manure and as he removes to a new place every year he cannot take the manure with him and is of no use, leaving it for another to have the benefit at his expense. If there was, say, a ten year tenure then something might be done, but under the present system it only means ruination. The rent should be fixed at so much per acre and not by a proportion of the crops as is now the case. It would be the means of making some tenants work harder for they know that the rent must be paid before they can have anything for themselves, be sides they would have all the excess in a good year to themselves. As it is now they know that no matter what kind of a crop they make they will at least get their share, so do not care. And I would give no tenant a piece of land unless he was able to supply his own team and run himself for one year at least. If he canrot do this it would be better for him to work as a servant. If he has nothing he has to borrow and then is taken advantage of and at the end of the year he has nothing if he even comes out clear. .It. ,t.be .farmer goes . on in .the pres ent system it is only a question of time when this fine country will not support itself. (In fact it hardly does so now.) I must say, a pretty pass for such a country to come to. How about all. the baled hay, Western pork, etc.r that we see coming in every day? In stead of being an export country (ex- ntrt. ffT frktfnn it. io ntio rf tick Viaof markets in America for Western hay and pork, etc. T'hA Rt.rrV fl.fi at. nrMAnt ia a Hraur. x back to the country. It requires more- the few miserable animals out of the crops than all the stock is worth ten times over. Simply the stock is of no nsfi. tha tnaniirfi in all lost, in t.TiA wnnHa and it takes them all the summer to make up in condition what they lose in the winter, so after a year they are just where they commenced. I assert that stock farming com bined with cotton and other crops can be made to pay better in this country than it does in the western part of America. Here we have a beautiful climate with plenty of good water, within easy reach of the Northern markets, and also to shipping ports to the old country which consumes so much of American beef every yearr and is sure to increase its demand. On the Western plains the stock die for the want of water in summer and freeze to death in the winter, and even after they are in fair condition they are poor and jaded before they reach the Eastern markets and bring small prices, whilst the cattle fed here can be put in the markets in two j . a i . . c t t j: tion and bring the top market prices. 1 consider this part of the country one hundred years behind. They have no agricultural implements, no teams worth much or fit to do proper work, and the ideas of their grand fathers so impressed on their minds -that it seems impossible to make them believe that the world is really on the move at all. The world is mqving fast now and those that do not. keep up with it are sure to be left so far be hind that they will be left in the cold entirely. With all the advantages this splen did country affords to farmers, T think it is a disgrace for it to, be ia snh a condition, and I consider it a slur cast on the great giver of all things not to take advantage of all that is so bountifully offered us. Pat Matthew. . Greenville, N. C. No man will ever receive any knowledge more convicting than the fact that he is born. The successful man is always the best informed in regard to the means by which he succeeded.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 29, 1889, edition 1
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