piact Your Ad
TCrtisement in
Rich boil.
Largest Circalx
tioa of any Paper
in the South At
lantic States.
TEE INDUSTRIAL AND CATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUK PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
Vol. 11.
RALEIGH, N. C, MARCH 31, 1896.
No. 8
i JOljiJ
-E 'i VlONAL FARMERS' ALLI
" " AND INDUSTRIAL
UNION.
President Mann Page, Brandon,
Ya
Victvi'rnsidcnt H. C. Suavely, Leb
anon. Pa.
. . . --Treasurer R. A. South
worth, Denver, Col.
EXECUTIVE BOARD.
H. L. I.ouek3. Huron, S. D. : W. P.
Briber, 0gau Station. Pa ; J. F. Wii
letts, auss; w- L Peeke, Ga.
JUDICIARY.
B. a. Southworth, Denver, Colo.
H. "v Bock, Alabama.
S. Xj. Davie, Kentucky.
S03TA AilOLISA FARMERS1 STATE ALLI
ANCE. Pr -idnnt Dr. Cyrus Thompson,
Richland?,, C
Vi-.v i' resident Jno. Graham,Ridge
way. O.
K .--r.-try-Treasurer W. 8. Barne,
Hi Isooro X. C.
1 ;iurer J. T. B. Hoover, lilm City,
N C
4 Si- -nr-i Dr. V. N. Sea well, Villa
now, N. C.
Chain up. Rev. P. H. Massey, Dur
ham. N. C.
Door -tijeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens
boro. N c:
Ass! -cant Door keeper Jas. E. Lyon.
Durham. N. C.
fcergmt-at Arms A. D. K. Wallace,
Rutherfor . too, N. C.
t-iu- ":3ii3inebd gent T. Ivey, Hi ls
boro, N. C.
Trusroe Business Agency Fund W.
A. vranam. Machpelah, N. C.
BXEOUTIVK! fK)STMITTZE Off THE NORTH
CA.innAsx parsers' state alliance.
A. F. Hileman, oncord, N. C. ; N.
C. Engh h, 'lnuity, N. C. ; James M.
Mewborne, Kins on, N. C.
8TATS a ).lJa.NOE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
John B nrty, Gatesville, N. C. ; Dr.
J.F. Harrell. Whiteville, N. C; T. J.
Candler, Acton, N. C.
ycrtii Carolina Reform Press Association.
05eerJ. L. Ramsey, President;
Uarion Butler, Vice-President ; W. S.
Barnes, Secretary,
PAPERS.
pT3jT6?lve Farmer, StAte Organ, Ralelsth, N. C.
Caucasian, rvaieixu, .
ttercr. Hickory, N. C.
Rattlw , Whitikers, N. C.
Oar Home. Beaver Dam, N. C.
The Populist, Loinberton, . U.
The Jeoplo"? Paper, Charlotte. N. C.
The Veit. ji " - Concord, N. C.
The Plo--Kfv Wadee-horo, X. C.
Carolina Watchman, a iabury, . C
IZacn. of tne above-named papers are
requested to keep the list standing em
ih9 firht fioqe and add others, provided
they are dniy elected. Any paper fail
ing to advocate the (cala platform tvill
be dropped from the livt promptly. Our
r.tc-sle can nov) see rrfuit papers are
Z.i:ib2;9h:-i r their infreftt.
a(tR lcxjjltukeT
Agam e pr -test agalst a largo cot
ton and tobacco crop. Diversify.
Lim is a good thing, but the eld
coupkt still holds true, 4 L'raa with
out manure, makes the father rich, the
son poor."
Cows fd with ensilage may eat al
mot as much grain us without, but
they will pan cut a great deal more
milk, and also keep in better condi
tion than en dry food alone.
Givo attention to plana to prevent
your land trcm cashing into gui ies
Terrac-M or ditches made rignt will
grcatiy aid you. Don't plant a crop
without them if j our land is hilly.
Hdj; aa i hominy is a time worn ex
pression, but the Southern farmer who
pulls through the hard times easier
than his neighbor will bo the one who
does not negket his hog and hominy
crop.
Hay is an important item on the
farm. A good quality a3 well as q ian
tity m f seutial on every farm N
forage can be made cheaper than hay.
Oar Southern farmers can improve
their method alocg this lino.
It very rarely pays to buy d ff irent
kinds of chtmioals to mix together,
unless it can be done on a large scale.
A little mikea more bother than the
profit wili be fr m using the fertilizers
thu3 mix' d. Bat as stable manure is
often d fl ient ia mineral plant food,
it will pay to buy phosphate acd pot
ash to mx with it. The mineral ferti
lizer thu- used is much more effective
than if applied alone.
There are not many now who can di
tribut-j grain or grass seeds evenly by
th-3 baud udo get the right account per
asre. It h likely that .he art will be
wholly lo-t. Tuere are broadcast eef d
ers whi ;h will do the work quicker and
better than the best sawer by band
could evtr do. Tho drill nowadays
does most of the grain si ding, the only
difliculry with ic being that when the
soil is vf ry mellow the seed is put in
too deep. Rolling after the eed bed
ia prepared remedies this difficulty.
It ia also a good plan to roll down the
land which is to be eeedjd by hand.
The harrow or cultivator will cover it
deeply enough.
PLOWING AND HARROWiJ-.
The plow in principle may not have
changed much in 2000 years, ns has
be en etated, bat individual plows have
been greatly improved, eo that the
draft is much les and tho labor for the
operator greatly reduced. Scientific
principles have been studied, and the
plow has been so constructed that re
sistance is reduced to a minimum,
while doiDg the work most effectively.
The most recent improvement is the
self sharpening plow point, consisting
of layers of edges, so that as one wears
cil a ne w and sharp edge is presented
instead of a dull turf ace. This mak s
the draft much easier and eaves the
bother and expense of resharpenirg
A great variety of implements have
been tried as substitutes for tho i. low,
but they have not proven saUfascory
under ail conditions.
The depth of plowing has been tho
Ciuse cf almost eLdiess controversy.
In the corn belt, as a rule, moderately
deep plowiLg has given most sitisfac
tory results, all things considered. Ic
is obviously unwise to make any grean
variation in the depth to which any
one field is plowed daring one teason,
for by suddenly lowering the plow two
or three inches, a cold, raw earth is
thrown cut on top. This is uut-uited to
the best development of the pl.mr, and
until the air and eun have aff c ed it
for a couple of years, it will not be in
the best condition. The obj cS of plow
iog is to get the upper layers thor
oughly loosened and pulverizrd, so that
the plant roots can readily penetrate
them. The loosened surface acts as a
sponger for absorbing and retaining
moisture until needed by the growing
crops. It does not matter whether the
upper eurf ace be turned or not ; nor
does it make much difference by what
means this creaking or l xwenir.g up is
accomplished. If shallow plowing
ard subsoiling will answer the purpose
follow that practice. If, however, this
condition cannot tho secured except by
deep plowing, it usually will pay to
plow deep. Oa very wet low ground
deep plowing ia obviously uanecet-Rry,
as the retention of moisture does not
have to be looked after so carefully.
In sandy or very loose soil dopp plow
mg is not so essential, as th rootj can
easily find a passago aul the land 8 in
a condition to retain large quantities of
water. Tno above applies more parti
cularly to the preparation of land for
wheat and ora. Shallower plowing
will answer very wt-ll for cats and
grass si t d Tnree inches is usually
8i.fbVM nt for tbese la ter crops, while
for corn atid wheat six or seven give
bc:tt results.
At one time the various riding acd
wheeled pl)ws were not universal!
liked, a3 they were c msid red horse
killero. .Tnis heavy Grafs feature has
teen elimiua'ed eonlewhat, and as the
work is done better ai d as hors 8 are
so choap, it i certainly advisable to
buy them. Human strength is so much
more valuable than that of tho norse
that it would pay to have an extra
animal or two rather ihn exhaust the
farmer or his hired man.
The preparation of the land j:ist be
fore planting demands more and more
attention, as the soil becomes less pro
uctive and drouths more trt quentaud
severe. O dinarily the cornfield is
harrowed unul the surface is level,
little attention being given to the con
dition of the soil more than two inches
below the surface With several sea
sons of Kevcre drouth, however, it has
become necessary to so pulverizs and
compact the plowed portion that large
air spaces do not remain, allowing the
excessive penetration of air and conso
quent detrimental evaporation. This
thorough preparation is best accom
piishtd by means of disk or acme har
rows, ordinary toothed harrows and
dregs. Too first named penetrate
much deeper th n the ordinary har
row, break up clods and eliminate air
spaces. If the field is disked onco or
twi.o, then harrow with a heavy
smoothing or straight toothed harrow,
it will usually be in first class condition.
A drag will do much to pulverize clods I
on the eurfj c j and compact tho soil
bus ic does not pulveriza the lower layer
of the plowid portion. Rolling has
much the earns effect and is a valuable
aid when the weather is quite dry, but
during the wet season it may do in
jury by compscsing the surface and
causing the top layer to bake. Evapo
ration then takes place very rapidly
and the crop is seriously injured at the
outset. As soon as the gram, if it be
corn, appears, aftove the surface, culti
vation must begin and the upper layers
ba kept; ia a finely pulverized condi
tion, eo that they may act as a mulch.
It has been demonstrated during the
p?st few years that the more complete
the preparation the better the crop.
The cultivation then can be greatly re
duced, and the results more satisfac
tory. Many a farmer will say that ha
cannot spend so much tim3 in prepar
ing his s)il, and that such attention to
tho more scientific methods cannot be
given. Tnis is a fa lacy which mut
bo abandoned as the years go by, for
the changing conditions demand more
thorough work and greater attention to
details. Daring the great drouth of
'94, the farmer who thoroughly pre
pared his land had a fair crop and in
many cases a cood one, while the man
who neglected thorough preparation
reaped a email harvest. F. M Hkx
amer, in American Agriculturalist.
A KIND OF FARMING THAT WILL
PAY.
Oae point redded to be otpphcs'z
at this tun : Farmers should inquire
njore ckwely into toa watus of local
markets, and try to meet their r quire
ments. It is surprising to wfaac an
extent the interior towi.s depends upon
large citie3 perhaps 3J or 50 miles
away for products wnich should oe
supplied by nearby farmers. In th
more tlncKiy populated parts of the
country, fresh vegetables, poultry,
eggs, meat and dairy products are al
ways in demand, at fairly remunera
tive prices, yet how little of the money
paid for the?e commodities goes into
the peckets of farmers, who should re
ceive it. In fact, it is no uncommon
eight to see farmers buying for their
own tables vegetables which by a little
forethought might have been raised on
the farm and made a source of profic
We are not advocating the idea that
the general faim r should be a market
gardner, but a well provided garden
or truck patch" shouid be an adjanci
to every farm. It should be an unfail
ing source of good things for the home
and a profit to its owner. The farmer
engaged in growing staple crops has
little time to devote to other nvnten4 ;
but at present low prices, m'ght it r o
pay better to grow less wheat, corn
and potatoes, and give more attention
to producing choice vegetables, to im
proving and increasing the fl ck of
poultry, and to supplanting scrub stock
with improved breeds of cattle ? Early
and late vegetable, fresh eggs, poultry
ard choice butter are alwa3singod
demand, and farmers shou d produce
thes commodities, at leat to such an
ex e nt as to supply tbeir own families
and tne demands of neighboring mar
ket or mining towns. American Agri
cuHuruliat.
THE COMING COTTON CROP.
Ia discussing the cotton situation the
Vicksburg II .-raid alluits to tno fact
that tlie cotton expons are net falling
II, and the cotton nulls are ruuning
oa full fmo. The snort crop is run
nmg out rapidly, ai d unless sales are
i educed Otooer will extnbit the low
est stocks held in many years. Uuder
the prevailing conditions the Hertdd
thinks the mrkt ought to advance,
and that a-nt does not advance there cn
b 3 but one explanation to the cunou
situation, which is that buyers antici
pate an increased acreaga in cottou
during the current year, which, if v
results in a 10,000 000 bale crop, will
again depress prices to 5 cents, prcba
bly, notwithstanding the exhaustion of
the old stc ck.
HOKTXCXJLTXJKJa
HOW TO HAVE Bb AUTIFUL PAN
SIES.
Pansy seed sjwn now in pots or
boxes in a warm rocm or hotbed, will,
if properly cared for produce blooming
plants all summer. The seed should
ba scattered very thinly and covered
nut more than one eighth of an inch
deep, then pressed down with a piece
of board and kept moderately moist all
the tuna. When the plants are large
enough to be handled they should be
picked off about two inches opart, and
when dangerof severe frost is over, plant
outdoors about twelve inches apart
each way in a position where they are
sheltered from the midday sun. In
dry weather they re quire a good deal
of water, and an occasional watering
with liquid manure will help them
wonderfully. All faded flowers must
b8 cut off at once else they will p- o
duce seed and detract a great deal of
strength from the plant. With pan
sies, as well as many other plants, the
oftener the fl)wers ara cut off, the
more new ones will be produced. For
early spring blooming, the seed should
be sown in August outdoors in well
prepared seed beds. During hot, dry
weather it is best to shade the seeds
from tho direct rays of the eun until
they have germinated, which will be
in about ten or twelve days. The soil
can hardly be made too rich and deep
for pansies. American Agricultural
ist. CLOSE ROOT PRUNING IN TREE
PLANTING.
LaAt spring I tried root pruning with
pach trees in a limited way, the s il
being a very sandy loam, and the re
suit was so satisfactory that, in plant
ing my new orchard I shall reduce all
the peach-tree roots to inch stubs. It
is not necessary to say that po-sibly
under other other c nditions than such
as exist at the Soutb, this syetem m ghs
not do eo wc.J'; its advantages ore so
great when it will do tnat it is worth
the while of those who have fruit trees
to plint to try ic in a small experim n
tiki way. I i pruning the cut should be
made with a sh trp knife, the cut slop
ing from the un iersiJe of the root to
ward its point. The cut end cabouses
and from this callus roots branch. It
is claimed tnat thewe new roots tend to
grow at nearly right augKs to the cut
surf c or downward, w&ila the tree
planted with wh-.ita roots extends i-s
r. 'Ots more nearly in a horiz )ntal line,
where droutn can reach them. Be
sides the deeper roots given, it is fur
ther etated by these who have tried
this plan that tho trees make a more
vigorous and uniform growth, and that
they are much more sure to grow.
Where the roots are close pruned, the
stem should also be cut down to about
a foot in length. When ground is pre
pared, the planting is done by simply
thrusting in a spade, leaning it for
ward, dropping in the tree or vine be
hind it, removing the spade, and tread
ing down the s il firmly. Judd Pierce
(Alabama), in American Agricultural
ist.
POULTKY YARD
POULTRY IN A CALIFORNIA
ORCHARD.
Plum Trees and Plump Birds.
Here is something new in the way
of poultry keeping, and it comes all
the wav from California. "e are
indebted to the Pacific R iral Press for
the idea. Mr J. W. Osoorne, of Orange,
Cal , has a large plum orchard of
you g trees, p'ante-d 23 feet apart each
way. T.iat oic iard needs t?o things
cultivation and feeding. Mr. O is a
poultry man, aad it occurred to him
that Mrs. Ht-n would make a good har
row and a good wet nurse for those
trees. If he turned 1,000 hens into the
orchard to labor at random, some ot
the trees would bo neg ect d jast as they
would be it ho hitch-: d a d zen horses
to cu tivators and turned them loose
to cultivate whatever they saw fic
Tne only way to make Mrs Hen d3 the
rough work, is to tie her down to it;
so he decided to put tho hens into 28
houses so mad 8 chat they can be pulled
along from place to piaco.
Tno general arrangement of the
houses ia &S follows: The front of the
house proper is covered with wire net
ting with the back roofed over for
protection in stormy days. In this the
hens scratcned and play, a q aantity of
straw being kept there for them con
stantly. Back of this is a small shed
tor roosting and laying. This is opened
at the front, but has a roller curtain
which may be easily dropped down as
protection in cold or etf rmy weather.
Back of this house and built around at
the side, are narrow ruts covered with
wire netting. The bottom frames of
these houses are stoutly made and firm
ly joined together. As will be seen in
the picture, the whole thing is provided
wooden shoes or runners for hauling
the houses ahead.
A wooden track runs along the en
tire front of the houses and off to where
the food is kept There is a turn
around at the corners so that it is an
easy matter to load up with grain or
water and pass rapidly along the en
tire front, dealing out the portion for
each house. We understand that
these hens are fed almost entirely on
dry grain. As a rule, not over 15 hens
are kept in each house. The part of
the house covered with wire netting ia
kept filled with straw, into which the
grain is thrown for feeding. The
ground under the rooets is spaded up
every third day in wet weather and
every week in dry seasons. In the
wire run3, juss back of the roosting
house, horse manure is thrown for the
hens to work over. The result of all
this is that the straw, manure and hen
droppings are all thoroughly worked
into the soil. After this his be n
thoroughly done, the tracks are taken
p and carried ahead a distance eq ial
to the length of the houses. Then the
houses are slowly pulled ahead, one at
a tima between the rows, so that they
rest on now ground. The track is laid
in front of them, and the whole process
of feeding and stra c'aing in manure
and straw is repeated. And so, through
the season, tho hens work on. laying
their eggs and feeding and cultivating
the trees. It is stated that t;o men
ani a horso will movo 28 houses and
tracks ia one 'day, besides caring for
1,000 other hens.
This system is tho exact reverse of
Mape's "Hen3 by the Acre" scheme,
and it eeems a little singular that this
intensive method of poultry keeping
should come from such an extensive
country as California R iral New
Yorker. The droppings of poultry Are rich in
plant food, but they need to be fer
minted to make it available. They
wilt heat very roodily when put ia a
barrel, bus the top should be lightly
covered with some ab-orbent, to retain
the ammonia that will de developed.
If usf d fre sh the excrement is acrid,
and will burn the plants and roots that
it omea in contact with. Gu ino is
only the fermented extract of bird ex
crement, comes fr-m birds that feed
mainly on fish, and is richer in phos
phate than that of birds fed on grain.
A little fine bone du't mixd with the
hen manure will make it heat faster,
and add to its value after the fermen
tation is completed,
THE DAIEY.
A CALIFORNIA DAIRY.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
In 1868 my father, R. G. Sneath,
purchased 110 acres of good land near
Menlo Park, Cal , 30 miles from San
Francisco, for a country ret idence, and
secured seven Devon heifers and one
Devon bull, from tho moat reputable
herd here. They were beautiful look
ing animals, dark red in color, finely
formd but rather undersized. They
had the best of care and abundant food,
but failed at the pail and were too
small for first class beef.
In 1871 he secured a carload of regis
tered Jersey cows of good s and one
large Jersey bull, eli from good fami
lies, young and vigorous. These muiti
plied rapidly for aoout five years, and
were kept purs and in good health,
and furnished many fiae milkers and
were considered about the largest and
best herd ia the Scate. In 1875 my
father purchased abtut 3300 acres of
fiae pasture land about six miles south
of the southern bound ry of this city
aodrtmjved the Jersey herd thereto,
whea the place was named "Jersey
Ftirm Dairy," with the purpose of sup
plying San Francisco with milk and
croim.
At this time several old dairies were
purchased, together with their city
trade, in order to stock the faim at:d
obtain a market for our milk. These
cows were termed common stock, but
were largely Shorthorns and had besn
culled and slecie-l for several years,
and proved to bo fairly good animals
Tnese were crossed with our Jersey
bull3 and we obtained many fi le milk
era
Withing the next five years, how
ever, eay in 1880, we discovered that
the animals Deing raised were deficient
in 6'Z3 and vitality, notwithstanding
the Jersey bulls were large and vigor
ous, and aa an experiment, we pur
chased seven young Shorthorn bubs of
the best milk strains here, to place
among a portion of cur herd, to eee if
we could not increase the size and vi
tality of our cows. The bulls were
found to be deficient in sfza as they
reached maturity and their offspring
were not as good aa the Jersey crosses.
About 1885 we secured a few regis
tered Holsteins, with bulls and cows
from good families, and crossed a por
tion of the common stock with Hoi
stein bulls. The result, from their
first calf dropped, seemed to show a de
cided imp-ovement, which encouraged
us to continue in that line ; and we then
secured from time to time all the Hoi
steins wt could in this market that
were of good pedigree, eize, vitality
and of good milking quality.
As soon as we could we dispoeed of
the Jersey and other bulls and con
fiued tho business to the place there
after.
We have enough registered Hol
steins to raise all of the bulls we re
quire without retaining any that are
ceficient in any respect, nor do we
register any doubtful animals. We do
not rais3 animals for sale or keep poor
ones on the place long.
The cross b.t veen the puro Holatein
and Jersey cow is enerally a mongrel,
or mixed in an utter confusion of col
ors, and wooley to a great extent. Tha
eyes and deer like head of the Jersey
can be detected at times, while their
form is smoother, more plump and less
boi.y than either the Holsvein or Jersey
and their s:ze is between the two.
Tne first cross botween the Holstein
and common stock is uniformly black
and white, while about one sixth of
the second crosses goes back in color t
tho dam of the firot crosf, and the
crosses thereafter prove truo to th
Holsteins in color.
Our present grade of Holsteins giva
about t .7!C3 aa much milk as the grade
Jerseys did ten years ago, while their
milk stands on an average at about
four per cent, butter fat by tho Bab
ccck test, which is about tho same aa
for the Jersey grades.
Oar herd numbers on an. average
about 800 head, and our two milking
barns hold about 500 head, which num
ber we aim to keep good, ia good mil
kers. The present herd of stock shows
large animals with more vigor and pro
ductiveness than at any time hereto
fore, and we feel that thero will be a
constant improvement through our
method of breeding and selection, that
will in time bring up our herd to a
standard in which we may take pride
and profit, and yet remain a public
benefaction.
We have SDme 2.000 out of 3,000
acres seeded to rye and orchard grass
row in fine condition, although some
of it has been seeded for 20 years.
Besides this feed, we purchase an
nually about 1,000 tons of mill and
other feed, about 1,500 tons of hay.
We feed mostly barley and bran, but
for economical reasons we have fed
large quantities of wheat, corn, beans,
peas, beets, carrots, Equa&h, oil cake,
etc. We grind our grain on the farm
that we may be euro that it is sound
and wholesome.
All our fields have springs of pure
water running by gravitation into
large troughs, and not a well or pump
on the place. The land is rolling and
well sodded, and cattle are never in
the mud in the worst weather. We
only stable ou animals about eix hours
daily, duriog feeding and milking, as
our winters are mild and tho grass is
then at its best. Eich milker milks
and ejares for a string of 30 cows and
does littla else at $30 per mcnth and
board.
We hwe had to purchase many cows
every year to ketp tho milking barns
full, because wo have not the land to
raise enough calves, and herein has
ben our greatest difficulty.
Moss of our milk dairymen raise but
few calves; the remainder goes to the
hogs at an early date. They cannot
sell them to tho st ck raisers because
they are not suitable for beef, while
the stock ra s )r is interested in beef
alone and cannot furnish good caws to
the dairymen, and thui tho two are
widely separated and of no use to each
other, for econcm c il reasons, they
think.
There is opportunity for both Some
of the largest stock raisers here have
been of lato following the course we
have pursued, and now there is in the
market quita an increased number of
cows of the first and s cjnd Holstein
cross. These cow3 bring from '40 to
t50 each, while the ccmnoa cow brings
from $20 to $35.
Some of our largest stock raisers now
keep dairies more for the purpose of
breaking in heifers and raising better
bulls than for dairy products, as they
can sell a good three year old cow for
twice as much as a steer of the same
age and weigh, and good young bulla
for much more. They find that young
stock must be well cared for in their
youth in order to secure weight and
vitality in their maturity.
The Hjlatein seema to be the only
breed, at present, that will produce,
through crossing with other breeds, a
general purpose cow that will bo profi
table for both meat and milk. Such is
the experience on this coast so far as I
know, and it is a great satisfaction to
think and believe that the appalling
waste in the destruction of young ani
mals, because there was no place for
them through the methods of men,
will be in the future more in harmony
with the laws ot nature, and that
their young lives will soon be worth
the saving. Geo R Sxath.
San Francisco, Cal.
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