North Carolina Newspapers

J "The Progres sive Farmer is a c0od paper far tbove the aver :ce and possibly tfe best advertis rz medium in N. printers' Ink. "The Progres sive Farmer is a good paper far above the average- -and possibly the best advertis ing medium in N. C." Printers' Ink. T-f.t... V -''' THE . ; iSTiilAi. AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS STATE POLICY. Vol. 11. RALEIGH, N. C, SEPTEMBER 1, 1896. No. 30 v i ! 0 rSS ?JVTI0NAL FARMERS' ALLI aNCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. president Mann Page, Brandon, V Vice -President H. O. Snavely, Leb anecrctary-Trea3urer R. A. South werth, Denver, Col. EXECUTIVE BOARD. H L. Loucks, Huron, 8. D.; W. P. Rritkr Cogan Station, Pa. ; J. F. Wil letw. Kansas ; W. L. Peeke, Ga. JUDICIARY. H A. Southworth, Denver, Colo. i V. Beck, Alabama. m D. Davie, Kentucky. g,-"H CAROLINA FARMERS' 8TATK ALU ' """" ANCE. Prudent Dr. Cyrus Thompson, Itichlands, . C. rice President Jno. Graham.Ridge rr c. Vrctr.ry-Treasurer W. 8. Barnes, Hi'Kooro, N. C Lecturer J. T. B. Hoover, Elm City, V C 4 5;e'ward Dr. V. N. Seawell, Villa- QOVr. X. O. Ch .plain Rev. P. H. Masscy, Dur ham. N. C. Door -keeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens boro. N. C. Assistant Door-keeper Jaa. E. Lyon, Durham, N. C. Serjeant-at-Arms A. D. K. Wallace, Rutherfordton, N. C. State Business Agent T. Ivey, Hids bcro, X. C. n ttt Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. lllCUTIVE OOMMTTTEE OF THE NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. A. F. Hileman, Concord, N. C. ; N. C. English, Trinity, N. C. ; James M. Mewborne, Kins on, N. C. STATI ALLIANCE JUDICIARY OOMMTTTEE. John Brady, Gatesville, N. C. ; Dr. J.F. Harrell, Whiteville, N. C; T.J. Candler. Acton. N. C. Htxih Carolina Reform Press Association. Oncers J. L. Ramsey, President; Virion Butler, Vice-President ; W. S. 8 a me, Secretary, PAPERS. rmrtMive Fanner, Stat Organ, Raleigh. Mercury. H'ckory, Sir Hin. r Bewrlam, nrv p..,iit. Lumberton- N.C. N. C. N. C. v. o r. C. N. C. N. C. N. C. N. C. N. C. Tt Ve?:i;nle, Concord, ' The PV.-.v-K.t- Wadepboro. Carolina Watchman. Sa;isbury, Each of the above-named papers are fequeited to keep the list standing on ite first page and add others, provided ihsy are duly elected. Any paper fail inp io advocate the Ocala platform will it dropped from the list promptly. Our ftcple can now see what papers are mtltehed in their interest. agScultueeT It ia desirable to have the colt foaled in tt fall rather than in the spring. H- h then weaned in the spring, when frfs.i ra?3 is ready for him to feed u;-. r: iOpt in the stable through the venter, he can be trained and handled l.-. h: should be from the very first. The chances of failure in almost every ether hue of business are greater than in agriculture, as the farmer usually can. in even the worst season, make enough for his support without cutting into hi? capital; but with the mei chant a L .i season means an inroad upon hia capita for the means of subsistence. B fore giving up the farm for an other ousine s which promises better returns, study closelythe chances for (.'.? or failure. Tae farmer has his hou o rent and his table supplies with cut deducting them from the profits of his Gu-iarss. The business man is no better oil who is making twico as nvue-h. It is very difficult to keep soils fertile i' th y contain a large proportion of sand If they are kept under cultiva tion this difficulty is increased, as the smi both blows and washes away h?n exposed to winds. For this reason many owners of sandy fields keep them seeded with grass or clover as much as Possible, cind only plowing them when the ceding runs out. 'V-rsifiod farming has two ereat stages over that which is confined 1 L J U; P CM t xrrr anomolfioo If TnA fl 1 TlHr- T S - - . - -w m . JT is ent i'd be a succession of marketing to be fot through the year, and also some thin to be done on the farm to keep ita labor employed at all times. Where specialty only is grown, though it ma7 bring a gocd deal of money when Sjld, moat of this has already been ex pended during the seasan while the crop wa3 being grown. This is the difiiculty with the Southern! planter depends wholly on his cotton crop. After tho. m w: ; a Qucted the planter has less ready money if he had more crops, so as to be ble to sell something every month in year. WEEKLY WEATHER CROP BULLETIN For the Week Ending Saturday, Aug 22, 1896. Central Office, Raleigh, N. C. The week ending Saturday, August 221, 1896, was more favorable for crops and especially for farm work than any since the middle of July. The first two days of the week continued warm, but on tho 18 oh very beneficial rains occur red at a large number of places, fol lowing which the temperature dropped below the noj m 1, with some agreeably cool nights. The rain fall was not sufli cienfcto break the drought generally, but caused some improvement in the crop conditions. Eastern District. Past week was favorable. Good rains occurred on several dates, chiefly on the ISih, but small in amount, and were followed by several agreeably cooler days. Late corn, peas, turnips and potatoes were benefited. The extent to which cotton has been cut ell over the State is vari ously estimated from one fourth to one half. Cotton is opening rapidly and will be picked out by tho middle cf October. It needs more rain to mature bolls, though rain would probably not cause any new bolls to form. Eirly corn came through all right, but late is poor, though aided by showers this week. Fodder is nearly all pulled in south. Curing tobacco about finished. Making sorghum syrup has begun. Rains brought out turnip seeds and further planting is progressing. Peas are forming fiuit fairly ; rice and sweet potatoes are still very good; peanuts suffered considerably from the drought. Central District The hot spell was broken on the 18 ;h and cooler, pleasant weather folbwed, which was more beneficial to those pulling fodder and picking cotton than to crops. Scat tered rains occurred on Tuesday, but many counties remain entirely dry and experienced further decline in crop conditions. Cotton is still shedding in piacae; is opening fast, especially on sandy land, lint is short, and tho crop generally a great disappointment. In many places fodder is all saved; not much will be made from late corn. To bacco is generally poor and not curing 83 well, though it seems to be all right in color, and the crop is earlier than usual. Peaa and potatoes are needing rain. Scni3 farmers have begun to make sorghum molasses. Soil not fH for plowing. Western District. Tho first part of the week was still warm and dry, but followed by local showers and cooler weather; a few nights were very cool. Favorable showers occurred on the 18 h and 22 J, but by no means sufficient to break tho drought, while over large portions of the district no rain has fallen. The general crop con ditiocs have, however, improved. Cot ton still iuclined to wilt and shed forms, some fields much worse than others; 00II3 are small; picking progressing with prospects for nothing like a full crop. Fodder pulling fully under way ; with sufficient rain late corn would make a short crop. Tobacco seems to be curing nicely. Cabbage is not much good; peas and sveet potatoes doing tolerably well ; molasses making begun ; some plowing and eeeding turnips was accomplished ; large amounts of ex iel lent hay stacked and ready for housing in the west. Dj not drive horses fast down hill spring knees and in j tired shoulders will be the result in time. That takes money out of your pocket, to say nothing about the suffering that will be in duced. WHEAT GROWING There are three requisites indispen sable 0 successful wheat growing, to wit : 1 Good, sound, clean seed suitable to our soil and climate. 2. Good soil. 3. Thorough tillage. "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." In one of the parables of the Savior when it was reported to a householder by his servants that there were tares growing in his field. He said, "An enemy has done this." Now, the farmer who grows cockle, cheat, smut or any other foul seed is his own enemy, and need not try to shirk the responsibility, but should go to work and thoroughly cleanse his wheat. If he has no suitable fan of his own he had better go twenty miles to a good mill and pay the toll and have it run through a smut machine. Qply standard varieties that have been thoroughly tested in your locality, except by way of experiment, should be used for seed. As a rule, the bearded varieties will succeed better on low land than the smooth heads. The Felts, Fulcaster and the Pool are standard varieties, and succeed well in our sac tion. Wheat, like all other crops, requires good soil. Thelve or fifteen bushels of wheat p3r acre may be grown on thin soil under favorable conditions, but this at present prices will not pay. But by an intelligent system of rota tion with peas or clover, and a liberal application of commercial fertilizer, carrying from 2 to 3 per cent, of pot ash, aud from 10 to 12 per c?nt. of phosphoric acid, with thorough tillage may be doubled. I vould not advise the application of a fertilizer contain ing nitrogen after a crop of either peas or clover, as either will furnish all the nitrogen needed for the wheat crop, even after the removal of the clover and peas in the way of hay. By grow ing either of the S3 crops we are enabled to reduce the cost of our fertilizer from 8 to 1 10 per ton, and have just as good results as when we pay 18 to 20 cents per pound for nitrogen. While it is not very difficult to get farmers to realize the importance of having seed and good soil, yet it is next to impossible to get them to realize the importance of fining the soil. Nature has made this provision in virgin soils, by filling them with roots of plants. But the farmer has by an injudicious system of farming exhausted thisvege table matter, end as a result finds his land hard and cloddy. Yet with this object lesson spread before him he fails to realize the importance of a mellow seed bed, and scatters his seed on a pile of clods, seeming to think he has done his whole duty ; and if at harvest he fails, and fail he will, to reap a rich harvest, he is loud in his denunciation of the fertilizer agent, the season, the moon, bad luck or something else, when in reality he alone is to blame. A clod yields no nourishment to plants till pulveriz d. The sun, air and rain all help the mellow soil, and so by pul verizing we set forces at work which are lost on compact or cloddy soils. It is therefore of the utmost importance to have the soil thoroughly pulveriz d. This preparation should begin now. To reach tho best results the plowing should all be done this month and tho soil thoroughly harrowed every week or ten days with smoothing harrow or clod crusher until October 10 ch, at which time I like to commence. Never before th.;s, as earlier seeding is apt to bo injured by the fly. I am not an ad vocato of deep plowing or thick seed ing. From four to five inches is as deep as I like to plow for wheat, and about one bushel per acre is as much as I like to sow on well prepared soil of sound, clean wheat. To summarize, I bow only the best seed on rich soil, if it is not rich I make it eo, for nothing will thrive on poor soil. I have been using for a number of years as a fertilizer a brand known as Firman's Formula, made in Atlanta by Adair & McCarthy Bros. I use frcm 200 to 300 pounds of thi per acre drilled in with wheat on a thoroughly pulverized bed. While I thi; k the capabilities of our section of country as a wheat producing section have not as yet been dreamed of, yet I would not advise an indiscriminate seeding on any and all kinds of soil to the ex elusion of any crop that may be needed on the farm that can be successfully grown. I think only maximum crops should be aimed at by the farmer. These can be made to pay while the average crop will not. The best meth ods should bo adopted by which the greatest number of bushels can be raised per acre at the least expense. Wheat will remain at relatively low prices in the future except when there are failures of the crop in large wheat growing sections. The great competi tors of the United States in the produs tion and s lie of wheat are the Argen tine Republic, Australia, and Russia The Argentine Republic with a popula tion of about five million is able already to put on the European markets thirty five millicn bushels of wheat a year, and besides this, these wheat fields average less than one hundred miles from deep water harbors. So you see Argentine wheat pays very little inland freight. Russia likewise has a short haul while the United States average heavy transportation charges in reach ing the seaboard. So you see that those, and only those, who are able to adopt the best methods should attempt to grow.wheat as a profit. Ex. SEEDING CORN FIELDS TO CRIM SON CLOVER. The question of setting corn fields to crimson clover is not by any means settled. Ithaab2en tried in some locali ties with fairly good success ; in others it has been a total failure. In many places the crimson clover has been un able to stand the severity of the win ter ; it has grown fairly well in the fall but has winter killed. Crimson clover should do well in southeastern Penn sylvania and farther South when sown under favorable conditions, and I would by all means adviee seeding corn to crimson clover. It ought to be seeded not later than August 15. A common mistake has been in sowing the crimson clover too late. Tae plants were too smell to withstand exposure and severe free z"ng of winter. Crirtson clover will not answer the purpose so well for sowing in the spring as some other legumes. The time is so short between early seeding and the time necessary to plow for c rn that this plant would be unable to store up any considerable amount of nitrogen. Tho legumes do not have the power of gathering nitrogen during their early stages that they possess a little later in life. It is well understood that young plants of the legumes do not gather nitrogen. The seed furnishes sufficient nitrogen for them to use until they be come well established. Just at this time there is often a period of partial starvation. The plant has not yet ac quired the power to make use of the free nitrogen of the air through the bacteria at work in the tubercles on the roots. Until the tubercles are formed the plants are usually less thrifty than they are a little later. Ic is doubtful it crimson clover would prove satisfac tory as a nitrogen gatherer when sown in the spring and plowed under for corn. Snould it ba necessary to sow a U gume early in the spring to bo plowed u uder for corn, Canada field peas will undoubtedly give better satisfaction tbn crimson clover. Farm and Home. THAT BROAD TIRE. "The d.ff erence between a narrow tire and a broad one," said a leading Chicago business mm the other day, "is simply that the narrow tire cuts up and ruins the roadway, while the broad tire act ually makes the roadway better by its use." That is surely enough of a difference to make the farmer, who reahz38 the importance of the transportation ques tion, consider a change, if at present he is using the narrow tire. But one farmer cannot make the road good by his use of the broad tire. There should be an organized movement in every township favorable to the broad tire, which, instead of sinking deep into the roadway and rend, ring it impassable, serves the purpose of a roller, harden ing it and making it more smooth. The broad tire alone will not make good roads, for there are many kinds of diffi ;ulty to be overcome, and every mile of roadway offers one or more peculiar to icself. But in a country of fairly good roads there is perhaps no one thing which will help so much to pre servo them as the faithful and general employment of the broad tire. It is one of the reforms which lies within the reach of all to assist in, and it is a most important one. The co3t of bad roads to the people of the United States is estimated by Prof. Latta, of Purdue University, who bases his figures upon the certified ex perience of the farmers of forty Indi ana counties, amounts to 77 cents an acre annually, or $50 a square mile of farm area. There are 1,000,000 iquare miles of farm area in the country, which gives us $500,000,000 as the amount annually assessed against the people as a bad roads tax and the farmer pays fully 90 per cent, of it. He doesn't get a penny more for his prod uct because he is obliged to haul over abominable roads 1 Farmers7 Voice. The man who would have sound, nicely formed hoofs on his horses when he comes to sell them, must give atten tion to the hoofs of his colts. AGRICULTURE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I have been interested in the discus sion in regard to teaching agriculture in the public schools, but it appears to me that one point has not been given sufficient consideration teachers. There is no doubt there are text books which would supply our schools, but where are the teachers? There are eight schools in this township and all are taught by lady teachers. In an ad joining township there are eleven schools and only two male teachers. Now I should like to know whether lady teachers are competent to teach agriculture. The majority of them are young and have not had much experi ence in teaching, and to require them to teach this additional branch would be an absurdity. We might just as well take the young man out of the field, put him into the school and com pel him to teach the culinary art. I'm afraid we wouldn't be inclined to place much confidence in his instruction, and that some of his girl scholars would know more about preparing a palatable dinner than their instructor. In the same manner some cf the boys could probably give the teacher some "point ers." rneories could, no doubt, be taught in our public schools.but theories are not always practicable. Another thing must be remembered. All our teachers are not country-bred and are not familiar with farm life. For a city daughter to undertake to teach agriculture would be out of the question. A teacher cannot successfully teach a class experiments in chemistry or physics without having performed them himself. Farming is one contin ual experiment and we must learn by doing. I saw a person, a graduate of a college, who had studied geology and could not identify a sand stone. He was an excellent scholar, theoretically speaking, but lacked practical experi ence. Arithmetic is arithmetic, grammar is grammar, but agriculture is subject to so many conditions of soil and cli mate that one could not do the subject justice with our present corps of teach ers. Garmania, in National Stockman. No better use of skim milk can be made than to feed it to poultry, either small or large. It should, however, be generally fed in hot weather as curd, which enables it to be eaten clean and without waste. A mixture of curd aud wheat bran is excellent for hens when moulting, as both the curd and the bran contain the nutrition rcq lired to grow a new crop of feathers. THE GENERAL TRADE SITUA TION. This continues quiet without particu larly new development. Tne usual midsummer quietude pervades all Northern and Eastern markets, and in the West and South staple crops are being taken care of in good shape Commercial and financial circles are subj cted to much disturbance because of the political campaign, and in many directions it is urged no real stability need be expected until after election. Bearish operators on the leading ex changes have been successful in forcing a decline in nearly all securities, irre epective of their real merits, and in terest rates in some instances are slight ly higher. Exports of gold are small, with everybody watching the reserve in the National Treasury, which is held well in hand. The markets for farm and orchard produce are certainly as active as are those for textiles, iron and steel, and manufactured goods generally. The realization of another big corn crop causes easiness, oats have sold off a lit tie in the St. Louis and Chicago mar kets despite less favorable threshing returns, and barley is dull, with the market not fully opened except on the Pacific Coast. Values have shown lit tle appreciable change within the past week. The trade is beginning to be lieve in earnest that the wheat crop of 1896 will not prove a burdensome one, yet the market lacks genuine support either at New York, Chicago or San Francisco Foreign markets are taking a fair quantity of wheat and fl ur, and according to Bradstreet's the world's available supply of wheat is the small est in four years. Fresh fruits are moving rapidly to market, the low price stimulating consumption, and dairy products are a little firmer. American Agriculturist. As the fruit begins to ripen in the orchard or vineyard, cultivation should be suspended. This is not only that orchard fruit may not be soiled by fall ing upon the loosened earth, but what is still more important, to prevent the late growth of wood which will not ripen before winter. If the ends of the new shoots have not been pinched be fore this it should be done now. This will turn the sap back to the fruit and will also form fruit buds for next year's crop. POULTRY YABD A DOSE FOR FOWLS. Those who are compelled to doctor chickens should remomber that a tea spoon holds about one fluid drachm; a tablespoon half a fluid ounce, and a wine glass two fl lid ounces. A drop is larger with some liquids than with others. Water has aoout sixty drops or minims to a tablespoon ful or drr.chm, and laudanum and all other tinctures and alcohols have 120 drops to a fluid drachm. What would be a dose for a child is about right for a fowl. A two weeks' old chicken will need about as much m?dicine in a day as a child six months o!d. At six weeks it would re quire the same doee as for a year old child, a half grown fowl as much as a four year-cld child. Whenever giving a liquid see that the nostrils are clean, so that the fowl can breathe, or it will strangle. Many a bird has thus been killed and the remedy received the blame Fanciers' Review. SUBSTANTIAL RESULTS. A correspondent of the Indiana Farmer gives "the details of what a small flock of twenty-five hens did from November, 1694, up to date, November, 1895. The fl;ck were White L?ghorns and Plymouth Rocks, and were kept in limited quarters. They averaged, by my egg record book, in which I kept a strict account of all eggs laid, aod kept track of everything concern ing my fowls, about 140 egga for the year. The Leghorns laid the most eggs, but during the moulting season I find the Plymouth Rocks laying some, while the Leghorn hens had stopped, though they are fed the same, but not together. From these hens I raised 113 chicks, and only kept the very best of the pul lets of both breeds for layers and breed ers. "I sold eggs and chickens to the amount of $99 99, total cost of feed (not including table scrap), $35 50; clear profit, $64 49, almost $2 50 per head. Do you consider that a good showing? I have Plymouth Rocks to average 151 eggs, besides raising some chicks." live: stock. TO TREAT OVERHEATED HORSES During the recent heated spell the Illinois Humane Society issued a circu lar calling attention to the abuse of horses during hot weather and giving directions to drivers and others in charge of horses as to treatment for an animal which is overheated or worked too hard, siys the Western Rural The following suggestions taken from the circular may be helpful to some of our readers: The symptoms of overheating are easily noticed, as the horse will suddenly stop and refuse to work, or, in more severe cases, stag ger and fall. The horse should be un harnessed at onca and removed to a shady place and freely sprinkled with water, head and body. Sponging the mouth and nostrils with water or with vinegar and water, and the application of spirits will gradually revive the ani mal. In ordinary cases it will take several hours before the horse can safely be removed, as in the process of recovery it is liable to stagger and fall. The scarifying and bleeding of the mouth and ears, not infrequently prac ticed by drivers who are frightened and do not know what to do, is useless and senseless and only excites the horse, then in a condition where rest and quiet are most essential to recovery. The prevention of tunstroke lies in the judicious care of the horse at this particular time. The patient and care ful driver will have little to fear from the heat, whereas the man who hurries or otherwise abuses his horses invites sunstroke. It is well to call the attention of driv ers and foremen of barns to the liabil ity of horses to sore shoulders at the present time, when perspiration and dust easily irritate the skin. The re sults are sores, simple abrasions, swell ings, galls and abcesses, which, if not properly attended to from the start, may make the horse unserviceable for weeks at a time. Pains should betaken to wash the shoulders of horses., with water and soap, when they return from the day's work, and it there are any visible swellings or sores they should be bathed with salt and water, and in cases of open or running sores a car bolic salve or other disinfecting oint ment should be applied. Horses in this condition should be kept from work until the wounds are healed; although, in the cases of small sores, pads of straw or felt may be attached to the collars and other harness parts in such a way as to prevent further irritation and pressure. If this can be accomp lished the sores will heal, while at the same time the horse may be moderate ly worked. We would also call attention to the too free use of water. In great heat thex horse should be allowed to drink frequently, but little at a time.