North Carolina Newspapers

WHEFRoa.Essryi k - , . v- "The Progres sive Farmer is a good paper far above the aver age and possibly tne best advertis ing medium in N. C." Printers Ink "The Progres sive Farmer is a good paper far above the aver-age- -and possibly the best advertis ing medium in N. C Printers' Ink. BMEl THE IS TRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. o Vol. 11. RALEIGH, N. C, SEPTEMBER 8, 1896. No. 31 ttSS NATIONAL FARMERS' ALLI ANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. President Mann Pago, Brandon, Va. Vice-President EL. C. Snavely, Leb anon, Pa. Secre tary -Treasurer R. A. South wGrth, Denver, Col. EXECUTIVE BOARD. H. L. Loucks, Huron, S. D. ; W. P. Brieker, Cogan Station, Pa. ; J. F. Wil letts, Kansas; W. L Peeke, Ga. JUDICIAKY. R. A. Bouthworth, Denver, Colo. W. Beck, Alabama. U. D. Davie, Kentucky. fc'OSTi: CAEOLINA FAP.MES3' STATS ALLI ANCE. Pr'"idf:nt Dr. Cyrus Thompson, Hhl-H . C. vv President Jnc. Qraham,Ridge rSV. N. C. retarj'-Treasurcr W. 8. Barnes, IKlsbcro, N. C. Lecturer J. T. B. Hoover, Kim City, Hteward Dr. V. N. Seawell, Villa "",,w N. C. ""Cbapiain Rev. P. II. Massey, Dur Lam, N. C. Door-keeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens boro, N. C. Assistant Door keeper Jas. E. Lyon, Durham, N. C. Sergeant -at-Arms A. D. K. Wallace, Eutherfordton, N. C. State Business Agent T. Ivey, Hi 13 boro, N. C. Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. iSXEOUTTVE OOStmTTEE C? THE NORTH OaKOLINA FARMERS' STATE ALUANCZ. A. F. Hileman, Concord. N. C. ; N. C. English, Trinity, N. C. ; James M. Mewborne, Kins on, N. C. STATS ALLIANCE! JUDICIARY 005QHTTES. John Brady, Gatesville, N. C. ; Dr. J.F. Harrell, White ville, N. C. ; T. J. Candler. Acton. N. C. crL.is Carolina Reform Press Associ&tion. Cheers J. L. Ramsey, President; Virion Butler, Vice-President ; W. S. Bimcs, Secretary, PAPERS. r:r3lV9 Ffcnaer. State Organ, Raleigh, N. C. Caucasian, RaleUn, N. C. fci-cnrr. Hickory, .C 'UMipr. - Whiskers, N. U. C- f Kb j!e. Benvur Ua.m, rv. c " Poulist, Lnmbertcn, N. C. Ti ie People's Paper, Charlotte, N. C. Th V. -rihnlp.. Concord. N. C. Tbt? Plow-80 v. Wadesboro, N. C. Carolina Watchman. ISa.Lsbury, N. C. r&ch of the above-named papers are fequeeted to keep the list standing on hi first page and add others, provided ;heif are duly elected. Any paper fail 'Kg to advocate tlie Ocala platform will zi dropped from the list promptly. Our '?ujle can now see what papers are zzihlighed in their interest. AGEICULTURE. The harvest eeaeon is the time when the iiz man wishes he had hustled more durirjg spring and summer. The early fall months are the best time to dig wells, a3 water seldom fails in a well dug when the earth is dry. How to co operate to a practical pur pose is what farmers most need to learn as a means of general progress. Seme people arc always able to con sole themselves for poor crops by talk ing of the great yield they will get next year. The only time that c perience is not a high-priced teacher is when one has the sense to profit by some ether man's b'.unders. The cffi;o of fiber investigation of the United 3tatcs Department of Agri culture is conducting experiments in fl ix raising in the Puget Sound region. The flax is said to be fine. Barley is among the mcst ancient of cultivated plants. The common or four rowed barley, as also the six rowed kind, probably originated from the two ro wed, which appears to have been the kind earliest cultivated. It is a native of western Asia. Roro.mber when you think of spray ir,g that Paris green and London purple ure for the destruction of inserts that chow, while Bordeaux mixture is a fungicide or a substance which de s'.roys funu disease, such as scab, l;a blight, rmt, and the like. On most farms where the hens have a free range, they will do very well in the summer without grain food, the gro wing grasses and ripening seeds and the insects they pick up, supplying a well balanced ration. Of course, if they are confined, the case is different. A man is swindling farmsra in the neighborhood of Ktttanning, Pa , by means of a double end fountain pen, one end of which he uses in drawing up contracts for harvesting machinery, and the other he presents for the farm era to use in putting their signatures to the documents. The ink of the contract fades and a promissory note is written in over the signature. WEEKLY WEATHER CROP BULLETIN For the Week Ending Saturday, ug 29, 1896. Central Office, Raleigh, N. C. This week ending Satuarday, August 29, 1696, produced no material change in the crop conditions. The weather continued quite warm the first few days, but following the rain on the 24 h, cooler weather set in, and Satur day was the coolest day of August Toe rainfall was poorly distributed; more occurred on the 24 h than any other date ; but ever large portions of the State the drought really continues unabated. Eastern District. Rains occurred at a good many points cn the 24' h, and in south portion also cn tbe 25th and 27ch, which benefited potatoes, pea?, rice and pea nuts. The northern por tion is dry, and rain i3 needed at many other points A cool waved prevailed the latter part of the week. Old corn is fiie and will soon be ready to gather Cotton practically past improvement, is about half open and being picked rapidly. Where rains occurred many turnips were planted. Much flooded ground cn R ,anoke has been planted in peas for hay. Haying is progress iug with favorable weather. Central District. Good rains oc curred at many points on the 24 -,h, but largo portions of the district are still sl fl jring from drought. Cooler weather last of week very agreeable. The rain and wind storm did some damage to cotton in portions of Richmond, R:ck ingham and Auson counties. Whero rain occurred late corn revived scms what, and potatoes and peas improved, and some farmers were enabled to plant turnip seed. Little or no improvement in cotton, which looks dry ana is no longer growing. Picking is progress ing in earnest. Fodder is nearly all pulled, earliest ever known. Tobacco cures thin, and what is loft of that crop seems very poor. Pea vine hay being cut. Ground too dry for fall plowing. Wewtjtkn District The weaiher continued warm until the latter part of the week ; drought still prevail?, though some favorable showers occurred cn the 24;h, benefiting late corn in the west. Cotton picking has progress?d uninterruptedly; much shrinking in 8 za of bolls as well as shedding occur red, but some late cotton is reported as blooming nicely. Fodder pulling is still going on, and hay-making under way. Considerable tobacco is still to be cund. Sweet potatoes and field peas fairly good ; poor stand of turnips. Ground to dry at present to do fall plowing. PROGRESSOF AGRICULTURE. So accustomed have we become to consider the progress of the mechaoi cal arts, the development of electrical science, and the work of the inventor, that we have failed to observe the wonderful advance the farmer has made during the last half century. The following appreciative editorial which recently appeared in the Philadelphia Record suggests jomethicgof there suits of the intelligent agriculturist's elforts, and will be read with interest and pka3ure by every lover of the farm : While inventors and scientists have done much for agriculture, yet the farm itself has been a source from which has come much that is wonder ful. Looking over the work done dur i. g the pist century, it may safely be asserted that the animals of the farm have been entirely changed in appear ance and characteristics. It eeems as though man can control even the liv ing creatnres and adapt them to his purpoees. The horses have been di vided and classified to that extent as to nnder them dissimilar in many re spects The thorough-bred (unner), heavy draught (Porcheron andClydes dale), and the pony are adapted to special purposes. Placed side by side, the mess inexperienced can notice the diversity of forms. On the race course the Clydesdale could make nocompeti tion with the thorough bred, and for heavy hauling on the roads the trotter cannot compare with tho Percheron. Yet nearly all these breeds trace in their pedigrees back to the Arabian, but c ireful selection has carried them into different channels, altering their forms and endowing them with certain desirable traits. Among cattle are found the Holstein, Guernsey and Jersey, which have been bred as producers of butter, the former also standing high as milkers, along with the Ayrshire?, with the Short horns, the Angus, Galloways and Here- mmks f7'j fi- -"t 1 't r iv C: Sir-O f , THE SfLO So much haa appeared from time to tim- iri these columns concerning the many advantages of the urii-ptiou of the silage system to cur modern agricul ture, that wo have come to the conclusion that either the special purpose cr the general purpose farmer who does not possess a fciio is not living up to his full privilege. We have published the reports of tho various State experiment al stations, together with the actual practice and expericLC3 of many of our readers, and in nearly every case the preponderance of testimony has been ia favor of the ailo and ibe silage sj st"ra as a maure of economy and profic. It therefore occasions surprise in locking the country over that there should be found so fov silos upon tho farms. Certainly the advantages, taking into ac couat the meagre cost, are eufli Mtnt to bring about; their use everywhere. Ii any of our readers have thcugnt of building a siio this eeasou let us assure you that in the iigut of the porieuce of theirs, the decision is a wise one, and mav be expected to add very materially to tueir profir, be they general farmers, stock breeders, sheep or swine breeders or dairy men. If you hasten with your operations, it wili not be too late to buiid after reading this article, and if you have kept tho files of this paper you will have all the necessary iastruction for the correct method of procedure, in m-rny localities, the hay crop was a light if not positively fhort one, and the proper preservation of the corn crop will fiord the greatest, and in many insts,nc s, the only measure of relief. This can undoubtedly be dor.e to best advantage by calling into r q lisition the silo, and the silage system has so much to recommend it that we reel assured that the man who enco adopts it wiil not wiilingly turn from it. We cannot, probably, do better at thu time than to enumerate some of the advantages accruing from this system us they occur to us from what has al ready appeared ia these columns and from observation and experience. Tho bilo will enable a farmer or dairyman to preserve a greater quantity of the food materials of tho original fodJer, be it either corn, clover, sorghum, rye, oats, or other grass3s all of which may bs ensiloed with complete sue cess for the feeding of animals, than it piscdble by any other system of pres ervation now known. Wnen the entire corn crop is in the silo, there can be no possible bleaching or const quent loss of nutrition by the rains of fall or the snows of winter. It will take very much less room to store the ensilage from a given area than the hay from the s mo area. Hay, as it is ordinarily placed in the mow, will occupy slightly three times as much room as tho same quan tity of food material when s ored m tho silo Then think of all the extra labor required to store this extra bulk, of the labor required to feed it, and the im mense expenditure of vital force uq lirt d cf tho animal economy to extract the s?rao amount; ot nutrlttou fim u. - rnen, too, an acre of corn can be placed in the silo at a lesi cost than is required to store the same as dry fodder. Silage will not burn, ia not combustible, and in addition to cheaper insur ance for this reason, in the event of fire, which m;ghc destroy all your build ings, the ensilage would remain intact, and your winter supply of food would be savid. Too much credit cannot be given to tho succulence of ensilage, which means itt greenness tnd freshno.3, which makes it highly digestible and greatly appreciated by stxck in the dead of winter. Tne silo atToFds an even supply of nutritious food durirg the whole winter. A positive advantage to dairy cowp, which are q ute susceptible 10 change in the food rations. While every kind of farming that has to do with tho maintenance of live stock may be greatly benefited by the use of the silo, the profits to be derived from its use are perhaps greater when employed in dairy farming. The expe rience of many dairym?n the country over phices the gain in milfc and butter from the use of silage during tho winter months at 25 to 30 per cent over the feeding of dry feed. Wnen one stops to consider that tne price of butter in winter is frr qu-ntly double what it is in tho summer, a still further advantage may be attributed to the use of the silage. It is a generally accepted fact that 50 per cent, more stock can be kept upon a given area of land by ihe aid of the silo. At this juncture, it may be well to call attention to a good machine for the preparation of the ecsilago. One cf the very best on the market to day ia the Ohio No 10 illustrated above, which is manufactured by our advertising patrcus, the Sdver Manufacturing Co., of Salem, O. Space forbids an enumera tion of its many good qu;Uitiee, but. just let us turn it all up by saying that it is a perfect machine for tlae use for winch it ie intended. Tnia machine has been greatly improved this season, an entire new arrangement being attached at the bottom of the carrier which greatly facilitates the delivery of the silage from the machine. fjrdsesbeef breeds Even tha horns have been bred away from the Angus and Gilloway. The Merino sheep i frcm the bottom, on which to place the breed to e xcil in prolificacy and the Cotswold, Lincoln ai d Leicester yieli large fleeces of combing' wool, the mut ton breeds being set off as "downs," including the Southdown, Hampshire, Oxford and Shropshire. Tne Berkshire, among swine, with its white spot on the forehead and four white feet (badges of puritj ) excels for its hams with its black and spotted rivals- Essex and Poland China possessing merits for their side meats, the white breeds Cheaters, Cheshire, Suff oiks and York Bhires also being favorites in the sec tioi s where they are best adapted. The farmer has al33 produced mam moth geese and turkeys and classified poultry into ornamental, sitters, ncn sitters, prolific layers and table fowls. There are other breeds of animals that could be named, but the above number is sufficient, and demonstrates that what has been accomplished is not the result of mere chance, but of deliberate purpose to secure special objects sought. It would require much space to enu merate what has been done in fruits and plants. The tomato has been one of the grandest acquisitions of the cen tury, and the strawberry now nearly rivals the plum and peach in size. New varieties of all kinds of fruits is grown for some special merit. The Bartlett pear and Concord grape should not be overlooked in mention, and the garden vegetables are now almost entirely changed from those of even thirty years ago. The Lima bean is being taken away from poles (as was done for " hi';"-'-:;--' : AGAIN the pears years ago) and standard trees are dwarfed by grafting. When these great changes are considered it will not be difficult to make a favorable com parison of the work of the breeder, the eeedsman and the horticulturist with the mechanic, but it may be claimed that while the use of patents protected iaventors, there has been no protect'oa whatever for those who patiently and persistently worked in the lines of im provement on farms, though their Lwork has been fully as beneficial to the world as has been the efforts of these who were inventors and discoverers, and who real z id therefrom large sums as their rewards. VALUE OF CULTIVATION. Cultivation is to a considerable ex tent the equivalent of manure. It in troduces air into tha soil, and thus makes what fertility it has available, says the Southern Cultivator. Is was the maxim of Jethro Tull, who wrote many years ago that "tillage is ma nure." But on poor soil, especially that of sandy character, tillage can do b Jt little gcod, for in such soils there is little nitrogenous matter for the air Vo decompose. But wherever manure is applied, cultivation greatly increases its ffectiveness. E ery time the cultivator stirs the surface soil it introduces more air into it and hastens the decomposition of the manure. There is therefore sound rea son for the common practice of apply ing manures liberally to the crops that require the greatest amount of cultiva tion. There is another way also in which the manure helps and that is by increasing eeds so as to make f r q ient cultivation necessary. If the soil could be entirely freed of weed seeds the crops would not get cultivation enough to secure their best growth. It ia thus that the bemficence of na ture is vindicated in a matter where, on superficial thought, the farmer is mostapfe to think that this feature of nature's operation is agait st him. The rin which makes the crops grow makes weeds grow also. If the farmer has been forehanded and killed all the weeds as fast as they germinate, the more weed seeds in his soil, the better the crop will be. Beans d j not require rich land, but as the bean is a lime crop, it demands a soil which abounds in that -material. The idea that rich land produces beans with all haulm but no pods or grain comes from planting the beans on mucky loam, which is deficient in phosphate of lime. Oa sush land a drowsing o! 100 to 150 pounds of phos phate per acre, drilled with the seed or dropped in the hill, will prodiica an enormous incressa of the bean crop, filling the vines with pods and the pod.- With be&ni. FARMS AND FARMERS Milk stations are found at various places in the cities of Chili. A cow is tethered on a platform, and when a person wants a drink of milk the cow is milked to order. The cost is a tr 11, and brandy is at hand if he prefers a milk punch. A Des Moines county farmer, who shot several quail and had his wife cook them, says their craws were stufftd with chinch bugs, over 400 in the craw of one q jail. He put up and his gun and don't shoot any more of the bug and worm destroyers. A farmer from Pennsylvania tells how easily he put his potatoes to good use last winter. He wes in Buffalo in the fall and caught the sheep market when it was down, and bought 400 good Canada sheep at G5 cents a head. He had 9C0 bushels of potatoes, which he fed to the sheep, and they came out in fiae shape in the spring. Ha sent 2 LI to Pittsburg and they netted him $4 26 per head, clear of all expensa of freight, commission, etc. Last week Tne Farmers' Voice pub lished a description of the smallest horse in the world Ruth, which weighs thirty five pounds. NowaNewYrk exchange says that the smallest living equine ia the world was born in Canan daigua last week. Tue colt weighed only eight and one-half pounds. The little animal stands only eleven inches high and measured eighteen inches from tip of note to the end of its tail The mother of the colt is an Iceland pony and belongs to Walter L. Main's circus. -m 1 m Every year as the threshing or gin ning season begins we hear of engines exploding or of other accidents, show ing lack of care on the part of the en gineer. Too much care cannot be taken to secure mn who are thoroughly com potent, men who will understand when the engine becomes too old to be longer saft which more often than anything else is the cause of explosions. Many steam engines rust out rather than wear out, but are even more dangerous on that account. NORTHERN POTATOES FOR SEED. There is a general and justifiable belief among potato growers that po tatoes grown far to the North are the best for seed. They have usually a short season to grow and ripen in, and when cold weather comes, it has eo lit tie intermission that there is no chance for the potatoes to sprout and waste their vitality before being planted. To realize these conditions as b:st he may with potatoes grown on his own farm should be the aim of the potato grower who does not wish every year to buy Northern-grown seed potatoes. By planting very late his potatoes may be dug in fall without having been dried out in the ground after the vines have been killed by frost. If these potatoes are then buried in pits, in contact with the soil, there will be little evaporation from them until they are uncovered. If the potatoes are first covered with straw, this keeps an air space next to the potatoes, and they are proportion ably dried out, That the straw cover ing is important to keep out frost is very true, but the straw should be ap plied after a slight covering of earth, and then more soil should be piled over the straw, with perhaps one or more alternate layers of soil and straw if the winter is a very severe one. Potatoes thus pitted will make nearly or q lite as good seed as that procured from the North. HOKTICULTUEE REASONS FOR SPRAYING. In bulletin No. 4 of the West Vir ginia Experiment Station, which is de voted to spraying, the reasons why spraying should oe done are epitenrz d as follows: Ir i3 claimed that fruits formerly needed none of the doctoring that seems to be necessary no w a days, yet no one contends that wormy apples are of recent origin; epole scab, too, has been marring these fruits for many years. While thesa enemies have existed for years, remedies for them are compara tively recent. As long as there were no means of preventing their ravages, the fruit grower was compelled to div d 5 his prunes with them, but now that cheap and efficient remedies are at our comm-md, why should we longer have the profits rcduc3d? Spray them and increase the incmo from the fruit plantation. Besides tho increase in the quantity of a crop ?s a result of the use of the spray, the quality of tho product is also enhanced. Even if the quantity was not materially increased, more of it wiil go in as number one, and conse quently a greater return will be real ized. A third and important consideration to be kept in mind when spraying, is the degree to which future depreda tions are being reduced. Each insect killed might, if left alive, produce many hundred descendants in the course of the teason. Tho rate of in crease of some of theso destructive in sects is almost beyond comprehension. By preventing the growth and devel opment of this myriad of hungry in sects the plant is relieved of a heavy draught upon its vital powers. The energy which would have been used up in maintaining itsolf against thesa ene mies can te used to extend its own or ganism and to prepare itself mora per fectly to carry a profitable crop of fruit. After thorough investigation, Mr.W. B. Snow, formerly assistant statistician of the Department of Agriculture, esti mates the total number of sheep now in the country at about 32,000,000. If this estimate is correct, the number of sheep has declined over 15,270,000 in three years. Is is not strange that the value of the wool and woolens imported into the country increased $30,600,000 from 1894 to 1895. This implies the importance of more attention being given to sheep raising. iOXJLTJR Y YABD SMALL FLOCKS AND IMPROVE MENT. There are a great many persm3 who keep flecks in the euburbs of towns, and they nearly always make poultry pay. It may be stated in connection with suburban poultry-raising that nearly all the improvements effected in breeds occur among this class. When the townsman decides to have a flock, he wishes something good and useful. Beauty of plumage and uni formity receive the first consideration, and prolificacy is essential. If the breed selected does not prove satisfac tory, it is discarded until a series of experiments give better results. Such men soon get into tho country. They will not remain content with their sur roundings, but determine to enlarge. Taey are the ones who succeed with large fl cks. They succeed because they begin with email flocks, watch every datail, and know something of the breeds and what the requirements are for the kind of fowls used. They teach a lessc n to the farmer, pointing out where failures occur, and what can ba done with better methods and select stock. It has been estimated that if farmers j could be induced to discard scrubs, and! use only the pure breeds, the increase in value of poultry products would be fully one hundred per cent. This can be demonstrated by comparing the fl jcks owned by farmers with those of the breeders who make a specialty of keeping pure breeda. It is not to be inferred that all farmers are negligent of the advantages of good breeda, for f some of them are enterprising in all departments of their farms but as a class they do not attach that import ance to poultry which they should, and in that respect lose a profit every year, which, though perhaps but a small sum! with each, is quite large as a whole Farm and Fireside. Small beginnings make better end-f ings in the poultry business. j 1