t-. .,ir IS B. !
"The Progres
sive Farmer is a
good paper far
above the average-
-and possibly
the best advertis
ing mecium in N.
C." fruiters' Ink.
naaer-fr
fr tne aver-j
.e-and possibly ;
S best advertis- ,
Er medium jn N. i
? Printers' in
fol. 11.
1 C
RALEIGH, N. C, DECEMBER 15, 1896.
No. 45
yfciVvTNt. (I
THE m) RIAL AKD EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
lt
ft
It
ve
DO
e
as
. ,.-T I C7&OMDDC ATT f
f ANCB AND INDUSTRIAL
UNION.
president Mann Page, Brandon,
1. President H. O. Suavely, Lcb
V.-iry-Treasurer R. A. South
forth. Denver, Col.
EXECUTIVE BOARD.
g L. Loucks, Huron, S. D. ; W. P.
krr Cogan Station, Pa. ; J. F. Wil-
8ri
letts.
ansas; w. Li. reece, ua.
JUDICIARY.
3. A. Southworth, Denver, Colo,
g V. Beck, Alabama.
I D. Davio, Kentucky.
ANUZ
President Dr. Cyrus Thompson,
fr-hianda, C.
ico- President J no. uruaui,iwagy
fy, N.O. T
s-rtarv-Treasurer . o. xximos,
ffilkboro, N". C.
Lc ::irer J. T. B. Hoover, lmUity,
Steward Dr. v. IN. seaweii, vma-
V,.
Chaplain Kev. P. JtL Massey, uur
Door keeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens-
5c.ro. C.
A&tant Door keeper Jas. E. Lyon,
Durham. N. C.
gercoant-at Arms-A; D. K. Wallace,
Butherfor ;toa, N. C.
3wte Business Agent T. Ivey, Hi la
H. Tn'iar.v Business Aerencv Fund W.
.1. Graham, Wachpelah, In . C.
IllCmfi COMillTTKE OF THE NORTH
CARji-JNA FARMERS' STATS ALXJASCS.
.l. F. Hileman. Concord. N. C. ; N.
:s4ih. Trinity, N. C; James M.
: on. N. C.
fCX JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
ttatpsvillp N. C : Dr.
It?. Harrell, WhitviUe, N. C. ; T. J.
I 11 TkT -
,incuer. a.cton. im. vj.
ijrtaCatolina Reform Press Association.
Ccef8J. L. Ramsey President;
terion Bniler, Vice-President ; W. &
5orw. Secretary.
' PAPERS.
w.mit Vtrnmr. StAte Oraraii. RAleliirli. N. C.
lJ T' vi, xr n
; - VtV WhltAkers, N. C.
t 4 .C.alist, Lamt-erton, N. C.
" Vye's Paper, Charlotte, N. C.
'it -Boy. VSadeeboro, N. C.
Ixolra Watchman, Sa.isbury. N. C.
iacn of the above-nanied papers are
itpesied to keep the list standing on
Ik first page and add others, provided
'kj a.e duly elected. Any paper fail-
; vo advocate the Ocala platform will
trved from the list promptly. Our
Vf'e" can now see what papers are
A(x RICULTURE.
Lei'- fill get a move on U3 and meet
-a t i m
gr-od aaies wa are wishing ror nan
j G.y? the boys a literary education aa
? jeii es a farm education : tney worn
iell together.
Arrrge bo there will always be a
pnveD! ?nt to the kitchen.
1! Tre train raising portion? of the
J'Jta Tal reap a little benent rrom tne
igfer i.ricea. That ia some help.
A.2;;!MUure is going into th common
t U r nMinH.1? Vict fl inTl ft.fi
aep-. opl become thoroughly aroused
3 i't l :.n-irranrfi-
The i r-eder who begins now to rai?e
Ifew ood colts will not regret it. By
eiin e they are ready to ue there
li!l a treat demand.
Q1- P -ultryman, the hog raider and
Juryman and the intensive farmer
i hci.ve more money at the end of
"xt er than the man who pled?
j&o' in the old ruts.
LTu!f eg a man has busiceFS ability, it
'l of theories about farming. But if
has energy, thorough knowledge
w' U. 1 1
141 "tip mm wuliuui i.uii y .
The improvenient in farming metho
's about to be inaugurated all over
eSuta will result in proving to the
forll what has long been known by
3-3 resident of the Suth that this is
"cVtet eection of the United State3.
Hntensive farming may properly be
pned a nev industry, from the iact
I id i- . m 5 - A- T
t.ut-re are eo lew engagec in it. it
loduHtry which commends itself
every practical farmer, and there is
3ro money in it than in any system
ihe old style.
rain in India un to late November
OUilht fnpthof rliatrraa tr fflminn fia
f ct? while in certain provinces the
P condition was improved. In ad
tiiQ(jia from this country, one or
P shiploads of corn have been bought
PNew York, the first businisj of thia
list
p record.
GROWING GRASS FOR HAY AND
GRAZING.
We have before us an interesting
lecture delivered recently by Prof.
William H. Brewer, of Yale, on the
effect of well kept grass land Ha say s :
"Permanent grass lands are an im
portant factor of stability in the busi
nees of any country. It is the moei
conservative element in agriculture. &b
agriculturo is the most conservative of
industries. That is, long establisheo
grass lands constitute the least change
able part of the most slowly change
able of industries. From its very na
ture it must be so, and this fact neces
sarily and inevitably influences tht
business stability of a country or cam
munity where such grass lands exist
B3tan3t8 have described three or
four thousand species of grasses, of
whieh a very small relative number
have much value in forming the turfe
of our climate and in other countries
similar to ours. As botanists study
grasses, their most important charac
ters are those which relate to the fljw
ers and seed. By no other set of char
acters have grasses been satisfactorily
cla-e:fied, so as to be scientifically
studied ss a whole or their relations to
the rest of the vegetable kingdom un
derstocd. The unit of classification
as used by botanists, is thesptcies, but
the individuals of a species vary among
themselves and constitute groups
known aa varieties. Varieties are
more changeable than ppecies and are
especially liable to bo formed as a re
suit of cultivation, or when they grow
amid the conditions of cultivation
Hence we have many varieties of each
species of cultivated plants. All the
immense number of varieties of maize
doubtless have arifen from one original
wild species, and so of the varie
ties of potatoes, of wheat, oats, barley,
etc.
The tendency which plants have to
run to varieties to suit the local con
ditions shows itself even in thf uncul
tivatcd weeds that infest the fields and
gardens. Special varieties adapt thrm
selves to the local conditions they find
in cultivated soil, becaute thus better
adapted to fight their way and main
tain a hold against the aggressions of
the farmer or gardener who tries to
kill them
Precisely so with the turf grasses A
single species may exist as numerou
varieties, some more robust or acgree
sive, others less so having diflren
capacities to withstand too wet or to
dry pencds, to stand drought?, or
other vicis-uiudes of climate, or to en
dure aLd flourish under the grazing of
cattle. Let us keep in mind, also, that
while the natural te ndency of plants is
to produce seed and propagate in that
way, in crop3 of grass, either when cut
for hay or gr&Zrd for pasture, it k
foliage, not eeeJ, that is the aim of the
farmer.
In nature and in art, there are two
ways by which plants are prcpigated ;
the ''sexual' method through the pro
duotion of flowers and seed and the
"non-sexual methoa'' which includes
many forms, euch cs underground
sterna in some species, bults. tubrn
runners, etc., tillering with grams no
grasses, etc. In artificial culture.
propagation by means of grafts, rmds.
curtinga, anel similar whjb belong to
the ncn sexual methods, and arever.
extensively practiced. Gardening and
fruit growing could hardly bo carried
on without this.
Now, in the production of now varie
ties by nature, the vast mv j nty come
through the seed Some plants of a
new generation difl r from the parents.
It may be that the new variety will
perpetuate itself from the seed, more
often it does not, at least with that
certainty and completeness that farm
ers and gardeners wish. Hence, in
farm and garden practice, where crops
are from annual plants, we seek varie
ties that grow true to the seed ae
is the case with our grains and most
of our vegetables. When of long lived
plants, we often propagate the varie
ties only by non sexual methods, by
cuttings, grafis, buds, etc. Such is
the practice with most of our larger
fruits and with many ornamental
plants and only by such methods could
our wonderful success have been
achieved In many caees, the value
of the variety has increased as the ten
dency to produce seed is reduced.
Many of our best fruits produce seeds
but sparingly, some not at all. We
have a familiar example in bananas
which have been so long cultivated
and propagated only by suckers, that
all the best varieties are seedless. I
question if any of you ever saw a ba
nana with seeds, and a variety of seed
less grape, known as the Z mte currant
has been grown without seeds from
ancient times.
We grow various coops of foliage j
rather than for seed; tobacco is a
familiar example. Were it grown
primarily for its seed, we would use
very different varieties and the leaves
would suffer deterioration in the inter
est of the seed grower.
Grasses for use on the farm, either
for hay or pasture, are grown for
foliage and stalks, that is, for the vege
tative portion rather than the seed.
Tney are all of long lived species How
long an individual grass plant will live
tn.a well kept permanent meadow or
pasture no one knows, but we know
tnat it may be, and usually is, very
long lived.
I have already said that in nature,
most, varieties probably origii ato in
seedlings. Some times, however, they
originate in the vegetative part of the
plant itself. The variation may ex
te nd to a single branch, and there are
examples of varieties of ornamental
plants which have so originated, the
varying branch being propagated and
rnuitipheu by means of cuttings.
By an analogous process Mr. Olcott
studies turf grasses. A bit of Eod is
carefully torn iuto fine shreds, itsindi
viduai plants separated and eet out
each by itself and allowed to spread by
the sprouts frtm the root crowns, un
til it forms a bit of turf of its own sort.
Thisis essentially the way they spread
in a pasture or meadow. Any other
sort appearing in its plot is carefully
weeded out and the variety is studied
as a "Pure culture," eo to speak. Tnere
is no limit, theoretically, to thw method
of propagation. It is doing with grass
what ia extensively done in many
orancba of horticulture and even in
agriculture. It is entirely practicable
for lawn purposes and may be for cer
tain phases of field culture. That,
nowever, is net yet proved It is not
erobabla that a meadow can be ate
practicably planted out as a tobacco
field, but for certain purposes such
planting is probably prac icable. It
certainly is on as large a scale as ha3
yet been tried. My own docryard has
oeen turfed from ore original plant.
ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL AND
BXPSRlMiiNTAL UNION.
Ontario Agricultural olleqe,
Gu iph, (Jan N )v. 27 1S06
Jorret?iondeice of The Progressive Farmer.
Enclosed you will tiud a programme
f the n-xt annual meeting of ihe On
rnrio Agricultural and Experimental
Uaicn, which is to be held at the Agri
-ultural College, G ilph, Canad-i, on
the 10:h and 11' h of December next.
The co operative e peridental work
is increasing year by year, as ehown
ny the fact that in agriculture alone,
there were upwards of 11,000 plots used
for experiments throughout Ontario
m 1896 These plots were si'ua ed on
2 260 different farms. The Union
.pens up a channel through which the
orst material of the Experiment Sta
'ion can be brought to the honif s of
ne farmers; it makes direct applica
non of information found out at the
Experiment Station, by having expori
rnnts conducted up n hundreds of
ftirms ; and it systematizes the co opera
tive wcrk in euch a way that the re
suits can be summarized and made into
valuable reports for the farmers gen
erally. The ii flicnceof the Union is
potent in bringing farmers in closer
touch with the Agricultural College; in
fostering kindly feeliDgs between the
graduates and their Almamater, and
ia awakening lines of thought and ob
nervation in the minds of those en
gged in the various branches of agri
culture.
We ask your careful examination of
the programme enclosed, and extend
to you a very hearty invitation to be
present at the next meeting of the
Union. We would be greatly pleased
indeed if you could find it possible to
be with us on this occasion.
Hoping to see you at the meeting, I
remain, Yours very truly,
C. A Zavitz,
Experimentalist.
A bulletin of the Olio station tells
how seed oats were successfully treated
by the hot water method in 1895 and
1896 to prevent emu!;. It is estimated
that Ohio farmers lost not less than
half a million dollars this year on ac
count of smuts in oats. The crop from
untreated seed at the station showed
forty smutted heads out of every 100,
while the treated seed yielded a much
larger crop entirely free from emuc
FOR TOBACCO GROWERS.
By 1. J. Pa,.terSon, B. S., Chemist and Vice
Direrv. - of the Maryland Agricultural Ejperi
meet fetation.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
TGere is no plant that is so suscepti
ble to improvement or to injury by
fertilization as tobacco; and none of
the fertilizing materials have so marked
an influence in these respects as do the
sources of potash.
Tobacco growers have paid but little
tten;ion to the effects of fertil zrs on
the quality of the product, and it is not
uncommon to find that even the manu
facturers of fertilizers have but little
knov ledge upon these points. The de
teric: tion in the quality of tcbicco in
s nr- sections and the resulting lo7
price is no doubt, in a large measure,
due i,o the prevailing ignorance of both
the rnanufr cturer and user as to the
eff.io 3 of different fertiliz ng elements
upon rhe quality of the product. Again
we find that farmers and fertilizer
manufaciurers often recognize the fact
thrit certain elements produce harmful
retulv npou tobacco and have their
tobacco fertil z r formulated accord
ingly ; but then they entirely ignore this
fact iu preparing fertiliz-r for other
crops which are to bo grown on land
that nas tobacco included in its rota
tion; presuming, probably, that the
harm'ul results are only temporary
and ill disappear with the othercrops
grown, but the truth is that the other
crops increase rather than lessen the
harmful i ff cts of those elements.
Calorine is the most harmful ele
ment, entering into tbe growth of
plant?, that tobacco comes in contact
with, from the fact that the more of it
there is present in a fertilizer or in the
soil the more, within certain limits,
will the crop take up. Chlorine, when
either iu the soil or a fertil zer, cannot
oo neutralized or have its harmful
effecta lessened by applying other ma
terial, but whenever present it is sure
to exert its influence. Chlorine exerts
its bad influence by making the leaf
burn badly not holding fire well, pro
ducii g a dark, brittle ash, and also
producing an tff fl vvor and aroma.
Lima and magnesia do not have so
direct an effect upon the burning qual
iiy and they are easily masked by
other elements, but they most always
have a tendency to make the t bacco
npen unevenly aui consequently it
cures bidly.
Tne other elements found in potash
fertilizers either produce no effect or
exert a beneficial iLflience upon to
bacco. The following potash fertilizers
should be applied to tobacco or used in
tobacco gro - ing sections:
Muriate of potash is a salt formed by
the combination of chlorine and potash,
and it comoa upon our markets in a
pretty nearly pure condition. It con
tains more chlorine than any other
potash fertilizer, and therefore should
never form a part of a fertilizer to be
applied to tobacco or used in a tobacco
growing section on land that may
eom-3 timo be planted in tobacco.
Kainit is a mixture of potash and
magnesia, potash and magnesia eul
phates, and considerable common salt
(sodium chloride and because of the
large amount of chloridea (chlorine)
which it c ntains it should never be
applied to tobacco or land that is to be
planted in tobacco at some future time
Low grade sulphate of potash (sul
phates of potash and magnesia or
double manure salt) contains a small
per cent, of chlorine but a large per
cent of magnesia, sulphate and conse
quently should not be used in tobacco
fertilizers, though infinitely better
than sny of the previously named pot
ash eahs.
Woodsshes some times contain con
siderable chlorine and the lime which
they contain in some cases, will exert
a detrimental influence, therefore, not
withstanding the fact that the potash
ia in the very valuable form of the car
Donate, their use for tobacco cannot be
recommended.
The following potash fertilizers are
recommended for tobacco and for use
in tobacco sections:
High grade sulphate of potssh exerts
a beneficial effect upon the quality and
quantity of tobacco to which it has
been applied. It contains only a trace
of any detrimental element. It fur
nishes the potash in a concentrated
form, containing 50 per cent, actual
potash (K 2 O). It is the cheapest
form of potash which can be safely
used in tobacco culture.
Carbonate of potash and magnesia is
a comparatively new form of potash
that has been introduced in the fertili
zer trade. Experiments so far with.
this potash salt have given good re
suits. The carbonate is the most de
sirable form in which to have the pot
ash, and the magnesia carbonate seems
to exert little or no influence upon the
crops.
THE RELATION OF OTHER CROPS IN THE
ROTATION.
Ia many tobacco-growing sections
where other crops enter into rotation,
we find that these crops have by their
methods of feeding at ndency to in
crease the harmful effects of the in
jurious elements, as the following illus
trations will show : A corn crop usee
about 30 pounda of pctaah to each
pound of chlorine; wheat about 100
pounds of potrsi to each pound of
chlorine; ryo about 60 "pounds of pot
ash to each pound of chlorine; potatoes
20 pounds of potash to each pound of
chlorine; clover hay about 9 pounds of
potash to each pGund of chlorine ! To
bacco varies much according to the
amount of chlorine present, taking
from 1 to 12 pounds of potash to each
pound of chlorine.
From these figures it will be seen
that it a fertilizer containing much
chlorine is applied that all crops cause
this chlorine to accumulate, eomo of
them causing it to do so very rapidly,
and that as a result there would soon
be found much chlorine present in the
soil, and as the tobacco crop is the only
one that would tae this up more freely
than the others, because of its being
present in great quantities, it will be
apparent to all that if they wish to
escape the evil effects of chlorine upon
tobacco they must use fertilizers with
all their crops that contain either no
chlorine or but a trace of it.
PERMANENT PASTURES.
Prof. Bennett, of the Arkansas Agri
cultural Station, has the following to
say on the above subject: In making
a temporary pasture for only one or
two years the clovers should be used.
It is not profitable to sow grasses for
pastures unlets the pasture is to re
main for a greater period than two
years. The poorest soil of the farm,
especially where land ia abundant, is
no doubt the best to put in pasture, but
it must be rememben d that poor, bar
ren soils will not make good grass pas
tures, the uj;h pastures, whether grass
or clover, can be made on poorer soils
than meadows can If the soil be too poor
to bring grappas for permanent pasture
it can be qui ;Kly improved by sowing
Japan clover and grazing it for two or
three years; then plant and turn un
der a crop of cow peag and eow the
grasses and clovers that are to form
the pasture mixture. Japan clover
need not precede the cow pecs if tho
soil is not very poor.
All permanent pastures should be
sown with mixed grasses for the reason
that mixed grasses ripen at different
seasons and grazing will be furnished
throughout the year. Hungarian
Bromo gras3, tall meadow oat grass,
tall fercue, orchard grass and red
clover form a good mixture that ripens
at different dates If the soil ia not
fertile, tali fescue and red clover will
not succeed and should rot be planted.
Bermuda grass is the btst summer
grass for thw soil, but there is no other
plant that is commonly sown with it
to furnish grazing in winter and early
spring. But clover ia said to do it sue
ceesfully. It can be sown every fall if
no seed matures, by first scarifying
the Bermuda sod with a good harrow.
Scarifying should bo done every fall to
get the clover seed in the ground.
Crimson clover on fertile soil makes
go d winter and spring grez'.ng. It
should be sown in August or early in
Seotember if the season will permit.
Oieof the best plans for hay and
winter pasture on poor uplands is to
sow fescue grass and cow peas. The
fescue will come up in the fall and
grow for grazing during winter and re
seed in early ppring. Cow peas may
then ba planted and they will coma off
in time for the fescue to grow again
during the succeeding winter. This
process can be continued as long as de
sired. The pea roots fertilize the fescue.
This combination furnishes abundant
rich cow pea hay and excellent grazing
in the winter and spring. The only
objection to this plan is that the fescue
may not, on account of soil or season,
begin much growth until late in winter
or early spring
The agricultural depression in Eng
land is so great that farm lands will
hardly bring any price at all. Farms
in remote sections can be had rent free,
the renters agreeing to pay taxes,
which amount to from $1 to $2 per
acre. Gold standard did it.
WHAT GOOD PRICES MEAN.
Men who deal in wheat will remem
ber the fall of 1896, because of the two
unprecedented features; the unex
pected rise in the market on the eve of
a presidential election, and the ship
ment of the staple from Chicago to
Southern ports, writes Dexter Mar
shall. The first of these phenomena
has attracted the attention of the whole
world; the second has hardly been
noticed by anyene not directly inter
ested in the sale and shipment of grain.
And yet this is undoubtedly far more
important than the other, since it it
the beginning of a new order in wheat
shipment. Chicago and St. Louis are
the great wheat centers of the ccnti
nent. At these two cities millions and
millions of bushels of grain are massed
every year over converging lines of
shining steel. From thesa two cities it
is sent to tho seaboard In tho past
the Southern ports of Baltimore, Nor
folk, etc , have been supplied from St.
Louis, while none of Chicago's ship
ments, either by rail or water, have
been Eenfi to ports south of New York.
Bat this year the continued and de
termined efforts of the Southern ports
aided by certain action on tho part of
the British Board of Trade and the low
railroad freights from Chicago south
east, have tended to divert a part of
the wheat trade formerly enjoyed by
NewY.urk; hence the new departure
in Chicago wheat shipments.
It is difficult accurately to calculate
the financial benefits of America's
wheat crop when prices are fair, but
they are enormous. The total crop of
1895 is estimated at 435 000 000 bushels.
If tha market keeps up and the aver
age price of wheat at the seaboard is
80 cents a bushel, this means the addi
tion of $388,000,000 to the country's
wealth. It is true that tbe farmer does
not get all this immense sum, and that
the railroads co get a large slice, but
the bulk of all the money paid to the
railroads, lake veeselmen, elevator and
other terminal corporations, for hand
iiDg wheat, ia paid out again at once in
the form of wages, to the benefit of
those who work with their hands.
In this way a profitable wheat crop
benefits almost every class in almost
every part of the country. It does not,
however, bring the full value of the
crop into the country in the form of
"foreign gold," for the United States is
not only the greatest producer of wheat
in the worid, but tne greatest consumer
as well, it being estimated that 375,
000.000 bushels are disposed of every
year within the boundaries of Uncle
Sam's dominions. Accepting this esti
mate as correct, 60,000,000 bushels of
the crop will be available for foreign
shipment. Tnat thero will be a de
mand fcr all this wheat, and more,
from abroad, there is god reason to
believe, because of the short crop else
where. At 80 cents a bushel the infl jw
of foreign money for thn year's sur
plus would be $48, C00 000. This will
not be the extent of the cash receipts
from wheat this year, however, since
the left over surplus from last year
amounts to 80,000,000 bushels, which
at the same rate, will bring $61,000,000
more, or $112 000 000 altogether. Count
ing the population of the country at
70 COO, 000, the wheat for sale outside
the United States this year will phow
from tho outside world about $17.40
for every man, woman and child
enough to furnish hats and shoes for
all and leave a handsome surplus.
LANDLORDISM FATAL.
In Great Britain agriculture ia in a
state of collapse and the gove rnment is
making desperate efforts to remedy the
evil. It is admitted that the lack of
cooperation among the farmers has
brought British agriculture to its pres
ent condition. In France, where co
operation was begun thirty years ago
the six million peasant freeholders
have made steady progress. The effect
of the societies and syndicates all over
the country is shown by the large re
duction in the cost cf fertilizers and
other supplies and consequent larger
yields. Tne present condition of Brit
ish agrculture is duo largely to the
landlord system, says the Denver Field
and Farm. Peasant proprietorship
and co-operation have sustained and
built up agriculture in France, and it
is realized in England that the example
of her neighbor across the channel
must ba followed to save her farming
interests from ruin. One of the best
indications of the future prosperity of
agriculture in the United States ia
shown by the fact that our farmers
realize the necessity of co operation.