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' Tto Prospe tree Farmer is a good paper far above the average- -and possibly tne bst adTertis Ing medium in N. Printers' Ink. "The Progres sive Farmer ia a good paper far above the average- -and possibly the best advertis ing meoium in N. C" Printers' Ink. THE INDUSTRIAL AITD EDUCATIONAL HTEEESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OP STATE POLICY. RALEIGH, IT. 0., FEBRUARY 9, 1897. Vol. 12. Ho. 1 f A PI TTVOOI CI EMEi t 7 JQE ATiONAL FARMERS' ALLI ANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. President Mann Page, Brandon, 7a. Vice-President H. O. Snavely, Leb non. Pa. Becretary-Trcasurer R. A. South TOrth. Denver, CoL EXECUTIVE BOARD. B b.Loucks, Huron, 8. D W. P. tricker. Cogan 8tAtion. Pa. ; J. F. Wil ;tta, Kansas; W. L. Peeke, Ga. JUDICIARY. f R. a.. tiouthworth, Denver, Colo, i EL W. Beck, Alabama. 11. D. Davie. Kentucky. 62TH CAROLINA FARMSRS' 8TATB ALLI ANCE. President Dr. Cyni9 Thompson, lichlands, .0. Vie-President Jno. Graham,Kidgo ray. - G. " p r uaj-TreasurerW. B. Barnes, lillsooro. W C. -Lecturer J. T. B. Hoover, Kim City, I Q Steward Dr. V. N. Sea well. Villa low, N. C. Chaplain Rev. P. H. Massey, Dur ham. C. Door feeeper Goo. T. Lane. Greens ioro. NT. G. Assistant Door keeper J as. E. Lyon, Durham. N. C. , Serjeant-at-Arms A. D. K. Wallace, Bntherfor ton, N. C. BUVvt Business Agent T. Ivey, Hi is boro, N. C. a xxi ? Truwe Business Agency Fund w. A. (iranam. Machpelah, N. C. HTWTiTT.PK COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH CUKOLJNA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. A. F. Hileman, oncord, N. C. ; N. O. English, Trinity, N. G. ; Jamea M. Hewoorne. Kins on, N. C. STAT AloUASCJO JUDICIARY CXJMMITTEA. John Bmdy, Gategville, N. O. ; Dr. J.F. Harrell. Whiteville, N. C. ; T. J. Candler. Acton. N. C. Bsrta Carolina Reform Press Association. OmceraJ. L. Ramsey y President; PAPERS. PM9Mtivc Fs.rrr. State Orz&n. lUdelzh, N. O. DfcucailAa. Ralelh. N. C Ktexcarv . Hickory, N. C. fcAttisi . Whitakers, N. C. Our Home. Beaver Dam, N. C. Tho Popuiiet, Lumberton, N. C. Tie People's Paper, Charlotte. N. O. Ilia Vestibule, m Concord, N. C. The Plow- Boy Wadesboro, . C. Garollna. WatcHmaa, 8a itbary, N. C. i?aci or trie above-named papers are ?qaeted to keep the list standing on itis &r$t page and odd others, provided lhs are duly elected. Any paper fail in j to advocate the Gcala platform will Is'drojjped from the list promptly. Our can now see what pavers are 5lJb1ipfd their interest AGRiCULTUEE. Tae l iel berry ground would be. first, a rich, 8andy loam with clay eub soil. Second, a dark loam or gravelly loam mixed slightly with clay, and a clay pubU, all having a southerly or eastern elope la every neighborhood where special attention givn to gardening or fruit growing there should be a horticultural society. Tnere are al wa y s some good eeed grown at ihe meetings, and they help to make one en'iciastic in the business. Forest lpavea contain upon the aver age, at a roub. estimate, some twodol lars worth of ferti izing material per ton, beeide the value of the vegetable rncld they will make. They are well worth the trouble of gathering and hauliog, whenever there ia nothing more important to be done. Give your cattle salt frequently. It may ba tken as an indication that cat tie need ealt when they are seen lick ing each other to get the briny ( iuda tiona from the ekm. Oi couree, this . may become a habit. Indigestible . balla o hair are often formel in the Etcmaoh, wbicn cannot but be hurtful. Hor-es are hc irce and high m E jrope, and biyers come here to get them Unfortunately they cannot Qnd them Tnev c iaje to our ci'y m&rkeB only to fiad chrtp, eoall horses. When they find fi nood hnrpe the price is high, for our ovn denjad for S'l b. is twice as great a-! the tupply. Neither is a eup ply ia triz. 21ot of thee who begin farming buy more land th m they caa pay fo , be Cause a part payment of land leave gX)d f-eeurity for the balince. Then j they tina ir. numerable cxpeneea in pur ! chasicg tools and stock to begin opera- lions Tde temptation always is to economise in the stock, thinking that j it is easy to breed up. S me times this I is done, but more often the economy in j not buying the best stock dooms the I farmer to the same labor and expense ! Of caring for it, while it is, when grown j not worth half, or a quarter, what it wonld have been if he had begun right I At the flrat. FARMING ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. The farmers of the present day fere disposed to consider that their sur roundings are not desirable and that their progress is not so great after all. If we review the history of farming a century ago as penned by the writers of that day, we will perceive that con siderable advance has bsen made along all these lines. Oae hundred years ago the houses even of the better class of farmers seldom had more than two rooms on the first floor. In one, all cooking and all other domestic opera tions were carried on ; the other was the sleeping and living room. All eat ing was done in the kitchen, and in very warm weather a portion of the cooking and washing were managed in the yard. In the sleeping room were the bedsteads, in numoer proportioned to that of the family, while above them was usually a sore of attic or half story, some times plastered, more frequently uot, where the boys were sent to sleep The clothing was home spun liueey woolesey, the material generally bing rpun by the housewife, woven by the nearest weaver, who took his pay in corn, pigs, hay and pumpkins, return ing tne finished cloth to the sender who proceeded without instruction, rules or patterns to cut it into trousers and coats for her husband and sons The tnoej of the family were of the coarsest leather, and like the clothing, lacked the tit of modern timea. The diet was as simple, as the clothing. Wheat oread wts only used ou grand occa sions. Hog killing time about Christ mis was i he great festival ot the year. Tne houses were ventilated by cracks in the doors, and at night were lighted by tallow candle? that stood in constant need of snuffing and went out when ever the door was opened or closed. Contrast this with thu labor saving machinery of the present day, the im provements in clothing, in nouse com forts, and in the dwelling places them selves and the improved methods of husbandry, and farmers will see that they have much to be thankful for, and have greater opportunities presented to them than were presented to the farmers of a century ago. Southern" Farmer. It would be hard to find any farmer who has gone intelligently into the sheep business, keeping good stock and giving good care, whose profits for the year have not been considerably augmented. If doubtful as to the profit in sheep, let us observe closely those who are handling themraDd see if they are net arranging to carry still larger fl;Cks. VOTASH IN AGRICULTURE" Is the title of a pamphlet, published by the German Kli Works, No. 93 Nassau Sc , New York, N. Y. Tbis book is known to many of our readers fn m its first edition, published a few years ago. The eecend edition contains many valuable improvements. Tne contents embody a collection of results obtained with fertilizers at our experiment stations. It would appear from these conclusions that many brands of fertilizers uow on the market do not contain as much potash as they should for the production of the best results. It would certainly pay every farmer to write for a oopy of this book, which we underata: d is sent free. CHEAP FARMS IN ENGLAND. Farms in England are selling at a ruinous reduction of their f ormer value, and in many ca3es cannot be 60ld at all. Miny properties within two hours' ride of London are deserted Recently at the sale of Lringdon a.bbcy 6b9 acres of land, with farmhouse, saohng, homestead and wven modern cot' ages, only realized $28 500, or leys than 145 per acre Fifty years ao the property was valued at over $100,000 and four ypars ago it was m.jrtfiagtd for 170 000 In E-ex county, within a dy's walk of the Bank cf E igland, a farm, which in 1875 rented for f 2 000, ha for the last, seven years renttd for $5 per annum, the occupant paving the tx is. am Hint ing to about $7(0 I a many eas farms have been sold for less than one tenth of their value 20 y ears ago. Well to do farmers are abandoning the business and going to the colonics or to the cities to start life anew. N r does there seem to be any hopeful outlook for the industry in the future. Lord Salisbury recently declined to receive a deputa tion of English farmers, saying that be knew as much about the wants of the agriculturists as they could tell him, which was no doubt true, and it ia equally true that with the best will in the world the government is powerless to render them any material assistance Although the- situation is grievous, there may be some consolation in the fact that it ia worse on the Continent and seems to be equally irremediable. We have not yet suffered eo severely in this country, but have by no means escaped the depressing influences which seem to have fallen on agriculture everywhere. N. Y. Tribune. But isn't it a bit remarkable that such a state of fcffdirs exists ia the old est gold standard country in the world. SUCCESSFUL CO-OPERATIVE BUYING Oar Alliance has a membership of about 80 and docs an extensive grocery business It deals mostly with whole sale houses, under contract with the State Alliance. During the last quar ter we have averaged a trade ot $100 per montn, with grocery department open only Saturday night, the evening of meeting. We have a purchasing agent who orders the goods and sets the price, enough ex ra only to pay freight and shrinkage. The members take turns in drawing the goods from the railway station, about five miles distant. A committee of four members, elected for three months without pay, fills orders for customers, and ail is booked by one of this committee known as book keeper. An inventory ia taken at the end of each quarter, reports made and the books are inspected by a finance committee. We deal with members only, so have but one price. A cash business is done, hence there are no debts standing on the books. The Alliance borrowed money of mem bers in five and ten dollar shares at 6 per cent interest to pay bills in 10 days, thus securing a discount of L-per cent. Last spring we bought of a local dealer 1C0 bushels gra?s ee? d at a email advance over the wholesale price the day purchase made ; each member to get his seed when he chooses, paying the per cent over the wholesale price that day. This gave the be?t of satisfaction and is beiDg repeated at present Flour is bought direct from the mills under contract with County Alliance. We also real in furnishing goods, boots, shoes and rubbers, if oidered, but have not sufficient room to keep a stock on hand. H W. Foote, Tioga Co., N Y , in Farm and Homo. What is usually called "cold" soil is duo mostly to excess of water which fiads no outlet by sinking into it, and is forced to evaporate from the surface. This takes so much heat from the soil that vegetation will not grow readily in it. H nee the cold soil is very often thin as we l. coming quickly to the clay on which it rets If this clay is underdraincd air and frost will pulver )S3 it, enabling deep rooted plants to penetrate the soil and enrich it. So long as soil is filled with stagnant water it will only support ferns and mosses, wh've rvitfl run rp"r th snrfAce FOULTHYYAED GRIT. It is necessary that fowls have access to some kind of grit, if grain is fed in any considerable quantities. During thesummer months, when they have free access to the yards or runs, it will not be necessary to provide grir, pro vided the soil is at all gravelly. If, on the other hand, the soil is fine sand or clay, it wiil be necessary not only to provide grit during the winter months, but throughout the whole year. Small piece of crushed tonf flint, or crock eryware will answer the purpose ad mirabiy. There are many poultry houses which keep constantly on hand crusded granite in various siz as euu&ble for nearly all kinds oi domestic fowls. Crushed ojster ebells, to a large ex tent, will supply the necessary mate ril for grinding their food, at the same time lurn-ish lime for the e shell Chemical analysis and exp riments, to gether with the reports from many practical poulcrymn, snow conclusive ly t at the ordinary grain and the gr-en food eupolied to laying hens do not contain enough lime for the for m tion of the egg shells. It will r qutre several times as much lime as is urdi nanly fed if gren, strong egg shells are to be produced. Crushed oyster shells will supply this necessary lime if kept continually before the fowl, trusting to them to eat the amount needed to supply lime rather than mix ing the shells with food The j ldgment of the fowl can be relied upon m this res nec t Coleman's Hur&l World. LIVE STOCK. SHEEP MANAGEMENT. Mr. D. S. Smith's methods: Feed shock corn for a grain ration and all the clover hay they will eat up clean, up to about two months of the expected lamb crop. Then commence feeding bran and oats mixed in small quantities at first, but generally increase the bran and oats and decrease the shock corn so that about two weeks before the crop you have them on bran and oats about one pint each morning and evening with all the clover hay they will eat up clean. A change to straw ct other kind.- of hay ia good and eaten with a relish. Keep their sheds well bedded, a chunk of reck salt within their reach, and plenty of good, clean drinking water. Give them the run of a good-s;z d yard, or better, a few hours in the fialds or pasture when the snow ia not too deep. It does the ewts lots of good and makes stronger lambs G.?od shelter, that can be closed up in stormy weathey and cold nights, should be provided, "hod see to it that the sheep are under it, and especially dur ing a cold, wet storm, Where tho peach tree is not pruned long, slender branches form, and these produce fruit mainly at their outer ends. The tree will carry much more fruit if properly distributed, and will produce more perfect fruit. The cut ting will not be attended with injury i- done while the tree is dormant. That the peach trees should be left to grow at will is an outgrown idea. HOME-CUKbD HAMS. As this is the butchering season, I will give my recipe for sugar curing h&ms anc bacon on what is called the teo-day plan." I greatly prefer this plan to the one I used for over thirty years of curing in sweet pickle. The advantages of this piau aire: first, it is cheaper, as it does not require a tight barrel, but we cure the meat in a sugar barrel, which cost but five cents; sec ond, the meat is cured in about ten days, ready for smoking, and can then be put away, and will givo no further trouble, and, third, I find that cured by this plan it is always right neither too salt nor fresh, and always keeps; if the rule is followed in every detail every piece will be cured the same. The plan of curing is as follows: Rub the meat with a little silt when first cut up, and lay it on a bench or t&bie to cool, and for t he blood to drain from it; in two days begin the curing pro cess. Weigh the meat, or, if it not convenient to weigh all, weigh two or three average size d pieces and estimate the weight of the balance. For each 100 pounds weigh four pounds of salt and two pounds of sugar. I prefer granulated sugar, as it will mix with the salt more perfectly than the soft sugars. Some add an ounce of saltpetre, L but I prefer to omit it Next, divide your salt and sugar into three equal parts by weight or measure and rub one third of it on the meat, rubbing it well in where the bone has been cut off, and on all the flesh part, pack in a sugar barrel and leave three days; then take the meat out and rub with another third, beginning with the pieces that were on top, 8 j as to get them into the bottom of the barrel, for the bottom pieces will get a little more salt from the drip. In three days take up the meat and up6 the l&?t of the salt and sugar, ob serving the same rule in packing it, and three days more makes it ready to smoke. As soon as well smoked put it away for the summer. My plan of keeping smoked meat for the summer is to put it in paper flour sacks and bang it to the rafters in an attic. To prevent the grease from soaking through the bags, we put cut hay in the bottom for the bam to rust upon, and wrap the pieces well in old ne ws papers The sacks are impervious to flies and the meat always comes out in gxd condition. A read r asks for an article on reliev ing choked cattle, but as in fifty years experience on the farm I have never had an animal cnoke, I have nothing ro f fit r on the surj ct. I feed several hundred bushels of roots each winter, and never cut them, as I find it useless labor, and I think cattle are quite likply to choko when eating roots cut into triangular pieces; but they will never cioke on whole beets, as they bite out small mouthfula from them and do not take t o pieces ia the mouth at once llany of the beets this year weigh from ten to twelve pounds each, and the cows eat them without trouble. Doubtless many of ou;r readers cro caught with shock corn still unhusked. and there is no more disagreeable work than husking corn from the shock in winter, as standing on frczen ground makes the feet cold, and when the frost comes out the mud is deep and sticky To all who still have corn standing out in shocks I would say, make a long sled and bring the corn to the barn to husk. If you have a barn floor you can fill it, and if you have not, either buy or rent some lumber and make a temporary shed at the south end of the barn; you will only need a roof, for you can build a wall of fodder at the ends to keep the wind out and husk in the middle. It will not take a large shed to hold 100 shocks, and with even half this amount in, you will have work for one or two rainy days, when the fed der will be soft and nice to handle, and the weather warm and comfortable to work. There is always a time at the beginning of a thaw when shock corn can be drawn in comfortably, and one can keep waim at this work when he would suffer with cold if husking in the field. I would rather husk three shocks fn a comfortable dry shed on a warm rainy dry, or protected from the wind with the sun shining on me, than one sheck out in the wind, standing on frczen ground or in cold mud. I have often rented lumber for tem porary purposes at about ten cents per 100 feet a month. The lumber that ia lght to hand e, and while not fit for permanent work, is just as good as any for a temporary j b. I rent nearly every ppring 800 to 1.000 feti-S lumber for a month to coer my sweet potato beds. We usually get all of our corn husked efore winter sets in, but if not we do not try to husk in the field, but bring it to the barn. I can put in from 100 to 150 shocks at once. " Even during the pleasant fall weather we always keep a day's husking or more in. the barn, so as not to lose the rainy a&j $. Soau3 iiiiicfc who ioiiier gets bo dry that a large per cent of the blades and husks will break eff and waste if husked in the field, and when this is the case we tear down the shocks at night and spread them out, and then in the early morning, while the fodder is tough, we draw it to the barn and huek it, where all the blades and husks can be saved. Waldo F. Brown, in Prairie Farmer. While manure from the horse stables is commonly used for gardens because it heats more quickly, we think that quite as good results for most crops will be secured by the slow, but equally rich, cow manure. Horse manure is always much too dry unless it has the liquid excrement mixed with it. The absence of moisture rather than excess of nitrogen is what makes it heat rap idly. But it also makes the manure fire fang even when it is buried in the soil. Partly decomposed cow manure will furnish some available plant food at first, and will not dry up and inj ire the roots later in the season. rH3B DA1KY. LUTLE THINGS Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. Lite, it haa been said, is made up of little things, and it can be said that dairying is made up the same way ; in fact, any buainees is made up of little things and details, and if these are not properly attended to, failure results. One of the most important details of dairy ing is cleanliness. This should be observed from the milking of the cows to the packing of the product- butter especially. The daily cleaning of dairy utensils is one of the important factors in pro moting cleanliness. All the milk in or on a dairy utensil should first be rinsed off water far below the ecalding point oefore any water up to that point is used If scalding water is used at the s!iart the milk is cooked and then it is almost impossible to remove it from the article, especially the creases or seams, if any there be. If scalding water is used on a milk strainer of fine meshes before the milk has been rinsed with water of a loer temperature the strainer will be about as gxd as ruined, and the same wiil result if the miik is allowed to dry in. Therefore, if the user is not ready to rinse eff the milk as soon as through using, let the strainer ba put under and left there until it can be properly cleaned. Tne cans of portable creameries should be kept scrupulously clean. This can be easily accomplishec if at tended to every time they are emptied and the rules above mentioned ob eerved. Tne water end isa teal: cjo portable creamery rttould be caiefully looked after. In the first place, care should b3 taken to thoroughly rinse eff all the sawdust that may stick to the ice bq fore the latter is placed in the tank. Next, be sure when straining the milk not to spill any-of it into the water. But if any gets into it, then change the water at once; especially during warm weather. Every dairyman should have a dairy room or house, and it should ba located where no foul odors would be likely to reach it. That cleanliness is next Godliness is especially true when applied to dairy ing. F. W.-Moselkt. Clinton, Iowa. AT THE VERMONT STATION. At the Yermont Experiment Station, four methods of feeding corn to dairy cows were tried: First, the whole plant was run through the cutter into the silo. Second, the ears were husked, cribbed, dried and ground, cob and all, and fed with the stalks that had been -made into silage. Tnird, the corn was ' cut and cured in large shocks and be- i, fore feeding was run through a cutter, ears and all. Fourth, the corn was husked from the fodder, ground with 4.1 1- J M 3 - . I at.. J xl A. iue cou, anu ieu wnu tut muvur iuui was cut as needed. Analysis showed that the loss from each method was practically the same, except where the shocks were left ex posed as the winter progressed the loes " increase 6!; In the silage the ears lost more of their value than in the shock or crib. Time and money spefifrbusk- as better results were obtained when the ears were left on the stalks and all run through the cutter before feeding. The silage forms were most relished by the cows and the dairy proiuct great est. . :. . The experiments confirm the com mon opinion that for dairy cows, the corn crop in the form of silage is more valuable than in dry fodder and meal, probably because it is relished more and is eaten cleaner, but for steer feed ing there is evidence going to show that steers fed on shock corn run through the cutter, ears and stalk, make better growth than where the corn is husked and the fedder and ears or meal ia fed separately. DAIRY SCHOOLS. Modern advances in dairy knowledge have been so rapid and the inventor has so changed the apparatus and rou tine formerly in use that, those who were experts have fallen behind in the march of events, and it is now scarcely possible to acquire expert knowledge U in the farm dairies, where the practices of more than a quarter of a century, ago are still follo wed. The establishing of dairy schools, where theoretical in struction as well as practical explana tion in the use of the best apparatus could be given in accordance with the results of the latest scientific re searches, therefore became necessary. "Dairy Schools," by B. A. Pearson, B. S Assistant Chief of Dairy Divis ion, Bureau of Animal Industry (Bulle tin No 17, Bureau of Animal Industry), which has just been issued by the De partment of Agriculture, is intended to spread information concerning tha good results these schools accomplish among the dairymen who either do not know of them or have only a vagus idea as to their purposes. The subject is treated under th heads: Dairy instruction; Purposes ox dairy schools; Methods of conducting dairy schools -requirements for ad mission, certificates and prizss, and . cost of dairy course Equipment; Ad vantages of a dairy course; Advantages -of dairy schools to the public; and an Appendix, which contains statements ot the facilities for instruction dairy ing in the States and Territories. Tne nlubtrations cols st of four fall page plates: (1) Dairy hall, New York, and Dairy hall, Wisconsin; (1) Churn ing room and operating separators, Wisconsin; (3j Pasteurizing miik, Illi nois, and cheese roum, Minnesota; (4) Milk iabjratory and live stock lecture room, Minnesota Also two figures: (1) Receiving and sampling milk, Col lege creamery, Iowa; (2) College creameiy at Fargo, N. Dak. This publication is not for miscel laneous distribution by the Depart ment, but can be secured from tb9 Superintendent of Documents, Union Building, Washington, D. C, for 13 cent , ; fyyy?f , 31eanlinS3 is next to godliness, ccp cislly ia feandlins milii end batter. Library i J it, a College
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 9, 1897, edition 1
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