North Carolina Newspapers

"The Progres glre Farmer is a good paper fax above the aver age and possibly the best advertis ing medium in N. C' Printers' Ink. "The Progres-i sive Farmer is ai good paper far above the aver- age- -and possibly! the best advertis-4 tag medium in N. C." Printers Inly 1 THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. RALEIGH, N. 0., FEBRUARY 16, 1897. Vol. 12. No. 2 BOGRESSIVE I i i i TOE iIATIONAL FARMERS' ALLI ANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. President Mann Page, Brandon, Va Vice-President H. O. Snavely, Leb anon, Pa. Secretary-Treasurer B. A. South worth, Denver, Col. EXECUTIVE BOARD. H. L. Loticks, Huron, S. D. ; W. P. Rrioker. Coeran Station. Pa. : J. F. Wil- letts, Kansas; W. L. Peeke, Ga. JUDICIARY. R. A. Bouthworth, Denver, Colo. S. W. Beck, Alabama. M. D. Davie, Kentucky. aonia caeoliha farmers btatb alli ance. president Dr. Cyrus Thompson, Vice-President Jno. Graham, Kid go Pcriary-Treasurer W. 8. Barney, Hillsboro, N. C. Lecturer J. t. B. Hoover, Elm City, N6teward-Dr. V. N. Seawell, Villa- aChapia?n-Kev. P. H. Massey, Dur- ham. N. C. , Door keeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens aoro, N. C. T nr Assistant Door-keeper Jas. K. Lyon, "sSitArmA. D. E. Wallace, Rutherfor.iton, N. C. Staiy Business Agent T. Ivey, Hiils bOrO, N. C. . rn.,A TT7 Trustee Business Agency Funaw. Map.rmalah. N. C I ia jt k c.i n i, r- H23CTT1YH OOiCHTTKS OF THE NORTH i OABOL1SA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. I . j r ri . "NT A. F. Hileman, xmcoru, i. v. , y 0. English, Trinity, N. C. ; James M. ilewborne. Kins on, N. C. 8TAT3 ALLIANCH JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. John Brady, Gatesville, N. C. ; Dr. J.F. Harreil, Whiteville, N. C; T. J. Candler. Acton. N. C. i2t rth Carolina Reform Press Association. C&cera-J. L. Ramsey, President; mrion Butler, Vice-President ; W. S. Samei, Secretary, PAPERS. 'rwrve Fanner. SUte Organ. Mercury. wSSprl Sattic, Whittle rs, nr Home. Beaver Dam. The Popnlist, Lnmberton. The People's Paper. Charlotte, The Vestibule. , Concord, The Plow-Boy. Wadeeboro, Carolina Watchman. Salisbury, N.O. N.C. N.O. N.C. N. C. N. C. N. C. N. C. N. C. 2J. C. Each of the above-named papers are rigxestedto keep the list standing on j;r3( page ana aaa otners, pTwv.itxi 'ktv are drty elected. Any paper faU &gto advocate the Ocala platform will H dropped ran the list pronpily. Our iccple can novo sec wJial papers are mhi.h'l in their interest. Piant Iriah potatoes just as eocn as possible now if you want to be on the market first. So far as it is possible to avoid, mi!k, cream, or butter shruld never be touched by the hands at any stage of manufacture. Crude petroleum is a gocd paint for the iron wcrk of wagons, .machinery and tools. It is aimost as cheap by the barrel as water. Do unto me as you would have me do unto you, if our positions were ehanged, i3 the sentiment of every brute on the farm. At the Kansas Station, wheat in ro tation 7ith corn, roots and cats, gave five and one half bushels per acre more than wheat grown continuously every year. The Pennajlviania State Experiment S:ation baa ieeued a bulletin on "Com putaiion cf Rations for Farm Animala," that in its simplicity and practicability, meets the requirements of every farmer. The man who makes poultry pay a largo profit must have frying pize chickens on the market early and feed eo as to have esrgs at the time of year when price is high and others' hens are not laying. EasiUge and the winter dairy are al most the complement of each other. Do not get ready to run a winter diry and expect to make it pay wholly uprn dry food. That is not the newer and better way. The Wisconsin Experiment Station in the past has declared that 100 pounds of sweet whey is worth seven cents as a promoter of flesh and health in calvee, while sour whey is not worth anything. If true, it is a pointer worth someihmg. A farmer may not eeem to be adding to his bank account at all these hard times, but so long ae his farm is im proving he is all right. A man who starts with a common farm and ends i with a good one has made a success; )and a good farm will carry him safely through tht declining years of life. WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH DEPLETED SOIL? Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. Throughout the Southern and Cen tral S:ate3 there are to be found thou sands upon thousands of acres that have been so continuously planted to cotton, tobacco, etc , that their further culture has ceased to be remunerative, henca they are thrown out of cultiva tion, and allowed to grow up in per simmon, pine, briars and sage grass. Thi3 would not be so bad were it not for the fact that q lite a considerable portion of the land now in cultivation in these States are but little, if any, more productive than the rejected 'old fields." What are we going do about it? Shall we turn those acres out like wise? Or shall bo try to maintain the fertility of what we have left, and even increase the productive capacity cf the depleted portions? We incline toward tht latter decision, for the main reason that we see no other alternative. It is "tick" or "swim," "renovate" or go hungry with insufficient clothing; buildup or starve; or worse etill, en slave ourselves and our children. Ra store the fertility of cur depleted acres we have got too; but, how? is the in teresting query. Cow peas, crimson clover, potash and phosphate?, to gether with a scrupulous saving of tbe strictly home supply of manure, is the only true, legitimate and satisfactory answerto the problem. "But," says one, "suppose the land is so outrage ously poor that it won't grow either peas or clover! What then?" In an swer to this we would say that we have been intimately acquainted with just euch lands; and wherever there is a clay foundation, the lands are easily Drought to, even though one has to ma nura or fertilize the first crop of cow peas or clover. Cow peas and clover will, when used in conjunction with potash and phosphates, succeed in bringing up any land, let it be ever so poor. Oar well worn clay soils are notorious ly deficient in potash; while cur sandy soils are seriouely deficient in both pot ash and phot phoric acid. It is a well csr.aoli&hed fact that cow peas and the various members of the clover family accumulate considerable stores of or ganic nitrogen from the supply of that element already present in the soil aDd subsoil, and aleo that they also attract and hold for future use vast quantities of atmospheric nitrogen ; but it is also a fact just as well established but not so wic ely known, that the nodules on the roots of the various legumes (the nidua or hidiDg place of the microbes that aitrccl; and eecreto this atmo spheric nitrogen) are present or absent in a ratio or dr gree exactly correspond ing with the diminutive or luxuriant growth of theleguminous crop planted If the growth of the renovating crop is especially luxuriant, the accumulation of nitrogen will accord therewith and vice versa, if the growth is puny, weak. and spindling, the amount of nitrogen accumulated will be corresponding y small. Potaeh and phosphates are all that is necessary to apply in order to induce a luxuriant growth; and as these are the cheaper forms of fertilizers and are indispensable to the life, growth and weil beiDg of the renovat ing crop while it is engaged in the work of capturing the more expensive mtrcgen, it is plainly manifest that the more liberal we are in our applica cation of these elements, the more luxuriant the growth, the greater the amount of nitrogen stored up, the faster the land acquires its needed fer tility, and the greater the profit from the investment. Organic matter, de cayed vegetable matter, humus or mold, is what all theee deplete toils need ; and the plan outlined above is the fastest and cheapest way ia which it can be obtained. G. H. Turner Bargees, Mirs. COW PEAS. Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. They should be cultivated in drills, not sown broadcast, as a renovator of land. The objections to sowing peas are: 1. If sown among corn at the last plowing, it is usually done too early to permit the corn to receive the neces eary cultivation, and too late for the peas to mature properly before frost. 2. If sown after wheat or oats have been harvested they are likewise too late. More than this, the time devoted to sowing is usually needed on culti vated crops. 3 The vines are dwarfed for lack of proper cultivation. Consequently peas should never be sown, except on rich land to be mown as hay. A pea crop to give good results, should be properly stimulated. A per fect fertiliz3r contains three elements: nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash; acd phesphate and kainit contain re spectively the two last. Peas draw the needed nitrogen from the air and consequently do not need a direct ap plication of nitrogenous manurts, such as stable, guano, etc. Henca by an application of the two last elements and by growing and turning a crop of peas in connection therewith, the first, (nitrogen), which is by far more costly than either of the other two, can vir tually be grown. By noting this fact and acting accordingly, farmers can reap an immense advantage. As a proper stimulant for the peas, I suggest an application of 300 pounds of acid phosphate and 400 pounds of kainit per acre, sown broadcast and plowed under about March 15 ch. Eirly in April lay eff in drills 8 feet apart, pref erably in line with the sun at 2 o'clock and drop corn 8 to 12 inches apart, be ing half the distance usually required when the drills are 4 feet apart. Corn requires a perfect fertilizer and consequently it will be necessary to strew a proper quantity of stable ma nure, guano other nitrogenous manure, in the drill. After a crop of pea vines has been grown and turned under, no further application of nitrogenous ma nures will be needed. An occasional pea crop should be turned under. From the 1st to the 10th of June, cow peas should be planted in drills midway be tween the corn rows. Thov should be thinned to 1 vine 6 six inches apart. The plants should be pulled up, not cut off. The Wonderful, or Uaknown pea. should be planted about May 20 ,h and the plants left One foot apart. Some experiments as to distance, from 6 to 8 feet in the drill, may be made with both kinds of peas. If you wish to grow peas, they should have distance; if vines, they may be thicker. The Clay and Wonderful are believed to be best varieties for fall purposes. Cultivate thoroughly until the vines become too large to work. Early in the fall, preferably before frost, adopt necessary measures for turning under the corn stalks and pea vines. Then eow from 1 to 2 bushels of wheat per acre. Seventy five bueh ela of corn and from 30 to 50 bushels of peas can thus easily be grown per acre, and from 25 to 40 bushels of wheat. Clover seed may be sown on the wheat about April 1st and harrowed in. Every farmer should try at least two acres on the above plan. Bryan Tyson. Raleigh, N. O. BOOK FARMING. The prejudice against what is termed "book farming" is very strong, al though based on unsubstantial grounds. It is gratifying to know that this preju dice is gradually decreasing, and as education becomes more general, will be wholly eliminated. By "book farm iDg" the reading cf agricultural papers is implied. There are not a few euc ceaeful farmers who decry bpok farm ing, and yet in their practice negative their pesition. It will generally be noted of ttiem that they absorb readily, but never give out information. With great eagerness they gather up oral bints and suggestions from their neigh bors and are the closest observers of what is going on their own farms and the farms of others, says the Southern Cultivator. Will the mere fact cf the publication of their own experience or what infor mation they may have obtained from others in an agricultural journal or in book form invalidate the correctness and value of that experience or infor mation? Does a reflector behind a lamp destroy the brightness of the light? How can it demonstrate the correctness of an experience by obtain ing the details of it orallj ? Why should reading in print the same experience demonstrate its uncorrrctness? Books and agricultural journals, in recording the experiences and observa tions of others, and the conclusions drawn therefrom, serve as the rt Sector behind the light to extend its focal power and bring out more perfectly its illuminating power. It may be said truthfully that every observation written is not absolutely correct. Neither would it be correct if it was spoken instead of being written. The real base of this prejudice is the fact that readers do not always com prehend the real mission and object of an agricultural journal. " Let readers learn that the mission of agricultural journals is not to lay down a fixed rule for the guidance of farm ers, but to enunciate principles which farmers can study until they thor oughly understand them and after wards apply according to varying cir cumstances and conditions. The agri cultu al journal does not say to the farmer, You press the button; we will do the rest." The agricultural journal elucidates acd explains the general principles underlying the practice and constituting the science of agriculture. The agricultural journal should be read for the purpose of learning the why and the how, and more for learn ing the principle than the actual prac tiee. It should bo used by the farmer as any other implement, intelligently and for the purpose intended. Thus used they are among the best invest ments on the farm. POULTRY IN FEBRUARY. February is the month of prepara tion. It is the time to begin to study over the operations for the coming year. In February the poultry keeper should begin to pick out his breeding stock for the coming season. Ha will have had time during the winter to watch his flock and determine which birds come nearest his ideal of the style that suits him beet. Nest boxes can be overhauled ana fixed up for the com iag need of them, and plana for hatch ing perfected. Our readers are advised to send for the catalogues tifered by the makers of incubators and brooders. inese macnines are now to rar per fected that they are very reliable, and any one wno expects to natcn more than one hundred chicks should have a brooder, even if the hatching is to bo done with hens. It is a question whether it pays to buy an incubator unless 200 or more chicks are to be hatched. If very early chicks are de lired incubators must be used, as it is jm possible to get hens to sit before nome time in MaTca, except in rare cases. We used brooders b ?f ore we did in cubators, and after the first seasons ex perience concluded never to raise any more fowls with a hen mother, as the brooder makes it as easy to take care of 100 chicks aa it is to watch one old hen with a dczen chicks, eays the Farmers' Voice. Those who keep purebred fowls and every breeder ought to do so should separate their breeding hens from the main fleck the latter part of this month, and place with them the male he de sires to breed frcm, in order to have the eggs of pure blood and known parentage. Breeding pens should be mated up at least a month before any eggs are saved for hatching in order to be per fectly suio of the eggs being all right, though in a pinch and when the hens are laying freely, half this time will do If the poultry house is thoroughly purified and cleansed during February baif the battle against lice and mites is fought. During some warm day all tbe nest boxes and perches ehpuld be taken out of the house and scalded by couring boiling water on them freely. Tnen the inside of the house should be white washed, put ing on a liberal ooat of thick, hot whitewash with an old broom. Replace the perches and nest boxes and give them a . coat of kerof ene and the lice and mites will have been killed, and all tbe eggs in the cracks about the house destroyed. It will be but little trouble after this to keep all such pests under subjection. It should be remembered that it takes but a moderately cold day to chill eggs enough to kill the germ in them, and eggs that are to be used in hatching early chickens should be gathered fre quently and kept in a warm place. If hens are to be used for hatching, prepare a place where a dczen may be set at the same time. If this is done the chicks may all be put in one brooder or the hatch may ba doubled up and given to half the hens, while the other hens are eet again or turned out to get ready to begin business in the way of producing eggs. Frequently, in early hatches, two or three hens will hatch only as many chickens as one can care for and it is a waste of time to allow all of them to run with a lot of chicks that one of them could care for. March is a wet and sloppy month usually, and the good poultry keeper will prepare to keep his poultry yards as dry as possible in order to make his fowls comfortable for no uncomfort able fowl will do any good in any way. HQRTICULTUBE HORTICULTURAL HINTS. T. B. Terry thinks the Ozark region of Southern Missouri is to become the fruit garden of the world. The largest peach tree on record iiat Greenfield, Mo. It is five feet around the largest part of the trunk, and when in its prime had a spread of 80 feet. The fruit grower must attend to business. He cannot at the same time bo a banker, grocer, or dry goods mer chant. -Personal experience is needed. Every fruit grower should have some specialty for a leader and also a num ber of auxiliary crops to protect against danger of total failure any one year. Massachusetts Plowman. PRUNING IN THE FRUIT ARD. ORCH- While the winter season is one of some leisure to the orchardist, it ought not to be one of entire inactivity, for there is pruning to be doe, and its proper performance is a matter of much importac ca. The young orchard may need but little hard work, but it will need much head work, for on its proper treatment now will depend whether or not it is to afford pleasure and profit in after years. The young apple orchard needs little more than the thinning out of branches where they are too thick, and the shortening in of others that may need it to give good shape to the future tree. It is by judicious work in this way in the early years of an orchard that well formed, beautiful trees are developed. There is no gain in having branches too low. Prune them up to five or six feet, that getting about undt r them is practicable. Large trees often need no pruning. Some times where a branch is unthrifty, it is batter to cut it cut, to induce a new healthy one to take its place. And where such large trees have not been well pruned when young, there may be large limbs which need cutting out that others may be bene fited. When such is the case, saw off close to the trunk, and paint the scar to prevent decay. Much the same rules apply .to prun iog the pear as to the apple, but as it makes more branches when young, it needs closer attention at that time. Very often good sizd trees are seen with far too many brunches on them. The tendency of almost all pruners is to leave too many branches. Do not let them interlace each other. Tbe time to cut them out when they show a tendency to do this, is when they are quite young. Cut them eff close to the limb they start from, that no bud s will be left to start afresh. The large, round buds of winter are the ones that bear the flowers. S:ma times in pruning it is well to observe them, as it eome time occurs that it is desirable a cer tain kind should flower the coming season. Bearing trees will of ;en have their branches brc ught out cf shape by the weight of fruit. Prune such crooked branched in such a way that a good outline will be kept up. The cherry needs little pruning after the first few years, and, in ftcd, what it needs at first is but a little to give it outline. It is unwise to cut it much after it gets large, as it is a tree which resents cutting, healing slowly, and when old, some times not at all. For the same reason care should be taken not to bruise the bark of this tree. Peaches and apricots are little pruned as usually seen, and yet few fruit trees are more benefited by it. Should there be no young wood there will be no fruit. Left to grow as they will, which is the usual way, what little young growth is made is at the extremity of long branches. Pruned a little every year, there is young wood over all the tree, from near the ground to the top. Do not let strong shoots go unpruned. Not only is a little winter pruning good, that of summer, performed while growth is still going on, is perhaps better. In regard to the plum, what has been said of the pear applies to it very well. Keep the branches from getting too thick. Fewer branches, permitting of more air and light to the remainder, would bring better fruit to many a tree. Watch the plum, to cut out dis eased branches as soon as seen, be it winter or summer. I have thele8t success with quinces when I prune them well. A lot of old wood is of no use to them. There must be a good many strong young shoots for succession to get fruit. Cut out some of the older shoots yearly, not al together, but well back, to get a supply i of young ehoota. In thia way the treed are always in a condition to bear, and a crop will rarely be missed. I have in mind a particular tree so pruned that has not missed a crop a single season, in fifteen years. Some times the pruning brings too many young shoots, and some of them have to be cutout. In the small fruit line a shortening in of the canes of raspberries and black berries should be made, the former to about four feet and the latter to five feet. All old canes should be cut out. Currants and gooseberries need little pruning except to prevent them carry ing too many shoots, and to keep up a supply of young wood. The fruit is the best on strong two year shoots, and the aim must be to keep up a supply of these. The Eoglish type cf goose berry does not produce as much wocd as our native sorts ; hence needs lees pruning. I have known old bushes of currants and gooseberries to bs the better for being cut down completely to the ground to give them an entirely new start. Grapes must be pruned in a way to have an abundarca of young wood. There are those who prefer to have little else besides young canes from the ground each year. At the same time, if the last year's fruiting cane be well protided with side shoots, it will prove satisfactory for another crop. Prune the eide shoots back to within two or three eyes of the main stem. This cut ting back decreases the number of bunches, but adds to the s'ze of what are produced. Joseph Meehan, Ger mantown, Pa., in Country Gentleman. THE DAIRY. BUTTER PRICES. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. At, or a little before the beginning of the year of 1896, the writer and many others were quite hopeful re garding the outlook for butter, and at that time there did seem to be a strengthening up of prices, but a little later it went the other vay and by the first of May the butter market was pretty flat and was disappointing the balance of the year. But low in price as butter was, it paid as well or better than anything else produced on the farm except eggs. Even now utter is lower in price than it usually is at this time of the year. But when we remember bow very low prices are for grain, it does seem that it will bring more converted into but ter butter of gocd quality than any other way of marketing would be like ly to to return if, as heretofcra, ex cept production of egg?. This is espe cially true of corn. Doubtleta many went out of the dairy business during 1896 and many more reduced their number of cows fully fifty per cent., and others made even a greater reduction of their herd. Those that did either belong mainly to that class of farmers who rushed into dairy ing expecting to get suddenly rich. As a rule, the last ones to go into dairying are the first ones to go out when a de pression in prices comes. It is the old dairymen that as a rule stay by through the ups and downs of the business. They are the ones that in the end win success, as a rule. There would be sense in a farmer dis posing of one half his herd if he would get rid of the poorest cows and by bet ter methods of care and feediog increase the butter production of those retained. This can many time bo dene. All tha money made in dairying has been made with gooc cos well fed and cared for. If times improve so that the pur chasing power of the people of of this country provea greater during this year than it was las butter ought to average higher in price during 189? than it did during 1896. There are somo ifs in the way, yet there are reasons for being hopeful. During the past year filled cheese received a black eye and that makes a better market for good cheese, which will naturally result in diverting a larger proportion of the milk product to cheese making than has gone in that direction for several years past. Tak ing all these facts into consideration, it seems there is really no need for any one to abandon butter making who is well established and who will do hia best to increase product per cow and improve quality. The farmer that will not do that better be ouc of the busi ness, anyway. . F. W. Moselst. Clinton, Iowa. Love your wife and children, your farm and live stock, and you will feel better and be able to face advene con ditions. Pet your horses and cows and they will love you and be more profit able and obedient.