Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / May 4, 1897, edition 1 / Page 1
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The Progres ilve Farmer is a rood paper far ibove the aver age aod possibly the best advertis ing medium in N. C" Printers' Ink. "The Progres sive Farmer is a good paper far above the average- -and possibly the best advertis ing medium in N. Printers' Ink. MM Jul iiokji v 1-2 THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. Vol. 12. RALEIGH, N. C, MAY 4, 1897. No. 13 1 f i i . ; &NCB AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. present Mann Pa-o, Brandon, Vice President C. Vincent, Indian apolis, Ind. Secretary Treasurer W. P. Bricker, Cogau Station, Pa. LECTURERS. J. P. Sosaamon, Cbarlotto, N. C. Hamlin V. Poore, Bird Island, Minn. F. U Peirsol, Parker ebur, W. Va. NATION Kit EXTCCTIYX COMMITTEE. Mann Page, Brandon, Va ; R. A. South worth, Denver, Col.; John Bro nig, W. Va ; A. B. Welch, New York; W. A. Gardner, Andrew's Settlement, Pa. JUDICIAKY. il. A. Scuthwcrth, Denver, Cclo. 3. V7. Beck, Alabama. L D. Davie, Kentucky. SC' OAKOLKTA FAUMER3' STATU ALIJ ANC2. ?r ident Dr. Cyrus Thompson, liihiands, C. Vice- President Jno. Graham, Ridge. &y, N. C. n .retary-Treaeurer W. 8. barnos, aUlsboro, N. O. Lc-cturor J. T. B. Hoover, Kim City, $ 0 Steward Dr. V. N. Seawell, Villa aow, N. C. , .rv Chaplain Rev. P. H. Massey, Dur lam, N. C. Door-keeper Geo. T. Lane, Greens boro, N. C. Assistant Door keeper Jaa. E. Lyon, Durham, N. C. n , dergeant-at-Arms A. D. K. Wallace, Sutherforiton, N. C. Stato Business Agent T. Ivey, Hius boro, N. C. ttt Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. aXXOTTITE COMMITTED OT TUB NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS' 8TATZ ALLIANCE. A. F. Hileman, Concord, N. C. ; N. 0. English, Trinity, N. C; Jamoa M. ftewborne. Kins on, N. C. ITA7B ALLIANCX JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. John Brady, Gatesville, N. C. ; Dr. J.F. Harrell, Whiteville, N. C. ; T. J. Candler. Actcn. N. C. Sirta Carolina Reform Preta Association. ytecr J. L. Ramsey, President; arw Butler, Vice-President; W. S. &7x--j. Secretary, PAPERS. Farmer. 8tte Orgn, Raleigh, N. C. CacAslan, Raleigh, N. C. Uttcvtxy . Jlc ory' 5" tvtier, WhitAkers, N. C. Qt:r Home. Beaver Dam, N. C. lLc PortiUat, Lamberton, N. C. rte People's Paper, Charlotte, N. C. fee Vestibule, Concord, N. C. The Plow-Boy. Wades boro, N. C. Taroliaa Watchman. baiiebury, N. C. Jaci of the above-named papers are zqaztltdto keep the lint standing on jirzi page and add others, provided icj? are duly elected. Any paper fail sjj to advocate the Gcala platform will i dropped from the list promptly. Our acple can now see what pafers are jJiihed in their interest. AGRICULTURE. Tho Burlington railroad has estab lished a rumber of "model farms" in Kanpaa and Nebraska for the purpose of experimenting in combating the effects of protracted drcuths. Secretary of Agriculture Wilson says the remedy for ten cent corn is to raise more corn. Now just wait and see if he don't forget and say much about overproduction before the end of two jerr3. The farm and the work must be studied By having tho labor properly iylematzpd and distributed lee3 hired labor wi;l bo needed. Only by taking every ad vintage to produce results at lowest cost is a profit possible, often times. It 13 paid that if a knife blade, table knife preferable, is stuck through the the cabbage stalk ju35 under the first leaf, eay from east to west and north to eoutb, about the time tho head be gins to form, it will hasten the heading and make the cabbage solid. Corn i3 the most available food, and nay be fed to advantage alone, pro vided a ei llicient amount of laxative coarse feed ba added, such as clover bay ; but for fattening eheep a better ration js half corn and half barley, or acid to the corn rye and oats. The cherry is more sensitive to the beat of a hot and dry soil than other fruit trees, and mulching is more im P3rtanr. Where young or newly trans planted cherry trees are so treated they will hkely all live and grow; if aot, their growth will be slow, and ra&ny of them will probably perieh. The real cost of that produced on a farm, other than the value of labor and Merest on investment, is the plant food removed from the soil. If large Entities of material are fed to stock lt remains on the farm unless sold in the form of meat, milk, eggs, butter or ool, and there can be to loss or waste 3 long as the farmer can utilize euch teriala for producing more crops. FACTS ABOUT COTTON. Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. New York, April 24 1897. We have the pleasure cf submitting for your information the folio wing comparative position of cotton and prices on April 231 for the past four years : "J o s5 -a? C3 s r J O 22 O :5 2 ii "COO W rt rr C3 5 - 5-- I ' : o rrr a. TO T3 t?3 w-i ax: t5 ISC ti i r. :i k - - ' c c v; 4 J- rf. - Oi n , ic c; 2 CO is O TO CO i- - w o tr X x - Cl -4 X O C to -l w N V. - r, i- M C C rf pC' JS3 H- !r o Vr o "to cs o o v c tr 13 P- CCJ31HM From this statement the total visible supply of the world is 128 304 bales lees than last year, 1,187 974 bales less than in 1S95, and 671 372 bales lees than in 1894. The amount of cotton that has been marketed to date is 1,42S.433 bales more than last year, 1 3S9 539 bales less than in 1895, and 964.778 bales more than in 1894. The exports this year are 1,308,843 more than last year, 637 747 bales lees than in 1895, and 7G4.591 bales more than in 1894. The stock in United States ports is 4 816 bales more than last year, 199, 206 bales lees than in 1895, and 128.324 bales less than in 1894. The price of cotton is now 0 74 cents cheaper than last year, 0.25 cents dearer than in 1895, and 0 21 cents cheaper than in 1894 for May contracts; and for October contracts it is 0 46 cents cheaper than last year, 0 ( 7 cents cheaper than in 1895, and 0 72 cents cheaper than in 1894. Tho total visible supply of cotton in the world is 128.3C4 bales lcs3 than in 1896, when the crop was unusually small and 1,187,974 bales less thau in 1895. showing the present statistical position to bo stronger than for many years at this date. Then, too, it i probable tho large consumption in Europe will continue and improving in America may bo expected. Early planting and favorable weather conditions constitute the chief elements of successful cotton growing without them a large crop is impossible; thus far, this season, theso facts havo been lackiDg. Our advices generally report tho crop three to five weeks later than last year, land poorly prepared and nights too cool for growth in some eection?; besides, it is well known that a vast area cf the moat productive cotton lands in the States of Tennessee, Ar kansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, that are usually planted in cotton by this time of the year, are now under water, and it is questionable if any crop at all can be raised on this account. Yours very truly, Latham, Alexander fe Co. SEED POTATOES. Tho teets of the Ohio Experiment Station indicate that home grown po tatoes will give aa good crops aa any Northern grown seed of the same vari ties, provided the Eeed potatoes are well kept, but the yield is materially lessened and tho ripening retarded if the seed potatoes aro allowed to sprout and the sprouts are broken eft, as usually happens when the potatoes are kept in a dark cellar. Many potato growers keep their po tatoes successfully, especially in the northern part of the State, by burying the potatoes in pits, covering to a shal low depth at first and adding layers of straw and earth as the weather be comes colder. The ideal method of keeping seed po tatoes is in cold storage. Potatoes thus kept at the Ohio Station have come out sound and fresh, with no indica tion of sprouting and the vitality un impaired, even so late as the first of June. It is important, however, that tho temperature of the cold storage room should not fall below 35 degrees, nor should it rice much above 40 de grees. When cold storage is not available, sprouting may bo in some measure prevented by shoveling the potatoes over f n quently. While the pprouticg of potatoes un der ordinary conditions is very objec tionable, they may be so sprouted as to materially advance their earliness. Tnia isd:-ne by plac1- .3 them, stem end down, in eiugle layers in shallow trays on thu floor, io a liht and moderately warm room. Thus plactd they will send out short, stubby, green Fprouts which will remain in that condition for weeka Such potatoes, planted without breaking the sprouts, will graw immediately and poduco an early crop i The gardens ehouid be worked for spring crops as early a possible; jet, care should bo taken to s:o that the soil is in good condition first. It takes a very little to it.jare some soils when wet, and. when thus injured it will take years of patience to repair the damage. TO KEEP TURNIPS AND POTATOES. One of cur subscribers, Mr. L. P. Duncan, Wocdburn, N. C , writes to give us his plan for saving turnips and to keep them from getting pithy dur ing the winter. He says: "Put down a layer of turnips and then put just enough dirt on to cov r the turnips, then another layer of turnips and more earth. This can be repeated until tho pile is several feet high. Then cover all T7ith enough earth to keep the turnips from freezing. Don't put auy roof ever the pile. Sweet potatoes can be saved the same way, except the pilo should be cave red with boards to keep ttl rain." There ia no better way to fertilize poor land than to sow it with peas, using phosphate of lime to furnish the mineral fertility that tLis crop requires to perfect the seed. It is cot nitrogen which the pea crop most needs other than what the pea roots supply by dis integrating air in the soil and liberat ing its nitrogen. But to form the grain both lime and phosphato are rr quired. With these supplied the soil will grow richer every year. AN IDEAL EXPERIMENT FARM. In horticulture, truck and email fruit growing, aa a rule, tho amount of farm stock necessary to work the land is les3 than with cereals and ordinary rotation farming. As a rule, few or no cattle are kept, and live stock gen erally aro few. Consequently, the sup ply of farm manures made is very slender. Also, the gross weight per acre of crops removed from the soil ex ceeds that of ordinary farming, so that tho drain on the fertility is greater. This makes the use of artificial manures a necessity, and, as a result, the ques tion as to how to do this most profit ably becomes a most important one to the farmer. Experimental work to determine this most profitable use of artificial manure would be too expen sive an undertaking for the individual farmer, and is more properly the func tion of the State, or of an organized association of farmers. In this country we have at Southern Pines, N. C, the sole .illustration of the experimental farm dealing with this point singly that is, an experi mental farm designed to show conclu sively the proper use of a chemical manure on a light, sandy soil, where, in the natural course of profitable farming, they muat be used extensively. At no purely fertilizer experiment sta tion in the world is the subject treated as extensively as at Southern Pines. As green manuring ia within the prov ince of horticulture, thia form of fer til'zation is also being tested. The plan of the experiments ia to test the crop producing power of nitro gen, potash and phosphoric acid, and also lime. In every case only mineral fertilizers are used, except the nitrogen of the leguminous (cow peat-) plants in the green manuring tests. The crops experimented with include all the ordi nary vegetables, berries and fruits. The investigations also include experi ments to determine the effect of vari ous forms of potash salts. The quan tity of fertilizer applied varies both with regard to the total amount and also with regard to the relation of the various ingredients to one another. HOW? But we hear it said, why, if raising wheat ia unprofitable, does not the farmer raise something eke? Simply because he can raiee nothing that is profitable. Corn last year brought the farmer of Nebraska less than ten cents a bushel, or about $3 an acre, that is, all the corn that could be raised eff of a farm 6? 100 acres, taking a farmer and two able bodied son3 to cultivate was fSOO, a pitiable sum to be divided among three able bodied men as the re muneration of their year's labor. We said to be divided as remuneration, but stop. Thia paltry 1300 was not divided. Out of this $300 had to be paid euch repairing of tools as could net be done without., and taxes had to be taken, leaving only the remnant for tho farmer and his sons aa the ro numeration fbr three able bodied men, says the Philadelphia American. Bat now we are told the farmer is going to bo given the opportunity to rarjo wool at a profit. This ia to be do e for him by protection. But how mcny farmers can turn to raising wool at a profit, premising even that we shut cut every pound of foreign wool. The importations of wools for the last fiscal year amounted to 230,000,000 pounds. Now, suppose thia wool was kept out and a market made for this amount of additional home made wool at 15 cents a pound. Thia would make a market for less than $35,000,000 worth of wool. But how far would this go around among cur five million farmer8. There would be an opening for each one of them to raise $7 worth of wool. And is thia an opening that will bring prosperity to our agricul tural classes; would this opening re lieve the pressure of competition in the cereal and cotton fields? It would be but a drop of relief to our farmers who raise even at present low prices $450, 00O.OCO worth of corn, $250,000,000 worth of whear,and $200,000,001) worth of cotton a year. Even this drop would be welcome, but better prices for our cereal products and cotton it would not bring, for prices for these products are fixed in England, where we dispose of our surplus products, and the cut ting down of our exports to England would not curtail the supply in Eng land, and would not increase the price, for our competitors have the ability and the inclination to supply the whole market at present prices. So these prices must meet, and better prices for our great crops we cannot get until we raise the prices at which our competi tors can sell. And thia we can only do by restoriEg bimetallism, which is the only real protection that can be given our farmers and planters at this time. idLORTlCXJLTUlrJE NEW METHOD OF TRANSPLANT ING TREES. A book by a Southern author favors ji novel method of transplanting trees. It is this, in short: That when one to two year old trees are planted the roots be cut back to stubs about an inch long and tho trunk pruned to a branch less whip from one to three feet high. It is maintained that by this means new roots grow strong and deep, al most directly downward, thus avoiding the drought that often affects the sur face roots of young trees planted in the ordinary method. Successful experi menta are cited in support of this method, and especially a peach orchard of 100,000 trees planted in Georgia in thia way. It is directed that the roots be cut cleanly in a horizontal plane, a hole two inchea in diameter dibbled in well worked eoil, the tree inserted and the earth trampled close around it. The writer suggests that the experi ment stations take up the subject and experiment with different trees and lengths of roots and trunks. BETTER RESULTS. The growing of a berry calls into ac tion some of the most wonderful laws of nature. In the growth of plants we find these laws in perfection. We also find in various forms, a complete supply of every element required for the full de velopment of both plant and fruit. Nature gives us all these producta, without stint She simply asks in re turn that we assist her in some of the smaller details of the work. She aeks that the soil be made rich and well prepared. That the plants be of good quality and carefully set out. That f re quent hoeing and culti vation be given. That plants be pro tected from winter frosts and summer drouth. That no insect pest or fungus disease find an abiding place with them. That you treat them as a friend and love them as a brother. Both pleasure and profit come in greatest measure from closest attention to all these details. Nature furnishes almost every good with a prodigal hand, but she is a nig gard to him who will not work in her ways. You cannot cheat her in farm or garden. You cannot get something for nothing. These are days of progress. Every line of business must advance with the times, or drop to the rear. The farmer has been tho laggard. The safest, the surest, the moat an cient and most honorable business on earth should be in the most progressive ranks. An army of best newspapers are eta tioced all along the agricultural high way, to guard u? from error and direct 1 us to euccess. We cannot afford to b without them. R?ad tbem! Study them. Experiment in a moderate way, give extra preparation and cultivation to certain tracts, and mark results, as compared with ordinary tillage. Ob serve reFulta of similar experiments on your neighbor's farm. Compare notes with him at d reason together. Extend like experiments to the seeds you sow, the stock you grow and trees, p'anfs and shrubs you set. Such experimenta are almost sure to lead to more careful selection of seed, stock and plants ; to a more thorough cultivation of the soil and better results every way from farm, fruit and gar den. M. A. Thayer, Sparta. Wis.' THE DAIRY. DAIRYING PAYS. Oarreepondence of the Progressive Farmer. One thing presents itself with great force in the midst of the uncertainty regarding the future of dairying, and that is that very few are abandoning the business. In a circle of forty miles I know of one man who has decided to let his cows go and try something else This man haa recently sold his cows at auction and has made up hia mind to try raising young stock and beef for the market. This ia in the nature of an experiment and we shall watch it with interest. We are in a strictly dairy country. Very little grain is raised for the market, our main de pendence being upon milk and its prod ucte ; and it is doubtful whether we can compete with the great West in the production of beef. But it is the almost universal decis ion that nothing pays better than dairy ing, and the season opens with juBt as strong a purpose and just as high a hope as ever, so far as I am able to see. The public creameries are all open for business. Cows are selling at fairly good prices, and the shipments of milk and butter are full up to the average for this time of the year. With prices so low, why should men cling so des perately to dairying? Because, first, in no other vay can wo maintain the fertility of our farms If the farmer who keeps fifteen or twenty cows could know the just value of the natural fertilizer produced from year to year by this herd, he would be astonished at the amount. This gees back onto the land and prevents its being absolutely run out. To appreci ate the loss in this direction, if one does not return to his fields as much as he takes from them, it ia only necessary to look at farms from which the hay has been sold year after year and no equivalent in commercial fertilizer put back. Such farms by their barren and starved out appearance prove more strongly than any words could do the utter folly of turning our backs upon the cow. Again, dairying is our most profita ble business because in no other way can we turn the producta of our farm into money to so good an advantage. The cow ia the mint which coina the hay, corn and other crops of our lands into clean money. Upon the manner in which this is done depends our sue cees or failure. If there are too many leaks all along the way, so that the cost of producing a quart of milk or a pound of butter exceeds the pride ob tained for it, then our profits must nec essarily be small. This is the greatest problem before us : how to turn all our farm producta most economically into butter and cheese? When this ia solved the rest will be easy enough. E. L. Vincent. Broome Co., N. Y. At midnight, in his guarded tent, the Turk lay dreaming of the hours when he could hide to some extent be hind the coat tails of the Powers. Cleveland Plain Dealer. POULTRY YABD A POULTRY TABLE. An ingenious statistician has drawn up a tablo to show how many eggs the various kinds of domestic fowls lay per annum, and how many of the eggs go to the pound: Gte?e. 4 to the pound ; 30 per annum. Polieh, 9 to the pcund ; 150 per annum. Bantams, 16 to tho pound; 100 per annum. Hamburgs, 9 to the pound; 200 per annum. Turkej s, 5 to the pound ; 30 tc 60 per annum. Game Fowl, 9 to the pound ; 160 per annum. Leghorns, 9 to the pound; 200 per annum. Plymouth Rocks, 8 to the pcund ; 150 per annum. Langshane, 8 to the pound ; 150 per annum. Brahma?, 7 to the pound; ISO per annum. Duckp, 5 to the pound ; 30 to 60 per annum. CROSS BREEDING. The object of crossing pure bred cocka on common stock, says a bulletin of the North Carolina station, is to improve naturally, yet often mistakes aro made because the properTbreed is not selected. The following will be found the most desirable ones, and the advantages to be derived from their use on common hens. Barred Plymouth Rock cccks are very extensively used for grac ing, and an old variety they are now more widely scattered then other varieties. The grades from them ma ture early and are very hardy. They generally take the color of their eires. The meat being yellow, as well as legs, making them very salable stock. The White Plymouth Rocks are equals of the Barred, and are preferred to the latter by many, as the young are free from black or dark pin feathers. White Wyandotte crosses wo con sider the best of all for broilers, as the young stock (grades) are more compact, equally as healthy, and, as a rule, carry more flesh at an early age than either cross mentioned. They will readily show good treatment, and it is advisa ble to feed well wheri young, which is equally true of all varieties. Pullets from such a cock mature and lay early in the fall, and continue through the win ter. The Indian Game is a good fowl for grading flocks, for several reasons, viz. : The young are always fat, the color of the skin is yellow (except in some CGsea where black hens with white skin are used), their weight is remarkable, and much greater than their looks, deceiv ing all who are not familiar with tho breed it its purity. Black or White Minorcas havo tho characteris tics of the Leghorns, so far as laying ia concerned, and are larger; therefore would euit some persons when the Leg horns would net. The eggs from the Minorcas aro largo in fact, no pure bred fowl lays a larger. The Houdan (a French fowl), having a crest, beard and five toes on each foot, are recommended very highly for use on barn yard hens, but we havo net been particularly pleased with re&ults from such a mating. Dorkings are also prominently men tioned by many breeders, but having had no experience with them, we can not offer an opinion. SHE CHANGED HER MIND. Every now and then the old adage "There's many a slip," etc., is verified. A young man and a young lady cf this communitj after passing the usual pre liminary sparking stage agreed to unite their hearts and fortunes. The young man went to work, built a house, fur nished it, stocked the pantry with a supply of provisions and had all things in readiness to receive hia bride, when on the eve of the day eet for the wed ding he received a note from the young lady that she did not want to get mar ried. To take a serious view of thia inci dent, a person who will trifle with tho affection of another in such manner aa thia will have a great sin to answer for. Greenville Reflector Numbers of experimenta have been made which demonatrate beyond a doubt that sufficient plant food remains in the soil to produce a good croy, but thia plant food has not been available because the condition of the soil did not permit of the feeding rootlets of tha plants penetrating the soil in quest of nourishment.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 4, 1897, edition 1
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