Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Sept. 14, 1897, edition 1 / Page 1
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(I "The Prorei tlre Farmer is a eood paper far Ibove the aver .jre and possibly tbe best advertis les medium in N. C Printer! Ink. 'The Prcsrrea- slve Farmer is a good paperfar above the average- -and possibl j the best advertis ing medium in N, C." Printers' Ink. Mil iilOetESSIYE iMlEt 1 ni5W II CiiJ : ; THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUE PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. Vol. 12. RALEIGH, If. 0., SEPTEMBER 14, 1897. H0. 32 i " 1 I i rR3 HATIONAL FARMERS ALLI ANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. president Mann Page, Brandon, Vice President O. Vincent, Indian apolis, Ind. Secretary Treasurer W. P. Bricker, Ctogan Station, Pa. LECTURERS. J. P. Soesamon, Charlotte, N. C. Hamlin V. Poore, Bird Island, Minn. F. H. Peirsol, Parkersburg, W. Va. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Mann Page. Brandon, Va. ; R. A. South worth, Denver, Col.; John Bre nig, W. Va. ; A. B. Welch, New York; W. A, Gardner, Andrew's Settlement, Pa. ' JUDICIARY. 2. A. Southworth, Denver, Colo. 3, W. Beck, Alabama. U. D. Davie, Kentucky. SORIH CAEOLHfA FAEXEES' "ETA1E ALTJ AHOX. Pesidout Jno. Graham, Ridgeway, 4 Vico-President W. G. Upchurch, tforriaville, N. O. Secretary Treasurer J.T. B Hoover, Hiilsord. N. C. State Business Agent-T. B. Parker, TW'flboro, N. C. Lecturer Dr. V. N. Soawell, Villa- Atant Lecturer W. B. Brick h.-t5;f . . n. c. (;bjp3in W. S Mercer, ,N. C. jyios weeper Geo. T. Lano, Greens boro. N. C. Assii tons Door-keeper Jas. i. Lyon, D irham, N. C. ercsAnt-at-Arms A. D. K. Wallace, Rileigb, N. C. , rmaioo Bu3inosa Agency iTundW. A.. Graham, Machpelan, N. C. EXZCUTIVE COMMITTEES OF TPE N02TH CAR uiiiA. FARMXBS' STAT2 ALLIAWC3. J. W. Denmark, Chairman, Raleigh, 6 1 Jjhn Graham, Ridgeway, N . C. W. B. Fleming, Ridge way, N. C. A. F Hileman, Oonocrd, N. C. D J B Alexander, Charlotte, N. C Thomas D. O'.dham, Teer, N. C. STiTE A JLIASC3 JUDICIARY COMMITTES. Dr. J. E Person, Pikeville, N. C. W. S. Barnes, Ri!eizh, N. C. T. Ivey, HUlsboro, N. C. -tr Ca-rollna Reform Prees Axiociation. "a J. L. Ravisey, President; tenon Builer, Vice-President; W. S. games. Secretary, PAPERS. ?TT3Sil?e Fanner. SUte Organ, F.lelgh, N. O. Sercury. Hickory, N. O. ?tlr. Wnitaltsrs, N. C. jar Home. Beaver Dam. N. C. fbe Populist, w?' 5 o Rie People's Paper, Charlotte, N. C. fhe Veetlbole, T Concord, N. C. ttd Plow- Boy. Wadesboro, JN . C. krollna Watchm&n. bailsbury, N. C. Zaeh of the abcte-namcd paper are f jested to keep Vie list standing on jirzt pzQe odd ethers, provided -?-,' are ddy elected. Any paper fail- to rzdiocaie the Ocala platform tcill x'srar-ved from the list promptly. Gur ipie'ean no j: ze what papers are K'V' in ik?i- ir.ierezt. AGRIOULTUEB. G ;oi campoat can bo made by mix ing dry dirt and freeh horeo manure, eqiAl put?, keeping the maoa moiat win bropsuda It will bo found excel lent for flower beds. We c ill attention to the repolutiors of the Cotton Growers' Convention, hell at G ilveston, T xag, August 2 i. 1597 hich appear elsewhere in thu issue. Hon. Isaac A S igg.of Greenville, N. C, was Secretary of tbe Convention and is one of tee most determined of those who are engaged in fighting thia monster evil "cotton futures " Tee 37 ih N. C. State Fair will be held in lijileigh October 18.h to 23:d, 1897, and bidij fair to be one of th9 beet yet held. Wo have received the premium list, and find the prizes very liberal and of especial interest to farmers Judging by the variety and liberality cf the premiums, and other promised attractions, too numerous to mention to this brief epac-?, we predict that toe cur will bo largely attended and cer taiuly there ia no one within the limits our State who cannot there find 83mething to interest and instruct him. SdoiVth nf plAftnlinpss in thetlalrv. the 2133 ichu8etta Plowman says some sensible thiocs: "Slovenliness and carelaesaare bad enough anywhere, resmk3 our contemporary; in tho fotj o jinofcs they are dangerous and to coneidered little less than c'itiiiaJ. About thirty people were Poise u- ,t c.y a can of milk, at Ann Ar tcr. iS i -ku.:un, Jaly 19;h. The symp- i by aysentery. Investigation tco cTanp.fl of an albuminoid prove i psiioti known a8trotoxicon. The can, u found, had been left standing J'ainecl ia the eua for four days, and tiued without scalding. Probably -ia ma-i i3 oce 0f fellows who -r ac book learning" and don't read Papers." RESOLUTIONS Adopted by the Cotton Growers' Conven tion Keld at Galveston, Texas, August at 1897. Beach Hotel ) Galveston, Tex., Aug. 3, 1897. To Hon J. F. Walters, Chairman of the Cotton Grower Association: We, your committee on resolutions, beg leave to make the following report: We find," after a careful examination of all the facts before us, that option dealing in future cotton is gambling of the most vicious nature; withdrawing at feast $2 per bale from circulation during the deal, which in nearly every ca$a ends by forwarding the option put up by the victim in the South with a constant tendency to depress our prin cipal money crop, by this means f orcing a sale at a price less than the cost of praduction; robbing our farmers of their just earnings, preventing them from paying for the 6upplio3 to produce a crop at a Ices; bringing much distress to our merchants; fotcirgour women and children to labor in tho field?; throwing laboring men out of employ ment and thereby, causing them to join the army of tramps; adding largely to cur criminal cla?afp; epreadirg by v, tendency to gamble in "futures'' con tagion in the morals of our agricultural clcs, Ircm which are dra a ldrgo ma jority of mon to fill every avocation in life. Wo find there can bo no real prosperity unless the agricultural claeees are prosperous. We flad a con dition surrounding the cotton producer to day not one of prosperity, but many of them cramped with debts, covered with mortgages, unable to erjjy the fruits of their labor and educate their families, largely, wo think, from the dealing of option gamblers selling our products below the cost of production. For this reason we aek y our adoption of the following resolutions: Whereas, Tho cotton industry of the South is a most important agricul tural product of the United States, and in volume more than 65 per cent, of the world's product of cotton, f.nd the condition of this great industry, being now depressed by speculators who con trol and reduce the price, in their own interest, by the following methods, among others: By (ffering for sale fictitious cotton called "futures," at prices uniformly less than the current spot cottoa market, which sales of flc titious cotton or contrscrs to deliver cotton at a future time at lower prices than the actual spot cotton prices, and in which speculators do not intend, and are not compelled, to deliver actual coiton but uniformly pay cr receive the monetary difference in the price cf futures ar-d ppot cotton at the expira tion of tho contract of delivery. Theac. contracts boing cacriper, induce mill men and c ms-umora of tho raw rnato rial, who heretofore competed ia the spot cotton salea, to withdraw from tho market, Uu fostericg a condition which takee from the cotton market the actual purchaser, dcrojs legiti mate market demands and competi tion, and leaves the cotton product; at the mercy of dictated prices. By 1 cd ing the market reports cf actual sales of spot cotton with five to ten times the volume of fictitious eale3 at lower figures, thus producing a constant de crease in the price of real cotton. By operating a gambling enterprise known as the "New York futures board," in which fictitious cotton is offered for sale in the market at prices sufficiently reduced below spot cotton prices to in vite investment, and wherein the said investments are virtually confiscated by arbitrary changes in eaid quotations whereby the country is drained of en ormous suma of money and toe cotton market fluctuated for gambling pur poses to the great detriment of legiti mate trade, thus producing the decline in the price of cotton as observed in our markets since the organization of the New York Cotton Exchange and its -f uture3 board" and, Whereas, The price cf labor neces sary to raise and market a given quan tity of cotton, in comparison with the price of labor necessary to manufac ture and market the same quantity of cotton, is of the ratio of two to three, and under legitimate conditions of trade, and estimates m:et favorable to manufactures, raw cotton should sell for not leas than 50 per cent, cf tho manufactured article, jet the situation ij such t&at the price of cotton has been bo depressed by speculation and market gambling until manufactured goods eeli from 400 to J 400 per cent more than the material that composes such goods, and a vast wealth that should be distributed among its pro ducers is annually confiscated by the unbridled greed of speculators; and Whereas, The history of cotton pro duction shows that the world's demand has increased at greater ratio than the i world's supply, and as measured by the surplus on hand at the end of each cotton season, the surplus has grown less for more than twenty years, prov ing the falsity of tho cry of overpro duction as proclaimed by speculators and revealing facts that under proper conditions would have made prices steady and improved during that time; and Whereas, These other conditions make it necessary that legislation be contrived and enacted to relieve cotton producers from these oppressive, un ju3t and ruinous conditions ; therefore bo it JResolved, That we urge the people of the cotton growing States, inviting the co operation of the ci-.iz ns of all other States cf the Union, to insist upon and secure legislation in every possible form to prevent the existing ij iry to our cotton trade produced by specula tion and gambling in our markets. Wo commend as just ana necesaary the suppression cf cotton "futures." arid to that end we ask the co operation of aH people in securing such Srateand Federal iesielation aa hall come within the legitimate domain of Fi deral and S:ate legislation. We urge legislation to e-upprese the operation of any sys tern of deaiiog in what is correctly known as futures; that it may be made unlarful for any firm, corporation or the agents of any such to deal in the sale or purchase of cotton "futures." It should be mad 3 unlawful for any bank or banking institution, telegraph, telephone, express or other corporation or person, their officers or agents, to take, receive or transmit any message money, bid or deposit for investment in cotton futures in our respective Slates, or to be transmitted by others from such States; that it be mido un lawful ior any person, firm, or corpora tion to publish or print or circulate by any method the prices bid or any of the propositions of sale or purchase of futures in the States so legislating. We urge that these and other neces eary measures for the relief of the peo pie be taken up by political conventions regard less of party lines, incorporated in their platforms and mode into laws for the common good : Be it further Resolved, That National legislation is necessary in the more complete sup preseion of market gambling, and we urge cur fello citizens of every State to U30 all honorable means to secure such legislation as shall comply with the constitutional limitations of our Federal power; that they urge upon their representative in Congress to en act such ifgielatioa a3 will prevent any person, firm, or corporation, or 'their agents from transmitting from one Stae to another propositions for tho sale or purchase of futures from one State to the citizens of another; that all express, telegraph, telephone cr other companies cr persons in an inter state capacity ebould be prevented from promoting future "gamoling be twecen the States; that the tranemis sion of money, messages or any ccm munication regarding the sale or pur chase of futures be excluded from the United States mails, to the end that thia public evil be suppreesed and the people be freed from the ruinous con dition now thrust upon them by the concentrated manipulation cf specula tore and gamblers in trade. We respectfully recommend to the producing classes that they earnestly memoriaiizj Congress through their respective State legislatures to enact such laws as will protect tho people from this great and growing evil known as commercial gambling in futures. A true copy. J. F. Waltees, Chm'n of Convention. I. A. Sugg, Secretary. THE POTATO CROP. At this planting it i3 yet too early to know what the yield of the lato planted potatoes will bo, and a large percent age of the potato acreage is planted late ; but the early crop is a compara tive failure. Virginia, Kentucky, and the southern portions of Ohio and In disn fupply northern markets to a large extent until far into September, and in thia region the intense beat of the first half of July destroyed all chances for anything like a full crop. Potatoes cannot thrive when the mer cury goes above ninety degrees, and for two weeks it was much higher in this early potato section. We thus see that the extent of acreage is not the sole controlling factor in determining yields, and all the discussion last win ter about the probable effect of prices upon future acreage, and about the ad visability of continuing to plant as largely as usual upon the presumption that others would drop out of the busi ness, was not very important. The man who had good soil, prepared it well and planted good seed is as well off with potatoes as any other crop, provided he has pushed them upon the market as soon as ready. The prices that prevailed for the early crop have given most careful growers some money. Ex. Our thanks are due the 8chulte Pub lishing Co., 323 and 325 Dearborn St., Chicago, for a copy of "Betsy Gaskins imicrat,' " by W. J. Hood. It is a nicely bound volume of 407 pages, and io quite a marvel in the way of a mix ture of fun and pathos. "Betsy Gas- kins Dlmicrat," is the wife of "Job Gaskins, Republican," and as you read of their struggles told in the peculiar Betsy's own inimitable style, you will find the description produces both laughter and weeping. Agents wanted. Addrees above. THE FARMER'S WORST ENEMY. The worst enemy the farmers of the wheat States have this year is the Mc Kmley prcpsrity boomers, who, for political effect in Ohio and elsewhere this year have persisted in sending out exaggerated reports of the enormous crop of wheat we were having this year. -The ( ffect, of course, was to counter act the logical rise in price caused by the shortage in other wheat-raising countries. Theeo fake reports, inspired at Re publican headquarters, were sent out from Populist States to be re copied in the Eastern States to prove that pros perity had arrived on schedule time. The effect on the wheat raiser will be from 10 to 15 cents less per bushel for for hia wheat than if the truth had been told. " This means to the farmers of South Dakota alone a loss of nearly half a million dollars, for which the Argus Leader, the Republican organ of this State, should be held responeiole. As a matter of fact, instead of our having a boom crop, we will have less than an average crop of wheat this year. Dakota Ruralist. v A Some one says that common seasons beans will dry if pulled and eet in bunches on the grass roots up but this year it will not do to follow former methods. The most secure way is to make a loose see ff old in tho bare or un der some shed and pile the vines loosely until the pods are dry enough to thrash. If they m ist be dried in the field email stacks are better than large ones, as either will get wet all through in a storm, and the water should be drisd out before mold develops. DR. EXUM'S COTTON CROP AND OTHER TOPICS. iTorr8iK)ndeiice of the Proereeslve Farmer. I had heard many reports about Dr. W. P. Exum's cotton crop, so I went to his farm on Sept. 5th to examine it I must say that it is the finest cotton I ever saw. Ha has 135 acres in cotton and 62 acres last year made 85 bales averaging 613 pounds, and the Doctor says it is better this year than last year, and he thinks he will get on the 62 acres 100 bales. The cotton on the 63 acres will average as high as my shoulder, and some of tho stalks were to hish I could not reach the top. It is heavily loaded with bolls; indeed some stalks were eo weighted down that they were fHt on the ground. Not withstanding the hot scorching weather toat we have had for the last 10 days, which has cut cfl the crop on other lnds 25 per cent, by giving it the rust, yet on his land tho cotton is green and growing and in full bloom, and I did not see a dczen boils open on the whole field. I spent two years in Texas and saw cotton on the Brazos bottoms, but I never saw any larger than this cot ton. I hear that Mr. T. B. Parker, the member of the last legislature from Wayne county, and the present Buei ness Agent for the Alliance, says it is the beet cotton he ever saw. It may interest your readers to know something about the land thia cotton ia grown on. Dr. Eum settled on it in 1876. It was uncleared. It was piney woods with a heavygrowth of ground whortleberries, clay soil, low and flit, requiring heavy ditohiDg to drain it. He bought 777 acres at 3 60 per acre. His friends said he had made a bad trade and said he would be ruined to try to work it. He cleared it and marled it, and by skillful culture has brought it up to its present state. His method of manuring on the 62 acres is as follows: 20 loads of woods mould, 15 bushels stable manure, 20 bushels cotton seed, 100 pounds phosphate, 100 pounds kainit. On 12 acres he used 200 pounds phosphate, 200 pounds kainit, 200 pounds guano in addition to the compost, and he thinks on that he will make 20 bales. This 12 acres made 19 bales last year. In 1895 a portion of the same land was in corn and made 13i barrels per acre. The day before I went to his house, he gathered 50 big watermelons, and the weather being cool they tasted like they had been on ice, and had just killed a fat mutton, and I lived one day in clover notwith standing o!d Grover is in ratiramcnt.Ha has a fine stallion colt that cost him over $800 and keeps two carriage horses and two buggy horses, a fins herd of sheep, cows and improved breeds of hogs, and ha3 money in bonds and at interefit. If there is a man in the State who could afford to be a goldcug, that man is Dr. Exam. But his great throbbiDg heart beats in sympathy with the poorer classes who arenot eo fortunate as he is, so in 1892 he espoused the ceuse of the common people and was their candidate for Governor. He de frayed the expenses of the campaign, and in 1894, when victory was won by his party, be asked for nothing, but the spoils were awarded together men who had done nothing, while he "bore the heat and burden of the day." But he does not murmur, for he" does not need an c flic o to support him, for he can live like a lord on his vast domain. He has two children a boy who graduated at Wake Forest a year ago, and a daughter who will graduate at Peace Institute, Raleigh, in two years. I have written this so that your read ers, who are mostly farmers, can see what is being done in farming, and it may encourage and stimulate them to renew their eff orts. His farm is located ten miles from Goldsboro, in Wayne county. , C. S. Wooten. La Grange, N. C, Sept. 6, 1837. THE DAIRY. FRUIT ON THE DAIRY FARM. Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. I do not think dairymen value a lib eral supply pf fruit as they should. It certainly is a fact that fruit may be mad to bring in no Utile income if properly managed. It often happens that tho dairyman when marketing his butter can dispose of a good many apples or other fruits. I know of one man who has a few trees of Red As trachan apples. He says he hss made more money from thofee few trees than from all the rest of his orchard. They are prolific bearers, and tho fruit ma tures early at a time when there is a great scarcity o! good cooking apples. Berries, also, will put many a dollar into the pocket of the dairyman. This ia corning to be in many parts of Now York State a valuable adjunct to the dairy. A few hundred strawberry plants or raspberry canes, well cared for will add not a few dollars to the purse of the man who has energy to eet them out and cultivate them. One man I know of has sold many dollars' worth this season. When he delivers an order of butter he takes along a few baskets of berries and never fails of a sale at good prices. The present has been an excellent year with us to get such plants started. I have put out a patch to raspberries and also made a venture in the line of strawberries. There is no reason why the dairy man, as well as the general farmer, should not have plenty of fruit in its season. Surely, nothing stands in the way except a little push and continual energy. It is not enough to set out the plants, they must be cared for right along or the response will be elight. Wnen I came on my preeent farm eight years ago I eet out sixty apple trees. Taeee I have kept trimmed and aa free from borers as I eouid, and am now gathering some choice fruit from thdr branches. Last year one of these little trees bore about a bushel of beau tiful fruit, and how well it kept may te known when I say that after every thing else was gone this spring we had hard and juicy fruit from that little Ben Davis tree. How pretty it looked, too, last fall with its branches bending low with that choice fruit ! The eight of it almost paid me for all the care I had taken of the tree. Thia year I have some nice russets growing. The yield of apples last year was won derful, and we did not expect much this year, but in some localities the supply will exceed the home demand. Plum trees ore loaded to breaking with us. It is to be hoped that the time will soon come when all dairymen will add fruit growing to their field cf labor. E. L. Vincent. Broome Co., N. Y. IS IT THE COW OR THE FOOD ? Oa page 414 in the issue of July 9th, we inserted a short paragraph at the head of the column, from Prof. Jordan, under the caption, "Is It the Cow or the Food V says Hoard's Dairyman. - That short paragraph contains tho very essence of true doctrine for the guidance of every dairy farmer in the land. It is because so many farmers do not understand this doctrine, or do not believe it, that they make so little profit. It is too bad that such a host of men waste all their lives, as they do, with cows and lie down in their graves at last with but little, if any, reward for a long life of toil and care. It is all because they arc trusting their fortune to a falsehood. They put their chief reliance in the feed. Tney pay but lit tle attention to the reoA quality of the cow. Becausa they pay so littla atten tion, they are making scarcely any effort to improve the quality of their cows. Can we euppose a farmer really believes in good q iality, when we see him go along for years making no sort of intelligent effort at improving the breeding of hiscowe? If he really be lieved that his profits depended mostly on the quality of hia cows, would we not see him putting the bast dairy bull he can find at the head of his herd? Of course we would. Would a farmer who believes this doctrine, breed from a grade bull? Of course not. Would such a f irmer mako co effort to test his cows year after year, when it costs so little money to purchase a Bibcock test machine? Of course not Would such a farmer who believes in thi3 doc trine go into the market and buy poor, worthless scrub cows rather than make some effort to raise good cows from good, well established dairy blood? Hardly, vre think. What is the reason that so many farmers pay no attention to this matter of improving the quality of their cows? Because they do not believe in the doctrine that it is the quality of the cow, rather than the food,- which makes the profit. We judge of men by their actions. When we see a farmer put a cheap, grade bull at the head of herd, we feel certain that he don't understand tho value of thor oughbred blood, and for that reason don't boliove in it. We know hundreds o! farmers who will feed costly food in abundance to w. rtble33 cows at a steady Ijss. If they knew better, would they not try to do better? If they believed ia the policy of thoroughbred blood, would we not soe them making somO" effort to buy a bull of that character? Would they go along as conteuted as a kitten in a warm nest, losing money, aad wasting good, costly food on poor cows? To suppose thia, is absurd. What then must we euppose? This and only this: That they have never edu cated themselves to a right understand ing of a dairy cow, and how to breed her so as to improve her quality, and by that make the food they invest in the cow more and more profitable. In this city there lives a retired dairy farmer, who ran along for years with a herd of grade Short horn cows. Ho kept buying bulls of that breed, and after wasting several year3 in the at tempt to make money in that way, he concluded that his ideas were wrong. The best he could get out of his herd was 150 pounds of butter of butter a year. He took a right about face, and bought the best Jersey bull he could get for $200. The daughters of this bul), when they came into full production averaged over 250 pounds of butter apiece, and tho granddaughters aver aged over 300 pounds. That man showed that he believed that it was the cow, not the food, that determined the profit. Of course he was a liberal feeder, but only to good cows. That is the rccd to travel, that 13 tho doctrine, for every man who is depending on cows, to believe ia and practice. Only in thw way cn the improvement in our cows come. It cannot come by feeding; it mustccme through feeding. Registered bulls in all dairy breeds can be bought cheaply, and none other should bo used by any man who wiahea to improve "his herd and increase hia profits.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 14, 1897, edition 1
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