Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Jan. 18, 1898, edition 1 / Page 1
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f !ire Ftnner ia a jood paper fr e--aad possibly ge best advcrtis fr nedium in N. printcri' Ink, i V7 Has the largest circulation of any family agricultu ral or political paper published between Rich- in on 4 and Atlanta THE imUSTfilAL AND EDUCATIONAL EJTEEESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. ol. 12. RALEIGH, IT. 0., JANUARY 18, 1898. Ilo. 50 ilKA ttt t r-F-rns HI) A H TTi T7 Ci Ci "OTTO jg NATIONAL FARUER5 ALU- union. frtsddent Mann Page, Brandon, Vice President O. Vincent, Indian- r0lis, Ind jecretary Treasurer W. P. Bricker, r,gan station, jtu. LECTURERS. r p. Sossamon, Cha'rlotte, N. O. Samlin V. Pooro, Bird Island, Minn. y. H. Peirsol, Parkersburg, W. Va. RATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. jfrvna Page, Brandon, Va. ; John 58iig, W. Va.; A. B. Welch, New firk; vV- - Gardner, Andrew's 8et : raent, Pa. JUDICIARY. I V7. Beck, Alabama. i, D. Davie, Kentucky. j.jr-n 3AR0LISA FARMERS' STATE ALLI ANCE. president Jno.JGraham, Ridgeway, ' -President W. B. Upchurch, (irriaville, N. O. 'Secretary-Treasurer J.T. B. Hoover, p-Uaboro, N. O. jtato Bu8inesa Agent T. B. Parker, gUsboro, N. O. cturer Dr. V. N. Seawell, Villa w, N. O. 'isaistant Lecturer W. B. Brick w -uaP, Mackev Ferry N. O. "Chaplain W. B. Mercer, Moyock, " C. Door-keeper Geo. T. Lane, Qreenp- Kro. N. C. assistant Door-koeper Jag. E. Lyon, jjhain, N. O. jcrgeant-at-Arms-A. D. K. Wallace, fieigb, N. C. - jm xtt miatee Business Agency Fund W. Graham, Machpelan, N. O. l ECTCTIVE COMMITTED OF THE NORTH . AR )LINA FARMERS' STATS ALLIANCE. J. W. Denmark, Chairman, Raleigh, -? C John Graham, Ridgeway, N. C. W. B. Fleming, Ridgeway, N. O. A. F. Hileman, Concord, N. O. Dr. J. B. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C. Thomas J. Oidham, Teer, N. C. ATE ALLIANCES JUDICIARY COiQnTTES. Dr. J. E. Person, Pikeville, N. C. W. S. Barnes, Raleigh, N. C. I. Ivey, Cary, N. 0. THE FARMER'S LETTER BOX. We hope every one of our sub nbars will contribute a brief letter to t ia department. Keep us informed as i: what ii3 happening among the farm i?3 ot your neighborhood. If you have s.Jier by experiment or by any other -athod discovered anything which you link can be of interest to North Caro ria farmers, tell them of it through i columns. Don't think MFU wait Uil others start the bail rolling," but mpiaand help us yourself. Let us :ar from you before next week. 2nce forth we hope to make this a jrmanent feature of The Progressive armeb. Ai ways give your real name id address, even though you wish ime other name signed to your letter. Pkndleton. N. C. A few days ago Mr. A. J. Britton, of NTrirfhamnton Co.. N. C lied a hog that weighed 666 pounds ier he was cleaned, and 757 pounds 083. w. M. Maruu. After a careful study of the fence eation, I am fully convinced that the Page," manufactured by the Pdge ' oven Wire Fence Co , Adrian, Mich., :athfl lead, and is growing in favor ' ery year. Others that are claimed to : . "as cood as the Page" don't stand 3 teat of frost and heat, lacking the . : i3ticity. Very truly yours, W. 1. - ivens. from mv experience in growing ck wheat it is a bad crop to precede n, as not only does the buckwheat ne up thick as a weed, but the land ma unfavorably affected for the crop t were growing buckwheat, I would 7 Avs soed if noseiDle to clover witn i buckwheat, and I would eow both r.naon and common clover, 80 as to 7Q iwo chances for a etand. Waldo Brown. k. great deal has been written about i increase in the number or cotton torisa in the South, and North Caro- i aaems to be in the lead in the num : of her spindles. As we ride by e factories we feel a kind of State da in their growth, and it makes &3 of we old time free traders feel "t after all turn about is only fair y, and that the Yankee slogan of it? fnr nrnfcPoHnn will nrovfl to them J jomerang, and that havingade ir States rich, that we, too, will re some of their Dro3neritv. For , h our splendid climate, our magnifl t water power, together with our ton fields so near that the cost of asportation is practically nothing, we feel that if the farmer can onlv share in the profits, and legislation can be made in the interest of all, giving us an increased volume of currency, we may indeeed hope for a prosperity that is lasting. J. T. B. Hoover, Hillsboro, N. 0. The agriculturist must not ask his lands to give him crops year by year, without rendering to it a return for its bounty. If you want your soil to be liberal, you must make it "fat." The farmer, in hia dealings with the fertile acres, cannot always be simply bene ficiary ; he must all the while be a bene factor also. The product of the soil must in some measure be returned to the soil if its f ruitfulness is to continue. There are farmers who "skin" their land by constant cropping and no fer tiliziDg; but it ia ruinous economy for the owner, and a grave wrong to the community ; for whoever reduces the wealth of the nation's soil and the sources of supply of sustenance is guilty of unsocial conduct, Washington Gladden. Farmers should take and read agri cultural papers. Book farming is cried down, but I expect the onward progress of farmers to day is owing more to the information they get out of books than to any other thing. Farmers should, too, take the newspapers to keep posted on the current events of the day. Then I think farmers' meetiDgs and we have it in the shape of an Alliance are great educators. Farm topics are discussed, different views are in terchanged, &c, and they learn a great deal more than they knew before. Farmers must be educated. It is scarcely necessary for me to tell you what kinTTof education was necessary. You can judge for yourselves when you take into consideration that right now the farmers need farmer financiers, representatives, governors; and why may not the presidential campaign be graced by a farmer as in the days of Washington and Jefferson! Farmers are beginning to be a power. This is a farmer's country, and farmers must be prepared to meet the great issues of the day ; then let them do all that they can to elevate themselves, and so act that they can demand the respect they deserve L. Shurley. The following article, which I find in The Progressive Farmer of October 16 th, 1888, ia so good that I hope you will publish it again. Almost ten years have passed since it was written, but each one of these years has only served to bring the truth of the article more forcibly to the minds of every Southern farmer. "Uncle Steve holds a meeting and adopts a resolution," is the title of the article. It reads as follows: "Uncle Steve had sold his two bales of cotton and seated himself to figure out his profits on a piece of white pine board. After finishing he fixed his eye on the ground with a vacant stare and for several minutes seemed absorbed in serious thought. Grasping his pencil, he penned the following on the board : "Whereas, I raise cotton and sell it at a price that does not pay the cost of its production and buy from year to year my bread, meat, hay guano, wagons, harness, horses, plows and ail my clothes for myself and family ; and whereas, I buy all this on credit and give a mortgage to secure the payment for the same, thereby giving from thirty to one hundred per cent, profit; to enrich others ; and whereas, I see no peace of mind and my family of chil dren are growing up in ignorance and my wife i3 broken down in health and inspirit; and whereas, I am growing poorer and poorer every day of my life; therefore be it 'Resolved, That I am a fool P A. Farmer, Spring Hope, N. C. Chalk Level. N. C. I have, from time to time, seen in your valuable paper the experience of farmers from different sections. Juat here I would like to give my experience on goat raising and the profits arising therefrom. About six or seven years ago I bought four goats and began rais ing goats on a small scale. I have killed as many as fifty for mutton, have sold twenty five or thirty, lost as many as fifty or lixty kids from extreme cold and rains weather, and now I own one hundred and twelver In one more year I expect to have at least two hundred, and all this from four, to begin with a few years ago. If you will keep the goat pen well littered and pen one bun dred goats nights and bad weather, the manure raised there will be equal to two tons of guano. I have not bought any guano in two years, and I make near twice the amount of cotton that I did when I used guano. Goats cost but little to keep; they will eat almost any thing. It has been said that one peck of bran will winter one goat, but whether that is so or not, I do know that it does not cost much to winter them. Besides, they will come home or to their pen every night, or in bad weather and that alone is a great ad vantage over sheep, and then dogs are not so destructive among goats as sheep and goats make just as good mutton as sheep, if not better. Now let us raise more goats for meat and more coat at no for manure, and buy lees of the commercial stuff A. Matthews. COST OF PRODUCTION Ashland, N. C. One cause of dissatisfaction which now exists am oner farmers is. when they compare their occupation with that of others, they have never paid proper attention to the actual cost of production. How few farmers know what the cost of a bushel of wheat or corn, or a pound oi pore or Deer is There is great need of reform in this respect, and it is sure to come at no very great distant day. Without knowing the actual cost of production, we must depend entirely upon the de mand for our products, which can be easily regulated by strong combina tions, whose interests are against the interests of the producers. It gives capital a chance to control labor. The producer, in order to become prosper ous, must have fair compensation for hia labor. Those who represent the manufacturing interests receive this, or cease to manufacture until the de mand exceeds the supply. They do not pursue the ruinous policy that the farmer has so long followed. The ques tion of what ia a fair compensation is to be settled by determining the actual cost of production. Let the farmer consider carefully what is necessary to carry on his business and adopt a simple form of accounts which, if faithfully kept, will enable him to determine, when each crop matures, what the actual cost has been per bushel, etc. Senex G. Yjung pigs should never be allowed to sleep on a pile of manure. In fact, these are about the worst possible places for them on account of the dust and dampness, and the foul, heated air out of which they will rush to their feed, and stand in a z3ro temperature till thoroughly chilled. I have seen promising herds of pigs killed ju3t that very way. Mr. T. Greiner, writing in Farm and Fireside, says that he once saw a nice bunch of fifteen pigs, aver aging about 100 pounds, lying on a large heap of hot manure while the ground all about was covered with snow. They were packed closely to gether and shivered like they had the ague as the cold wind swept over them. "If you don't get those pigs off that manure heap and keep them off you will lose every one of them in 1 ess than thirty days I1' he called to the owner as he was passing. "Why, that's a fine place for them," he shouted. "That manure keeps them warm. They would rather lie there than eat when the weather is cold." "You can let them lie if you like, but in less than three weeks you will wish you had taken my advice." One of the died in less than a week after this c nversation. He took the hint, moved them to a dry shed, gave them a good bed of dry straw and saved them. He was depending upen them to pay a pressing debt, and, as he afterward said, "if he had lost them he would have been in a bad fix." "He honestly believed," says Mr. Greiier, that "the manure pile was a good place for them to sleep, and despite my warning, continued to think so until he found one of them dead." Pigs should never be allowed to slesp under barns or outbuildings of any kind, as I have always found that they die as soon from sleeping under these as from sleeping on manure. Saluda, Rutherfordton, N. C. -i THE SOUTHERN FARMER. In a very thoughtful and just article on "Some Needs of Southern Agricul ture," written for the Southern States Farm Magazine, by Prof, Charles W. Dabney, occurs this paragraph: "Let me say, at the same time, that I am not one of those who believe that the Southern farmer ia in any sense to blame for hia present practices, how ever unprofitable they may be. Farm ing ia not what it should be in our sec tion, -but no one regrets it more than the Southern farmer himself. Among a progressive people like ours, no busi ness is ever carried on in an ideally perfect way. Manufacturers, railroad men and bankers continually find fault with their methods, just as farmers do with theirs. Discussion must precede rational action, and the farmer needs the quickening and training which de bate brings, more than any other man among us." In the main, there ia sound philos ophy in the' above paragraph, but .above all it is written in the right spirit. If there is any section of country on earth, which should appeal to a kindly, .helpful, constructive spirit among all men, it is the South. No other coun Iry on earth was so devastated by war. It is the marvel of the age that there Was so much left of manly pluck and practical ability in the people of the !3outh, with an overturned labor sys tem, as to produce in so short a time, such a wonderful change as is now eeen. It is easy to criticise and find fault, but it is an evidence of sound constructive statesmanship to suggest a remedy. Prof. Dabney is right. Discussion of the fullest, freest kind, of the problems of agriculture, is what the South and North both need. This discussion should extend to the farm laborer, as well as the farm owner. The mental concept and judgment of men must be right, before they can act right. The South needs what the North needs, more intensive farming. The country has had enough, and too much, of extensive farming. The farms lack, not more acres, but more think ing, more good sound judgment, more and batter directed labor to the acre. When that is achieved, we have struck the economic balance in farming; we have put a stop to the demon of waste, wasted fertility, wasted labor, wasted labor, wasted product. The country needs more emigration from the farmJ peasantry of Europe. They have thrift, patient industry, and above all, they love the soil, take pride in being own eiof it, and in surrounding themselves with the' evidence of agricultural pros perity. Their sons and daughters are of the same mind. There ia a farm succession from father to son, as it used to be in the old days of American agri culture. The sons of American farmers are deserting their heritage, and be cause of it, there follows great lo&s to the State, the Nation, and the cause of progressive agriculture. There are larger profits than ever to be made in farming, provided it be the farming of to day, accompanied by thrift, indus try and the intelligence that conserves fertility not wastes it. To achieve this result we must have agitation, discussion, an arousing of the minds of our farmers. Thii was the way dairying was started and estab listed in Wisconsin and other States. Dairying can be kept alive and pros perous among the farmers, in no other way. Discussion is life of itself. When that dies, dairying will decline. Those sections of the country are most pros perous in dairying, where there is the most agitation and discussion. It is so with every other agricultural pur suit. In this particular, the needs of the South, are the needs of the whole country. Hoard's Dairyman, Fort Atkinson, Wis. THE FARMER'S OPPORUNITY. In an address delivered before the Farmers' Institute at Reynolds, IlLi S. W. Heath said : It has always been advocated by the theorist and politician th t all our in dustrial interests are closely connected, the one depends in a greater or lesser degree upon the other. Tnis theory sounds good, but in practice it is found that the farmer always comes out at the little encf of the horn. The farmer has too many people to support; too many new institutions and inventions to maintain; and still more coming year by year. Do we realize that practically we support the whole social and industrial fabric of our country ? The past summer prac tically all the coal mines of the coun try were tied up for several months, but caused scarcely a ripple in the busi ness world, except among those direct ly connected with them. Tie up the farming interests for the same length of time and the business world would be paralyzed and untold suffering would be the consequence among all classes of society and every business in the country. Brother farmers, we are cot united in our efforts to better our condition. We practice a kind of "dog eat dog'' policy. There are in every community men who are classed as the leading farmers who are well-to do; who com bine buying and selling farm products with the producing of the same, and as the trade phrase goes, a "thing well bought is half sold." This policy when practiced causes the buyer to become a "bear" in the market and of course it is to his interest to have the product of other farms as low in the market a pos sible. There is too much selfishness, too much "want it all" disposition among us. We should stand by each other. Let every farmer make every other farmer's interest his interest, as in fact it is his interest. Other lines of organ ized business do this, and until we do it we will be at the mercy of every other organization, and (figuratively speaking) destroyed in detail. The farmers of the country should combine as one man and crush out of 'existence all boards of trade, so-called, wnere rarm products are used as a basis for their gambling operations. How long would these places be per mitted to deal in manufactured articles? Would it not be as appropriate to trade in cotton, or woolen goods, railroad iron, farm implements and hundreds of other manufactured articles, as in the products of the farm? Yes but well the manufacturer places the price on his goods himself. The farmer allows the other party to fix the price on his, and that a fictitious one in the interest of the manipulator. 'SQUIRE BUNKiiR'S LIAIL. The postofilce is kept in one corner of the grocery in the village where 'Squire Bunker gets his mail. One day last week he dropped in to get some notions and his mail, and the postmaster and grocery owner jokingly said he would apply for a special delivery at the 'Squire's house if he subscribed for many more papers. "I don't see how you get time for anything else, .when you have so many papers to read," said Hank Lister, as the 'Squire stopped at the stove a min ute before facing the cold outside. 'Squire B inker is not in the habit of lingering long in the grocery after his business there is transacted and very rarely stays long enough to enter into the general, but not altogether inform ing conversation that the regular habi tues of the place indulge in day after day. These regular attendants at the grocery are mostly farmers who raise corn and nothing else and have nothing to do during the winter. "I don't pretend to read all of the papers I take," said the 'Squire, in an swer to Hank's remark. "I read what interests me and mother and the chil dren do the same, and among us we get about all there is in the whole lot." "It would break me up to pay for as many papers as you do, " asserted Hank, removing the cigar he was smoking from his mouth and slowly puffing a cloud of smoke into the thick and reek ing atmosphere. The 'Squire smiled in his grim fash ion. "I wouldn't think of taking a paper that cost me anything," he said. "You're luckier than I am to get 'em give to you," said Hank, replacing his cigar. "The publishers get their pay all right," said the 'Squire, "but the papers pay for themselves." "How's that?" asked Hank. "Oh, they teach me not to buy too many gold bricks, nor peach trees that are half maples and will not stand any kind of cold, and I don't take kindly to pat ent wagon tongues nor things of that sort." Several members of the stove club winced at this, for most of them had been caught one time or another on some sharp trick of the bort named by the 'Squire. "When I pay attention to what I find in my farm papers," said the 'Squire, after a pause, "I save enough to pay at least ten times over for all I take. I can keep track of the markets, I am reminded when it ia time to do certain work, and told of any new and better ways of doing it. I am given recipes and directions for making time saving things that help in the work, and taking it by and large, I believe I am really in debt to the fellows who spend their whole time studying how to help me in my business. I have my papers to read and that keeps me from loafing around somewhere telling how the country is going to the dogs and how it might be saved if I had my way about it. I was just thinking if I would show my gratitude to some of the farm papers by giving some of you fellows a year's subscription as a holiday gift. It might convert you, though I have my fears on that point." "But you take some women's papers too," said Hank. "I reckon you don't learn much in them papers, do you?" "Well, not so much," admitted the 'Squire, "but mother baa a lot of little handy fixings about the kitchen that I made rainy days and odd spells from directions in some of her women's pa per?. Molly has learned how to fix up her own gowns so they look as if they came from the city, and Kate gets more new dishes and cakes and such truck out of her paper than you could shake a stick at. I notice they feccU me a good deal better than they usea to before they got to reading these papers." "If I took as many papers as you do," said Hank, "my head would bust right open with gettin'so many new ideas in it all at one time " "I reckon,"said the 'Squire, picking up hi3 bundles, "that they'd rattle around a considerable while before they got to crowdin' each other very much." And with this parting shot he went out. Farmers' Voice. THINKS DEALERS SHOULD BE SATISFIED WITH TEN PER CENT. Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. Bichlands, N. C, Jan. 4, 1898. I sew ia The Progressive Farmer of December 21st, 1897, a report from the farmers' mass meeting in Cleveland county. I think they made a step in the right direction. We ought to have a mass meeting in every county. While I endorse their preamble and resolu tions, I want to comment on them. The farmers are oppressed with debt and unable to meet their obligations. One cause is the low prices of farm products. Another cause of so much poverty among our people ia having to pay such enormous prices for what they buy. If he goes to a horse dealer's to buy a horse, he charges him from 60 to 100 per cent, more than he sella for. When he goes to the merchant to get supplies, he adds from 25 to 800 per cent., and that, too, must be paid in six or eight months." Extortion! Extortion !1 In Deuter onomy, xxiii : 19 we read : Thou ehalt" not lend upon usury, to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything. Since the majority of our dealers and traders have become so heartless and unmerciful towards their fellow men and customers, we need alaw to prevent their extortion. We have the six per cent, interest law which ia a good one. Now let every farmer resolve to vote for no represen tative at the election unless he will ad vocate a 10 per. cant, trade and traffic law to prevent usury. The majority of farmers who have bought $100 worth of goods thia year would, if we had the 10 per cent, treflis law, when settling hia bill next Ootober, find his account $50 or 60 instead of $100. We would then see the farmers, as well as the trader and persons in other occupations, begin to prosper. Let every farmer who buys commer cial fertilizers at $12 per ton make ar rangements with the agent to pay for it in cotton at 7 cents per pound. And again, if we could have a dispensary in each county and let the proceeds go to pay the county expenses, and would lessen our taxes about one half. J. A. Taylor. I say, if we farmers are ever to make ourselves felt politically, we must adopt the plan of our enemies. There ia lots of truth in the old proverb, "It i3 well to learn, even from an enemy." They vote for men and principles, regardless of party. We must do the same thing. A Fabmer. During the Pullman strike in 1894 it was strenuously claimed by the officers of the American Railway Union, that they were not responsible for the de struction of property in the railroad yards at Chicago. They charge that irresponsible men had been employed to act as deputy marshals, and that ia order to retaind these positions the cct fire to railroad cars for the purpose of creating riots, and thus making their presence nescssary for the restoration of peace. It has now transpired that there was good foundation for this staeement. A man giving his name as William Inglisa Bloom was arrested by the fire wardens of Cleveland, Ohio, a short time ago, and confessed to hav ing set fire to about sixty freight cars in Chicago during the Pullman striko of 1894. The records show that Wil liam Bloom served as a deputy mar shal during the strike, and was cred ited to the Chicago and' Alton railroad. Sacramento Signal.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 18, 1898, edition 1
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