Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Dec. 19, 1899, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
I t ' - THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL OTEEESTS OF OUB PEOPLE PABAHOTOT TO ALL OTHEE CONSIDEEATIOKS OF STATE POLICY. RALEIGH, U. 0., DECEMBER 19, 1899. Ho. 45 ' . PUBLISHED WEE- TTT'nn your label tella you wl rour iHon expires. Receipts for money' on tutecrlpu''" given ln change of date on If not properly changed ln two weeks, ZZrrvWJA NC ES. I f a subscriber wishes DlsCi:f the paper discontinued at the ex blfl corr c1 subscription, notice to that effect ebo?lnnoeof tne subscription is desired, and continue oi mugt p&id when paper P VV ftnt. Otherwise it is assumed mat a deredgunnd- t,pv &t our risk If tent by regtflered letter money order. Flea don't send stamps. orJn cn to rfve both old and new addressee in JHgchangeof postofflce. ,c nf a .ivertlslng Rts: ten cents per agate line Liberal dlncounts for time and space. Thl item is marked to remind yon that yon J-h rfnlly examine t bis eample copy and et0?-da tl fo? 5 ear's subscription. Will also wn1 UA?ir on trial 6 months for 50 cents, or Mnd rercents. Or we will serd your i nontL fr one year If ou will send -s 5 in KInttEor free six months for 3 In HZ fccrlptUms. at these rates. intelligent correspondents in every enib??tatl We want facts of value. .iSmnlhed of value, experiences of rLto nlffnTy nd briefly told. One solid. SSnsSitS rACi, is worth a thousand theo- ries. "TTprooressivi Farmzb is the Official Organ of the North Carolina Farmers' State Alliance . "N0RTH CAROLINA AGRICUL TURE. Mr. W. W. Dunn, of Mill wool, Chat ham county, writea ua that on three -fourths of an acre of land he raised 24 barrels and one bushel of prairie corn, 747 bundles of top fodder and 210 large pumpkins. Tnia ia a tremendous yield for the quantity of land. Mr. Dunn says he saw silks six weeka after plant ing. The Free Preea says that Dr. Nor man Robinson, of the experimental farm near Southern Pines, raised a sweet potato this year which weighed 6 pounds; that one tweatieth of an acre, where it was grown produced 1,749 pounds and 4 ounces of potatoep, equal to 31 bushels. Thia ia at the rate of 612 bushels to the acre. m Mr. Q. D. 3pen3e,of Harnett county, i3 a champion turnip grower. One turnip raided by him was seen on the R I'eigh market last week. It weighed 8i pounds and was 23 inches in circum ference aud 10 inches long. It was of the "Wtiite Eg" variety, cf fiae table qiiiiries and was grown on eandy soil. Mr Spenc?, like &11 thfl best farmers of the dtate, reads Tbe P.ogreeaive Far mer and fays he "couldn't get along without it " m - Most people are "casing" trusts. J ae way to prove your faith by works is suggested by tbe Henderson Q:ld L?af ; "Let every farmer make plenty of manure on the farm composts, stable manure, woods mold, swamp muck, ditco bank and the like. Guano is going to bo higher next year, and even if it wa sell at a lower price bet ter reeulta always follow where com mercial fertilizers are used in connec tion with home mide manures," Tne Tarboro Southerner of last week cootuins a paragraph that Elgecombe farmf rs should paste in their hats. It ia this: ' If all the peanuts raised in Hj c3mb-3 county were run through the factories, as they are Cilled, there wculi bo paid out annually in the cunty not less than $100,000, which are now b?ing paid out in Norfolk and Petersburg This great eum is worth making an effort to keep lure. It &m:uQts to more than three dollars for every man, woman and child in the coua:y, and more than twenty dollars to every plo v." Why not start a fac lory, eo-called, on the cooperative plan? No rea?on why North Carolina farmers soould not make money from tbe co-operative eys.em. just as farm era in the West and Northwest do. Near the top of the column in wLch this paragraph appears you will notice a lutle red Blip. Oa the slip ia your came and opposite your name is a date the date your subscription expired or ill expire. If immediately after the ttonth the figures "CO ' appears, your pub3cription is paid till sometime next year, i; tne flgUre are not "00" then west iThear from you before Janu arF 1. Send us what ia due us and fet us start the new year untrammeled by old debts. We have made many eicriQes to accommodate delinquents wo think some should, if necsa ary, make some small sacrifices to "get straight" on our booka. If your label does not show you paid till next yr, let us hear from you before the cew year. We muss run business on tusicesa principles. FARM AFFAIRS. GRASS CULTURE, Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. Standing on the pinnacle of the nine teenth century and looking backward, we see the toiling masses struggling against the consequences of many errors. Misled by the "Ignia Fatuus" of the all cotton craze, they have hewn down the forests, scratched their soil, misguided the rain water, and wrought general devastation. Heaven's great blessing perverted, became man's great curse. With incredible swiftness they changed a glorious heritage into a wide fpread scene of washed and gui lied hillsides, and naked barren field i. Having spent our manhooi'a prime in killing gras, we now look with dismay upon the wreck and ruin our hands and plans have wrought. A sad and sickening sight it is. But with our miatakea have come lcs3ons of experience, and the light of science. "A change is coming over the spirit- of our dreama " Looking around ua to-day we catch the gleam of hope and see that advanced men are planning better and wiser things. The horizon of the future glittera with radiant stars of hopeful inspiration. INSTEAD OF KILLING, LET U3 GROW GRASS In cur deadly foe of the past, we may find our best friend of the future. "All flesh is grass," and from grass all fiashiafed. Hence in killing grass we have been destroying the very founda tion of permanent prosperity. We can never become permanently pros perous with naked hills and gullied fields. They must bo clothed with the carpet of verdure which nature intend ed them to wear and fitted them to bear. Thia ia the unanimous voice of historic teachings. Our wonderfully varied re 80urcea have led ua into a line of policy, tempting in the beginning, ruinoua in the ending. In cattlo growing we may find the road to prosperity. But cattle must have food. The more abundant the food eupply, the greater profis there will be in cattle raising. But the food must not only be abundant, it must be cheap. Hnce in the production of cheap food lies the ultimate key to the whole situation. Can we find and use thia key! and not only permitting grass to grow, but helping it to grow. How shall we do thii? In several ways. First, by removing all the stumps, stones, briars, bushes and noxious weeds from our paUurea and hay fields. Then run a tubsoil plow, every twelve inches, deep down i ato the clay. Spread manure of any kind you have, and supplement this with acid phosphate and kainit, spread freely broadcast, not in drills. If you have have no ma nure, use more phosphate and kainit. Bun over with a light emoothing har row and follow with heavy roller. Old Bermuda fields and other waste lands treated this way will respond marvellously. ANOTHER "WAY IiTHfS Select any suitable fi.ld and break the eubscil in the fall. In April, har row repeatedly until smooth. Crab grass will come without seeding. Bit while harrowing, work ia a liberal supply of acid and potaab, with or without homemade manures. An other way i8 to follow your grain crops as soon as cut with a good seeding of peas and sorghum mixed. Fertilize as above. When the peaafe in pod, cut and cure. Thousands of acres now waste and wore would soon be yielding a hand some income if treated in thia way. The cost would be very little, the profit very great. We know that it sounds strange to many if you talk about ma nuring grass, but it will pay better than manuring cotton. Old habits are hard to break. You have so long been accustomed to kill ing yourselves all summer killing grass to grow clean crops to sell at less than cost to get a little money to buy some dead grass, that it haa become second nature. But all the time you have been crosing the order of nature. Thia ia by nature a grasa producing land. And a grata producing land should be a cattle growing land. Then there are a score of cultivated varieties of graaa that will grow read ily, and pay well for the growing: Orchard grass, timothy, the Fescues, Herd's grass, Johnson grais, and on and on. Let me fay to every Pro gressive Farmer reader: turn your thoughts to grasa, and grasa will turn your labor to money. Jas. B. Hunnicutt. I THE PLANTERS' RESOLUTIONS. orreeTxmdence of the Progressive Farmer. The Cotton Growers' meeting held in Raleigh, Oct. 18 sb, appointed a com mittee of one from each Congressional district to form plans of organization, etc. The committee met and elected Maj. W. A. Graham President and adopted as title of the organization 'The North Carolina Branch of the Cotton Plant ers' Association of the South." John P. Allison was appointed to draft resolutions, which are aa follows: "Resoltxd, That the time has come for the planters of the 8outh to organ ize for the better protection of their interests, and we, the cotton planters of North Carolina, looking forward to the organization of planters thoughout tbe South, do hereby organize under the name of the North Carolina Branch of the Cotton Planters' Association of the South. And whereas the drift of the discussion in meeting was, that indi vidual effort counted for very little in battling against tbe ccmbines in other industries, and pledges to curtail aver age, or holding back the crop on plans heretofore adopted, have failed ; there fore be it further "Resolved, That, considering the many varieties of soil and the lavish hand of nature in behalf of our section of the Union, our people should show appreciation by a greater development of their possibilities. The one crop idea haa been our bane. The world needa all the cotton we can raise, yet when we make only thia one crop we are forced to sell, to buy things we should raise. u The South cannot longer afford to confine her money crop to one product alone, and there can be no reason why other staple crops should not be grown aa money crop?, and thereby bring into existence many profitable interests, not only in agriculture, but in all de partments of industrial life. We might safely enumerate the following indus tries, which can be developed to a highly profitable basia by the introduc tion of correct methods by the farmers in such parts of the South as is best suited to their growth: Wheat, oats, peas, sugar, syrup, molasses, broom corn, tobacco, strawberries, general trucking, hay, corn, fruit?, stock of all kinds, dairying, and factoriea of various kinds. "We have here presented a large diversity of food crops, which are in daily demand in all parts of the world. A diversified farm rightly managed has the chances of success. The farmer who relies upon the production of cot ton alone aa his money crop mast ar range to produce it on a surplus basis. He must raise all of the needed food supplies at home, institute a regular system of crop rotation, carefully pre serve hia barn yard manures, and by. living strictly at home hold hia cotton field free and independent of mort gages, and thereby become enabled to sell it when he can sec .ire a price rep resenting its true value and a profit on his labor. Bat we must prepare our selves for these changes in our farm ing methods by becoming more fully educated in the business which we are to pursue. We can accomplish this by co operation, aod by supplying our selves with the best literature pertain ing to the principal cropa we propose to engage in. Ramunerativo prices for cottohrhlJrVit5S3 timesfoHJIj other induatries in our land, without detriment to any, and enables the planter toechool his children and make hia home attractive. The present price of cotton ia some compensation for our labor, yet is not sufficient to rmet the deficiency caused by the short crop, and we must not think it will remain, and return to the old method While the price is up let ua hold it there, and not allow the dealers to commence hammering the price aa soon aa our crop ia planted. "We further recommend to the favorable consideration of the cotton growers the proposition of some of the leading bankers of our State to build warehouses for storing cotton, and making advances at a low rate of in terest, enabling tbe planter to meet his money obligations and make necessary cash purchases and hold his cotton off of the market during the fall months." The Roanoke Times says that a seed farm on a small scale is operated by Mr. Geo. H Barnes at Roxobel, Bertie county, and that Mr. Barnes has built up a good trade and reputation for his garden and flower seeds. , . , 7 FUNCTION OF LEAVES. Oorrespondence of the Proarrecslve F&rner. The leaves of our forest trees appear in the spring of the year, and in the course of thirty days have attained their full growth, and in our field crops we see them form and, before they are fully grown, younger ones appear. What function do the leaves per form! And why ia it that many of our trees will die during tbe summer if the leaves are stripped off and kept so? Careful analysis of wood shows it to be largely composed of starch, the greater portion of which is carbon. Scientists teach us that the function of the leaves and the unripe fruit ia to gather carbon from the atmosphere, in the form of carbonic acid gas, and store it in the bodies of the trees for tbe purpose of furnishing the next year's growth of leaves, wood and fruit; that this starch by the presence of diastase ia converted into sugar, then into gum, and then into lignin or wood, and that any excess remaining after the leaves and growing fruit have been thus supplied is discharged through the leaves and petals of the blossoms or blooms, in the form of honey dew. The leaves of all our trees are dis charged on the approach of frost, and in warmer climates the leaves are dis charged, as the trees are supplied with starch. This starch is one of the most abundant elements in vegetable life, and furnishes the first food to all young plants and animals in form of sugar, having undergone the change by the presence of diastase. The first food of the newborn babe and the infant corn or wheat plant is the same (sugar of milk). But as soon as the plact sends out a root, it then begins to imbibe the earthy matter from the soil, and as the leaves are put forth, they begin to feed on carbon from the atmosphere. The structure of the leaf furnishes an in teresting field for instruction, its many wrds, cells, i nmps, and starch reposi toriea are all so adjusted as to show the highest order of intelligence in its me chanical structure. In order to have good crops, we mis': see to the health and food of our plants so that they may have plenty of large healthy leaves. It is theleave3 that feed the tubers in the soil, euch aa potatoea, turnips, carrots, beeta, etc. Now if our planta are weak and sickly they may make a fair crop, but it will require muh more time, so that good strong seed, next to the land, is of paramount importance. It will prove to our children aa well aa many adults a source of much pleasure and interest to dissect a leaf by cutting it apart and viewing the various parts through a microscope and to see how the Creator haa furniahed it with the laboratory to carry cnita work. It ia a very com mon sight to behold our fields and clothed in verdure, but how little do many cf u? know why so many leaves and so many shapes are necessary? Yet eery shape, and every leaf has a fu action to perform. The hickory tree has a long leaf, the cell construction of the wood ia long rendering it tough and durable. Tne sweet gum leaf is short lobed, its wood cells warped and twisted, rendering it brittle; so with all growing plants, a beautiful analogy exists between the wocd or tuber and the leaves. "NothiDg but leaves. ' Yet how little would we have if we had oo leaVw fe i' Wake Co., N. O. A PE AN U TF ACTO RY, IF The Progressive Association haa taken the correct and initial step to get a peanut factory. The following: John L Bridgers, C. W. Jeffreys, W. H. Powell Jr., B B. Howell, James T. Howard and W. E Fountain, were ap pointed a committee to investigate and if a factory, as a paying concern ia prac ticable, to solicit stock in the same and report plan of organization, etc. So far as stock in thia ia concerned, it can bo had with little eff jrt, provided the farmers back the enterprise. The farmers are not expected to in vest largely, but they must so back the enterprise so as to insure its success. As has already baen stated, in these col ulmns, the difference between the pea nut as it comes from the farm and after it is cleaned, is from 20 to 40 cents a bushel Of course, this is not all profit, the dirt, the labor, eta, must be deducted, but sti 1 the margin of profit ia large. The peanut trust knows thia and it will not brook a competitor. If the farmers will take up the fac tory, they will then bo in a position to share in the benefits whether the trust makes a fight or not. If no fight would be made, private capital would like nothing better than an investment in a factory. If it does fight, then private capital is timid, because without most abundant means the trust will make operations unprofitable. The trust can make the price of peanuts so high as they come from the farm, that the mill cannot handle them at a profit. If the farmer is backing the enter prise he can, when the trust tries this game, sell to the trusi and let the local mill remain idle. The loss on the in vestment will be small while the gain otherwise will be great. A few thousands of dollars will build and equip the factory, The expense connected with one la the capital needed to buy the peanuts, the amount required running up it to six figures or thereabouts. Soma towns have invested in a steamboat and tied it to the wharf, simply as a lever to reduce freighta. On this theory the peanut factory can be made a success. If the trust is willing that normal prices shall rule, the factory will pay and that handsomely, but if it tries to run the projectors out of business by putting up the price, then the factory can remain idle and the farmer sell at the enhanced price. It is plain and simple. The matter rests with the farmers. The commit tee should ascertain what the farmers will do; then, if they will do their part, the peanut factory can be had without trouble or delay. Tarboro Southerner. THE COMPOST HEAP. A few years ago a great deal was said and written about the compost heap. It was considered the essential element of success upon every farm. Its praises were upon every tongue. Too much was claimed for it; many were disappointed; hence there came a reaction. The commercial fertiliser dealers did much to hasten this reac tion and to make it extreme. Like all reactions, it has gone too far, says J. B. Hunnicutt in a recent issue of the Southern Cultivor. Taero is great good in the compost heap. Sensibly used, it is the right hand of success upon the farm. With out it, much that is valuable will go to waste upon every farm. It is not practicable to carry all the wee to from the yards and lots and stalls directly to the fields; often it is not economical or desirable to do so. Every farm should have a conven ient compost heap. Upon this all refuse should be daily thrown. This heap should be carefully covered and looked after. Enough moisture should be al ways present to assist decomposition. Dry matter does not decay. Moisture is necessary to make this proceed. If it can be done, the liquid voidings of all am ma's should be utilized in keep ing the compost heap moist. Ia doing this a twofold good is ac compliahed. The plant food elements of the lfq lida are caught and preserved by the solids in the heap. At the same time the solid matter is hastened in de cayiDg and thus yielding up its plant food ready for use. FLINT FOOD. Remember that ycu are after the greatest possible quantity of soluble plant food. 'lis this, and thia alone, that increases your crop and your profit. You-&uy - comical manures simply that you may feed more solu ble plant food to your growing crops. You distribute all manures for the same purpose. The value of any ma nure depends entirely upon the quan tity of soluble plant food it contains. The compost heap ia a factory for the manufacture of soluble plant food. Its value depends entirely upon its power to do thia. Almost any sort of com pest heap will do some of this work, but a well managed one will do so much of it that it pay a large profit upon the cost of making and caring for. HOW SHALL WE MAKE ONE? Use all the waste vegetable matter you can get. If it is not convenient to carry your stable manure direct to the field, put it on the compost heap Pack the heap down often eo as to keep the moisture from es capir. g and thus hasten aecay. If your heap 13 to remain long before moving to the field, several inches of soil should ba thrown upon it occasion ally. Thia will help keep the moisture and at the same time absorb and hold the escaping ammonia and carbonic acid gas. To make the more Euro of this, keep at hand acid phosphate and kainit and sprinkle them freely over the heap Thia will greatly add to the value of your compoBt. It will then have all the elements of plant food in good quantity and proportion. Do not let your heap get too hot. Throw on water and pack closer, or haul to the field if possible rather than have too great heat. By a little care and a few minutes' attention each day an amszsng quan tity of compost can be made on every farm. In the long run, it will prove to be a savings bank on your farm from which you will draw constant and paying dividends. If possible, the compost should al ways be spread upon soil which has been freshly plowed or harrowed. Thia will prevent loss from evapo ration. A well kept compost heap adds great ly to the neatness acd health! ulness of the farm. Malarial vapors that are eo common about badly kept lots and yards will all be destroyed or pre vented by the heap. PROFITABLE TRUCK PARKING. The followirg from the Texas Truck Farmer ia applicable in large measure to conditions in thia and adjoining States: When you hear a man or a paper trying to prove by facts, figures and other available material constructed' for the purpose, that truck farming won't pay, you can safely go him 16 to 1 that he simply don't want it to pay, that he ia "agin it" from start to finish, that he worships at tho shrine of five cent cotton and the usual spring crop mortgage. Some of our newspaper friends don't seem to want the truck farmers to succeed. They will walk sixteen miles to get an interview with soma sorehead who has raised "too much melon" acd allow a profit state ment on tomatoes or onions aa big as a car door to go unnoticed. This, to us, seems unfair, and while we care but little about it, we merely call the attention of our readers to it to show the thing up in its true light. We eay openly that truck farming, as carried on in Texas, is the moat profitable farming to day, and can prove it by as responsible a set of men ai ever breathed. There were some failures, there will continue to be failures just ai Ions as people continue to work, but, oh but, haa there been any fail urea in the cotton business in the last ten years? Let's see how many men in Texas in the year of our Lord 1899 will lack from one to one hundred dol lars paying their stinted store account with cotton? How many little bare feet will there be in Texas to tell the horrors of too much cotton to a No vember norther? How many little hoods will there be on Christmas morn that will peep out from the cover and find that the chimney has been stopped up with five cent cotton, preventing Santa Claus from filling their little stockinge? How many aching hearts will there be that day, caused from low cotton and low epiritsf How many old, half starved, spavined, hide-bound mules and horses are there in Texas to day that haven't had half enough to eat in two months because the "user,T knew he would have to go in October. Poor things 1 if they had the "say so" diversification would at least go to the living at home point, whether they raised for shipment or cot. How many fortunes have been made thia 3 ear on cotton? We know a man who had four acre8 of oniona and made nearly $600 on them. How much per acre will this great king cotton net? We know a man who made over $300 on one acre of tomatoes. It takes twelve months in the year to make a cotton crop and three to four to raise truck, so you have three to one the advantage in time. You can raise cotton to swap for cash only you can feed fruit and vegetables to stock, eat them your selves, or credit your neighbor who raises cotton only, for them. So we have a big advantage in that way, but the greatest is yet to be mentioned we can't mortgage a truck patch that ia, it can't be mortgaged like the cotton crop, and this gives our truck farmers the happy thought and privilege of paying cash and living at home. Ah, there ia a big thing in behind cotton and truck when a man plants cotton he has to go in debt for supplies, he gives a mortgage and then the man who furnishes the supplies ia not afraid of anyone's competition he's got him OOZfTDHTZD OH PAC3 8.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 19, 1899, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75