Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Feb. 20, 1900, 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
c Ej C1P S3 dy ed ce i i f "2L pi. 15 THE ETOIISTEIAL MD EDUCATIONAL IMEEESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. RAlBIGH, IT. 0., FEBRUARY 20. 1900 Ho. 2 ill 3F.r UBLISH ftD WEEKLY TUI- on your latl wiia you wnen your KriiVtmn expires. Receipts for money on ril i. ion will be given in change of date on El If not properly changed in two weeks. r OS. toVTlNUANCES. If a -ubbcriber wishes Pioncpf the pier discontinued at the x- n f hia subscription, notice to that effect h sf nt Otherwise it is assumed that a innknce of the subscription is desired, and -mtrmfs must be paid when paper is e.i sr..ptd- Z77 i ur rlsfc II eut oy regli-'ered letter . moc"v order, f'lw don't send stamp. I rt to ive both old and new addresses in ijerlnk' change of poetofflce. trTo' Advertising Rat: ten cents per agate c81! Ai rfnnnts for time and space. IjI'T-l Ttu-m Is marked to remind you that yon 7, A rr fully examine i bis sample copy and ?r i f.'ra er's subscription. Will also I a t,fr on trial o monins ior wi"'o. w f L h- for SS cent Am n.A r4H car1 r-rtnr ?rle f-.r one year If op will send us $5 in el -... rtpTions. or free six montiu for $3 In - "i " ,.iinna Rt thse rates. TTm mtflilgeut correspondents in every r-3.1' .rniohwi nf value, experiences of fT. a nTy and briefly told. One solid. Jor.trtl rrr. is worth a thousand theo- tbb Phoorkssivb Farmer is the Official nof the North Carolina Fanners' State Ujmr. . TOBAO DEPARTMENT. OU TOBACCO. DEPARTMENT. At the suggestion of Prfsident Drives, wo now open our "Tobacco ,imn" for a full di- cusnon or tobaico Wowing ths tobacco truss, and espe cially the Jordan plan propose! by the tats Tobacci Growers association, ti-wfl. criticisms and plan? from all earnestly re - tnoa-fid We also hop to have reports from all tobacco growers' meetings. In order that every Teader may get a COrreCfc Idea ul mo -. Lr v-o flratft rnhaeco Growers Absocia , iion, we publish this week the address nf President Grime?, the Jordan pUn and th9 pin of organ' Uioa. These p nn? ana purpjsi-a nro uu W.L tor discussion iu our clunnna and p r-ons wOo favjr other plans are Tqu58ted to san1 them for publication. THE J JRDAM PLAN Therei'u ioa adopted by the Scafco Xcbocco Gowers' A-ociation endors ing tti 3 plaaorMr. Jordin reads as fol lows: "We agree to enter into a contract with J F Jordan and his associitea to sell to him oar tobacci rawed aurmg the n fUe years at an advance ot not laaa tnan 15 per cent over the priee3 ot the same grade of tobacco during the lat five years, the said pricf to b fixAd b a cinomissicn. a majority of whom shall represent Me idler 'We further azre3 to take stock with eaid Jordan and his associates, a CDrpora ion which shall be formea for the p rp.igiaoJ manipulaticg and di3 Doeiuir of p-!d tooacco, sold to eaii J F. J:rd a nn i hia asi MatPfl to thf px tect of n i less than 15 prr cent of the - nf our siici tobacco Tne ce a 1 c! im- uirt taienc bqoI; ba hereif er arrjiii,.;t; i toaa t) carry ou: the true ia t3nt nl meaning of this agreement. If wo tnakj default in this agreement ia aay par cellar we agre to forfeit to sail corporation ttie eaid 8tock so taken. And we further recommend for our mu'.uai beoffls that the farmirs of North Ciroliaa reduce their crop at least 25 pr cent below tbe past year's production We invite the coopera tion of Virginia, South Carolina an other easuous which grow bright to bacco." TH PLAN OK ORGANIZATION Ad;ptei by the North Carolina Tobacco Growers' f ssociatioo, Jan 17, 1900, Tr.i- . r;r, Ziiioa onali Dokuo-vnttH t - N r ;a Uarulina Brmers' Tobacco c: i.i a. I, -hillconii-icof a town ' - 'i'rrj Bed 3 ate orgaciznion. 1 ; ii-ni organization ehall con ' i y-vrfsrt'int, vice-preo'dent, eec r - ; : - .;jrer tnd txe jutivj com-c- : - t-.;?a afid all wans persons ui t&r3 growth cf tonacco. ' c u uy organiziiioa ehall con - - 1?! Uoicmcea from ttio town3bip Cj 'v-' i oue drlegata for each ten L.i;rj r- JrA-tunal part thereof. 'iliijMof tho coucty conven It Cjaidtcf a nri'ehipnt. vim- , - -1 P-"-- ' -;.ic, aeoreiary anl trenurer ana fi'-j; -,v cocauDiuto of fivo members. V'J cjiu-y envetitioa ehall have I'3-.r to appoint crga zri in then ac.uy. .Ja- ti'- Conveation shall caneiatof '-'gr-ei from the county asacciatioa tosrether with the cffiera elected by this convention E ich county shall be entitled to five votes at the 8tate con vention. All officers in all theee asso ciations shall ba elected for a term of one year. Toe township association ehall have power to as:esa each mem ber dues for 25 cents per year, ten of which ehall go co the county meeting, ten tents to the State trea?urer. The State association shall have power to elect an orgamzarto organiz3 in any part of the Statu. IS READY WHtiN THE PLAN IS AGRBfcD ON. irrsponflorice of the Progressive Farmer, February 13th. I tnougot I would ak some ques tion8 about the Jordan plan, but will not at present Bat it seems to me there ought to be a full understanding about the Jordan plan. It will be hard to organize the farmers in a tobacco association until they . thoroughly un derstand the plan. I think it would be well to give its workings in full give the details as much as pcsdble from beginning to end. I think to commence the tobacco fl'ht we should, in the first place, re duce the acreage at least 25 per cent Then I am inclined to think the Jor dm plan would be best I have heard some other plaas suggested: 8ome say build factories; some say boycott. I will confess I don't know which is hot but I. for one, am ready for the fight w'en some good plan is settled on. la mating a dgnc, let's oe sure we are right. Tnen we can ask God to be wth ua; and if God is with us, the victory is ours. Respectfully, W. F Upcouboh Wake Co, N. O PUSa THE FARUHRS' TRUST. Jirreepondence of the Progressive F&rmer. O gan z the farmers and every class into trusts and they will fix prices aDd wages that will secure the dollars to distribute all produced, acd they will deal direct with ech other and savi the inm?n?e pum this c mmerc a1 trut would fasten upon the peop'e. "here n no more effinity between the farmers and thia commercial trust than there is between H avsn and hads. Cooperate, fix maximum pries and wages and j cu will double consumption and increase the output twelve billion dollars a year. This talk of fUhcing trusts is sheer non sense. Orgar:iz co-operate, fix the pries of your farm prolucts so as to command your share of tbe dollars Etabli'h a national board of equal za tion that will regulate the trusts and c will glide into pro?p3ricy. It is the farmers' trusts that can bring prosper ity to all cla?S98. A Tobacco Riispra trust can b3 or gan z?d that can effectual!? control the once of tobacco. It will not take 90 p?r cent, to do it Fifty men in a :h county raisin t oawo can do it Aill send a plan for the forenitroa of a Tcbifco Riiaers' trust lo Th- Progref-s ive Firmer. Ic will not take a pyndi cite to back is up. J i?t enough m mcy for preliminary cxpemei There is no bettersecurity to borrow money on than the farmers staple farm products. H mdreds and mil lions of dolars are borrowed each year nn these products after they have passed into the hands of speculators Tne farmers can do the same if they will organize. You cin fiod five times the number rr quired to make a success of the trust. Lit all syndic u ea alone O'gan'zs, deposit your Btaple farm products insure, borrow money on them, hold and sell at the trust p ices as there ia a demand and you will need no bickers. Your staple farm prod acts is all the backing ou need James Mueddck 8waiaCo , N. O. Tne Agricultural College of ;esouri .lives a short courao for farmers ia tn.e -eaon when they are least busy on iheir farms. Wi y ehculd not all our agricultural colleges give special wia er courtes for farmers jit as other c llg a give eummer coarses fcr teacher; ? Is seems to u much gcoa might thu3 ba accomplished, not only for agriculture, bus also for the gen eral culture of the agrijultural popu lation. Something esmdar to tbia if roucd in tbe Dariih hih echools for cne people, which have alrealy hadar mmensa iLfljeccaon the general cul ture cf tbe country and village popula in of Djtm'irk N. O, Journal of Education. FARM AFFAIRS. KEEP ACCOUNTS WITH CROPS Sensible Advice Given by sn Pnterprising Craven County Farmer. lorreepondence of the Progressive Farmer. It is not a rule with farmers to keep an itemized account of farm expenses Of course some do, and the number that oo keep accounts of farm opera tions ia increasing; it ehould ic crease fester. It is both a pleasure and a profit to item ze the f xpenres and re ceipts of the various farm productions. Charge a field of so many acres whether one or one hundred, with all that is done to it, or put on it; then as somethiog ii taken from it. credit the field with every item taken from ic, both expenses and receipts at actual cort a d market prices Then at tbe end of the season balance accounts and the result will show what the farmer is doing. If b.3 has done well, it will be encouraging and do him good to look over it; but if it was a failure, if tbe debit side was larger than the credit side, this, too, would do the farmer good, as he can profit by Ue failure no less than by the success in many cases. If a close observer, he could see some cause for the failure, and take such ac tion for the future as would prevent a similar result. It is the custom of tome farmers to guess at expenses M et ten average farmers and ask each aa you meet him what it costs to raise a bubel of corn, potatoes, peanuts, etc., and you will likely get as many diff rent aoswers as the number you interrogate. Now of course, ic costs more .under some cir cumataoces on the same quality of land to raise a certain crop; but when a farmer has noted expenses and re ceipts year after yeir on all his crops, ne can surely farm witi much more intelligence, more ea is action, and more certainty. It maj also be worth something to his caiidren to know th cost of doing certain work; especially if, as ia often the case, eome of his boys conclude to run the old farm after the father has gone to his reward. As fatners, we owe it to our children to let thm see are. ord of our 3acceS3es and midta&e; they will very lively ber of tbeoi, aad ehould know their correctness. Bat some farmrs will say, "I have not tima for any writing d)wn as C"untf; ia crop time I am too busy." Well, wa all get busz s mtimes, but keeping a record of what we are doing often eaves ua time. Ic is not by aty means a tedious matter to enter up in asui;abl3 book the operations of halt a dc z n or more fielos or patches as the cas3 may be, an 1 if it takes cne or two hours each week it will be time well spent. And ai trios 5 any farmer that cia write can in two hours enter all ttn transactions connected with his farm of frcm fiva to ten diff jrent crops Make a trial of ic. brother farmer, and you will find thi mind fxaaoding iA the farm improving. D. Lanh. C aven C , N O HOW SOME O? TH8 FERTILITY OF SOUTHgRN SOILS SLIPS AWAY. -'orreapondence of The Progressiva Farmer. TnerH m n annual production of over 4 000,(00 tons of cos ton Ped in the South. This seed contaics 125 000 tons of nitroajea, worth, for enrioning thn poil, $37 500 000 Ic also contains 50 800 tons of phosphoric acid, wozth, ror enriching th soil, $7,112 000 It contaics also 46 800 tons of potash, worth to the eoi $3 744 000. This makes a grand total o $49 356 000. and this vast sum for wait na, uattl very recent years, been considered in the lighi of a wast ) product U der the syatem of clean culture aicaasarry and unavoidably obtain iug throughout the entire coston belt to the culture o? this important crop, considerably mora fertility is washed ay annually down into th3 Golf of M fxtc , than is cootuued in tr.e enure annual outpus of cotton eeed. Tha amount cf fertility that is annually O30 by biing washed away, it ia an utter impossibility to ever bring back; cha mcs: we can possibly do in the premiaes is to try our level best, by terracing, circling and hill side ditches on upland, and a more complete and systematic as well as more thorough system of drainage and under drain igeon lowlands, to redac3 this anaual lo8 by waaiing to a minimum. Tnis truly enormous d ain, although comparatively small and insignificant 75 or even 50 years ago, may ba very conservately and eafely claimed to have gone on until ten times above amounts are irrevocably gone, past any, even the meet remove, possibility of redf motion. Th's would amount to 1 250.000 tons of nitrogen, worth $375, 000 C00; 508 000 tons of phosphoric acid, worth $71,120 000 and 468 000 tons of potash, worth $37,440,000; or a total of $483 560 000. Just how much of this 40 000, 0C0 Iods of cotton seed was sold off tne farm or otherwise made away with, ac leest to the extent of depriving the acres upon which they were grown of any and all benefit that might have been derived from them had they been scrupulously returned to those self same acres, we have no means of deciding; but from upwards of a qiarter century of cicse observation, we know that the amount 0 returned is most iusimficantly and ruinously email Tbe fact that the output of cotton is annually increas ing, at the same time that the South in its entirety is annually becoming more nearly self bus aining, while the trucking, dairy fruit and live stock in dustries are also increasing in a ratio commensurate with that of the fleecy staple, speaks volumes, not only for the fertility of Southern soils, out also for the truly magnificent possibilities thbt lie before this Heaven favored section, when restitution instead of spoliation shall be the order of the day Now a few words as to ttis reetitu tution. In a really gDod and fertile soil, na ture has stored up, according to Prof 1 P. Roberts: Of nitrogen, 16 000 pounds; of pho8paorio acid, 4 000 and of potash, 8 000 pounds ; all this in the surface foot of a single acre. Oa the other hand, we find from a consul tation ot Prof. Hilgard's tattles that a very poor and comparatively barren and s "rile soil m&y contain of nitro gen. 1 750 pouod; of phosphoric acii, 5 555 poind; of potash, 3.045 pounds; at d of lime 2 275 pounds, and yet ba u!'JU foro-dinary purposes of agfi culture For purposes of our own, we Will place toese two tables side by side so they may be more easiy compared. a 3 O . a. . E S r- tO ED CO 5; 3 D Q. - 7Z. S3 CD 55 010 J a 03 CJ a n S CD Ot ea o O W fa do 00 0 ST 2 h n 0 For 8ometime past, we nave Dt-en en gaged in writing a series of articles some of my letters have appeared in this paper on the necessity of first ob taining and then maintaining as per feet an equilibrium of fertility in any and all soils as possible, and in try in to sbov that thi3 equilibrium was. is and always will be, actually essential in O'dr-r to obtain best resu ts, and that so essential in fee; is it that best re suits cannot possibly ba ob aiued in its &bs3nce. Nov the question cornea up, what i3 th9 matter with thap. sterile acr ? I-s Us sterility du9 to the face that ic contains aft actual excess of pno3 yboric acid? No Wcat then is the causa of sSeriiicy? Is is undoubtedly owing to a deficiency of nitrogen and of potash; were these latter agents ap plied, to the extent of properly bal ancing this exc S3 of phosphoric acid, and bringing about ajad C'ous balacc of all the elemeots of fertility present in the eoil, even if each and a l were pre?ent in exasive amounts, abund ant crops would be a perfectly natural and logical sequence Now, one ot the points we wish to make, one of tbe obj?c;s we had in view ia writing the present article, is to call attention to the fact that an actual excess of phosphoric acid has do evfn the slightest tendency to ware making a sterile acre fertile. A thor oughly good and fertile soil may cm tain about 4 000 pounds of phosphoric acid, and yet ba fertile and produc tive; while an acre that contains 1 555 pounds in exees of this amount. i barren and utterly useless for ordinary purposes of agriculture. Now without wishing to give undue prominence to eisher potash or nitro gen, and eqially without, wishing to decry, cr detract from the virtues of phosphoric acid, we would state that, on the major portion of the soils of tbe South, more eeprcially the sandier portions and the old, well worn roils hat are in a semi exhausted ciniitio. from too long cultivation in cotton and "tier clean hoed crops, are more de ficient in nitrogen and potash than otiey are in phoepaorics acii; while on oar richest aliu vials, tho so-caittd ' made land" of our creek and rivtr bottoms, where nitrogen is oftentimes fouad present in excess, phosphoric acid and potash are deficient; and on ruch shIs the more lio&raliy the-ie two latter agents are employed, within tbe bounds of reason, the more profitable tbe application. A. chain is no stronger than its weak est link; even so, the detritus of which our alluviala are composed can b? no richer in mineral elements than their source, it is the organic matter washed down from above that makes them richer and this sams extra richness is a onesided richness, being mainly nitrogen, and this excess cf nitrogen demand imperatively a j idicious and ltbaral, yet not necessarily prodigal application of both phosphates and potash and tnis to the extent of bring ing about as nearly as practicable a perfect equilibrium of all the elements of fertility. On all such soils, for the sake of large and consequently pre fi n able yields, if it is really necessar) that there shall ba an excess at all, we decidedly prefer that excess to be of phosphoric acid and potash, and never of nitrogen. We are cultivating soils of this character today, both corn and cotton, and believe tbat men will have to hustle who beats us with either crop; none of our neighbors can doit; and the fast tbat we practice what we preach, we ere forced to believe is tht secret of our success. Q. H. TURNKB. PRESIDENT GRIMKSTO THE TO BACCO GROWERS. The Address Delivered by Col. J Bryan Grimes at the Recent Meetiog of the 1 obacco Growers' association ia This City Gentlemen of the Tobacco Growers As sociation: O.. October 19ih, 1899, a meeting of tobacco farmers was neld in this city aod formed a temporary organization e'ectiDg me as its President, Ia ac cordance with the wishes of that or gan z rion, I issued a call for a tobac co planter 3' convention, to be held here December 6 h. The purpose of calling that convention was to perfect a permanent organization. To this convention planters from Virginia and South Carolina were invited, and rep resentatives of the tobacco journals, manufacturers and warehousemen of the State were asked to be present and furnish such cata and information as they had which would aid us in ascer taining the true cau;e of the present depression in the prices of leaf tobacco C also asked a number of gentlemen, prominent iq the manufacturing, in dustrial, agricultural aad political life of the State, to be wi ;h us and to make addresses. Tne continually dimini3h iog prices are so keeply felt by every planter that I hoped the convention oa the sixrh would bs largely attended, not only by tb.3 farmers themeelvts buta'zo by those who aratiirec ly or indireccly rff jctei by the tobacco in tre3t. From many of theso whom I invited to address you V received co reply. I was a!-?o disappointed by the iadiff roaco of many of cur growers, to this movement. While they recog nized th facs that tobacco was too low for profitable cultivation aod hoped that some remedy might be found to relieve ihia de pic rasla condition, they believed that all fflbrts for relief would be impotent. Tne meetiog cn ;he sixth, while strong in its personnel, was noc euffi Gently representative cf all the various tooacco sectiors to satisfac torily perfect cur organization. 80 it was decided that another c invention be held here at this time, and tbat all t bacco growing counties of Virginia, South Carolioa, Tennessee and North Carolina be urged to send delegate In response to this resolution you have now assembled. We invite at this con vention tbe fullest and freest discus sion of t ae tobacco business in all its phases, efpecially in relation to pro duction, consumption, local ei opera tive factories, markets, e c. We also wish to ascertain as accurately as pos sible the acreage fir the various 03uu ties represented, yield per acre, pro portion of crop rxark ted, class of tobacco raised, prices, etc , and in re gard to this last data I would suggest thnt the county delegitaa prepare a tabulated report for the secretary cf the convention. We would also like to hear from th? variui delegations as to any plans tba: th?y may havo to offer to this convention, remedial cf present digressed CJadiuon. I trust our deliberation will ba calm, conser vative and bU3in333 lika without preju dice or passion and bfii in dignity and counsel the great work upon which we are about to ensjtge. In admitting tbat prices are too 1 m and continually diminishing, i;is cur first duty to seek the cause ; that satiaf actorily determ ined, find a remedy, or attempt to mike one. We are informed that the markets are continually exanding and developing, and that the price of manufactured tobacco is rising. The government's etatistioi show us thas since 1890 there has been a decline of ab ut 20 per cent, in production and a decline of about 43 per cent, in total value. The large crop of 1830 averaged over 8 cen'8 per pound, while the small crop of 1896 brought only six cents per pound and I believe the average for 1899 will be considerably lower. The question naturally arises, why the price of the ra w article should decrease, as the price of the manufactured prod uct increases! The msrgin between the raw material and the manufactured article should not be so, great as to for oid profit to the grower. The profits from the former should not be in in verse ratio to the profits of the latter. Is this unnatural condition, caused, as is eo frfquently asserted, by a combi nation of 1 he capital, manipulating the markets in defiance of the great natural and ecooomic law of supply and de mand! There should be some equity in tbe sharing of profits. It is our purpose to encourage all legitimate in vestments of capital and we hope all in terested in the tobacco business will tase up this matter in a spirit of mu tual interest and discuss actual condi tions, aiding us in an honest investiga tion and in securing a thorough under standing of preeent depressed condi tions. Lot m learn the truth and fear lessly face it. Harmonious working together of all tobacco interests, mu tually dependent, should secure benefi cent results to both producer and manufacturer; making cartain in creased legitimate profits to the pro ducer with no diminution of prcfit to the manufacturer. That man ia an enemy to too farmer who attempts to ut j istly array him against capitalists, ana we' would nos bo put in a p vision of beiog antagonistic to any legitimate corporation, as that is now the reocg oz3d mode of commercial progress ion, aid has added billions to the industrial wealth of this country, where timid in dividual capital would never have ven tured. We want organized capital to come into our territory and aesisc in developing our latent resources and manufacsuricg our raw material. Give capital absolute protection, but let it understand that it comes to foster, not aeatroy. When a corporation becomes oppressive, the people, especially the agricultural people collectively, are aoie to control and restrain it. Co operation of capital is a vital force and necessary in iandiirg all great enter prises. C operation of agricultural interests are vitaily neces ar and in tpliiently and ajrgres&ively combined ctn secure protfc&ive legislation and industrial emancipation. Cooperation can control the acreage and enable us to prcfi.abiy market cur crop. Co operation cm build ua lecal factories and enable us to ehare in the profits cf ch9 minufacourers, giving ua home markers for our tobacco aa well as other farm produce. It is stated as a truism that purely agricultural prod uc:s will continue to decline; and we know that the products of the farm vhila of enormous value in tbe aggre gate, now yield very little profit to the tiiler of the soil; the thousands of pine grown fields in North Carolina elo- CONTINUED OS Pi.Gr 8. t
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 20, 1900, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75