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THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. Vol 15 RALSiaH. N 0. MAY 8. 1900 No 3 3 i Agriculture. EOF JIASSEY ON THE SOUTHERN COW r ' PEA. As a forage Crop Unexcelled, While Provid ing Free The Most Costly of all Fertiliiing Elements Grow Cow Peas Wherever Noth isgElse i3 Growing. l tmxn.lcur'of Tho Progressive Farmer. The observant student of agricul tural progress cannot have failed to note the great advance that has been nude in recent years in the cultiva tion of leguminous plants for the feeding of cattle and the improve ment of the soil. The determination of the agency which these plants have in the fixation of nitrogen in the form of organic matter in the soil is one of the greatest accomp lishments of modern biological study. The facthat clover and some other plants did exert a great influence in improving the fertility of the soil long known, but how they did it was a matter about which nothing was known until recent years, and there is still much to be learned in regard to the exact process by which the legumes do acquire the nitrogen of the air through the agency of microbes on their roots. But for the practical farmer it is enough to know that they do it. Knowing the great irood to the soil which has been done in the North through the use of clever, many Southern farmers have tried clover growing with more or less success. More failures generally than successes have been made with clover in the South, particularly in the cotton lands of the coast region proper. And right there was where the benefits of such a plant were most needed, for the long constant and dean culture of cotton had so re duced the humus in the soil that commercial fertilizers failed to have the effect desired in their use and V'T suffered more seriously from the ciTeets of drought than when fnh and fertile. For generations the Southern field r c .v pea has been grown in the iesnltory manner in the South, usually among corn merely for the pnrp'.so of getting the peas or for feeding hogs on the land after the corn was off. Only in recent years hare the Southern farmers begun to wake up to the knowledge of the wonderful value of the pea both as a forage plant and as a soil improver. Farmers who formerly thought they ere doing a good thing for their land by letting it he a year between (Tens or cotton crrowinir uu in an raartTv r of weeds and grass, have found out that the most profitable -ay To rest their land is to cover it with -ooas instead of weeds, and thus :'ot ;; valuable feed crop when cured as hay. while the land is improved in 'ro-l.-tive capacity for the follow- . r. .. We are beginning to learn that '.re is no reason to regret the fact that clover is not a success in th" s .nth. for we have at hand a Ti'-' r full" .wl.mf -t-i t r1 i m f rw -h li will do all that clover can do - r i. and do m 00 or )0 days wnat lov.-r takes two years to accomplish. hh i- fallen to my lot to take an ac-'iu- T. u t in the battle for the pea, an h;h urging on the Southern farmer 'practicability with its aid of in- (,rts:v;nir the fertility of his soil to hi:'het point of productiveness 'nth ..ut the purchase of an ounce of sitr-igmous fertilizers. The cotton W1 of the South in the sandy sec tion at least need good supplies of nitrogen, and this is the most costly t-hiiig they have to buy when bought in a fertilizer. But the pea gives this in abundance ; at the same time it is giving them the most valu-U- ,,t ; t.ek foods. agitation that has been going n in regard to the Southern pea has ttrai t. ,1 as much attention among t,w: awake farmers in the North- "rri N .stes as in the South. The in- 'i 'M of early-maturing varie- -nabled the Northern farmer out with the Southern pea 1 . has found it is of ines .tl:;e. and that the "clover -th" can well supidcment r in the North. Years ago " tight that the pea could anl ,t 4 t th. not I ... . cL u nceess north of Mary u s 1 Delaware. But wo have irum farmers who have found it invaluable as far north as South ern Vermont, Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. Seed taken gradually from South to North as they will mature have enabled the plant to become acclimated much further North than was thought pos sible a few years ago. Of course it reaches its greatest value and de velopment in a warm climate and a sandy soil. Few farmers suxiposed a few years ago that the farmers in Illinois and Missouri would be grow ing cow peas for forage, and finding them a success. A feeder of beef cattle for the export trade in Mis souri says that no food ho can get will finish off a beef like the hay of the cow pea. Another man in Missouri whose business is the raising of thorough bred horses says there is no feed equal to cow pea hay for finishing up a colt. From extensivo experiments at the Station and among farmers in the vicinity of the Station, the Mis souri Station advises the farmers of the State to grow cow peas for hay rather than timothy. And yet the Southern farmer has for years and generations been regretting that he cannot grow-hay in the South as they do in the North, and has accepted it as a fact that he cannot feed cattle because of the lack of hay. With the cow pea, which ho can grow bet ter than it can be grown anywhere else, he can compete with any part of the country in feeding cattle. If the Missouri farmers find it more profitable to grow cow pea hay than timothy it should bo found still more profitable to grow it in the South where the jica is more at home. Our farmers have for years been experi menting with various kinds of for age plants, such as cat-tail millet, German millet, teosinte, and all the weeds that have of late been sent out as forage plants, while all the while they have had in the pea a plant of surpassing excellence for all the purposes of forage, while at the same time it returns to the land more than it takes away from it. The wonder is not that the pea is being more extensively grown in the South, but that it has ever been neg lected. But it will not do to assume that tho pea will make any soil per manently fertile. It gives nitrogen making humus, but in order to do this it needs feeding, for it is a greedy consumer of phosphoric acid and pot ash. We have for years urged upon the farmer the fact that by feeding the pea we can more rapidly increase the productiveness of our land, than by the short-sighted policy of apply ing fertilizers to the sale crop direct, and buying the nitrogen we could have gotten without cost and even at a profit. Applying the cheaper forms of plant food to the pea crop we get a large increase in the forage crop that is going to stay on the farm to be fed to animals. It is easy to see that the heavier the forage crop, the more more animals can be fed. The more stock we feed and feed well, the more manure wo make at home and make the need for nitro genous fertilizers still less. Raising the richest of forage and feeding it wo will constantly be increasing our ability to feed as the productiveness of the soil increasos. An increase in tho pea crop must invariably be followed by an increase in the crop that succeeds it whether it be wheat, corn or cotton. Hence the feeding of the peas and the in crease of the forage crop starts the increase all around from the manure pile to the granary or store houses, and year by year it will go on in an increasing ratio simply because you feed the crop that feeds the land There has been a notion that it is necessary to go to a great deal of trouble to cure peas into hay. The fact is that there is no hay more easily cured. When sown for hay wo would sow very thickly if the land is- strong so as to prevent the stems getting too large and sappy. Then when the firt pods turn ellow, mow the pens and after they have wilted during the day, rake them into windrows before night. Turn tho windrows over the next day. The next day, if you can take a bunch of the hay and give it a hard twist and can see no sap run to the twist, put the hay away under shelter. A close barn is best, but it will cure well anywhere under shelter or even in a stack, if the stack is capped by straw or grass that will shed tho rain. Tho wilted vines will heat after storing, and if you go to open ing them to cool them off you wTill certainly make mouldy hay, but if left strictly alone they will cure into beautiful hay. Some have failed in this curing, but hundreds have suc ceeded. My own horses have been feeding all winter on bright-colored pea hay made in this way, and have kept in fine order. Where the hay is very heavy it will have to be left out a little longer than where light, but get it in while the leaves are still limp or you may lose the best part of the hay. W. F. Massey. Wake Co., N. C. 'A BATTLE TO BE RE-FOUGHT." Correspondence of The Progressive Earmer. Under this heading the editor was pleased last week to give a review of the encroachments and solidarity of combinations which are this year prepared to levy taxes of their own on the farming interests. Where is there anyone to seriously stand against the levies which the trade combinations seo fit to make on the cotton or any other farming interest? The editor is bluffing you readers into a belief that thero is somewhere a farmers' organization, and that in some mysterious way this organiza tion will be able to "throw off the shackles of capital," and march forth with a chip on it3 shoulder ready and able to cope with any power on earth. Tho facts are that the men who make and sell the bagging and ties know their ground and are well or ganized to make some money. There has been a magnificent rise in cotton and every tyro who can harness a mule or yoke a bull yearling in the whole South is going to put pledges' on the future to secure bread and meat and commercial manure to "make a crop." Without disastrous conditions to tho crop from Virginia round to tho remotest limit of the cotton belt in Texas tho struggle is on to grow cotton more cotton than ever before. It is only a question of weeks and tho lint will be ready to pick and bo put on the market. The season logins in J une and lasts until December. Where is the farmer's organiza tion with its inspector who has a bank account behind him that can say to the white planter of Texas, or the colored grower : "You need not pay these exorbitant prices ; pile up your seed cotton in as safe and dry a place as possible ; here is a loan to you from your Carolina brother that will enable you to meet your present obligations. We will stand together and fix the prices on these people's commodities." What other propo sition than one carrying the force of ready cash will serve to help a poor cotton grower to redeem his pledges and from paying whatever price is demanded for groceries consumed, for fertilizer used on crop mortgage, and from ruin if he does not fulfill the obligations entered into in order to come in with cotton this year? This year, of all the years of late, is the one wherein to plant corn, potatoes, wheat and seed North Carolina hillsides to grazing grasses. These will raise more cotton profit than can be cultivated out of the earth in cotton after the outside charges are paid and the crop for the year has been counted and had its effect in settling the price of the lint settling probably so low the grow ers will hold empty purses when the "returns are all in" and the bills paid. Ten years ago the Farmer's Alli ance was well organized and strong. Its doings in the cotton bagging line iA one of the few things to go back to . Instead of staying organized and being farmers first and last some of its trusted representatives have de nied their faith for oflicos and others have held back in their membership because the ties that should are only composed of "sand" of tho micaceous j sort and do not "bind. The rank and file are out for what can be obtained by individual effort, and they are as likely to reap on that basis this year as any other in cotton growing more likely to reap the re sults of disorganization than ever be fore. F. E. E. ME. JORDAN AND HIS PLAIT. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. As some newspapers have heaped abuse and ridicule on Mr. J. F. Jor dan, of Greensboro, who instituted the movement of the tobacco growers of this State against the American Tobacco Trust, allow us through your columns to say a few words in regard to Mr. Jordan's reputation. We have personally known Mr. Jordan for a number 'of years, and know him to be a man of sterling worth and rare business qualifica tions always having the greatest re spect for truth and honesty, and al ways advocating the maxim "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Knowing Mr. Jordan as we do, we feel it to be our duty to encourage the tobacco growers of the bright to bacco belt to put forth every effort and. give all their influence in behalf of Mr. Jordan in his holy war against this giant octopus the American To bacco Trust, that is sucking the life blood from the tobacco industry of this southland of ours. We send you an amendment to the Jordan plan as adopted by the State Tobacco Growers' Association, that the Sumner Township Tobacco Growers' Association has drawn co lieving it to be more effective and easier for the tobacco growers to be organized under: "We agree first, to sell our entire crop of tobacco for the next five years to said J. F. Jordan and his as sociates, a corporation which shall be formed for the purpose of manu facturing and disposing of said to bacco, said corporation to pay for any and all tobacco when offered in oash at an advance of not less than fifteen per cent, over tho average price of the same grade of tobacco dnrmg the last five years, jsaiu 'price to be fixed by a commission a ma jority of whom shall represent the seller. 2d. Said corporation shall allow any and all planters to take stock in said corporation to the amount of twenty per cent. I3rd. All tobacco shall be graded and averaged on the warehouse floor by two growers selected by this or ganization and two leaf dealers selected by his people. 4th. Any planter selling his to bacco or any part thereof to any per son or persons other than this or ganization or said Jordan and his associates shall forfeit amount of same, also his entire crop of tobacco to said Jordan and his associates. 5th. Any person in either corpora tion or organization making default in his agreement in any particular shall be guilty of fraud, and may be punished according to the laws of the State in which he resides, at the dis cretion of said corporation or organ ization. S. E. Coltrane, Pres't. It. E. Hodgin, Sec'y. Guilford Co., N. C. ENGAGE YOUR FARM PRODUCTS. The farmer in order to dispose of many of his products to advantage will find it a good plan to engage them previous to taking them to market. For instance, if he has cucumber pickles to sell, if he takes them to the stores they will in all probability have barrels put up by manufacturers, and they retail them out at 25 cents a gallon. A farmer cannot take this for pickles put up in pure cider vinegar, and nicely spiced when manya families will take these pure articles and pay well for them. Many times have we seen farmers go to town with large loads of pumpkins and squashes and the pittance they received for them wouldn't pay for the wear on the team. In this locality many a farmer can tako his choice between a sum far less than a load of wood is worth, or haul his wood back home, when the farmer "who is watching the corners" will engage his wood dur ing the summer months, and haul it j in the fall when tho roads are good. j H. C. Parker, Kidder, Mo. j i Reports from the Western part of j the State are to tho effect that j the grain crop there is very fine this j year. . , ; Horticulture. GARDEN ENEMIES AND HOW TO DE STROY THEM. Farmers' Voice says that during recent years the insect enemies of garden crops have become much more numerous than formerly, large ly on account of the ravages of im ported varieties which seem to thrive in their new environment, and this makes the knowledge of how to meet these new enemies absolutely neces sary to success. "The best way to begin is to give the Tarious garden crops the best possible chance by providing good soil, proper plant food and cultivation that they may grow up vigorous and better able to resist destruction from insect pests. Without these the crop will not be worth the trouble of preventing at tack from these destroyers. After these come watehf ulness and prompt attention to remedial measures. There is hardly an insect pest but can be destroyed with little trouble if taken when it first puts in an ap pearance." The following gives the principal pests and the means of destroying them : "Cutworms are hard to catch, as they keep hidden during the day. Usually they do but little damage if the garden is plowed very early in the spring and allowed to freeze and thaw a few times. A good way to kill them is to sprinkle Paris green on slices of potato and lay these pieces near freshly set-out plants. "Paris green also kills potato bugs in a. very short time. Most people use the mixture too strong. Two ounces to fifty gallons of water is effectual if the mixture is kept con stantly stirred. Striped cucumber bugs are about the hardest we hare to deal with. They come in a night and destroy the vines in a day. Usually they send a scattering ad vance guard, which should be a warning, for thousands are sure to follow. Mix 5 pounds of air-slaked lime and a quarter of an ounce of Paris green very thoroughly and dust the leaves with this while the dew is on in the morning. Do this before the bugs come, and repeat oc casionally until danger is past, which will be the last of June usually, al though sometimes theycome later. Do not leave any clods around the hills. Make the surface smooth, so there will be no hiding place for the bugs, and sprinkle the mixture on the ground pretty freely. Soot from the chimney where wood is used is good, and we have driven them away with road dust sprinkled freely on the leaves, as they seem not to like grit. Be sure to get the remedy, whatever is used, on the under side of the leaves, as there is where they feed. "Squash borers are becoming worse every year, seemingly, and in some sections they have made it al most impossible to grow squashes. They work in the vines, beginning at the roots. The eggs are laid early in the season on the stems just where they come from the ground and the borer hatches and works inside. The lime and Paris green will be a good thing to use early in the season, and as the vines begin to grow hoe the soil over the crown where the vines come from the ground. As the vines make growth cover every sec ond joint with soil to the depth of two inches and roots will strike into the soil almost at once, adding vigor to the vine, even keeping it growing when the borers succeed in getting into it. If the vines begin to droop, split open with a sharp, thin knife and find the borer and kill it. Then cover with soil and it will usually re vive and grow without injury. "Cabbage worms are certain to be with us, but they are so easily de stroyed that they should not create much alarm. Take common Persian insect powder, being sure to get that which is fresh, and put it into a com mon powder gun, or in the absence of that, a jxipper box with a per forated top, and early in the morn ing sprinkle a little of the powder over the inside of the leaves on the worms that are at work. In five minutes every worm that is touched will be dead," and a few such treat ments are all that is necessary in a season. The insect powder is not poisonous to anything but insects and may be used with safety." THE GARDEN PAYS. A Successful Tracker Tall What Cat be Bea Wili SaanB. Ourrespaiwieine f The Progressive Funwor. As the season advances and the press of farm work increases, the garden is more than likely to suffer from noglect ; and yet, if yon will but stop and think a moment, you must admit that nothing on tho farm pays so well for the time devoted to its care. If your garden has been properly laid out, so that it can be worked with horse and cultivator, an hour or so each week win suffice to keep everything in first-class con dition, and the time will never be missed from tho crop. Vso a fine tooth cultivator or harrow, most of tho time, for a tool of this kind can be run very close to the young plants, and will save much hoe work. Among, the vegetables which should occupy a prominent place in the farm garden is tho snap bean, both bunch and polo. Repeated planting of this bean should bo kept up to insure a continuous smpply. Tho new Stringless Green-pod, Val entine, and Best of All are good hunch varieties, with tho Kentucky Won der and Whjto Creasebaek for pole. One quart of th bunch beans will plant one hundred feet of drilh or about 2 bushels and 1 pock to to the acre, where tho rows are two feet apart. The polo bean can bo planted at the rate of 1 quart to 150 hills, in rows 4 feet or 5 feet apart, and hills 2 feet in the row, training two hills to a pole. There are a number of good wax varieties, but wo much prefer tho green podded sorts they being mere hardy and jcxluctive, also better sellers. The culture of beans is very sim ple, and comparatively little manure a or fertilizer is required. This should consist principally of potash and phosphoric acid, as the bean belongs to tho leguminous family and can ob tain a largo portion of its nitrogen from tho air. A fertilizer analyzing ammonia 3 per cent., phosphoric acid 7 per cent., and potash 7 per cent., is about right for this crop ; applied at the rate of 500 pounds per acre. To prepare a fertilizer which will analyze as above, take 100 pounds nitrate of soda, 450 pounds cotton seed meal, 1,200 pounds acid phos phate, and 259 pounds muriato of potash, to make a ton, or 1,700 pounds bone meal and 500 pounds muriato of potash, will also give a similar fertilizer. Care should be taken to have the soil fine and the fertilizer well mixed in tho row. We like to prepare our land, apply the fertilizer, put two furrows on it, and let it stand about two weeks before planting, then plant as soon after a rain as the land will do to work. The top of tho ridge can bo knocked off with a board, and the seed put in with a drill ; or the ridgo can be opened with a small scooter, and the seed dropped by hand, covering about two inches deep. In this way you may be almost sure of getting a good stand. If, however, thero comes a heavy rain after planting, and a crust forms over the seed, it should be broken with a harrow or rake, else tho beans will bo slow to oomo, and an inferior stand will be the result. When cultivating, bo careful to plow and hoe your beans only when the vines are dry ; otherwise they will turn yellow, and tho crop be greatly ' damaged. Of lima or butter beans, the small bush Tarieties, such as Henderson's Bush Lima, succeed best in tho South . There is also the Small Lima (Sieva) a pole variety which does nicely. 1 have seen this bean completely hide a garden fence in Florida, and fur nish a continuous supply of beans all summer. Lima beans should not be planted until tho weather is thor oughly settled and warm, otherwise the seed is likely to rot in the ground. Their culture is similar to that of the snap bean, with the exception that they require very much richer" land for best result.'', and we there fore use double the quantity of fer tilizer for them that we do for the snap'. We find theo beans very profitable for the home market and last year we sold $100 worth from one-half acre on land that had grown a crop of strawberries in the sprim before tho beans were planted. F. J. Messiah. Battlo Hill, Ga.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 8, 1900, edition 1
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