Tho Progressive Farmer, July 2, 1901.
Published Weekly at Raleigh, N. C.
Owned by the Heirs of Mrs. L. L.
Polk deceased.
Clarence H. Poe, - - Editor.
J. W. Denmark, Business Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION
Single Subscription One Year. . .$1.00
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4 4The Industrial and education
al Interests of our People Para
mount TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
or State Policy, is the motto of The
Progressive Farmer, and upon this
platform it shall rise or fall. Serving
no master, ruled by no faction, cir
cumscribed by no selfish or narrow
policy, its aim will be to foster and
promote the best interests of the
whole people of the State. It will be
true to the instincts, traditions and
history of the Anglo-Saxon race. On
ftll matters relating specially to the
great interests it represents, it will
peak with no uncertain voice, but
will fearlessly the right defend and
Impartially the wrong condemn.'1
From Col. Polk's Salutatory, Feb.
10, 1886
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Thk Progressive Farmer Is the Official
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hould then notifv us to discontinue it.
We Invite correspondence, news items, sug
gestions and criticisms on the subjects of agri
culture, poultry raising, stock breeding, dairy
ing, horticulture andTgarding; woman's work,
literature, or any subject of interest to our lady
readers, young people, or the family generally;
Sublic matters, current events, political ques
onaand principles, etc., in short, any subject
discussed in an all-round farm and family news
paper. Communications should be free troni
personalities and party abuse.
THE CULTIVATION OF THE SUGAR BEET.
Our Western North Carolina read
ers will be interested in the article
on page 1 by Chemist Withers, of
the North Carolina Experiment Sta
tion, reporting the promising out
look for sugar beet culture in our
mountain counties. The bulletin on
. this subject which will be issued by
our Experiment Station within a few
days will thoroughly oover this sub
jeot, and should be read by all in
terested persons.
Our Washington correspondent
has just interviewed Secretary Wil
son with regard to sugar beet cul
ture,, and what he has to say upon the
subject is also given at some length
on the first page of this number.
In other sections this industry has
been made to pay handsomely, and
we believe that it will within a few
years become a profitable branch of
farming in many counties of this
and adjoining States.
WHY?
If the income of the State is in
sufficient to meet all the appropria
tions made by the Legislature, why
is the $200,000 for the public schools
entitled to least consideration? Yet
the general opinion is that this ap
propriation will be the last one paid.
Are there no other appropriations
the payment of which can be deferred
in order that the children of the
State may have their money? If pos
sible, the people would like to have
such a course pursued.
"PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH."
We are fully convinced that our
western farmers are losing enormous
sums by the tan bark industry. It's
another case of killing the goose that
lays the golden egg. Timber is
steadily becoming scarcer and the
man who gives proper attention to
his forests will sooner or later reap a
rich reward therefor, while the man
who sacrifices a good tree for the
pitiable sum secured for its bark will
sometime realize that it doesn't pay
to hold a penny so close to one's eyes
to bo unibio to see a dollar a few
away.
?e are printing an article on page
I of this issua which, in our opinion,
puts tiiis matter in exactly the right i
light.
The article, 'Maryland Farmers'
Demands," indicates that tho spirit
of truw programs is moving the ugri- j
cultural interest- ot tuat State. :
Steadily does ths caus oi agricul
tural education go forward. Sue Jess
WORK FOR THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE.
Close students of human nature
long ago set it down as a f undamen
tal truth that to win success, in the
true sense of the word, a man must
love his work. And this is as true
to day as it ever was. As a rule, tha
successful man is he who has an
abiding interest in his vocation, who
rejoices at every movement whioh
promises to add dignity to it or to
make it of greater service to man
kind. Not only does the work of
his brethren in his own little neigh
borhood interest him, but he watch
es with pleasure the work of lead
ers in far away States, the progress
made by its deepest thinkers,and the
general tendency of the entire cratt.
The successful lawyer is proud of
the record of the great lawyers of
the past and is always deeply inter
ested in the work of leaders at the
bar, the world over. The scientist
regards as a priceless heritage the
work of Davy, Farady, Darwin, Au
dubon, Agassiz, and a host of other
workers like himself, whose lives
have counted for much in the march
of human progress. Likewise the
editor studies with pleasure the lives
of the giants of other days Greeley,
Dana, Childs, Bonner, Ford, etc.,
etc., andfeels a living interest in the
work of present day leaders and in
the prophecies as to the position of
the press a century hence.
And so it should be with the far
mer. There are farmers who scoff at
the "dignity of farming," belittle
scientific agriculture, read only po
litical papers, and are constantly
showing in countless ways that they
do not love their work. There are
others and these are generally lead
ers in their communities who keep
in touch with the popular movements
affecting their craft, who work ac
tively for rural free delivery, farm
telephones, better public schools, bet
ter public roads ; who are well in
formed as to the progress made by
experiment stations and the leaders
of agricultural thought and who
read the best agricultural books
and newspapers.
The foregoing paragraphs were
written by us three or four weeks
ago, but left unpublished. We print
them now because we wish to say
that the hope of agriculture lies in
increasing the number of the last de
scribed class of farmers, and to do
this, in our opinion, should be the
prime object of the Farmers' Alliance
which contention is very well set
forth by Lecturer Cates, of the
Alamance County Alliance, in an
article on page 6. The Alliance can
best do this by encouraging the
study of agricultural literature ; by
improving the social life of the
country ; by keeping in touch with
the experiment stations, agricultural
colleges and State and National De
partments of Agriculture ; by pro
moting experiments by its members
and friendly rivalry between them
in the matter of adopting best farm
methods ; in helping forward every
movement looking to the better
ment of the public roads, the public
schools, and the general welfare of
the community ; in showing itself
not the enemy, but the friend of
every other honestly conducted pro
fession or trade ; in promoting the
use of the most improved and eco
nomical farming machiney and meth
ods ; in keeping its members posted
upon all public matters and, by
training in study and discussion,
enabling them to properly defend
their men and measures in public
gatherings and political meetings ;
in defending itself from any organ
ized oppression of the farming
classes ; in co operating in buying
and selling and properly supporting
its business agency. In matters not
affecting agriculture especially, but
all citizens alike, it should encourage
individual and independent study
discussion, urging each member,
without endeavoring to commit the
organization, to work in his own
j)olitical party for the principles
which unbiased study has convinced
him are correct.
Put a live Sub-Alliance in any
neighborhood and then convince the
rest of the farmers that its members
ue ii little better methods in farm
ing, keep a little better posted with
regard to the outside world, are a
little better citizens, save a little
money by-co operation, and make
farming a little niv ts profitable as a
result of their keeping in the front !
ranks of agricultural progress ; then '
convince these outside farmers that
organization is responsible tor this,
and yo-a v-iil have no dhliculty n ;
build ia up you: Alliauce. !
Wo balieve that the hope of the
Alliance lies in taking up this work
and keeping everlastingly at it.
There must be an organization of
this kind in North Carolina. Let all
that are interested work together to
gether to bring it about.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PAYS.
"Will it pay me to take a course at
an agricultural college ?" is a ques
tion many young men are asking
just at this time. And we believe
that a little faithful investigation
will convince these young farmers
that the statement whioh serves as a
title for this article is a oorrect one
that 'agricultural eduoati on pays."
At the recent East Tennessee
.Farmers' Convention, for instance,
7ov. Hoard said that he had 200 ap
plications from wealthy ranchmen
and farmers wanting him to find
them good, educated young men to
take the management of their farms.
"I could do little in this line, I am
sorry to say," he stated, "because
the supply is not equal to the de
mand ; but I could have sent them
doctors and lawyers by the dozens,
and good ones, too."
This is an illustration of the ad
vantages of an ordinary agricultural
course. To the young man who
wishes to go even further and, as one
would say, thoroughly master the
higher science of agriculture, we
commend the following statement of
Secretary Wilson's. Speaking last
week of his recent trip West, Mr.
Wilson said :
44I was especially impressed with
the fact that the West needs men
skilled in forestry and irrigation and
with a knowledge of the soils. The
forests and ranges are being ex
hausted and they must be replaced
and conserved. Strange to say, the
department cannot find men educated
in the West fitted to supply its great
needs in agriculture. No university
in the United States, out of all the
universities it has, can turn out a
man with a thorough knowledge of
the soils. We need agricultural
chemists, soil physicians, who know
the composition of soils and what
they will grow to best advantage.
We need physiological chemists,who
know the juices of plants and what
they require. We had one suoh an,
Dr. Oscar Loeb, and Japan took him
from us at a salary of $7,500 a year.
We have not been able to replace
him, but Dr. Wylie, at my request,
has taken up the study and is fitting
himself for the work by original re
search." In this connection we are remindep
that Dr. Henry Wallace, of Wallace's
Farmer, recently had an inquiry
something like this : "Would you
consider a two years' course in agri
culture of enough benefit to the aver
age farmer to pay him for the time
and money spent ; or, in other words,
would you advise a young farmer to
take a course in agriculture? What
would be some of the benefits?"
Dr. Wallace's reply was so sound
in principle and so well stated that
we make no apology for reproducing
it herewith :
To this we would answer unhesi
tatingly : Yes, provided the young
man is determined to make the most
of his advantages ; in other words, if
he is going there to study and mas
ter the principles, theory and prac
tice of agriculture. If he is going
simply to put in the time and make
himself a receptacle for cram, we
would say, Stay at home. The ad
vantages would be manifold, and
among them the following : He
would know the why of doing things
as well as the how : he can get a good
grasp of general principles, the laws
of nature that govern, and hence
would come to a good understanding
with nature and her laws and could
work with her instead of at cross -purposes
; he will be working intelli
gently hereafter instead of going it
blind ; he will have an opportunity
not merely of studying the principle
of plant and stock breeding, but see
ing them applied ; he will understand
breeds and breeding, about feeds
and feeding, to say nothing of the
development of his mental faculties
incident to tho prosecution of these
studies ; and finally, by making the
acquaintance of many of the bright
est young men of the State which
will be available to him in future
years, and he will be a leader among
men. We have no hesitation in ad
vising every young man who can pos
sibly do it to take a course at his
State Agricultural College, even if
he intends to go bask on the ftrm.
The ttd vice we give to this vouu"
man, we give to nil. Other things
being iqu d, we think it better for a
y-mug man to attend the agricultural
college in his own State." '
TO TEACH THE PRINCIPLES OF AGRI
CULTURE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
In a recent number of his paper,
the editor of the Clarkton Express
said :
4 4 We have often thought that as
North Carolina is an agricultural
State and most of the children in
public schools are those of farm
ers, that there ought to be among
the books required to be taught, one
treating of agriculture, not one deep
ly scientific, but discussing the diff
erent kinds of soils, their value and
which crops were best adapted to
them, the different kinds of chemi
cals valuable as fertilizers, and what
kind of fertilizer is needed for the
soil and crops."
Many other progressive people,
especially those in the country, have
long held the opinion so well ex
pressed by the Express. A long step
forward was taken by the last legis
lature in providing for the adoption
of such a text book in agriculture to
be taught in our public schools. We
understand that our educational au
torities are endea voting to secure the
best work of the kind for this pur
pose and will announce their deoision
within a few weeks. If we can get
just one bright boy in each public
school really interested in a first
class book on the principles of agri
culture, the good effects will soon be
felt in more economical and progres
sive farming methods.
When a man gets tired of work he
suddenly finds that he needs a plow
point, or has some other urgent
business to attend to, and off he goes
to town and gets his diversion ; but
the poor woman cannot do this and
does not turn her work loose so easi
ly. Hence, we insist that the farmer
should fix up everything possible to
make life pleasant for their wives.
THE PENITENTIARY.
The last issue of King's Weekly,
of Greenville', contains this editorial
paragr ph t
44It seems to us that it would be a
good things to go deep down into the
penitentiary matter for the past few
years. Turn on the light, show the
books. If there is nothing wrong it
will be all right. Don't put politi
cians or job seekers at the work
either. Circumstances demand that
penitentiary matters be given a good
ventilation. What say you, Gov
ernor?" The ugly rumors that have been
circulated for months past, and, like
Banquo's ghost, will not down,
have prepared many people to say
"amen" to this sentiment of Editor
King's. We know not and care not
as to what men or parties would
suffer as a result of this investiga
tion, or whether any would suffer,
but a little ventilation really seems
to be order. If it is believed that
there is anything wrong, then, in
justice to the people of the State, in
vestigate ; if there is nothing wrong,
then the old management will be
cleared of the suspicious rumors that
have been 4 'in the air" for months.
PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
Says Col. Olds: 4 4 General Toon
is anxious for eaoh county to estab
lish the six school libraries author
ized under the library aid act. He
thinks if one public-spirited man in
each comunity will take up the mat
ter, the amount to secure a library
can be raised at once. It is suggested
that a day be set apart as library
day in each township, and the people
gather together in mass-meeting,
some speaker be selected to present
the advantages of tho library in the
community, and in this way not only
could the small sum be raised, but it
would inspire an added interest in
the movement."
This suggestion is an excellent one,
and we heartily commend it to our
readers throughout North Caro
lina. We have been both surprised
and pained by reason of the failure
of many counties to demand their
share of the money appropriated by
the State for the establishment of
these public schoolhbraries. This act
of the last General Assembly presents
an opportunity that no up to-date
neighborhood should allow to pass
unimproved. We should like to have
Progressive Farmer readers take up
this matter and push it to success in
every neighborhood in which this
paper is read. And the library day
idea is a good one ; try it.
Judge Clark's address printed on
page 4 is well worth the attention of
our North Carolina readers. Hardly
could any man d o oar State a better
cervi ;e than by giving to the world
a carefully prepared story of her
career, avoiding the bulkiness and
dryness which unfit any history lor
public school use.
DAIRYING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
EARTH.
Krtitnrial Correspondence Progressive Farmer
Perhaps your readers would like
to hear something from this side or
the globe for a variation. For some
three or four weeks after my letter
i there was little
time to write, or much time and little
to say. We were sailing. Six days
from San Francisco brought Hono
lulu up on the horizon, and twelve
days after leaving that tropical town
found us in Yokohoma, Japan.
While in Japan it seemed as though
there was too little time after busi
ness for looking around, and what
writing one did was needed to pre
serve the record of our errand here.
In California several dairies were
visited. One at Milbrae, owned by
Mr. D. O. Mills, is engaged in sup
plying milk to San JTrancisoo. It is
miles out. but the milk is
sent by wagon twice a day. Here
were several hundred cows. They
are stabled in a barn radiating out
from a central room on a semi-circle.
The central room is the weigh room,
and one man weighs the milk as it
comes in from the different wings.
The milk is strained and drops down
into a vat in an airy light rcom be
low, being cooled and aerated before
it reaches the vat ; then it is put up
for shipment and the excess at every
milking is taken to a near-by build
ing and run through a separator.
Butter is made of what cream is not
sold as suoh and the skim milk is
given to the calves and pigs. The
cows are native grade Durham or
Shorthorns and full or grade Hol-
stein-Freisian. Males of the latter
breed predominate, though one or
two of the former are kept in service.
This was the only large herd seen by
your correspondent. We talked with
Mr. Chas. D. Pierce, who recently
purchased the large Eshleman-Sherman
herd of Holstein-Friesian cattle
and removed them from Fresno to
his island farm up the bay.
Several small herds were visited
and we saw one $200 yearling de
scendant of De Cole 2nd and Pauline
Paul at, Fresno. He is in the hands
of the live manager of the San Joa
quin Ice Co This company did not
make an entire success of ice at first,
but three years ago started in the
creamery business and now both
lines are paying. The milk is now
gathered into skimming stations
similar to those we have advocated
for North Carolina, and the cream
only shipped to the factory.
At the time of our visit the prod
uct amounted to 2,700 pounds of but
ter per day. There are fifteen or
twenty skimming stations in a sec
tion of the State where until recent
ly cattle were not kept, and to have
talked of a creamery business would
have marked one out for ridicule.
Irrigation and alfalfa are doing the
work of transformation.
In Japan one dairy of forty cows
was visited near Yokohoma. This
is owned and operated by an Eng
lish gentleman. The stook is ao
scended from a herd once imported
from Lakiside, N. Y., the famous
Smiths Powell and Lamb herd for
the Japanese Government. One
young bull was recently brought out
from the Eshleman-Sherman herd
mentioned above.
It has not been easy to find cows
or dairies in Japan. 4tO, yes, there
are dairies just out a little from the
city;" or, "We take milk from a
dairyman who lives just outside a
little in the country. " But where,
oh, where?
Time has been too precious to
spend much in making a directory
of the suburbs of these Japanese sea
ports. We have, however, hunted
up one or more small herds in each
part and spent a little time in fruit
less search at Osaka and Kyoto. At
the latter place we found a guide
who could show temples galore and
porcelain works, where he no doubt
reaps a commission on sales, but he
cume no nearer a dairy than : "Yes,
there are dairies in Japan, but they
are out near Yokohoma and Yokyo.
Cannot feed cows near Kyoto. Not
enough grass. Keep cows up in the
North where grass grows."
But if they do not keep cows or
goats they are learning to draw freely
on the civilized world for condensed
milk. It is on sale by foreign and
native merchants in quite large quan
tities and is known by all classes of
citizens.
At Nagasaki, the last place visited
in Japan, we were in two dairies.
The milk is used in the city and is
pitifully small in quantity and can
not be over rich in quality from the
kind of stock and feed used. A pho
tograph of a new stable just under
going completion and another of the
proprietor holding a white cow
n Iron t Tiara TV. a W -i
w iiciu consists rf
15 or 16 cows, 8 or 10 calves, a bull
and a few heifers. The man h
went with us to find the first
very anxious to know if 4 4 You b
cow." Rich commissions no wy
were rising on his vision. When h
learned that we were not negoti t
ing for delivery of milk or cow8 a
the distance, up hill, of the last ly
tion, he stayed behind, but did not
fail to apply for double his usual p
for full time. Breakfast i3
ready here on steamship Nipp0a
Morn in the midst of theChina
So goodbye for now. More of
Japanese farms later.
Frank E ee8y.
LO, THE POOR INDIAN !
As an American citizen, the v?rite
is not proud of America's treatment
of the Indian. Ever since the Vi
grims landed at Plymouth Rock
1 'first falling on their knees, then on
the aborigi-nes," we have been rnn.
ning affairs largely upon the phn
ciple that the red man has no rights
that the white man is bound to re.
spect. Even now, in the matter of
opening up some Oklahoma lands for
settlement, our treatment of the
Indian seems not above reproach as
will be seen from the following
Washington dispatch published last
week :
"Judge W. M. Springer, represent
ing Lone Wolf and other Indians of
the Kiowa, Apache and Commanohe
tribes, called at the White House to
day and presented to the President
a memorial in behalf of his clients
praying the executive to withhold
the issuance of his proclamation
opening up their lands for settlement.
The memorial points out that the
lands are worth $5,000,000 and the
government proposes to pay the In
dians but $2,000,000, and that they
have neVer consented to the agree
ment for the opening to white set
tlers." A RARE VOLUME.
Any reader of The Progressive
Farmer having a copy of the Bragg
fraud commission report on the
North Carolina "special tax bonds"
of reconstruction days, can seoure
a good price for the volume. The
State Librarian tells us that not a
oopy is to be found in the State
Library, and that it is regarded as
next to impossible to secure a copy
at all. This Bragg report contained
"lots of mighty interestin' read
in," as Horace Greely would say.
Some of the State's most prominent
families, however, found it no less
unpleasant than interesting, and
oommenced a systematic effort to
destroy the entire edition, in which
effort they have about succeeded.
Without this volume the history of
the dark days just after the war
cannot be fully or properly written,
and we hope that some oopies will be
obtained and properly guarded for
the benefit of our historians.
NORTH CAROLINA CROP REPORT FOE
JUNE.
Commissioner of Agrioulture Pat
terson has just made public the offi
cial report upon North Carolina crop
conditions in June. Reports received
from all sections of the State, care
fully compared and averaged, show
the following conditions, figures fol
lowing each questions, sho .ving the
per centage for the State compared
with an average condition of 100 :
What is the present acreage of
cotton compared with last year ? 105
What is the present condition of
cotton? "
What is the acreage of tobacco
compared with last year?
What is the present condition of
tobacco? M
What is the present condition of
corn?
What is the present condition of
wheat
What is the presont condition of
oats? yl
What is the prospect of apples
compared with last year? sl
What is the prospect of peaches
compared with last year? 91
What is the prospect of pears m
compared with last year? '-'
What is the prospect of black
berries compared with last
year? I01
More favorable conditions exist in
the eastern part of the State than
in other sections. A number or cor
respondents complain of scarcity of
labor, while from all sections come
reports of serious damage by the
great May freshet. From Mitchell
oounty, where it was most severe, a
correspondent writes that in his
townshiD. the 44creek lowlands are
now rock bars, the hills are gullied,
and much land permanently ruined.
tt TTiii tiiA well-known
Raleigh poet, died Saturday, 29th nit-
n