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THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTEEEST8 OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 0? STATE POLICY. Vol. 16. Raleigh, N. 0., July 23, 1901. Ho. 24 Agriculture. HmOO PSA VISE HAT MM- EA CUSSED. DIS- Be:c:Edfr From Mr. Barbrey, of Sampson. Jidtsce of The Progressive termer. 1 I have had the heaviest fight of rV firm life- "Gen. Green" attacked 4' i ; v.a Biisnn. and knowing: 216 earo -- a huckleberry crop would unv recruiting of forces, he hinder Ifrso i to surrender, and I will con- . w tbat he is victor. But for this iwcuM have replied to Prof. Massey before. Hi reply was able and instructive, ca h s writings always are. I have utmost confidence in his ability, tie 3 .i;r.lriiw would not think of Putins myself against him in an ar dent wherein principles of science jje involved ; and in my reference to tis communication to the Southern Planter. I did it not for the sake of criticism, nor was there any egotism J2 it. There is no grounds for any. But I thought, and still think, that there is much involved in, it, and I sjit?d further discussion of the object of curing and feeding pea vine hay. He is mistaken in assum ing that 1 did not have a balanced ration. The statement that I had eood results from the use of good, irell-cured hay necessarily implies that the ration was "balanced that the proper proportions between the nitrogenous and carbonaceous ' fits cf the feed were used. Then, it ! is not to be supposed that in chang ing from the good to the damaged hav, the balance was lost, except so far as tht nutritive value of the hay was lessened. As to this I was pre pared for it and as early as I discov ered anv bad effect I increased the quantity of corn, which had been lessened while using the good hay in order to "balance" it. The same quantity of well cured corn fodder was used in both cases as was used when feeding corn and fodder only. Still, the results were bad. For tunately, the supply of this was not large and gave out about the time that I decided that the "damage" to the hay did the mischief. Nor did the evil effects cease when the hay was gone, for it was eight or nine months before it left the horse's sys tem, and he refused to respond to the very best of feeding, and even medication. Tne point I wish to make is this : Damaged pea vine hay will injure terse?, however well the ration may be ' balanced," and regardless of bit is employed to balance it! Prof. Massey admits that damaged -av should not be used, but seeming 7 knocks the props from under my P'::tion by stating that he can cure pen vine hay as easily as any other -a My confidence in his veracity -! n t less than my admiration of his ability : therefore, I must try to be--ve that he can. (Doubtless he -eses better lacilities tnan tne eia'v farmer.; But the case as me? a feature something like this : 1st: the War of the Rebellion terel.vfdin Western North Caro tn M woman who had the rep "kti:n f making strong cloth. Her -yvar-'.M son, who wore a pair of P-. n.ade of his mother's cloth, I- v?r.L'a yoke of steers; the r-tr -k a stump, the stump split h plow und boy passed r. but just at this time the !:-; . .M-i and caught the seat of -? 1 The boy used his lash : ' n to the plow ; the stump r.ut the punts didn't tear ; ive ben a considerable 1 susp-riders ! I must - vf; that Prof. Massey can in j hay as easily and as y as he can crab grass or . but the failures on the hers to do so makes it a am on my credulity ! fanners have more barn ' i needed to hold corn, and without shelter it is mi certain that tfie hay fe from -mold WVinn if. backed it might be be&fcto if- tacks as recommendedTCording to the latest reports there .7 V. w rriamand cure thoroughly Mucking. t Wm. A. BARlfclEY. lcn Co., N. C. NEWS OF THE FARMING WORLD. Our Washington Correspondent Tells What ProgTtu ii Being Made in the Various Sections of the Country. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. Live stock receipts at the five prin cipal markets of Chioago, Kansas City, Omaha, St, Louis, and St. Joseph during 1901 show remarkable gains over last year, both as regards April and the four months ending with April, the official receipts of cattle, hogs, and sheep in the four months just ended showing an in crease of 359,417 head, as compared with the corresponding four months of 1900. The rise in the price of corn is pointed out as being largely responsible for this increased move ment of live stock to market, it hav ing become more profitable to sell corn at 25 per cent, above last year's price than to keep the stock on suoh high-priced feed. COTTON CULTURE BECOMING POPULAR IN EUROPE. Consul Mahin, of Reichenberg, re ports that it is intended this year to essay the cultivation of the cotton plant in Hungary. It is said that it will ripen in the Southern part of that Kingdom, efforts to grow cotton in the lower provinces of Asiatic Russia, in the same latitude as Hun grry, having been successful. It is probable that bounties will be paid the cotton planters, in keeping with Hungary's liberal treatment of the founders of factories. More or less success is now attending the culture of cotton in Spain, southern Italy, Macedonia, and Malta. Consul Hughes at Coburg, attributes a nota able increase in the cotton produc tion of Russian middle Asia, Bok hara and Khiva during 1900 to the use of fine American ootton seed. Extraordinary stories are ooming in as to the PROFITS OF TRUCK FARMING IN THE SOUTn for Northern markets. The fertile peninsula which lies between the Cooper and Ashley rivers, of which Charleston, S. C, is the apex, for in stance, is divided up into little truck farms, which produce fruits, straw berries and early vegetables for the Northern market. Train loads leave every day in the spring for Wash ington, Baltimore, and New York, and there are two lines of steamers sailing twice a week filled with gar den truck, which sells at high prioes. The farmers grumble about the freight rates, but nevertheless they do very well. One of them cleared $4,000 last year from his strawberry beds. One makes $10,000 a year from a little farm on which he grows lettuce, tomatoes, early peas and beans. Last year he cleared up $600 an acre. From his ( rop of cucumbers he received a revenue of $1,934 ; from his potatoes, turnips, beets and other stuff he got $4,73, and from his fruit $4,138. Another man gets from 10,000 to 15,000 quarts of strawberries an acre between April 15 and May 15, and sells them at a profit of 1 cent a quart no: He has an orchard of 1,500 peach trees, which last year paid him an average of $6 a trfv His profits from trnck gardening have averaged $125 an acre for his fifty acres during the last ten years He is a Yankee, and plows deep. Similar stories come from all over the South. U. S. Consul John C. Covert, Lyons, France, in a report to the State Department, gives the follow ing information in regard to AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN FRANCE : Associations of farmer?, called 4 'syndicates- agricoles," have been organ ized all over Franco since the passage of the law of March 21, 1884, their aim being to further the economic, industrial, commercial and agricul tural interests of their members and to attach the farmer more closely to the country. They are organized under a general law which authorizes any twenty persons of one trade, or of several similar trades, to combine in a society. The dues are fixed at from 10 cents to $1 per month. Ac- are now in u ranee, z,uo societies oi farmers with 512,794 members. These societies are combined in ten unions which have representatives in Paris, who watch the course of legislation in the interests of the members. Secretary Wilson of the Depart ment of Agriculture and party have returned from A TRIP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. The trip was to observe the coun try with the view of including it in the proposed National Park for the protection of forests, the preserva tion of natural waterways and the prevention of the erosion of soil and filling up of the river channels. This movement for the formation of such a National Park is especially strong in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Ten nessee and West Virginia. Advocates of such a park desire to include in it 5,000,000 acres, embracing the high mountains from Virginia to Georgia and the main chain of the Appalach ian system. While other countries are spending large sums of money in order to add to their forests, it is only necessary in the United States to preserve what is already provided by nature in abundanoe. A. B. Marriott. Washington, D. C. SHALL WE CONTINUE TO PULL FODDER ? This subject has been often dis cussed in The Progressive Farmer, and we are glad that so many of our readers have purchased shredders and found them profitable. Yet only a step has been made in this direc tion only a little leaven, though we hope that it will eventually leaven the whole lump. Hoping to interest some that have not been reached by previous artioles, we re print here with an able discussion of the ques tion written by Prof. James B. Hun nicutt, of the Atlanta Southern Cul tivator, whose letter on fertilizers we printed in our last issue : We wish to discuss this subject once more. We find that very many farmers are still inclined to keep up the old habit of pulling fodder. This is a great mistake. It is a losing business. TI1E BLADES. Corn grows and matures not by accident but by fixed laws. One of these laws is that the food for filling out the grain upon the ear is worked over in the blades of fodder and re turned to the ear. This cannot be done if the blades are pulled off. The grain ceases to fill the moment the fodder blades are pulled off. This being true you cannot pull fodder without injuring the ear. Pulling fodder makes the corn lighter. It has been tried and tested by the scales a thousand times and always proves true. THE ROOT8. Another law of corn growth is that the feeding roots die before the blades. When the lower blades be gin to yellow the feeding roots die. At that time all the sap food is in the stalk. If the stalk is cut off near the ground thn no damage is done to the ear, while the blades are on the stalk. The process of preparing and returning the food to the ear still goes on and is somewhat has tened by the wilting of the leaves. This wilting stops the rapid evapo ration of water which was going on through their thousands of mouths. Hence the ear will fill out full, after the stalk is cut with the fodder on. The ears will be slightly heavier than if the stalk had died naturally. THE RESULT. So by cultivating and ntacking the stalks at the proper time you increase the yield of corn and have all the fodder better than if you had pulled it. You have saved the expense and labor pulling the fodder and at the same time saved the fedder better than if you had pulled it. But this ;is not all you have gained. You have the stalk itself, and this is worth as much per pound as fodder. Hence we urge every farmer to quit pulling fodder and cut his corn just when the fodder is fully ripe and the grain getting hard. THE VALUE OF THE STALK. By doing this you about double the value of the corn crop. The stalk shuck- and fodder, when cured and shredded, make hay which is as good as any hay and will sell for about the same as the corn. Every time you get ten dollars worth of corn in the ear you will have ten dollars worth of hay from the stalks. This has been proven by experiments. It is not guess work. You can test it by selling both. But this is not all that you have gained. You have the stalks out of the way in the field. And you have greatly inoreased the quantity of good hay for feeding. You stopped the shipping in of that much food from the North and West. You have kept that much money at home. If you will increase the number of your cattle and feed this extra hay to them you will get an additional income from your farm. Most of us cannot afford to lose this valuable hay crop this summer and fall. We are likely to be short on forage. You cannot afford to pull fodder. It is costing you too much. You need all the money you can make on your farm. Now that you have made this crop, it is your interest to take care of it and turn it into money the very best way you can. HOW SHALL WE DO THIS. Cut the corn, stack it, let it dry in the shocks. This will take from four six weeks, according to the weather. When fully dry, haul it to the shredder. The shredder will take off the corn and make hay of the stalk. Bale this hay if you can. Some think it pays to use a little salt as you bale. If you have not a shredder, get one if you are able and have enough corn to justify it. If not, then get some of your neighbors to shred for you, just as you get your wheat threshed. The same parties who run the thresher will often find it to their interest to run shredders for the s&Xe community. If you cut your oorn and keep it you can get it shredded. The hay will keep and all stock do well when fed upon it. If you wish to wait awhile before shredding, the corn will keep. Do not pull any fodder this year. DAMAGE BT CHINCH BUGS. Entomologist Sherman Suggests Preventive Measures. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. Several complaints have lately been received at this office regarding chinch bugs. During the spring we received one or two complaints about being in wheat, but as we only had one or two such letters, we did not appreciate that the damage inflicted by the insect this year would be large. It now appears that, after wheat harvest, the bugs migrated to the adjacent fields of corn where they are now doing very great damage. We have no suggestions to make for fighting the bugs when they infest a field. Wo do not know of any good method to do that. But, if the farmers had notified us in time of the prevalence of the bug in the wheat we would have known that an outbreak was at hand and would have been able to make suggestions that might have been useful to pro teot the corn. Not having been notified of this enemy in time, there fore, we are afraid that the sugges tions which we make at this tkne may not be as useful as if they had been made earlier. Every farmer should warn us promptly of the ap pearance of such pests. After harvest, the stubble of an infested field of wheat should be burned over and the land deeply plowed, if practicable. A deep fur row should be plowed around the neighboring corn fields, throwing the earth away from the field to be protected. This leaves a perpendic ular wall for them to ascend in order to get into the corn. This is quite a barrier to them, for, though many of the members of the summer brood have wings, they seldom put them into use. If, in addition to this, a continuous strip of tar be laid in the bottom of the furrow, the barrier will be more completed. A good many will gain entrance in spite of all we can do, but by following these suggestions this loss will be greatly reduced. All correspondence regarding in seots is cheerfully answered. Our office is here for the farmers, and they are invited to make free use of it. Inquiries should always be ac companied by specimens. Franklin Sherman, Jr. Entomologist Dep't of Agriculture, Raleigh, N. C. Live Stock and Dairy. SHEEP IN THE SOUTH. V. Salt Box, Salt Mixture, Prevents Parasites, Worms and Disease Winter Begun The Silo Ensilage May be a Perfect Food The Fleece to Pay Cost of Keeping Dry Feed The Amount Needed for Fifty Ewes Esti mates Water A Building for Fifty Sheep. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. Our fifty ewes should have access to clean running water twice every day all the year, but especially so in winter when they are mostly on dry food. It should be the same way with salt. The right management is to have the sheep brought into a fold or lot, exclusively their own, both winter and summer, in which is their house or shelter. In one corner of this shelter fix a salt box, so arranged that old sheep and lambs one or two at a time can have free access to it with their heads but not get on it or in it. This salt box should have in it all the time a salt mixture, in about the following proportions, viz : 13 pounds of salt, 5 pounds unleached wood ashes, 1 pounds fine rosin, pow dered ; pound powdered sulphur, well mixed, kept dry and clean in the salt box. Unless this box should become empty for a number of days or weeks and then needing filled, the sheep will not take too muoh of it, nor then are they as likely to do so as if it be salt alone. During the months cf June, July, August and September, about one fourth pound (fluid) of spirits of turpentine should be added to the salt mixture. Within this period is the season of the Gad fly, (Oestrus ovis.) She dislikes the scent of tur pentine. In fact that drug is death to her and her offspring in contaot. Her eggs, even if laid in the nostHls of sheep, constantly using it will most all fail to hatch and grow. Where the sheep have this salt mixture constantly before them and get salt no other way, parasites, worms and much other disease will be warded off and rare trouble them. The ewes having been accustomed to dry food with some grain in No vember, easily pass to a more exclu sive use of them in December. Where it is practicable to grow and save up a considerable amount of green herbage for winter pasture, it is well to do so and the sheep may graze on it three or hours during the forenoon or middle of each day un less the weather is stormy. In fact a run over a dry pasture field each clear day is a benefit to ewes in lamb, though they gather but very little food. Where good rich, properly-mixed ensilage has been provided for the ewes, they will not need over one- half the grain provided for them, as when their "roughness" is dry hay or fodder. When the silo comes into more common use in the South, that way of storing fall, winter and spring food for sheep as well as for other stock will be more and more appre ciated. All the elements of green food can be preserved almost per f eotly and with proper selection and intelligent management of fodder corn, millet, pea vines and clover cut into the silo, the use of dry grain food may not be necessary in most flocks. Fodder-grown corn and pea vines, both harvested when the ear and pea are passing out of the milky state and finely out into the silo, with somecotton seed meal mixed in it as fed, constitutes a food that is almost perfect for the production of muscle, bone and wool of sheep. They will eat it with avidity, grow fat and be happy. One pint of corn per day to each weather tfaat is being stall fed may be added. Also one pint of wheat bran to each ofae in a flook of ewes that are yeaning and rearing their lambs. A flock of ewes that is well shel tered and fed on such rations that will not be in good condition while raising a fine lamb or two and pro duce a fleece yearly that wMl well pay their owner for their care and food annually, should be put off to the butcher as soon as the improved ewe lambs from them can take their place, and if they do not so repay their owner they, too, should be put off and their more improved off spring retained in their place. This is to be fully understood as saying that no flook of ewes should be adopted and kept as a standard flook whose fleece will not fully re munerate for their careful attention and cost of abundant supply of food under the best improved methods. Let the mind of the reader now follow the fifty ewes in the hands of the farmer who has not yet adopted the silo, but depends on dry fodder and grain and some grazing. Each sheep of 100 pounds or less weight should have an average of one half pint of oorn or its equal in other cereal food per day and an average of about 1 pounds of good dry hay or fodder per day from December 1st until plenty of green herbage ocmes in the spring. I know it is not possible to name an exact amount of food for each ewe because some winters require more than others and some sheep more than others ; but there is no man capable of feeding sheep at all, who may not know when they have consumed the food he last gave them and seems to be ready for another feed from his hands. To feed them thoughtfully and carefully all they will eat up twice a day oleanly, is as good a rule for general practice as one can have. The above mentioned ration for fifty ewes will amount to about four and a half tons of hay and fifty bush els of corn for the winter, and no keeper of sheep should go into win ter quarters with a less amount of provender set apart for them, even though they be of the cheaper grade of sheep. Six dollars a ton for the hay and fifty cents a bushel for the corn, both fed out to the sheep, would be a liberal cost price for them. Eight cents a head per month is a liberal cost price for pasture, salt, attention and care. So we have an account with the sheep as fol lows, viz. : Dr. 4 tons hay at $6, costing $27 50 bushels corn at 50c costing 25 Pasture, &o., 50 head at 8c. 7 months costing 28 $80 Cr. 50 fleeces 8 lbs., 400 at 20c. . $80 I am aware aware that common ewes will not yield 8 pounds of wool eaoh, but I know that the seoond cross of ewes made as I have sug gested and fed and cared for, will shear over 8 pounds per head, aver age. If they do not, there is some thing seriously wrong. The manure from 50 ewes kept above and prop erly saved is worth fully $25 to the value of the farm compost heap. So it will be seen that the profit of the business is in the increase. If the flock has not increased eighty per cent, in number, some change is cer tainly needed in management. It is best that the flock have con venient acoess to water at all times, but certainly at morning and even ing of each day. It should be a flowing stream of clear waiter, run ning through a trough or otherwise fixed so it will afford the sheep a dry footing and not mud where they go to get it. One must remember that it is a punishment to sheep to do long without water and especially so when they are on dry food . At this point it is well to note that our fifty ewes should all the time be kept well fed, comfortable and con tented, because they are engaged every day and night in manufactur ing (growing) a fleece upon which one-half the profits in the business depend. With a good ewe plenty of food, shelter and good management means 8 pounds of wool ; while scant food no shelter and careless manage ment means likely 4 pounds of wool a difference of 4 pounds at 20 cents or 80 cents per head. For 50 head $40 of a loss in business, and that is not all of it. Winter quarters should be com fortable, with the hay or other rough ness under the same roof that shel ters the sheep. Space for five tons of hay for the fifty sheep does not CONTINUED ON PAGLE 8
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 23, 1901, edition 1
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