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. ra r- 1 : THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATION 0? STATE POLICY. 7ol. 16. Raleigh, N. 0., November 5,-1901. Ho. 39 Agriculture0 gOW MUCH SEED WHEAT TO THE ACRE! Correspondence of The irogTe8slve Farmer. In the fall of 1877 an experiment was begun on the farm of the Ohio gtate University in seeding wheat at different rates per acre. The ex oeriment was made on rich bottom land, and although a yield of 34 ba-hels of wheat was harvested from five peoks of seed, the yield for seven peoks was 37 bushels. . The next year the experiment was re peated with great care, five duplicate plots of one-sixth acre eaoh being sown with eaoh quantity of seed, v;ith the result again that the seven peck rate of seeding gave enough more wheat than any smaller quan tity to abundantly compensate the extra cost of seed. In 1882 this question was taken up by the Ohio Experiment Station, then looated on the same farm, and was repeated nearly every year unti the Station was removed to its present location. The final summing up of these experiments, made in 1S91, included a maximum average yield on that soil for quantities of seed ranging: from five to seven pecks. In 1892 the Station was removed to its present location, the soil ot which is naturally far less produo tive than that upon whioh it was first located, and after a few years the investigation of this problem was again undertaken, with the result that the most profitable harvests have been reaped from eight pecks of seed and upward, the nine and ten peck rates having given the best returns in unfavorable seasons. Chas. E. Thorne, Director. Ohio Experiment Station. GOING INTO WINTER QUAE TEES. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. The aotive well-to-do farmer go ing into winter quarters with the family stock of all kinds and the fowls and all of his machinery and smaller tools, gives the matter muoh thought. The health and comfort of the family is the greatest of all cares and sometimes it is the thing of lit tle care until afiliotions come. It is often the case when a farmer is through with his heavy work that Le drops off the feed and striot at tention of his horses. Really this is the time to rub and fatten the horse and let him oome into the spring young and sprightly, with clean limbs and bright, well-kept hair. Machinery should be well rubbed and oiled to prevent rust, and all re pairs well adjusted so things will move off in spring with short notice. It is said that most people know bet ter than they do ; this may be a mis take. If a man thinks that he knows all about farming, it may be bis greatest mistake, and so he ceases to les.rn. The man who really knows cinch about the details of profitable farming is a constant student. When a mun knows a thing well it aots as & tonic to stimulate him to the proper action. A thorough knowl edge is apt to wake a man to care sd attention. When loss and gain is vsll up in the mind it surely aots w a pur to motion. Vp ure now passing the fourth gran 1 division of the year, and as fee thrifty farmer has gathered plentiful of the bountiful grasses, the next thing is to know how to triL. out the best results of fat ani : valr.. tO ite- v Pr 7' tion and thr. ter Lr ' jnure. Good stook is of great n the farm. Poor stock, poor in?;r lands, and a poor farmer r7 ranch in line. Now for im "nnt. Decide by real caloula h iw ranch corn, wheat, oats, ";.e voetab'n -rop is wanted ?TMur best corn land and half '-iilt-T of acrts that you usually .?id begin t j prepare manure acreage. Arrange to plow nd -.veil at least twice or three ; Vforo planting. I take more than five pigs to the thousand or fifteen hun ) -und of good pork Begin tr.f; pigH now for next pork sea with your wheat land this r live acres of land for one hun- !-UfhfU. Aftrr nil tTinfc mnv VA t i) dr. 'Tit set-.-dre.l Jl, the man on the farm must be j paster of the situation. Our lands ar i diversified that no rule will i..,, , R. R. Moore. ifcrd Co., N. C. i HA2IM0TH REAPERS EROIi CALIFORNIA. How Wheat is Harvested in the land of Mammoth Things One Machine Will Cut And Thresh Crop From 40 Acres in a Say. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. California is noted as the State wherein large things prosper. Cali fornia is represented at the Pan American Exposition by counties ; the counties are large and the ex hibits are large and important. The State Legislature having failed in its opportunities to make an appro priation, the business men of certain sections of the State came into the breach with money and material suf ficient to make an elaborate showing in agrioulture especially the horti cultural end of it. In the Horticul ture Building Los Angeles county is represented by a fine exhibit of f ruit8, nuts and other productions of the soil. Fresno oounty is equally well represented in the fruit line, while San Joaquin oounty shows some very elaborate agricultural ma chinery. The model of a harvester is here shown that has attracted per haps more general interest than any other one maohine at the Exposition. The model represents a maohine that cuts a swath 40 feet in width and re quires 38 horses to pull it. This ma chine will cut, thresh, olean, reolean and sack grain from 25 to 45 acres per day besides doing the work better, cleaner and with less waste than any method heretofore devised. Lest the reader should think that this is a visionary scheme it is well to note the faot that this has become the method of harvesting on the Paoifio Coast, and there are known to be more than 1,600 of these maohines in use. It is a sight to be remembered to see one of these harvesters run by a platoon of horses or a traotion en' gine or two, marching across a wheat field, meeting the standing grain and leaving it cleaned, graded andsaoked ready for market. Mr. Frank A Guernsey, who represents Ban Joa quin oounty, is courteously showing this model to Exposition visit ors, one of whom asked if it was rug maohine. The big 40 footer works well on level ground, but the hilly sections of the country are by no means neglected, as what is oalled a small machine is made for sidehill work. It is so built that the body of the maohine hangs on self-adjust ing chains whioh allows the wheels to adapt themselves to any angle while the body of the maohine re mains level. These maohines will do excellent work where the slopes are so steep that following it in a wagon makes the experience very unpleas ant. The sideniu maonines cut a swath only 16 feet, in width or about twice the width of our eastern har vesters, whioh illustrated the differ enoe between Eastern and western methods of securing a grain orop after it has been grown and properly ripened. In the United States Government exhibit the history of harvesting may be followed through models that give a very interesting aooount of the efforts made by Amerioan in- "o-fintnra to facilitate tnis worK on the farm. Improvements in this direotion were probably never be fore so graphically illustrated, but in order to reaoh the climax of the story it is neoessary to leave the government exhibit and pay a visit to 8ati Joaquin county in the Horti culture Building, where this elabo rate model explains the process of cutting, threshing, cleaning and sacking the wheat ready for market. Why not? Our Western brethren ... . 1 ! 1 have simply built a new eamon ui the reaper, marked the cutter bar "to be extended indefinitely ana hitched it to the side of a separator. Then they went to the barn and got the fanning mill and fastened it f the other s'de, and borrowed a i thoir neighbors horses to draw tne outfit across the field. Trip first attempts at running tnis colossal aggregation of farm machin ery by means of a traction engine re suited disastrously. Sparks from the smoke staofc set nre to tne standing grain and a harvester was not needed that year. Crude oil has, however, taken the place oi coai iur fuel and the underwrite superstitious. It is still noticeable, trmt conservative farmers prefer horsemen that don't use to- bacoo in any form. HERBERT DUB.AW1.B. A PECULIAR BUT P0PULAB FRENCH PLOW. Notioing in the Consular Reports a few weeks ago, the following re port from the American Consul at Nantes, France, containing a brief de scription of the leading French plow and an illustration of the same, it oc curred to us that these would be of interest to Progressive Farmer read ers. After sorde weeks' delay we have suoceeded in securing a cut and print herewith Mr. Brittain's report in full with an exact reproduction of his picture of the plow. He says : AGRICULTURAL EXPOSITION IN NANTES. An interesting agricultural exposition was recently held in Nantes. From twenty to thirty departments assisted in making it a success. There were exhibits of machinery, wines, cattle, and swine, as well as horses. The following manufacturers of farm maohinery in the United States were represented by good displays : John Harvester Company, D. M. Osborne & Co., MoCormiok & Co., the Piano Company, Wardner Bushnell & Co., Walter A. Wood & Co., Adriance Reaper and Binder Company, Deering Harvester Company, Buoher Gibbs Plow Works, and the Oliver Chilled Plow Works. There were also fine displays of agricultural maohinery made by the Massey Harris Company and the Mann Harvesting Company, of Canada. There was an extensive display of steam threshers and sepa rators, but with the exception of one or two English firms, exhibitors in this line were all Frenoh. The ordinary Frenoh thresher does not do as complete work as the Amerioan maohine, and requires more men to operate it The dairy maohinery was from Switzerland and France, none being from the United States. Amerioan mowers are ooming into general use in this part of France. Between seven and eight hundred were received at Nantes within the past year, as well as a number of reapers and horse hay-rakes. Farmers com bine and purohase reapers and binders, one maohine doing the work on several small farms. American plows are but little used in this part of France, one reason being the disposition of our manufacturers to force the Frenoh farmer to use plows made according to patterns used in the United States, instead of ascertaining what models are desired here. The LEADING FRENCH PLOW exhibited was one with a double moldboard and share. While the farmer plows with one share, the other share and the moldboard rest directly above the ones fn use ; one being left and the other right handed. When the end of the furrow is reached, the farmer turns down the other share. This style of plow is very common, because of the faot that grain and vegetables are planted in ridges, instead of on a level surfaoe. These ridges are from 18 to 20 inohes in width and about 12 to 14 inohes apart, with a rounded surface. The peasant women pass between the ridges of growing grain and pull out the weeds. The cut represents the style of plow to which I refer. p These agricultural exhibitions would be excellent placi for the dis play of all sorts of American agricultural maohinery and tools, as well as labor-saving inventions, such as meat cutters or grinder, feed mill;), dairy machinery, washing machines, wringers, nd kitchen novelties. Thirty five thousand persons attended the exhibition on the last Sunday. Joseph T. Brittain, Consul. FALL PLOWING. Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer. The deeper we plow in the fall of the vear. the better will the soil be - . for the orops of the following season Shallow plowing has its advantages, and its place, but we need to get way down to the subsoil some time. Al mnt of the fertility and plant food stay near the surfaoe, i mnoh erood material that crrAdimllv sinks down below the soil that is usially turned over with'the plow. We must get at this to obtain the best results. Soil and subsoil may be turned over, pulverized, and broken up. That is the ooject or plowing. It will save the roots of plants from using up their vitality and strength in pushing their way through the tough, inelastic soil. Take some lands and examine the Ti soil below the first lew mcnes. it will be found so h .rd and compact that you oannt wonder that plants A 1 refuse to send taeir roots aown through it. ft is almost a physical impossibility. Consequently we have surfaoe roots supporting the plants, and when drought comes they wither up and die. What we need are crops with their feet buried tar down in the soil, so deep in. fact that they will never suffer from the laok of moisture. This can De accompnsnea only by making the meohanioal con ditions of the sou congenial tar ne- ow the surfaoe. This is easy of ao complishment if one will plow thor oughly, plow deeply, plow until the soil is thoroughly smashed up and broken to pieces, and plow when near fall and winter. Do not be afraid of subsoil plowing. It will do the best of lands good. It will tear up soil that has not been touched, it may be, for centuries It will some times reveal unexpected storehouses of fertility. Proper plowing is one of the marks of advanced agriculture. No peo ple ever plowed their land better than Americans, largely because we have the beBt plows in the world. The ancients merely scratohed the top of their land with wooden plows, and the Chinese and Russian farm ers doNthe same to-day ; but Ameri can deep subsoil plows cut far down into the soil, and turn and pulverize the earth so that its tilth is improved a hundred fold. We do not have to go over our land so many times, simply becausa we have better me ohanic&l inHferuments to do the work for us the first time. Set the plow deep, and let it bring up the subsoil so it can be used for increasing the productiveness of the crops. With good plowing we are prepared to raise better crops with less worry and labor during dry summers than if we neglect or slight this all im portant work. J. C. Billings. The average amount of water con tained in American butter has been calculated as about 12 per cent. The quantity of this oonstitudnt, how ever, is quite variable, depending upon a number of conditions. Live Stock. 8HEEP IN THE SOUTH. XX. Southern Grasses Abundant for Pasture, Soiling,' Silage or Hay Bermuda Grows all the Time Has Seen Hated; it Spreads Itself Its Tenacity, Virtues, Culture Is Hard to Cure Good for Silage Renewed Pasture or Meadow Easy and Sure Analy sis of Bermuda Grass. Correspondence of The Projrressive Farmer. It has been urged that the oharao ter of the grasses of the cotton States is such that they are not at all suit able for sheep. I must contradict suoh statements. If it were true that sheep could not live and thrive on other grass than June grass, blue grass, timothy, red clover, etc., or grass that form heavy turfs, then it might be true. I have seen sheep fat and full on the wild, uncultivated pastures of the South, and on worn out land and pine lands where they had beard grass, Bermuda, Japan clover, orab, oomb, muskit, awn, rice, bent, reed, these in varieties and others nam bering over a hundred that I have seen. Of the cultivated grasses they may get Bermuda, timothy, red top, fox tail, rye grass, orohard, blue, and June grass, clovers, oat, fescue and meadow grass, in varieties for pas tures and peas, beans, millets, sor ghums, rape and oorns in great abundanoe for soiling feed or silage or fodder. i The summers are long and there is not one in whioh winter feed cannot be amply provided either in early, late or mid-summer, especially where silos are used. The blue grass of Kentuoky, Mis souri, the Virginias, Tennessee, etc, is the "old reliable" for that region, but for the better cotton States South it will not do to rely on for sheep husbandry. These States can rely upon grow ing either early or late every season by sowing and cultivating the last mentioned grasses and fodders abundantly, and for all winter feed ing, and for summer feeding, too, when neoessary. Time and space will not permit that I write of alfalfa, rape, vetoh, kaffir corn, soy bean and other im provements as sheep food. The wide awake husbandman will try to adopt suoh things as he shall find better than what I have written about. Besides this, I should in most part be writing about things of whioh I personally and practically know but little. One thing I do know is that any or all of these that prove to be of high value in the North and West will surely find a oongenial home of use fulness in extensive portions of the Southern States. I have aimed at showing that there is abundant foun dation for sheep husbandry in the South without these ; but with them the business is still greater. However, there is one grass in the South I must write of specially. It is Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon.) I have not had experience with it ex cept temporarily, but have been greatly interested in observing it and on inquiries. It seems to be native to the West Indies and I have thought that if the rich hills and mountains of Cuba had no other grass than Bermuda and had plenty of that, it would be the best pastoral seotion for sheep in either, of the Americas. When it gets well set it never ceases to grow except in the northern part of the Gulf States, where freezing checks it and hard freezing kills it out. first noticed it in Mississippi in 1886, and to me it seemed more like miniature sugar cane because its ap pearance and habit of growth are rather similar and both evidently tropical. I saw a bunch of sheep eating it with seeming relish and was told they grew fat on it. From that time on I took notes of it and have seen it growing in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Eastern Virginia and Tennessee. It has a smooth jointed stem, partly sheathed with leaf that is long in proportion to joints, but slim and pointed rather hairy or rough on edges. The stems inoline to grow out latterally or "run on ground," take root at eaoh joint and again throw out laterals, most of which in turn will run out and root again until the ground is completely mat ted and the stems must shoot up ward in a thick mass 8 to 18 inohea high if conditions are favorable. One joint when set in favorably dear ground may in six weeks completely mat over a yard square quite thiok enough for pasture or meadow. It is this habit of the grass that makes it so hated by the cotton hoer. "Why it am wus dan de crab grass, spreadin' itse'f out ebby whar." So it is, and I was thinking of the other side of it, that is, its uses, and if these industrious workers would, they could see that by chopping out the ootton and feeding the fertilizer to the Bermuda it would throw up at least six tons of green feed to the acre in a season, whioh when fed to good sheep would produce wool and mutton enough to buy two crops of ootton as now raised. This tenaoious spreading and grow ing habit under the hot sun, consti tutes its first great virtue to the South and the intrinsic fat, meat and wool-produoing elements of the grass form its second great virtue to Southern planters and farmers. Horses, cattle, hogs and especially sheep seem to love it. Have seen them come off other parts of a field and graze on it and have been told they would grow very fat on it, and I know they would. I have never seen an elementary analysis of it so as to compare with other grasses, nor have I had the opportunity to feed it with them ex tensively, nor have I seen reliable experiments so - as to test its value thoroughly at any of the agricultural stations Still I have tested and proved to my own satisfaction its great value. I know that it pos sesses the elemonts that will fatten sheep and keep them in as healthy condition as any other single grass will. Sinoe writing the foregoing, I have received the following analysis from Prof. B. W. Kilgore, State Chemist, Raleigh, N. C, viz. : "The hay oon tains about 1 per oent. of nitrogen ; an average feed stuff analysis of it would be as fol lows : Water 14.30 per oent Ash 8.49 " " Protein 9.16 " " Fiber 20.16 " " Nitrogen free ext'et 46.06 " " Fat 1.83 " " 100.00 I give here another analysis sent to me, the author of whioh I cannot quite make out, but believe it is Collier, viz. : phosphoric acid 45 per cent. Nitrogen 1.7 " Potash pure. 3.1 " " The same authority gives a money valuation of different grasses per ton, dry, viz : "Bermuda grass $8 70, blue grass $6,75, timothy $5,. clover $8 50, pea vines $11, soja bean, $9.34." It should be understood that hay out at different degrees of ripeness and of success in curing will also differ in analysis and the same kind of grass grown on different soils will also differ in analysis ; so that after all the value of grass or hay depends very much upon how the soil is fer tilizad. The above shows that Ber muda rates in value up among the best. The great question with me has been, to what extent can it be grown and improved? I answer myself: fo almost any reasonable extent. In this country it has by no means reached the highest plane of im provement which it is capable of at taining and maintaining. It can be improved both on leaf and stem, and I believe made to ripen its seed per fectly in the Southern States. I have seen it growing luxuriantly on the sand bars of rivers and along the beach at the ocean side ; upon the highest and dryest sand banks and sandy ridges ; on the stiff as well as sandy soils of the cotton regions CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Nov. 5, 1901, edition 1
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