Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Jan. 21, 1902, edition 1 / Page 1
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Y XGtW ,fOl W M h- tiAr fan fM THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER OONSIDERATIOES 07 STATE fOUCY. Vol. 16- Raleigh, N. 0., January 21, 1902. Ho, 49 ie to Mr Coclman's Lt- jf Blickt Iota U-nW.MAW . ,r i r h0 says that the mode of yn i terracing is an important lttr'r 1' not only the m8t im 'r.t ubj-ot now, but the most Lvr'fint one that ever has been or win be before the bill-killer. SATt KK S LEVELING PROCESSES. It ; ut unalterable decree of fate tiatinthe fu'nes of time the hills j n, untnin-" shall be leveled and fat th -:J 5,111111 devour a11 tbing8 jverv !h 'wer that falls to some ex jest carries ont this inexorable man d!e Dvnward, ever downward, sVVl the earth. Gradually the j,ct m f r ngeJ, crumbled by re-irn find ordered downward. Mn is h'ple-s t-" wholly stay the t&nl of nnture in thus disposing of vor own hs ho is to arrest the motion of the pUnet on which he finds his bref home atd his grave. Still he can over the small area over whioh hehaf o ntrol, and for the hurried moment tbt he is master, lessen the operation of this law of fate. At mvrate, he can with some approxt n&tirn restore natural conditions in thL respect ; and by this means get sore f" d or more tinsel. For while os!v philosophers may bother them lelves over the ultimate submersion cf the world, the praotical man is deeply interested in the slow but ce&?e!eis means by which this is be in? bmniht about. He is interested f:r tfce reason that this attrition, fcii washing off takes first of all tint onter film in which alone he can brv.d the soil. And it not :r?S f.'ie sell, brt it hap i't c f all the essence of that soil e elements of fertility. TEE VALUE OF TERRACING RECOGNIZED The tutare of man, certainly the fsfcre of the dweller in hilly or roll ir? regions depends upon his suooess in c:r,?erving the soil. Mr. Cool ai&n is much alive to the importance cf &'.l this, a I am. As I understani it, a!s- hjzreeas to the most effect ive nrd of tffeoting this wished for eai. e are only at variance as t whether it is practicable to carry level terracing to the lengths neoes firy to attain the utmost benefit from it I le'ieve that Mr. Coolman will idmit that a hill side in whioh the ijstem of level terracing that Iprao fcce ami advocate has been carried oct will giin in fertility faster than ote with filling terraoes, whioh carry off the water faster than the level terrace, though, of course, very much tlowrr. than it would go with so terracing at nil. What he questions is the p cticability of maintaining, or rather cf establishing for once Mtiblishd un. the terrace crests strength n?l by settling and one year's r more growth of grass wdwetv. roots, I presume that he onM c rider them safe even on land as hilly and sandy as that he -as t i contend with. ECT WHICH IS THE BEST METHOD? -ott while 1 have no doubt as to tte entire practicability and 1m en?f and far reaching results of evel t-rir.L-, there may be, and htlp-H fe, rions in which it pftsents n-h iiffi -nltip thut thflv K t. r.r e overcome with tbe pl-nimt- at hand. Mr. Coolman's '11 to he of that nature, i t thoroughly done, the I't that he prophesies ' 1 v follow. i it- wild effort to get 1 '- a 'Mnserous thing, it is T i is Tiot quite as hard to Mr. C.K.lmtn thinks. If Atid if i r'Vat r d-;wn ,: trap-, v Our'r knl ' H II,; fh m tlirao f-- full Irii '.Tii- t .j-r r.. .. 4.1 ill 1. i i j auutuur win xiut r thirty yards apart t r- " a 51 ' t 1 r . LetV. -ro much closer. Mr. 'i-ift .ken when he thinks i'1 r ates' rain would over- ' t vo feet high As a a ten hour rain will 1 S AND LEVEL TERRACING ' ' A terraca two teet high ifljQ a:j!JV the terrace made in shifting dirt down hill to build the terrace. Say that this depression is only twenty feet broad That de pression represents a basin to hold the water. Say that this depression averages twelve inches deep through out its width of twenty feet. How many inohes of rainfall falling on the space of thirty yards above it will it hold without overflowing? Arithmetic says nearly three inohes A prodigious r-tinfall for ten hours This allows nothing either for what the soil would absorb, whioh in a long rain would on average soil be probably one inoh. The soddier the soil the greater would be the amount of water to soak in. I find that owin? to the fact, it is as easy to maintain ter races on soddy as on stiff soil. The stiff terrace holds better, but the stiff soil above the terraoe absorbs less water and leaves more to come against the terrace. A PRACTICAL TEST. I need only repeat that in the floods of May, 1901, I had new and therefore necessarily weak terraces that stood day after day for weeks an enormous downpour of rain. Someof tnmwere ondrifting, sandy hills that sloped fully 22 degrees ; that is, one fourth the way up from horizontal to per :endioular. In a few instances I believe the slope was not less than 30 degrees. Saoh abnormally unfavorable con ditions ooming right on the fresh, soft terraoes gave some trouble as was apprehended. But few, if any, properly run, and completely finished gave way. If a very wet peason like that of 1901 come while the terracing sys tern is only partially oarried to completion &ome of the crop rows in the depression above the terrace will "'Jro vj."- 15ii; evory llonof watr that is held there to soak in means sediment to enrich the soil. Finally, when after some years the terraoing process is oompleted and the ides of each hill and slope converted into a series of stair steps, the flow to each step tilting a little up hill, all rains but the very hardest would every drop of them be absorbed. If there was more tnan the terraoe with the depression on its upper side and the ridge around its lower side could hold, then it would flow over the terrace, not in a torrent, but a sheet even and thin in proportion as the terraces were correctly run and properly built. STOP WASHING AND LEACHING OF FER TILITY. The benefits that would accrue from a thorough and general sys tem of level terraoing are great and manifold beyond conception. Not only would the washing away of soil and eTen the leaohing out of fer tility be praotioally arrested, but every drop of rain that fell, instead of robbing the soil of fertility, would have the tables turned on it, and be robbed of more or less of the am monia it gathered in its downward flight through the air. This am monia the soil would absorb. CONSERVE MOISTURE AND FIGHT DROUTHS. Nor is that all or nearly all. The conservation of moisture, effected by tae absorption of so much rainfall, keeping all arable land more or less muist instead of haid, washed and dry as is now tbe case in summer, would greatly lessen the effect of drought when it came. Bat would drought be as apt to come? Would not the conservation of moisture, far surpassing in the aggregate that of any system of forest reserve prao ticable, materially lessen the fre quency and duration of drought? WHERE FALLING TERRACES FAIL. As before admitted, the falling terrace is far better than none. The objection to it is that it is only a makeshift a half-wav measure 16 is not progressive. It cannot, like the level terrace, be made more and more effective every year till perfec tion practioally speaking is at tained. Where level cultivation of orops is followed, which is, I believe, oonceded to be best, and which is essential with strawberries, my crop, the water has a clean sweep down ward across the crop rows till arrested by the terrace. This means a great loss of soil and a still greater loss of fertilizer, whioh is oarried down hill with the water to a greater or less extent off with the water as it flows along the depression above the ter race on its way out of the field. I have for fifteen years tested the falling terrace ad for three years the level terraoe. While there has not yet been time to perfeot the level system, whioh is only attained where the land between eaoh terrace is con verted into a level, or rather a flat surface with a little tilt up hill, still the superiority of the system in the conservation and improvement of soil is already manifest. let each farmer make a small test A sincere desire to better the oun dition of the farmers in our hilly counties prompted me to write the article on terracing. Of theorrect ness of the theory and the vast bene fit that would follow the perfection of the level terrace system, there oan be no question. Still it will te best for eaoh farmer to adopt it in a tentative way to adopt a little of it at the time, doing thoroughly what is done, and extending it as circum stances justify. O. W. Blacknall. Vance Co., N. C. Washington dispatch The epi demic among the horses in Swan Qiarter continues and is nearly as bad as when the mosquito was doing his work. State Veterinarian, Dr Tait Butler, says the trouble is located in the brain. It attacks horses very suddenly and unless a remedy is found Hyde county will lose all its horses. FARM NOTES 7E0K WABBE2T. vrreponleac of The Progressive Kariner. The new year has come with sev eral beautiful days of snnshine The farming people around here have started c ff, it seems, in good earnest, determined to do their part in the way of winning success this ye-vr. Some have already started their plows to running. It seems from the many conversa tions that we have with the farming class, that an overwhelmingly large crop of tobacco will be planted this year. The chair faotory whioh has re cently been started in Warren is buying much oak and hickory tim ber. While it may not net very muoh money to the owners of the timber, it is giving employment to a class of people that probably would have suffered but for this labor. There is another call for labor around us, and that is for hands to get cord wood. With both of these and saw mills, our people will tide over until farm work opens up more plentifully. Ruralist. Warren Co., N. C. The unsatisfactory price of cotton this season and the high price of other farm produots should teach our farmers, who have not already learned it, an important lesson that of producing, as near as possible, everything consumed on the farm. With corn at a dollar a bushel, meat and lard 11 to 12 cents per pound, oats 75 cents per bushel, peanuts 2 to 3 cents per pound, and other prod uots except cotton in proportion we cannot afford to raise cotton at pres ent prioes to buy these things. Roanoke Chowan Times. PB0FITABLE FARMING. Probably the largest crop ever made on the A. B. Nobles farm, near McKendre churoh, was made last year Dy j?ranK uoraam. ju acres he made 215 full bales cotton, with abundance of corn. He had a cropper that probably ex ceeded any one in the county, or State for that matter. His name is E. Edwards Mr. Edwards had ... only a one horse (mule) crop, ana here is what he harvested : On 17 acres in ootton, 27 bales, averaging about 400 pounds ; from 6 acres in tobacco he sold $567.76 ; on acres in corn, 32 barrels of corn and three big staoks of fodder were gathered. If any one man can beat Mr. Ed wards' record The Southerner will be pleased to hear from him. Tar- boro Southerner. HABBT FABMEB'S TALKS. LIX Oornwpondenceof The Progressive Farmer. St. C. "I tried your plan last yet r (1901) on planting and fertiliz in, sweet potatoes and suoh a crop I h&vo not had in my thirty years farming I One quarter of an aore made more than two acres planted after the old wav.' Raising big sweet potato crops We told Mr. C that if he would uo sulphate of potash 1C0 pounds, nci 1 phosohate 200 pounds, and good manure 50 loads to eaoh acre, a crop of 300 bushels might be expected. I told him to try it, and if it did not pay that I would p ly for the fertili zer. We had tried it too many times no?- to know the result. We should say here that a load of manure here means a dump cart load, which is about one-third of a ton. Mr. A. planted some new land late in s veet potato outtings, on part of the land he used a hih grade of commercial fertilizer at the rate of 600 pounds per acre. Result on no fertilizer, 50 busht-1 per acre ; fer tilizd, 250 bushels per aore. Yet thousands of just as good men as these are plodding along in the old way and losing mnnoy every year. SMILE WHEN MEAT IS HIGH. Just notice the effot this oom meroial fertilizer had on that new ground whioh was full of humus. Do yon see the point? Plow that old field a little deeper every year and get all the vegetable matter that you can in the soil and then apply your guano and make orops that will astonish your neighborhood. Make your barns and smoke houses full so that the higher corn and meat goes the broader will be the smile on your face. j GET GOOD 8EED IT PAYS. vr oottcn crop tha past season proved the advantage we often find in the use of improved seeds. We had a good variety of cotton, but the new seed were recommended so highly that we decided to try them. The result was that it put five dol lars in our pooket for every one we expended for new seed. This is not the first time we have made money this way. Now, do not write a lot of letters to us for seed, as we have none for sale. Besides, we do not propose to give any free advertising in these oolumns. READ FARM PAPERS. Brother farmer, all the suooess we have had in farming was obtained by reading agricultural j mrnals and the bulletins from the Experiment Stations. They are printed expressly for the farmers' benefit. A study of these during these long winter nights will help up all in our work the com ing spring and summer. The Bulle tins cost you nothing exoepting the one cent paid for a postal card to order them on. You are taxed to support these papers ; then do not feed your horse and let him stand up in idleness while you walk to town and lug your fire wood on your shoul ders. Make him work for you. Harry Farmer. Columbus Co , N. C. A DEMAND FOB LEADEBS. I have been muoh impressed, the last few months, by the great de mand for young men of education, praotical experience and energy by the agricultural labor market. Re quests for foremen, superintendents, experimenters and teachers at the present time greatly exoeed the sup ply. Is not this a hopeful sign? It is to be traced, it seems to me, to improved sentiment in our agricul tural community, the ohanged atti tude of capitalists to agricultural en terprises, and to the appreciation on the part of the business man of the fact that a trained foremin in agri culture, as in many other industries, is essential to successful farming Another feature worthy of note, and a very important one, is the increase in the number of agricultural schools. Not only are somo of the academies and high schools consider ing the question of adding agricul-1 ture to their courses, but agricul tural high schools are being equipped in many parts of the country. All this bespeaks great things for the future of the farmer John Craig, Cornell University. Live Stock and Dairy. THE LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH. Building TJp the Dairy Herd. Correspondence of Tbe trourHMive KHxmer. The yield of the North Carolina milk cow annually is about 2,000 pounds ; that is the average for eaoh animal in the State. Tnis means that we have a great many that pro duce less than this qaantity of milk and a great many others that pro duce above the average quantity. beginning to grade up. It- is possible to take any grade in this aggregate and develop it to profitable production. This is un necessary, however, because every cow is not needed for immediate im provement. Only a few may begin this year to develop and improve the land ; consequently they will have the advantage in getting for their beginning stock fairly good animals or those that produce between 2,000 and 4,000 pounds of milk. This beginning stock should be healthy animals, with good coats of thin fine hair and fine soft skin; have a marked wedge shape as de scribed in the last article ; and show a fairly good dairy type. One can readily secure in any locality, good milkers, that not only furnish good quantity, but a good quality of milk as well. Let this be the stock to start with. They are grades or mongrel stook, perhaps, but beoanse they are good milkers they will be profitable from the beginning. I would urge tne beginner to keep a record of the milk, so as to kno w exaotly what eaoh ani mal is doing. This will then be a valuable aid for the selection of future animals for the herd. The record will tell which are the, heat animals in the herd. You are anx ious to know this for the reason that offspring from the best milkers will themselves inherit the oharaoteristio of producing good returns in milk. The great factor in building up the dairy herd from common stook lies in THE BULL THAT HEADS THE HERD. If he comes from a line of good milkers and good butter producers, his offspring will have that same ability. Inasmuoh as one half of the future herd will contain the blood of the sire that heads the herd, it is safe to say that the bull then is half the herd. I would rather have five poor cows and an exceptionally fine, well bred and purely-bred bull to start a herd than five exceptionally fine oows and a poor bull. Under no circumstances should the dairy farmer use a grade, or cross or sorub bull. To do so would require years of labor and pains to counteract this evil influence of such breeding. BUT AS TO THE COWS : While I would always advise the purchase and selection of a pure -bred nire with performance back of him, I would not advise the beginner to purchase pure bred cows. They are in the first place too costly for the average farmer and too delioate for the beginner to handle. This would be the suggestion that follows : Go about your neighborhood and pur chase the better class of good milk ers that are available. Take them home and keep a record of the amount of milk they give ; then test with theBaboook tester to determine the quantity of butter fat in the milk that each gives. Then get a bull ; a good one, a pure-bred one ; and one that had a mother that gave a large quantity of milk. Put your money that would go to fancy cows in a good bull with performance back of him. WHY THIS PAYS BEST. Let me illustrate the result of such a plan: S appose you have a good cow that produces 3,000 pounds of milk eaoh year. According to the law that like begets like, the off spring of such a cow would also give 3,000 pounds of milk. And suoh would be the case if the bull used had also come from a dam tint produced 3,000 pounds. There would be no improvement to follow. But suppose instead of the 3,000 pound bull, you had secured one that came from a line of breeders that produced annually 10,000 pounds of milk. There would be no 3,000 pounds stook resulting then, but a resultant force between 3,000 and 10,000 or some thing like 4,000 or 5,000 or 6,000 pounds in the offspring. Thus the future breeding would inorease in the same way. This is no theory, but plain busi ness, oommon sense. If we apply it and practice it along all lines of live stook, it would mean million! upon millions of dollars to the farm ers in our State. It would develop the dairy industry like magio in a few short years ; the lands would im prove ; farming would become ex ceedingly profitable ; the boys would remain on the farms ; the farm homes would once again take on the culture, the splendor and regal aspect that was theirs not long sinoe. HERE MONEY IS T ) BE MADE. It follows then that the building of a herd of dairy stock is the use of a good sire with milk inheritance in his blood and then the seleotion of offspring from the most profitable oows. This practioe is easy and simple. It is not the result of muoh expenditure of money. I know of no field of aotivity that offer greater opportunities for young men than this. You oan start on little capital : a few acres of land, a few cows and a good bull. Your herd doubles eaoh year and beoomes more valuable. Weed out the light milkers and poor butter-producers ; and keep the best stock. Not many words are needed to show the force and the truth of the plan and the suggestions. We need 10,000 dairy herds in this State, so do not fear that there will be no room for you. Charles W. Burkett. N. C. A. and M. College. An old bee keeper says that the best thins: for a bee sting ia to rub on a little honey, whioh will relieve the pain at once. It is also said that if a little honey is rubbed on the hands the bees are muoh less liable to sting the person handling them. COWS AT THE PAN-AMEBICAU . As might have been expected, the distinctively dairy breeds came out ahead in the test at Buffalo. Guern seys came first with a profit of $220 37 in butter for six months. Jerseys were a close second, with $214.51 in butter profit for the same period. The Shorthorns, whioh some of our beef friends would have us think dairy animals, showed up but $164.77 in the same time, and the Dutch Belted were at the tail end of the list f ten breeds, with but $111 96 to their credit. Gnerneys and Jersey t are bred for a special purp3? e, and they "get there;" the Dutoh Belted cattle are bred for a fanoy. They get that particular band of white around them and that has nothing to do with the purpose for whioh oows are bred, and, of oourse, they do not "get there" in a dairy con test. Even machines that are con trived to do two kind 8 of work sel dom do either as well as the machines that are built for one particular job, so the cow that is bred for a particu lar purpose will always accomplish ;hat purpose better than one whick is neither one thing nor another. Praotical Farmer. Tbe farmer's wife with many family cares and therefore little time to devote to poultry, should make the production of eggs her ohief aim. Keep a trg flock of hens the yeai round, no matter if some of the hens are two or three yeae old. The healthiest breed I know is the Brown Leghorn. F M. W Many make the mistake of buying ing what they do not need, beoaue they can get it uoheap " That whioh one does not need is dear at any price. Others will answer the ads. found in trashy sample papers received so often through the mails Great pay for agents. Free this and free that. Guessing missing words, etc. They are one and all swindles and I do not understand how seem ingly intelligent people can be so easily caught by what is manifestly a humbug. These firms are just wanting the names of fools to sell them. Theo. Cranz, Fisher, Ore.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 21, 1902, edition 1
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