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45 7 U r THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUS 1PE0PLK PARAHOUNT TO AMi CmS2 C0SHSDSSATIOS3 0? STATE POLICY. Vol. 17. Raleigh, N. 0., July 8, 1902. Ho. 22 r Agriculi re. CBAIN-BAISINO, HAY- ISINQ, STOCK BAISI5G THE MOST PROFITABLE BRANCHES OF FARMING. Address cf E. L. Daughtridge, Before Edge oombe County Farmers' Institute. Every fanner should be his own judge as to what crop he should cul tivate with all the lights before him. So Jo men of other vocations in life. For instance, one merchant takes the line of hardware, another a line of shoes, and so on, that he may not come' t i i t i I in direct compeiiuon wuu nis neign- bor or next aoor mercnant. onaii the farmer act less wisely and plant the same crop, to the exclusion of all other crops? The farmer should inform himself 5 to the crops that are in most de mand, and that will give him some- thing to sell all the year round, and that can be made and saved with the smallest cost, ana least amount ot la- i TT 1 1J 1 1 j.1 J1T I Dor. xxe buuiuu aibo ieam uie umer- ent kinds of soil on his farm, and adapt his crop to the most suitable lands lor same, li we ao not Know the nature of the different soils on our farms, and the kind of fertilizers required on them for different crops, then we are groping in the dark, and will not succeed to any great extent. When a man plants a crop n a piece of land and expends labor and ma nure, if he is an intelligent and up-to-date farmer, he knows, and has a right to know, what to expect from that crop if ao unusual act of Provi- dence interferes. only intelligent and up-to-date farm- mg will pay. W e should no longer adhere to the one crop system and plant all of our best lands in cotton, and go to the West for our meat. grain ana nay, out snouia aiversuy our crops and make everything on our farms, as near as possible, that we may need at home; and we ought also to be able to supply our cities and towns with all the hay and grain that they may need without having to get tneir supplies xrom me est ana nay- mg to pay sucn enormous zreigni rates. lands in Edgecombe are well adapted to grain and hay crops, and stock- raising, and that these crops are as profitable considering the cost of cul- tivation and harvesting, as cotton or tobacco. It requires very much less labor to cultivate these crops and we I can utilize the most improved ana host labor-saving machinery, both in thereby eliminating to a great extent the drudgery and toil of seed time and harvest. stock-raisins, go hand in hand and are to my mind the most promaoie lines of agriculture in this section of the State. By raising an abundance of crain and hay, we can keep our cattle fat, and by raising stock, we can keep onr lands rich. Lot us for a moment consider the r-lative cost of production of some of the different crops of this county, .nd as cotton is King, will give it the first estimate: ur acre; hoeing and plowing, $4.00 y.fT acre; lertilizers, fyi.w per acre, I'Icking (1,000 lbs. average), $3.00; inning, $1.0d; total, $15.00 per acre. lbs. lint at 7V2C, $25.00; 22 ' uhfls seed, $4.40 $29.40; net profit, 14.10. whfaT Vn paring land and seeding, $2.75; $U00-. harvesting, thresh- $1.50: total $8.25. i'O bushels wheat at 90 cents, $18.00; -...li n oMTO nnn00- net - '"'0 lbs. straw, $d.UU izo.uu, nti ft 11"' I o.it, .14. n. OATS Preparing land and seeding, $2.25; fertilizers, $4.00; harvesting, thresh- 'g, $1.50; total $7.75. 20 bushels oats at 50 cents, $15.00; U00 lbs. hay, $5.00 $20.00 ; net profit, $12.25. CORN Preparing and planting, $2.50; hoe- ing and plowing, $3.00; fertilizers, $4.00; harvesting, shredding, $1.50; I total, $13.00. 5 bbls. corn, $20.00; 1,000 lbs. shred ded fodder, $6.25 $26.25; net profit, $12.25. PEA VINE HAY. Preparing and seeding, $2.00; har vesting and baling, $3.00; total $5.00. 2 tons hay at $15.00, $30.00; profit, $25.00. ' GRASS HAY. Preparing and fertilizers, $5.00; harvesting and baling, $3.00; total $3.00. 2 tons hay at $15.00, $30.00; net profit, $22.00. The above estimates are based on land that will make with $4.00 fertil izers and proper cultivation, 1,000 lbs. seed cotton. Of course if the lands used are more fertile, the relative val ues will 'vary to that extent. Some lands that are yery fertile wiU prQ duce yery Hule cotton and wiU prQ duce a h ield of in We beat d Qu , d f , lf and should , t u cOD3 on lands Aat are best adapted f or same. I am quite sure our aim should be to raise those crops that are in most demand and that we can market with the least cost and labor,jas you will all agree with me that the labor question is getting to be one of very great im portance in our section of the State. With the use of the latest and most up-to-date machinery for seeding and harvesting grain and hay crops, an , , , , - . A, . i i I grain tnai win equal m vaiue a uuiluii croD that will take fifteen for twenf handg to plant? cuitivate and house, besideg tte boys enjoy the work with the machines and teams. I have a boy th t ' fourteen years old, that has done all of m0wing and bar- fnT ih t two vpats. on mv V'WV-'-'C V -7 V home place. Colored labor will notvdo to operate improved farm machines, and I think our white boys should be encouraged to do this work, and I am quite sure thflt plfm of aTxninp is adopted in our country, the boys wm nQt eave the farmg flnd tQ the . i i4- t, I low lis bt't'iMii truipiujiiiciit, txa iixc.r have been doing heretofore I have tiree song at present, they are desi- TQUS nf yCng farmers, and would not Q to town unaer any consideration. I must say too tnat i am very glad that tbeir inclinations are that way. w , , , , remember that we markct Qur produce with much f ftPnitv. over our nresent roads. . .i,,, tp. nT1fi that I 1X1. CUilllllVl V llUil AAA J Jll. V,o months are worth more by 6 per cent , dollars we get in the winter t,0 T think it is safe 'to say. with the game manures and cultivation for . f not ton. and tobacco.' I uni v. v ' ' - w - ' - ' we will one vear with another get more net profit from grain and hay crops than we will from cotton and tobacco, and am sure we will have more and better stock, and more manure to go back on our lands. j received the past year for ffrain nay beef-cattle, and butter over $2,500, and I am sure over one-half of Tiia omonnt is net. nrofit. I do not 11., Mi" v-' - v v X mention these facts in a boasting way, hu simply to show to my neighbors, anc the people ot tne couniy, wnui can be done along these lines. If we would raise enough of these crops to pay our expenses through the year, then cotton and tobacco crops would be entirely clear, and we would be more able to keep our plantations in good shape and to beautify our homes and make them more attractive. If these conditions were to nrevail throughout the county along with pood roads, good schools, good socie- m :-la ty a civilization, our boys and girls would stay on the farms, and good old Edgecombe would blossom as a rose; for ber ian(3 are the most fertile, her dauhters the fairest, ( and her sons tbe truest and bravest. Her name to- day jg tne most exalted of all the coun- tieg of tlis ffreat State of ours, and sue leads in everything that pertains to building up and maintaining the honor and fair name of the great Commonwealth to wrtneh she belongs. FARH NOTES FB0M ALAMANCE. Cor. of The Progressive Farmer. Pine rains have recently fallen in Alamance, Orange and Caswell. .The outcome in crops of all kinds has been very great. I have seldom seen k corn appear better at this season of the year. Crops, notwithstanding scarcity of labor, have been well worked. Wheat harvest is over, and the crop is much better than was expected. Winter oats were nearly all frozen out and little spring oats sown. It headed well. . The apple crop is more abundant than for many years. There are but few peaches. Farmers finished planting tobacco last week. Tobacco will mature, if the season is good, within ninety to one hundred days. Much of it will be endangered by early frosts. The first crop of worms was numerous, and it will be difficult t& keep the sec ond crop from injuring the late plant ed tobacco. The first crop of clover and grass was lignt. Unless dodder corn is planted, forage "will be very scarce next winter. Acorns are abundant, but hogs to eat them are not numerous. B. F. WHITE. Alamance Co., N. C. MB. ALEXANDER ASKS A QUESTION. "Why ii Chess Always Found in Fall or Winter Sown Gats, and Never in Spring Sown Oats!" Cor. of The Progressive Farmer. , I see in your valuable paper of June 17th an article taken from the Stanly Enterprise, which says that Stanly County is infested with some farmers who still believe that oats will bring forth chess. I want to say to the eminent agri culturists that Mecklenburg County has men by-the hundreds of the same faith, and we are likely to die in' our sins unless we shall have a better and more satisfactory explanation than the mere fact that like begets like. Now those of us who hold the plow kiaow that plant life will degenerate. We have this law set forth in the days of the Apostles when they suggested the idea of pulling the tares from the wheat or grain that was sown. That answered to our chess. It seemed to come in as mysteriously as our ches3 at the present day. Some thought it the work of an enemy, but that was not satisfactory. Now if the eminent agriculturist will explain to my satisfaction why it is that chess is always found in fall or winter sown oats, and never in spring sown oats, I will then reverent ly take off my hat and give him audi ence. I have been a farmer for sixty years of my life, and have been a close observer of plant life all the while. I can tell all the different grains by the blade as soon as it is up and be gins to bunch. I have known practi cal farmers that could not tell wheat from oats nor oats from barley by the blade. I have had fields of oats that were as perfect oat-blade in the fall and winter as ever grew, and yet in February or March there would come a severe cold spell and kill the oats down until they were brown, and you could set fire to some of the fields. After this the whole thing would be changed. These are the fields where you will find the chess. You can tell every bunch of grain that will produce chess and every bunch that will make oats before it heads, if you are a close observer ; and if not, don't put yourself down as an agriculturist. Since the eminent agri culturists have thrown down the gauntlet, and we want them to show up or shut up. What we want is a thorough explanation, and also the whys and the wherefores. J. P. ALEXANDER. Mecklenburg Co., N. Cr Laurinburg Exchange: We hear general complaint from the farmers on account of cotton lice. Some say that the damage has already been con siderable from this cause. HARVESTING THE KANSAS WHEAT CB0P. Mr. William R. Draper tells in the J uly Review of Reviews what the Kan sas", farmers have done toward solving the problem of labor supply in the wheat harvest. The article is sugges tive, and full of fresh, first-hand in formation. That the problem, is real ly a serious one may be guessed after reading this press dispatch sent out from Wichita, Kansas, a few days ago : "Fifty tramps were captured by four farmers living near Pratt yes terday, and the tramps are now at work under shot-gun guard. They have made several attempts to escape, and the guards have ben forced to-injure two of them to keep them within bounds. The 1 tramps were - going through Kansas, bound for Colorado. The freight train upon which they were riding, was wrecked near Pratt, and the tramps were captured and put to work. Hundreds of acres of wheat are going to ruin for want of harvest hands. The farmers are blaming the State agency for keeping the harvest hands out of Kansas, and claim it is a political scheme. The tramps are be ing paid $2 a day for their work." From Mr. Draper's timely and in teresting article, we make the follow ing extracts : In the past five years the wheat acreage has been doubled in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. With the increase in yield, there is a demand every summer for extra help in the harvest season. Farmers who own the land, or can secure a lease, sow from two to five hundred acres. The farmer with one hired man, four good horses and a gang plough and" drill can do this; butto harvest the crop requires seven men, ten head of horses, and an extra woman in the kitchen to rssist the housewife. ' Importing labor into the wheat belt during the period of harvesting has caused a new and serious problem to the grower that of obtaining the ex tra workers at the right time and at reasonable prices. This is the era of large wheat fields in the prairie West. There are many places in Kansas wnere one can stand upon a knoll and count from eleven to fifteen quarter-sections in one field. The harvesters employed by one man often number a hundred or more. The labor problem of a com munity given over almost exclusively to wheat-raising is made more compli cated from the fact that few if any laborers from the towns can go to work in the harvest fields. Abundant crops infuse the towns as well as the country with prosperity and bustling life. The towns boom while the far mers are gathering in their crops, and there is demand for every idle townsman. As few farmers employ more than three helpers the year throughout, a supply must be imported from outside the State. Kansas boasts 6f being the only community where a small army of harvest "hands" are imported annually, to the satisfac tion of both the farmer and the labor er. Indeed, the plan is quite new to the Sunflower State. Wheat-growers pay the laborers from $1.50 to $3.50 a day. Some, more expert than others, earn $4 a day. The cost of growing an acre of wheat is divided as follows: twine, 25 cents; ploughing and harrowing, $1; drilling, 40 cents ; seed, 50 cents ; cutting $1.25 ; hauling, $1.50; threshing, $1.75; total $6.65. If sold at 60 cents a bushel, the farmer doubles his money. Machinery saves much to the farmer, butMhe day laborer t yields him even a greater profit. A binder will cut 15 acres a day. The twine costs 25 cent3 an acre, the binder driver is paid $1.50, and the hire of the team is $2.50. In some sections the header is used instead of a binder, thus eliminating the cost of twine. The total expense in cutting 1,000 acres is $600, of which $410 goes for horse hire andtwine. However, the farmer pays larger wages to those who do the harder work of the harvest field. The binder driver sits under a sunshade, riding upon his machine. His work is frequently given to young women when there is a scarcity of men in thelfield. Those who shock the bundles of grain, tramping through the wiry stubble all day long, are paid $2.50 a day. Stockers and haulers earn a similar sum. Live Stock and Dairy, PREVENTING ANIMAL DISEASES. ' Cor. of The Progressive Farmer. Summer and winter diseases of ani mals as well as of human beings can be prevented in many cases by a little intelligent application of sanitary and hygienic knowledge. Swine cholera is a disease of filth and improper feed ing. Give the hogs all the " blood heating foods they can devour in hot weather, and sooner or later they may come down with the cholera. Like wise feed the cows with a heavy grain diet and deny them 'the sweet, succu lent grass' and roots of summer, and they will have hot feverish blo&d which may show itself in milk fever or ariy other trouble. Keep the sheep in hot, stifling, ill-vented, foul-smelling sheds these hot summer nights, and we can not expect them to escape skin di sease which may spread from one to another and ruin half the value of the flock. If the poultry is kept in similar unsanitary quarters summer or winter, they will be infested by ice, ticks, and other diseases, which will keep down their weight and prevent good egg laying.x A large proportion of animal di seases come just from such simple causes. A little neglect arid careless ness in hot weather may start the whole trouble. The diseases can be prevented largely by keeping the ani mals in clean, cool places day and night throughout the summer, feeding them with cooling and nourishing foods, watering them with clean, fresh water regularly, cleaning their skin and hair if necessary very often if filth and dirt accumulate ;there, and above all by catering to their com fort so far as possible every day. If in spite of all these precautions dis eases do appear in the flock it is bet ter to make a change immediately. Single out the two or three that show the first signs of any distemper, and put them off by themselves. Change the quarters of the rest of the flock, and watch carefully for any signs of disease among them. The animals that show the first symptoms can then be treated separately according to some home method, or by one who has made a specialty of such matters. Very often a dose of some simple medicine to clean the blood and stim ulate the digestive organs will put the animals back into their normal con dition. The symptoms and course of such complaints should be watched closely. Contagion in this way may be checked at the outset. It is not safe to leave with the flock any animal that shows signs of weakness, dump ishness or sickness. Separate the ani mal immediately, even though it prove nothing but common stomach trouble or a slight fever. It is always best to keep on the safe Nside. E. P. SMITH. IMPORTANCE OF THE WAR AQAIN8T CATTLE TICKS. The last number of the Burke County News contains an article by Dr. Tait Butler, from which we quote the following extract, which we com mend to all our readers in the western counties. "With a view to placing before your readers the objects and ultimate bene fits to result from the efforts of the North Carolina Department of Agri culture to clear Burke County of cat tle (distemper) ticks, I beg a little space in your next issue. In the first place it may be put down as certain that, no matter what we may think about it so long as ticks remain on even a half dozen farms the Federal authorities are going to maintain these" annoying and expensive restric tions on the cattle traffic of Burke County. These quarantine restric tions are not only a perpetual source of annoyance, but as stated, mean much in dollars and cents to every man who has a single animal for sale. If the cattle of Burke County could now be sold west of the Bluee Ridge, their natural market place, their value would be increased not less than one cent per pound. The same sort of re- 1 strictions were placed upon a part of Henderson County this s spring and prices dropped to 2 cennts per ' pound. Through the efforts of the North Carolina Department of Agri-. culture the removal of these Federal restrictions wac obtained, and as a re sult the price of cattle" at once jumped to 4 cents per pound. For verifica tion of this statement I refer you to Hon. A. Cannon, President of the Henderson County Cattlemen's As-, sociation, Horse Shoe, N. C. This is just what the removal of the quar- antine restrictions means to Burke County. Is it not worth striving for? Is it not worth an effort on the part of every cattle owner in the County to help the Department of Agriculture in its efforts to exterminate the tickt It seems to me that the tax of one cent per pound which is levied on every animal in the County and col lected by the ticks on a couple of dozen farms ought to arouse the active in terest of every cattle owner. STOP RAISING PLUG HORSES. The horse raising industry in the United States has ;n the past ten or twelve years undergone a decline, so severe tnat it made a great many people, both in and out of the busi ness, believe that horse raising could never again be made profitable. The change of stret car locomotion from horse power to electric power was probably the greatest blow to the sale of horses; and this followed by the very general adoption of the bicycle as a means of rapid getting about for both pleasure and business, made it seem that horses were going out of fashion for everything except for farm use.- But horse breeders and others are now beginning to think differently. The sudden development of war on both this oide and other side of the Atlantic, suddenly reminded people that the army use of horses and mules would certainly for many years to come be kept up, and then the bicycle was found, after all, not to catch peo ple to any great extent who were in the habit of using horses. So the horse as a means of pleasure in riding and driving has fully recovered his lost ground. But a lesson has been learned that may well be remembered. That 13, that the "plug" is doomed. People who i use horses as a luxury of course want the best that can pe had and can pay for them. To this demand, of course, none but the best style of horses can cater. So the demand for high class saddlers and drivers will certainly go on as long as men and . women like to ride and drive. For race stock there has, of course, been no cessation in demand. When it comes to draft animals, it is possible tha't, by and by, automobiles willlnake some difference in the demand, but it is not very probable. As to the use of horses and mules on the farm, we do not see that any thing is likely to happen that will in any way lessen the demand. But we are sure that with the passing years" the demand will more and more be made for better and heavier horses. The necessity therefore, for raising only the best will be greater than ever before. As commercial changes take place and profits in trade grow smal ler, the necessity of reducing expenses grows greater, and inasmuch as the cost of drayage is decreased with the size of the loads that can be hauled,, merchants and manufacturers will be obliged to have the most powerful teams they can get. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that every farmer who undertakes to raise even a single colt, should see to it that his mare is bred to the best stallion of his class that he can find. This fact has made some impres sion already on some farmers and they , are asking the question, Is there any law to prevent the use of inferior stallions for breding? There is no such law, probably no such law could be enacted that would be constitu-1 tional; but one thing can be done that will serve thepurpose, and that is to require the payment of a license for standing a stallion, and making the license so high as to shut out the scrub. Of course this would make stud fees higher and owners of mares would kick, but it would pay hand- , somely in the long run. Journal of : Agriculture.' A , A A i
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 8, 1902, edition 1
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