- THE INDUSTRIAL AKD EDUCATIONAL IKTEREST3 OF 0U2 PEOPLE PARA2I0UET TO ALL CTHEE C0BSIB22ASI03 07 STATE POLICY. ,
Vol. 17. v Baleigh, IT. 0., August 12, 1902. Ho. 27
i . ' ...
Agriculture.
HABEY F ABU EE'S TALES.
LXXXIII.
Cor. of The Progressive Farmer.
Here is a farm that was bought sev
eral years ago at a low price. The
people living near regarded it as a
poor place. It looked as if the man
might perish. But he went to work,
he and his wife, with a vim. The old
field had about grown up; besides it
was very small. It was necessary to
rent land for a year or two until he
could clear land enough to farm on,
which only required eight or ten years.
Having been reared on a good farm
which was naturally fertile, it was an
uphill business to get good crops with
out heavy application of commercial
fertilizer or manure.
THE STORY OF ONE FARMER'S SUCCESS
Among the first improvements he
made was a very large shelter to keep
his cattle under in the winter, so that
he could save all the manure. His
neighbors preferred to Jet their cattle
stay on the range, but he and his wife
and children all liked milk and want
ed it the year round and by housing
the cattle in nice stalls, which were
kept well cleaned, with good beds of
straw and a small feed of cottonseed
and corn shucks, it made it easy to
get the cattle to come home every
night. Of course, it took work and
plenty of it to do this; but what a
pile of manure was madel
SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS AND WHAT
CAME OF THEM.
And later the corn pile became a
matter of wonderment to the neigh
bors around. The farm was soon noted
for extra large ears of corn; the cot
ton crop above the average for the
neighborhood; the watermelons were
the finest seen on the market; the hogs
were the fattest, and this caused the
owner to sell meat and lard; the
sweet potato crop was enormous, and
the cane crop furnished a large sup
ply of the finest syrup.
Soon a good supply of apples and
peaches with other fruits was grown
on the place. Then a large orchard
of ever-bearing mulberries was plant
ed to feed the summer pigs on. Oats
are sown in the fall and begin to ripen
about the same time the berries com
mence to fall, which makes a real Par
adise for the hogs, chickens, geese,
etc. The family suffered with fever
some on account of bad water, but this
was soon changed by a pump or arte
sian well which furnishes an abund
ance of pure water for man and beast.
Among the last improvements was the
enlarging of the dwellinghouse and
beautifying the place by a nice yard
or lawn.
EDUCATING HIS CHILDREN.
Moreover, his children have been
fairly well educated. The school
being placed near the center of the
district, it left this farmer to one
side with a thick growth of trees and
bushes and a low wet piece of land
with a pond here and there to cross.IIe
did not swear that his children should
prow up in ignordnce before they
should go to school through such a
place, but he hired a man to help him,
and with a few sawed boards to cross
sme of the ponds, he opened a good
path which only required a few hours
work every year to keep it in good
order. Of course, he was appointed
on the school committee in due time,
for "seest thou a man diligent in busi
ngs, he shall stand before kings."
Thus we see one of the most beauti
ful places in all the country made
"ut of one of the poorest.
HIS CROP ROTATION
1 lis success was brought about by
giving close atention to his stock and
foiI,,wing a definite rotation of crops
fallows: Corn and peas followed by
' tton or oats. He planted one half to
rn and peas every year and the other
in cotton, oats and sweet potatoes.
This closes our journey, and we will
fallow with articles on subjects of
vital interest to agriculture.
HARRY FARMER.
Columbus Co., N. C.
Late growth in raspberries is all
right. Try it.
THE PBOPEB WAY TO CULTIVATE COBK.
Cor. The Progressive Farmer.
As I have been traveling in North
Carolina this year and have watched
with interest the way in which the
farmers raise or try to raise corn, I
now wish, in your valuable paper, to
make some criticisms; these will, of
course, not be in harmony with all
farmers' views.
In the first place, the majority of
farmers do not break their land deep
enough in the spring before planting.
Next, they plant about one-third too
much corn to the acre. The rows for
the average land should be at least
four feet apart and the corn three feet
apart in the drill and only one stalk
in a place.
The first time it is plowed, it should
be done with a long plow next to the
corn. In some sections this plow is
called a "calf tongue." Let this plow
run deep. The other plow or plows
should be wider and should run shal
lower. The second plowing should be done
with shorter plow3 and should not run
as close to corn as first plowing. The
third plowing should be done with still
larger plows, which should be run
shallower still than the second plow
ing, and should be run far enough
away from corn as not to break any
of the little corn roots, which by this
time have spread ont six or eight
inches from the stalk.
The fourth plowing should be done
with a turning plow of some kind in
order that you may run far enough
from the corn as to not cut the roots
and still be able to cover up the large
roots around the stalk, eo that the hot
suns of July and August will not cook
them and turn the corn yellow or burn
it up.
If you have time after this plowing,
before the corn tassels, take a long
shovel plow and run it through the
center of each corn middle as deep as
one horse can pull it. This plow
should not be over five or six inches
wide.
I know that my idea of raising corn
is different from a great many theoret
ical farmers, but it is not theory that
we want if it does not put the corn
in the crib. I was reared on a farm,
and know from actual experience that
this way of cultivating corn is all
right, no matter what kind of land
you may be cultivating. I have also
traveled over several of the Southern
States, and have observed that farmers
who cultivate their corn in this way
always have plenty of corn to do them.
I wish I could impress on the farmer
(1) how very important it is not to
plant their corn too thick on poor
land; (2) that they should never run
close enough to the corn with a plow
to break the small roots of the corn;
(3) that the last plowing should be
done with a turning plow in order that
the large roots around the corn could
be covered up without running close
enough to the stalks to break those
roots.
I am satisfied that there has been
at least 50,000 bushels of corn destroy
ed in North Carolina this year by the
farmers laying their corn by with that
old-fashioned double shovel plow, or
some similar cultivator.
The above description as to culti
vating corn does not apply where the
corn is planted on a ridge or bed or in
the water furrow, but only when
planted on a level, as most farmers
plant it.
T. J. WEAR.
Durham Co., N. C.
LATEST W0BTH CAROLINA CB0P BUL
LETI1T. In some localities local rains came
too late to make a full crop of old
corn, which was too much injured by
drought to fully recover, but young
corn has greatly improved; in many
counties both early and late corn are
reported to be in very fine condition
still, and promise a large yield, as the
ears are filling well. Saving fodder
on forward corn has begun. Cotton
has not been seriously injured by
drought and where showers fell, its
healthy appearance has been restored;
cotton is forming bolls rapidly; in the
drought stricken sections shedding
continues and rust has appeared. To
bacco is being cut and cured rapidly,
and on the whole is curing well; but
some farmers have been obliged to
cut green to prevent firing, and this
will give a light crop. Peanuts look
fairly well; sweet potatoes will be late
and short; rice is heading; threshing
wheat is practically completed. Spe
cial reports on fruit indicate general
ly a very inferior crop; peaches are
scarce; apples knotty and inferior,
and the late apple crop continues to
fall from the trees; pears are some
what better; grapes are very fine and
are coming into market in abundance.
Farmers having bees will obtain a fine
crop of honey of good quality.
BEX ABE ABLE SUCCESS WITH IRISH
POTATOES.
Cor. of the Progressive Farmer.
I planted one-third bushel Bliss
Triumph potatoes on one-thirteenth
of an acre, virgin soil. After getting
land clear of all runners, etc., I then
gave a broadcast of stable manure,
laid off rows with shovel plow, drilled
20 pounds high-grade fertilizer in the
rows and ran a furrow in that so as
to mix fertilizer with the earth. Next
I cut the twenty pounds of potatoes
to single eyes and planted them 14
inches apart and covered level with
two shovel plow furrows. Worked
them one time and covered with leaves,
then sprayed with the Bordeaux mix
ture and paris green until matured.
Planted 4th April and they matured
in ninety days. I then dug them. Got
for my trouble sixteen bushels of fine
potatoes.
This is a yield of forty-eight bush
els to one, or two hundred bushels to
the acre. It pays to spray, not only
potatoes, but fruits.
J. II. TROLLINGER.
Catawba Co., N. C.
COTTON CB0P BEP0BT.
Condition of 81 9, Below Ten Years' Average.
The monthly report o fthe United
States Department of Agriculture
shows the average condition of cotton
on July 25 to have been 81.9 as com
pared with 84.7 on June 25, 77.2 on
July 25, 1891, 76 on August, 1900, 84
on August 1, 1899, and a ten-year
average of 82.8.
Except in Texas and Oklahoma,
which report averages of conditions
July 25 four points higher than last
month, Indian Territory, where there
has been an improvement of six
points, and Missouri where there is
no appreciable change, a more or less
marked deterioration is reported from
the entire cotton belt, the decline
amounting to 1 point in Virginia, 2
points in Arkansas, 4 in Louisiana, 5
in Mississippi, 6 in Texas, 7 in North
Carolina, South Carolina and Ala
bama, 8 in Georgia, and 12 in Florida.
There is a marked absence of uni
formity of conditions even in the
States making the most unfavorable
showing not a few counties reporting
a condition far above the average and
some even reaching the high figure
of 100.
The condition in the principal
States is reported as follows:
North Carolina, 86 ; South Carolina,
88; Georgia, 83; Florida, 84; Alabama,
77; Mississippi, 80; Louisiana, 81;
Texas, 77 ; Arkansas, 92 ; Tennessee,
92; Oklahoma, 94; Indian Territory,
del
DATES T0B HOLDING FABHEBS' IX
' STITUTES.
The Commissioner of Agriculture,
Hon. S. L. Patterson, has arranged a
series of dates for farmers' institutes
as follows:
Snow Camp, Alamance County,
Thursday, August 14.
Guilford College, Friday, August
15th.
Rural Hall, Saturday, August 16.
Lexington, Monday, August 18.
Norwood, Tuesday, August 19.
Mt. Pleasant, Wednesday, August
20th.
Steel Creek,. Thursday, August 21.
Other dates will be announced soon.
Those who will participate are:
Commissioner Patterson, Dr. B. W.
Kilgore, Dr. Tait Butler and Prof. W.
F. Ma3sey.
NEWS OF T IE FAEHIIfd W0BLD.
Our Washington Correspondent Beports j
Several Matters of Importance.
Cor. of The Progressive Farmer. .
The Department of Agriculture has
collected and analyzed a large number
of samples of insecticides and fungi-
cides now for sale throughout the
United States. Of some 300 samples"
received, those were rejected which
did not give fairly complete data as to
the price paid, name of makers and
name of retailer. After sifting .down
the samples, 57 were finally chosen for
analysis which it is thought fairly
represent the present state of the mar
ket in the country.
The results are given in a bulletin
which is now in the hands of the gov
ernment printer. This will enable any
farmer to thoroughly understand the
composition of the insecticides or
fungicides he is using and in case of
failure to have some idea of the
cause.
In preparing the bulletin, the au
thor, Mr. J. K. Haywood, of the Bu
reau of Chemistry, sent a letter to the
various manufacturers of the com
pounds, enclosing in each the result of
the analysis of his particular product
and asking for comment on the same
before publication. This part of the
bulletin is very instructive as it gives
the maker's reasons for the presence
of undesirable ingredients; at the
same time the effect has been to cause
him to remedy the evil.
The Koch theory that bovine tuber
culosis is not communicable to man
has again found an echo in press dis
patches in the newspapers during the
past two or three weeks. A Northern
doctor has always combated the theory
of Dr. Koch, and in order to prove the
fallacy of such a statement, had inoc
ulated a young girl with bovine tuber
culosis, assuring her that he would be
able to cure her in case tuberculosis
developed. A short time later true
tuberculosis appeared, but the physi
cian was unable to cure her and in a
moment of despondency, she commit
ted suicide.
Another well-known physician of
New York City, on the other hand, be
lieved as did Dr. Koch, and to prove
his version inoculated himself with
the disease germs. In a short time
tuberculosis ulcers appeared and ac
cording to last reports he is critical
ly ill with a genuine case of tubercu
losis. At the recent session of Congress,
a small appropriation was made for
investigations of silk culture. In this
connection, Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief
of the Division of Entomology of the
Department of Agriculture, has sail
ed for Europe, where he will make an
extended tour through the silk worm
raising countries.
Certain classes of eggs contain di
sease germs. These should be avoided
as it is through them that many an
epidemic is inaugurated. Dr. How
ard's endeavor will be to obtain fer
tile eggs immune from the various di
seases affecting silkworms. He will
investigate the various mulberry trees
raised by the silk culturists; on this
tree the silk worm subsists and where
good results are obtained from cer
tain varieties of trees, experimental
plantings will be made in this coun
try. The mulberry is easily propa
gated from cuttings.
Dr. Howard will make investiga
tions of every feature of the silk worm
culture. Heretofore the obstacle in
the way of furthering this industry
in the United States has been the high
price of labor, but Secretary Wilson
believes that the Southern negro can
readily apply himself to this industry
and increase his wordly capital.
Consul Fee at Bombay reports the
government wheat crop estimated for
India at about 220,000,000 bushels,
which is some 40,000,000 less than the
crop of last year. The area planted in
wheat is given at 23,000,000,000 acres
showing a small average yield per
acre.
GUY E. MITCHELL.
Washington, D. C.
A healthy toad would take care of
the insects in one hot bed.
CABBAGE SNAKES.
Cor. of The Progressive Farmer.
Last year considerable was said in
the press of the State in regard to
cabbage snakes, especially in the cab
bage sections of the western part of
the State. Recently an item has been
going the round of the newspapers
concerning a supposed poisonous "cab
bage snake" found in a head of this
popular vegetable by .a lady in Swain
County, North Carolina. The alleged
snake was sent to the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture for identi
fication, and proved to be the common
and inoffensive "Hair Snake" or water
worm gordius variabilis.
This is not a snake but a nematode
worm which during some part of its
life is an intestinal parasite of the
cabbage caterpillar, grasshopper and
some other insects. It is often found
in samples of water from shallow
wells, horse-troughs and ponds. Its
presence in water indicates that the
water is not fit to drink, but the worm
itself is not poisonous nor in any way
dangerous to human beings. The pop
ular name "Hair Snake" i3 given to
this worm on account of its great
slenderness, which has given rise to
the fanciful idea that a horse hair
has been transformed into a worm or
"snake." Though this worm is often
a foot in length it is never as. thick as
a knitting needle. Its color in water
is usually drab, but when it lives se
cluded from the light it is generally
white, hence the specific name, varia
bilis. Snakes properly so-called, belong to
the backbone o$ vertebrate series of
animals; whereas the true worms be
long to the backboneless or inverte
brate series. We have no snakes as
slender as a knitting needle, or in any
way resembling a slender worm. We
have no nematode worms which are
visible to the unaided eye that are
parasitic on human beings. Neither
are they venomous or poisonous. They
are, in fact, useful, in so far as they
destroy noxious insects like cabbage
worms and grasshoppers. Even should
such a worm be left in a cabbage,
cooking would render it unnoticeable,
and as it is not poison no one need
be afraid to handle or eat cabbage on
account of the mythical "cabbage
snake."
The Station will be pleased to iden
tify further specimens, and would be
glad to have any assistance or sug
gestions that will enable it to obtain
definite information regarding cases
of poisoning from "Cabbage Snakes."
GERALD McCARTHY,
Biologist, N. C. Dep't of Agr.
AUGUST 7ABX ROTES.
Sand vetch, sometimes called hairy
vetch, can commence to be sown this
month, and may be sown up to the end
of October. This crop makes a more
certain stand than crimson clover
indeed, it rarely fails. Sow 20 pounds
of seed to the acre with half a bushel
of wheat or winter oats. It makes a
great crop for cutting for green feed
in the spring or for hay. In an ex
periment made in Tennessee sand
vetch grown alone yielded 73A tons of
green forage to the acre and 1 tons
of cured hay. It is valuable as an im
prover of the land, making an excel
lent green fallow to plow down for
the corn crop. An average crop will
supply as much nitrogen to the acre
as a ton of cotton-seed meal.
,
The work of preparing the land for
the wheat and' winter oat crop should
receive attention. Although much too
early to think of sowing these crops it
is none to early to begin breaking and
preparing the land. Experiments
made in many different sections all
emphasize the fact that early plow
ing and frequent and perfect cultiva
tion of the land for a period of six
weeks or two months before sowing
the seed has more influence on the
yield of the wheat and winter oat crop
than even the quantity of fertilizer
applied to the land. Set the plows to
work as soon as the land is in good
plowing order, and plow deeply. Fol
low with a heavy harrow as soon as
possible bo as to break the furrow
slices, and thus conserve the moisture
and encourage the germination of
weed seeds. If at all cloddy, roll -and
then harrow again. Repeat this as
often as can be conveniently done, and
thus get rid of weeds and secure a fine
compact seed-bed. These are essen-
ti
als to a good wheat crop.
'
Do not let weeds seed on your stub
ble lands or on lands which were seed
ed with grass and clover in the fall or
spring. Run' the mower over these
before the weeds are in bloom, and
leave the cut weeds for a mulch.
Turnips should be sown this month.
They make the best bulbs grown in
rows two feet six inches apart, and
thinned out so as to stand eight or ten
inches apart in the rows. The land
should be made rich with farm-yard
manure and acid phosphate and be re
duced by frequent cultivation to a
fine state of tilth. Two pounds of seed
will sow an acre in drills. Three or
four pounds should be sown broad
cast. Keep free from weeds and cul
tivate frequently. We have grown
twenty tons to the acre, and ten ought
easily to be grown.
'
Rape may be seeded this month for
a sheep and hog pasture. It is best
grown in rows like turnips and culti
vated once or twice, but will make a
fine crop sown broadcast. Sow two
pounds of seed in rows, or three to
four pounds broadcast.
We see the advice given frequently
to sow turnips (cow-horn turnips) as
an improver of land. Do not listen
to this. It is a fallacy. We have
grown hundreds of acres of turnips
but never yet were able to do so with
out first making the land rich with
manure and always finding that the
crop had largely exhausted this when
harvested. Turnips add nothing to the
land but what they take from it, and
are therefore not improvers.
Do not pull any fodder but cut the
corn up at the root as soon as the1
ears are glazed and dented, and set in
shocks to cure. Fodder pulling in
jures the yield of grain and leads to
the wasting of a large part of the
crop. Nearly one-half of the nutri
tive value of the corn crop is in the
stalk, shuck and blades, and this ought
all to be saved and fed. August
Southern Planter.
DELEGATES TO NATIONAL 7AB2XERS'
CONGRESS.
The Governor appoints the follow
ing delegates to the Farmers' Nation
al Congress at Macon, Ga., October
7th to 10th: State at large, W. R.
Cox; by districts, J. R. Cofield, R. H.
Ricks, J. M, Wood, W. P. Batchelor,
J. S. Carr, S. H. Strange, W. L. Ever
ett, J. P. Allison, S. B. Alexander, G.
Fi Weston, S. L. Patterson, G. T. Win
ston, B. W. Kilgore, A. D. McNair,
W. A. Graham, J. A. Long, J. Van
Lindley, William Dunn, P. H. Hanes,
Henry Stewart, C. H. Nim3on, N. L.
Barnard, Benehan Cameron, S. H.
Webb, J. W. Norwood, J. H. Mott, R.
H. Speight, J. J. Laughlinhouse,
Frank Wood, W. H. Williams, H. G.
Chatham, Tait Butler, W. C. Petty,
J. N, Holmes, Charles McNamee, W.
R. Capehart, T. B. Parker, Franklin
Sherman, L.' Banks Holt, Garland
Webb, Arthur Williams, R. J. Brer
vard, T. L. Emory, C. E. loy, C. H.
Poe, W. F. Massey, Andrew Joyner.
These men are recommended by Bene
han Cameron, vice president for this
State.
Grapes are coming in, the luscious
Delawares and the cool-looking Niag
aras Time was, and not ten years
ago, when there were half a score of
vineyards literally in Raleigh's su
burbs. Of these only one remains.
One of the big vineyards contained
125 acres and as an experiment there
were something like 75 varieties of
grapes therein. All save one are cut
down, and crops now occupy the land.
Most of the grapes now vended here
come from Southern Pines, which also
furnishes the peaches. The latter are
superb. Elbertas are the variety now
chiefly on sale and a basket brings 40
cents say 20 cents a dozen. Raleigh
Cor, Charlotte Observer.
V