Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Dec. 16, 1902, edition 1 / Page 1
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- ! ' ...... V . . : ' : ' I I r ( w j ILfI- r-v Gin 1 THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICT. "tfc.... ' I r,"ta- , 1 frii3 L,,3 Timing L .-j , 1 ,-1 jur" , i ' J 1 I - V 1 t 1 f I I - I Jill V X J Volume XVII. RALEIGH, N. C, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1902. Number 45. AGRICULTURE HARRY FARMER'S TALKS. Editor of The Progressive Farmer: Here are some figures "which prove what we mentioned in a former arti cle on hog raising: noa account to harry far mer, DR. Hay 25. To 15 pigs $1 $15.00 May 25. iVz acres oats includ ing seed ($1.25), plowing ($1.50), rents ($4.50) 7.25 Jul. 8. 12 acres cow peas. .. . 7.75 (Cost about same as oats.) Sept. 15. acre corn $10 per acre 7.50 Oct. 15. 3 acres cow peas (mostly grown among corn and some of these had been gathered so we value them at $1 per acre) 3.00 Oct. 25. 3A acre sweet potatoes (oxvo-h alf o -thooa grown rm - land after the oats were harvested) , 20.00 60.50 CR Dec. 15. By 1,500 lbs. pork 8 cents $120.00 Showing net profit of $59.50. PROFIT IN PORK PRODUCING. Suppose we put the price of pork at the lowest price at which it sells, 5 cents per pound, and we have the sum of $75, which would leave us 25 per cent for our trouble. We did not sell our meat, or at least only a small part of it, but could have dis posed of all of it at 8 cents per pound. Of course we have more pigs, but we just mentioned these because they were weaned and put on the oats at the date named. The rent of the land at $3 per acre would give a nice profit to many farmers, because the land is improved at least $2 per acre. While eating the oats and peas during the summer we had to water the pigs once a day, which rarely consumed more than ten min utes, including the time going and coming from the field. The dry sum mer prevented the peas and grass from growing as well as they do some summers. HOW THE WORK WAS DONE Brother farmers, this is the result of planning and preparing our farms to yield us the most profit for the least labor. What did it cost, you asked? Our field is 3 acres or 210 yards long by 1 acre wide. So you see 2 side fences 210 yards long will make 420 yards, then 3 fences the rshort way or ends including one cross or dividing fence will make 210 yards, or a total of 630 yards. Now if you have no spring, then you must dig a well and fix a trough, so you can tell exactly what it will cost you. We had to dig a well. Don't say that you "cannot do this, for you can. Many farmers are going to do it and will make nearly double what we made, because they have better lands and will use pure breeds of the best hogs. Ours are mixed. Some of the pigs will nearly dou ble others just like some cows will make more "butter than others with the same feed. As we have said be fore, the South can make meat more cheaply than the West. Young en terprising farmers will take hold and make money, SELLING WOOD Here is another opportunity to make a little money, if you are prop-nrly-itnfltpd- Tha townanearlyuall. over the State need large quantities of fire wood. Every one who has tried it, knows that hauling green wood is slow work. Now cut a little all through the year, and let it be corded up so that it can dry off. Then when you have to go to town you can carry a load with you. If the road is good and the wood is pine, and has been cut 6 or 8 months, a good horse or mule can draw nearly a half of a cord at one load. Wood is advancing a little every year, and the farmer who has it can make it pay him well. ANOTHER WORD ABOUT PEANUTS Peanuts as a human food are not to be despised, for they furnish near ly all the nutriments required. Eaten raw in small quantities they act as a mild cathartic; when roasted they are the reverse. It is said that a small quantity of roasted peanuts eaten at bed time is a good remedy for insomnia or sleeplessness. They will fatten poorly children as well as pigs. And every farmer who has tried them knows that no food has ever been tried which would excel peanuts as a hog food. HARRY FARMER. Columbus Co. Now that politics is out of the way for a time the question of public ed ucation and good roads should have the right of way. Give us better schools and better roads and North Carolina will take her position among the most progressive States in the Union. Without these im provements she must forever remain at or near the bottom of the list. Sanford Express. Fertilizers Do Not Replace Tillage. Editor of The Progressive Farmer: A most common mistake of farm ers ia to expect too much of fertil izers, due to no little extent, no doubt, to the extravagant claims made by many fertilizer dealers. Fertilizers are simply a form of concentrated manure, and their use arose largely from the fact that not enough farm yard manure can be made on the av erage farm to keep the soil in good condition. Careful tillage is just as important with fertilizers as with farmyard manure. It is true that fertilizers do not stock up a soil with all kinds of weed seeds, but keeping the soil pulverized and porous and the maintenance of the earth mulch is not the less important on this ac count. Manures are more or less a com plete manure, and while it is true that the potash and phosphates con tained in same become available a3 -plant-food much less rapidly than the nitrogen, still a large proportion ul timately becomes serviceable to growing plants. This is the point too generally overlooked by farmers in buying fertilizers. Figured as a fertilizer formula, manure contains equal percentages of potash and ni trogen, and half as much phosphoric acid. Fertilizers need not follow these proportions closely because the nitrogen is needlessly large when we consider the enormous quantities stored in soils by plants of the clover family. So far as the mineral plant food elements are concerned, and by mineral plant food is commonly meant potash and the phosphates, it is very probable that farmyard ma nure represents closely the actual needs of average crops. This is the point to establish clear ly before we go on the subject of til lage. If the fertilizers are unsuita ble for the crop, tillage of itself can do nothing. The correct balancing of the plant food in fertilizers must be studied with reference to the ac tual needs of crops in plant food, and the largest crop it is hoped to make. A well balanced fertilizer for 20 bushels of corn per acre for example, cannot make 40 bushels,. Farmers must read and study out these points for themselves. Th problem is neither intricate nor difficult, simply a matter of studying the composition of crops, being particular to take the whole crop growth into considera tion, for plant food is as much re quired to make the roughage as to make the valuable sale portion, and the one cannot be grown without the other. . The function of tillage is to pre pare soil conditions favorable to the germination of seed; that is, to keep the soil open and porous, and well pulverized, and even. It also serves to conserve moisture by the well known earth mulch, by keeping an even soil texture, and by keeping down the growth of weeds which use moisture" thus robbing the valuable plants. The function of fertilizer is the same as that of manures of all kinds. It simply supplies plant food nitrogen, potash and phosporic acid. Plant food can do little with out tillage, tillage can do nothing without plant food. These are things to keep in mind. As mentioned before, the composi tion of the fertilizer is important, for plants must have certain propor tions of the three elements, and no great excess of any one, or of any two for that matter, can make up for the scarcity of any one of them. On this account, it is of first importance to study the composition of the fer tilizers used. P. J. CHRISTIAN. About the Tobacco Growers Trust. Editor of The Progressive Farmer: Your correspondent noticed the call to the farmers who are interest ed in the culture of tobacco to meet at Rocky Mount, 19th inst., as well as the outline sketch and suggestion of Dr. Freeman to organize a Tobac co Growers' Trust. It is reasonable to surpose that farmers engaged in its culture shall enjoy the value of what it costs to produce it. Yet it is unreasonable to suppose that farmers do receive full cost of pro duction. The Doctor hopes for a full discussion; so do I. He say3 that it is no use to meet and resolute. That is the truth, if we do not intend to : stick. I do not object to the up building of the farmer, for that is my pursuit. Yet there seems to be but little reason in trying to form a trust, when farmers themselves denounce trusts, acknowledging the fact of being overruled by a moneyed trust or monopolies in the outline. Where is the plenty of money the to bacco growers will have in the treas ury? That depends on the quantity he produces. From whom will he re ceive his full value ? From those en gaged in trust. Thus it would seem the money received by officers or managers of the trust companies is collected from the producer in those trusts. Turn on the light. ROBERT COOPER. Franklin Co., N. C. ( t 1 r
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 16, 1902, edition 1
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