Newspapers / The progressive farmer. / April 21, 1903, edition 1 / Page 1
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JTrr To) fr T XX .If t 1 III ..11 III I I I , A i F AJ h J L v 7 A W0 1 0rm m1 axJ TIIK LVDUSTKIAL ASD EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. Volume XVIII. RALEIGH, N. C, TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1903. Number II. AGRICULTURE HARRY FARMER'S TALKS. CXV. Kditor of The Progressive Farmer: Mr. J. W. Katun, of Davidson County, writes: "Please tell me if tou or your neighbors have the old faihioneil yam potato with very deep scalloped leaves? Any infor mation in regard to kind, cultivation, fertilizer and soil, will be gladly re ceived. We have large quantities of Potatoes en our market every spring, all claiming t be eastern yams, but they scM'iii give satisfaction. "nl. 1 it too late to sow rape for summer and fall use? How much land i- required to feed 12 or 15 pigs three t" M; months old? Can it be cut ami t'e l to them in the pen with protit C We wrute to Mr. Eaton in regard to the potatoes but as his letter has s.'ir.e questions in it that would be helpful to others, we give it to the public. - . Hie potato mentioned is one that vw.s u-own here during and for sev yais after the Civil War. We phuiir.j .i!iu. a few years ago, but they;. 11 was so small that we dis ("rli 1 tjieei. The trouble with the m-n v ,j ,,n your market is not m;:eh in the k i ml of potato as the ti:;.e aii,'i manner of growing. We, wi'li (,:hi have advocated the plan "f jrr.ving p.,tatoes from cuttings l that i rich or lieavily fertil 1Zl"'. piai.i. late in the summer or kw-'A tbe i:M!i!i of July. Potatoes m easily raised ihis way and Kr'l - v.-: 11 ilint the temptation to w lb' -ai entirely has brought d'"'v,t' die trouble our friend men-t:":N- If i! will get the North Car- i.iU 1 .! 1;;!i'ti:i on variety test of p' iat.M. he will M-et some idea ,s' in kinds. As he lives ' 11 hills he will find it more ,1..': . j j4:i'" ,; row sweet potatoes u!n "u die andy plains near the , ., " ' ' H'ri a level warm sandy j I 11 '-"e- not contain much 'u!lllK haul ;,b,jt K) or r,0 one-horse " w.ioils mould on each r,';i"l meaner it over the land and rn it in with a turn plow or cut- k ll:in'"u' nil"iing not over 4 ,"u,I,'p. Then rim 0ff rows fit,r,ut j, , " " ' 1 "part and sow 200 r'V Phlhate and 100 Bed i 1 iU' Ptash per acre. . 10 h"taiues about the last of thL. ( ot 31ay and as soon as lHam f-'-t about G or 8 inches high throw four furrows together over the furrow in which the fertil izer is sowTn, making a small bed. Then set the plants about 15 or 18 inches apart. It is best to water them a little unless the land is very moist. Work them lightly in about a week and after every rain that forms a crust until the vines get four to six feet long. The yield on poor or thin soil treated this way will not be large, but will be better for table use. No potatoes made on very rich soil planted late in the season will be good. We have never used any rape for hog feed. It is just like ruta baga turnips but has no root. You might try some on a small scale. Would red clover do well in your hilly coun try? If we lived up as near the mountains as you do, we would try lucerne or alfalfa clover. This grows after it gets started right through the driest sunny weather. Our farmers grow the common col lards here for hog feed. HARRY FARMER. Notes from Craven County. Editor of Tbe Progressive Farmer : The full moon in April has passed The truckers dreaded frost at that time but as it did not appear, danger now seems to be over. The season is two or three weeks earlier than last year, and while vegetables are ear lier, most crops are inferior, espe cially cabbage and early peas. Po tatoes generally up, but not a good stand in many places. The fruit crop promises fair thus for. Early planted com is coming up nicely and cotton planting will soon begin. Farmers are in good spirits, from lat year's general success, and from the present favorable prospects, though the truck prospects are not very flattering in our county. I agree with Brother Blake John son about raising sweet potatoes. I have tried a part of his plan and find it good, but do not follow his "one sack of guano to the acre for cot ton." If one sack will make six hun dred pounds seed cotton to the acre, I would put two sacks and expect to get 1200 pounds. But I mix my own guano and put about 3 per cent am monia, about 3 per cent potash, about 8 ner cent phophoric- acid. I used this last year from 400 to 500 pounds per acre, and averaged 2,000 pounds seed cotton to the acre. I like this better than 600 pounds ; it takes less work and brings more money. The reason I say it takes less work is the cotton grows faster and is out of the way of weeds and grass sooner takes less hoe work, which is the expensive part of culti vating a crop of cotton. I usually plowT my cotton eight or ten times, especially if it is dry weather. D. L. Craven Co., N. C. Silk Growing and Poultry Raising. Editor of The Progressive Farmer: My attention has been called to a paragraph in the last number of The Progressive Farmer in which you ex press some doubts as to the compar ative profitableness of poultry and silk growing. There is no rivalry between these two branches of rural economy. In many of my circulars I have advised farmers to combine poultry with silk as an all-the-year-round business. Fowls may be kept with superior results on the same ground used for growing mulberry trees to feed silk-worms. But I have not advised women or children to at tempt systematic poultry growing on a scale which alone can yield any considerable income. Poultry grow ing is no more suitable for women and children than swine or cattle growing! All require unremitting personal attention, which overbur dened mothers or growing school children are not able to afford. Poul try growing is no new industry in North Carolina or other States, but it has nowhere become a very potent sourcp of agricultural wealth. Silk growing, as I recommend it, is in every way suitable for women and children and for the aged. The entire season lasts only six weeks of early summer. For the rest of the year the worms are dormant in the egg and require no particular atten tion. In the six weeks of the season an active child of ten or twelve years may earn $30 to $40. The silk industry does not require uninter mittent care as does poultry, cattle and all animal industries in which the animals are constantly active and in need of care. To advise an overworked housewife to add to her burden the care of a poultry yard is very questionable counsel! A school child cannot possibly give the required care to a flock of fowls which alone will return any profit. SihVgrowing has enriched every nation that has made it an extensive domestic industry. It has made France and Italy what these States -are. So also will it add to the wealth of American States by util izing labor and moments not other wise applicable for the production of wealth. Silk-growing may. easily add to the income of the agricultural popula tion of North Carolina at least $3, 000,000 per year without in any way subtracting from the income now de rived from poultry or any other standard crop. We simply propose to utilize labor now wasted or ap plied to non-productive ends. Surely, this is an undertaking that must commend itself to all candid and pa triotic minds. GERALD McCARTHY, Biologist, N. C. Department of Agri culture, Raleigh. Agriculture in Yadkin. We are having a very great deal of rain, and farmers are getting the "blues" because of the delay in crop preparation. The cold snap has about killed all the fruit, so I hear a great many say. Wheat is looking better than it usually does the first of May. Nobody can tell what wheat will do till it has to be cut, and some times then it fools us when it is threshed. Nearly everybody is go ing to try to raise tobacco this year. If the price continues to fall in the same proportion it has since last fall tobacco will not bring three cents a pound next fall. It is remarkably strange that our farmers do not give more attention to the raising of stock hogs, cattle, mules and horses. Meat is in great demand at a good price and mules and Horses find a sale at very fair prices. Pigs, if no larger than kittens are selling readi ly at two to two and a half dollars. I am of the opinion that it will pay better to give more attention to rais ing grain, grass and stock and less to raising tobacco. Rye is a most ex cellent food for stock and can be pro duced on most any sort of land, and besides, it benefits the land. Some body will dispute this last remark. Hamptonville Cor. Statesville Landmark. Mr. A. J. Johnson, of Sampson County, says the huckleberry crop of Sampson, which is usually worth $50,000 to the county, has been cut off 75 per cent by the cold snap. The strawberry crop is also damaged, probably 25 per cent. Reports to Superintendent Joyner from 52 counties show that 48 local tax districts have been established, elections are pending in 15 and 72 are considering calling elections. This is an encouraging record.
April 21, 1903, edition 1
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