Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / June 14, 1906, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Wis? t3 Consolidated, 1904, :witli Ttie Cotton Plant, Greenville, S. C. PROGRESSIVE FARMER VOL. XXI. NO. 18. THE COTTON PLANT VOL. XXIII. NO. 17. RALEIGH, N. C, JUNE 14, 1906. Weekly $ I a Year. PAYING TWO MEN TO DO THE WORK OF ONE. That is the Simple Problem Involved in the Question of Improved Tools No. 28 of the Sunny Home Stock Talks. Messrs. Editors: A recent talk, in which I discussed farm tools and patch farming, has provoked consid erable adverse comment. For this reason and the further reason that these two are real live questions for the consideration of Southern farm ers, I want to say a little more along the same line. The Gang Plow on Level Land Only, the One-Horse Plow Nowhere. Mr. P. A. Hoyle in his very courte ous review of the talk of April 12th, makes the article say some things that I think a more careful reading will show him it did not say. He infers from his reading of the article that I advocate the general' use of gang plows. What the paper said was that on the black sandy soils of the Eastern part of the State the gang plow . drawn by five horses would plow land at a cost of seventy-five cents per acre, while the work was being performed there by the use of the one-horse plow at a cost of two dollars per acre. I do not advocate the use of the gang plow except on fairly level land, and do not advocate the use of the one-horse plow on any sort of land. ': Put It in Pasture and Grow Stock. i We do not recognize a system of farming as correct that does not em brace the keeping of live stock to consume part or all of the products grown on the farm, and any land that is too rough to be plowed successful ly with a two- or three-horse plow should be seeded down in permanent pasture. A two-horse, pivot-axle, spring tooth .cultivator can be worked on any land that can'be profitably plow ed with the two or three-horse plows, as can a two-row corn planter also. And from my own experience I know there is no profit in employ ing two men to do the work that one could do as well in the same time, if given the proper tool to work with. I do not advocate the purchase of every new fangled tool that comes on the market. But the farmer should decide on the line of farming he will pursue for a number of years, then purchase a few good, substantial tools that are adapted to his needs. More About Short Rows. Now a little more on the short row problem. Mr. Hoyle says: "We be lieve all prudent, thoughtful farm ers make their rows just as long and their patches just of large as the boundaries of their farms and the rocks and streams will permit." Well, I expect they the "prudent, thoughtful, farmers" do; but we are not all in that class. The writer ran across a man the other day who will be in the select circle by another year. Driving along a road in a part of our country some twenty miles from our home, we saw a man working at filling up a small gully that had been neglected until it was some three or four feet deep. He had grubbed up the pines along the banks, laying them 'in the bottom of the gully; then with his two-horse plow he was working down the banks so he could cross from one side to the other with his riding cultivator. A Case in Point. . I stopped and asked him what he was doing all that work for. His reply .was that a man writing in The Progressive Farmer- about a month ago had told the readers how much it was costing them to do so much turning while plowing their land cul tivating their crops, and it had set him to thinking, so he had decided to fill in this gully while the land was too wet to plow and thus join the upper piece of land with the lower and in this way make his rows of corn seventy rods long, instead of thirty and forty rods. He said fur ther that he believed he would have time to clean off that patch of pines on the galled spot over toward the other side of the field, as. he had broken down corn enough driving around the patch to have paid for clearing it off twice. Is This Good Doctrine? I remarked to myself that this man was getting his dollar's worth out of The "Progressive Farmer. This is the sort of farmer we are fishing for. Let us hear from other think ing farmers on this subject. A. L. FRENCH. R. F. D. 2, Byrdville, Va. THOUGHTS FOR FARMERS. J. R. Baker, a farmer near Ker shaw, S. C, has a small dairy in connection with his farm. He milks sixteen to twenty cows and runs an eight-horse farm. In his work there are two things worthy of note: Two Points Worth Noting. Last year on thirty-four acres he made forty-two bales of cotton. Without the aid of cattle he could not have made such a crop of cotton. Raising small grain and forage for his cattle and mules improves his land and makes it rich in humus. The manure from his cattle and farm animals adds to. the productiveness of the soil at lightest expense. The second thing worthy of notice is that Mr. Baker employs white la bor. He seems to prefer it, and this plan is worthy of consideration. In this county it is difficult to hire young white men to work on the farm. Stores, offices and cotton mills attract V at I' ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION OF MR. FRENCH'S POINT. them. They cannot, clear more, but they like town life better than the loneliness of the farm. It would be difficult to hire a half-dozen strong, willing white boys eighteen to twenty-one years old at $12.00:to $14.00 a month- to work a whole year on the farm. - What Is to be Done? White men cannot be hired. Im migrants capable of doing farm work will come slowly. In localities where there are few negroes large land owners .should sell small ' farms to young white men on time and induce them to stay in the country. In coun ties where there are negroes, they should be hired unless they have first-class stock and are good tenants. Good houses should be built and they should be encouraged to have a gar den, truck patch, and cow. They should be instructed as to their work so that they will go at it intelligently. If a contract is made for a term of years it will be better, both for land lord and laborers. Teach them the difference between working their own half-starved mule and a strong lively animal, owned by the employ er. Hiring hands the year- round, including : all wet weather is most satisfactory. Next to that is employ ing hands to work for half the crop. In that way the landlord can kep up his land and control the planting and gathering of the crop. ' CHARLES PETTY. Spartanburg Co., S. C. MORE REPLIES FROM NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS. The know-nothing, the do-nothing and the be-nothing scheme of life can only end in outer darkness and ineffable distress. Joseph Parker. Best Wheat Crop. Wheat crop the best for years. Also winter oats are fine. Spring oats poor on account of lack of rain. All kinds of hay crops short for the same reason. Stand of corn not good." No cotton in this section. Tobacco Is giving way to trucking and dairying. Fruit crops of all kinds rather poor in quantity and quality. There is a decided increase inj interest in all kinds of good stock. I J. F. DAVIS. Guilford Co., N. C. , Legislation. No increase in cotton. Increase in Spanish peanuts. Farm products about an average. Compel insurance companies to invest all premiums above expenses in North Carolina se curities; a general road law for the State, and compulsory education, from six to fifteen; no child under fourteen to be allowed in any mill. .. B. M..PUGH. Halifax Co., N. C. Increasing Use of Machinery.. Acreage about 100 per cent. Seas ons favorable. .Improvements in all lines; -machinery increasing. Farm prospects, generally, I am glad to say, are improving. 1 J. A. PENLAND. Clay. Co., N. C. Using Better Implements. Think no increase in acreage of any crop except possibly cotton. Seasons have been very unfavorable . (Continued on Page 5.) Last Cultivation of Potatoes With Planet Jr. Pivot Wheel Cultivator: The Great Profits in Trucking Are. Largely Due to the Use of Im- ' proved Implements. . - I . i s NT
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 14, 1906, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75