HOW TO MAKE YOUR DIRT ROADS BETTER Pago 15. ii ii " i i i r y uvo i pPltle Registered in U. S. Patent Office.) A Farm and Home Weekly for the Carolina, Virginia, Vol. XXIII. No. 9. RALEIGH, N. C, APRIL 9, 1908. and Georgia. Weekly: $1 a Tear COCO 42070: A MAGNIFICENT TYPE OF THE DRAFT HORSE. J-N last week's paper we gave a beautiful type of the French Coach horse ; this week we.show one of the finest Percheron stallions in Amer ica Coco 42070 owned by McLaughlin Bros., Colum bus Ohio. We need more Percherons in the South, An article on page 2 emphasizes their value. Says Dr. Tait Butler: "For the breeding of farm work stock, my first choice for sire would be a properly selected, medium sized Percheron" As to how the breed has been developed McLaughlin Bros, say; "Re liable authorities trace the origin of the Percheron s tock back beyond the crusades. Since then, by subsidies and prizes the French govern ment has encouraged in eve ry possible way the breeding of Percheron horses. It has done much to secure that combination of strength, en durance, activity and docil ity for which the breed is so noted, and which has placed it in the front rank of excel lence among draft breeds of the world. The Percheron is the king of draft horses, , and. par excellence the breed" Jor moving heavy weight with great activity." Mr. Sidney fohnson, who is writing a series of horse articles jor us, cottiments on the strong points of Coco as follows : "Note () the head carried well tip; (2) the well arched top line of the neck; (j) the 'straight 'underline of the neck ; (4) the powerful sloping shoulder ; 5) the short back; (6) the long underbody ; (7) long croup ; (8) the flat cannon bones, and (p) the powerful hind quarters these are exquisite: the drive power of a horse is located here. This should be a hard horse to beat in any show ring." x?rt I' i WHAT .YOUAVILIi FIND 'IN THIS WEEK'S PAPER. Page. April Needs of Your Live Stock, A. L. French 12 Bank Accounts Instead of Store Accounts for Tobacco Farmers, P. B. Neal . . . . . . . . ... . . . 6 Rlemishes to Avoid When Buying a Horse, Sidney Johnson 13 Dr. Freeman's Health Talks for Farmers. ... 2 Geese and Grass in the Orchard. . . . . . ... ... 16 How to Make Your Dirt Roads Better. ..... 15 H You Want Fruit, Spray, Dr. H. F. Freeman . 3 More Percherons Needed in the South, Chas. ' M. Scherer ........... ........... 2 Money in Poultry for Farmers' Wives and - Daughters, Mrs. J. C, Deaton ........ 16 More About Scuppernongs. . . . . . . ..... . . . . . 17 Plant Cotton Early, and Shallow. . .......... 4 Peavine Hay as a Money Crop ............. 5 Mallow Planting Saves Millions in Texas, E. Rosenbaum .. ........... .. 4 Suggestions for April Farm Work. . . . ... . . . 11 Three Years' Experience With Long Staple, T- B. Pace .... ........ .......... 4 he Parcel Post and the Farmer, Hon. J. Bry- an Grimes ..14 What Will the Weather Be in April? . 15 WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE YOUR DIRT ROAD BETTER? We are printing on page 15 of this issue an ar ticle from the United States Office of Public Roads giving some valuable suggestions about the best ways of making your dirt roads better. A ma cadam road is better, but do not neglect your every-day dirt road because you haven't a better kind. You can make a better kind without the macadam. Grade the roads you have. It is a great waste of horsepower to lift your loads straight up the hill and then down again, when a little grading of the route would take you around the hill on a good level road that is no longer than the up-and-down one. Then drain your road-bed. Water is an enemy to your roads; and when they are too steep they fall an easy prey to washing, and when level and poorly drained, they fall an easy prey to the mud-mixing narrow tires. Use the scraper and grader and drag, give your road a route that has some regard for your faithful horse, then drain it and drag it with the cheap and handy split log drag and you can certainly make your dirt road a great deal better. COTTON CROP OF 1007 11,261,1 63 BALCS. The final census report of the cotton crou of 1907, issued March 20th, shows the total to be 11,261,163 bales, against 13,305,265 bales in 1906, and 10,725,602 in 1905. By States the figures are as follows: Alabama, 1,126,028; Arkansas, 760,162; Florida, 57.016; Georgia, 1,891,000; Kansas, 34; Kentucky, 4,205; Louisiana, 676,823; Mississippi, 1,464,207; Mis souri, 35,997; New Mexico. 447; North Carolina, 648,517; Oklahoma, 864,160; South Carolina. 1, -175,375; Tennessee, 274,536; Texas, 2,271,724; Virginia, 9,486. Kentucky's total includes linterg of establishments in Illinois and in Virginia. Hester's report of the market movements gfres only 4,000,000 bales in sight at present against 5,000,000 bales at the same date last year. Oh, yes, you got some money when you old that bale or two of cotton but how much of it was clear profit? Wouldn't the same outlay of toil and money for plowing and planting, and fer tilizing, and cultivating, and gathering, and mar keting yielded you more clear profit if you-had devoted them to some other crop? mml " ' ... -- -- -i-t-nrTTTM-n ,---