r?? c
Farm
Department
Devoted lo the latereata of Thoac
Eafafed in Agricultural Pursuit*.
Conducted by J. M. Beaty
a o
Agricultural Education.
Some time ago we promised to
?bow the real facta as to the in
fluence of agricultural education. The
point at Issue was whether agrlcul-,
tural education had a definite ten
dency to turn its possessor away from
the farm. I
Not a single farmer has ventured
to go on record with an expressed
belief that agricultural education In- '
Jured any farmer. Not a single wri
ter has cited a known case of any
boy having been turned away from 1
the farm, toward which he original
ly inclined, by the direct Influence
of any agricultural school.
Scores of letters have been re
ceived from men and women who af- j
firm that they were 'either attracted
to the farm or have been made bet
ter farmers by these institulons.
There can be no argument on this
phase of the question. One point, i
however, demands brief consideration.
It is claimed by some well maning
critics that the total number of col-'
lege and school made farmers have
made little numerical impression on
the total aggregate of farmers.
There are two correct replies to
this contention. First, the college
bred farmer seldom claims superiority
because of bis college training. He
rests his whole claim to recognition
on his success as a farmer. Except
among his Intimate associates the
school from which he came receives
little recognition or credit for his 1
position.
The facts are identical with other
professional schools. The general;
public seldom knows anything of the
training of the successful lawyer, phy
sician or farmer. We could men
tion many leaders of agricultural or
sanitations, state commissioners of
agriculture, presidents of state agri
cultural societies, masters of State
granges, Farmers' Union officers
whose personal history prove this:
contention.
Second. The possible number of
college-bred farmers is so small as
to be put a mere Insignificant numer
ical fraction of the total number of
farmers of the country.
There are something like fifty agri
cultural schools and colleges with
graduates. The average period of
their activity has scarcely exceeded
twenty-five years. Should each of
them have educated 100 farmers per
year?a number far in excess of their
real possibilities?the total number
of farmers thus trained could much
exceed 100,000, out of some 15,000,000
farmers in the country.
Now let us turn to the actual recor
of achievement. The total number
of farmers coming witflln the sphere
of influence of agricultural colleges
through short courses, extension
work, institutes, and similar effort
can only be surmissed. The actual
number of graduates is a matter of
record, and therefore fairly accurate
statistics are available.
Of the total number of graduates
of these colleges over 60 per cent
are actually engaged In some kind of
agricultural pursuit. In some insti
tutions the average is over 95 per
cent, and the average percentage of1
farmer graduates is steadily on the
Increase.
The question is a national one, as
these colleges are national in origin
and largely so in support and manage
ment. We therefore cite the definite
facts relating to a few of the better
known, as illustrating the general
condition.
The per cent of graduates engaged
In agricultural occupations is as fol
lows: Minnesota, 90; Wisconsin, 75; |
Cornell, 91; Michigan, 75; Massachu
setts, 65; Mississippi, 65. Of the
thousands of short and partial course
men practically all are engaged in
the work for which these courses
were intended to fit them.
These facts should suffice to satis
fy any one that these colleges are
really and effectively fulfiling their
mission of making trained farmers
and a more intelligent agriculture.
There is, however, another very im
portant clement in agricultural pro
gress for which they are entitled to
credit. Directly and also through the
experiment stations, so closely iden
tified with them, the colleges are
responsible for nearly all that sci
ence has done for modern agriculture.
Every farmer who treats his grain
for smut, who attempts to protect his
crops from the chinch bug, who treats
bis seed potatoes for scab, who
sprays his trees for any pest, who
uses the Babcock test, who practices
shallow cultivation for the conserva
tion of soil water, who vaccinates
against black leg, or sprays his fields
for weeds, recognizes thereby the
practical value of the agricultural col
lege.
It adds wonderfully to the credit
??gaaa?BB?????, , , ?
due these institution.-? that a very j I
large part of these great benefit* to |
the farmer have be, a made possible '
by the work of men trained In theso
very Institutions. These men may
not be classed as practical farmers,
but thousands of practical farmers owe
their success to the training of In- j <
rtitutions which placed the making \
of useful men above the mere muk- j
ing of farmers.?Southern Kuralist. ,
Cabbage and Beans. ,
More than one hundred varieties of <
r&obage are cultivated In the l ulled I
States. It Is much used as an article
of food, supplying as It does about
ps .uexpensive a sort of roughness as
could be desired. The encyclopedia
describes It as "a plant In general
cultivation for culinary purposes and
for feeding cattle." It can be eaten
by humans cooked In various ways,
raw as a salad, and salted and cured
as kniut. Cows eat It freely when
It is boiled with corn meal or wheat 1
bran, and Is served to them as a sort
of lirunswlck stew.
It Is i>ot unlawful to eat cabbage,
I'lthough we do not see why any one
shculd care to, and, besides, since
the head of this plant has been se
lected for the purpose of unfriend
ly comparison in sundry cases; but
tho < abbage crop Is a very large one
and profitable withal. Three years
ago cne cabbage planter In the
Hojth cleared $00,000 on his cab
bant. crop alone, and another man
has made a fortune raising cabbage
plants for sale to cabbage growers.
We do not know the nutritive value
of the cabbage; but we are sure
that It Is far below that of the
bean, which grows In the Souhtern
States In great perfection. String
bei i,s, or snaps as they are called,
contain per cent: water, 851.2; pro
tein, 2.3; fat, 0.3; carbohydrates, 7.4;
mineral matter, 0.8; and Its fuel value
Is placed at 195 calories the pound.
This Is interesting, in a way, and
the wonder Is that the bean is not
more generally eaten because of its
nutritive value, as well as its cheap
ness and the ease with which it can
be grown in this part of the coun
try.?Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The Plutocratic Farmers.
"The best way to discover the ad
vancing value of farm lands and the
prosperous condition of the farmer
is to revisit the scenes of your child
hood and compare the situation as it
was then and as It is now. The wri
ter well remembers a plantation in
the neighborhood where he was
reared that was noted for its pover
ty. Its sand spots were white and
glistening and the bottom patches
were few and far between. It was
notorious for Its 'bumble bee' cotton
and its frail and feeble corn. It now
produces great crops and the weak
places average up with the bottoms.
Twenty-five years ago that place
would have been considered dear at
$7,.r>00; tt auld last spring for $37,000,
and the buj^er Is chuckling over his
bargain. Another plantation in that
neighborhood more valuable than the
one mentioned, was worth a quarter
of a century ago $12,000. The owner
would not sell it to-day for $60,000.
"The small farmer in the old days
with a hundred acres of land and
hardly able to make buckle and
tongue meet, finds himself now worth ;
$10,000. This is the way things are|,
noing in that section and although'
proper. }- values have bounded for-1
ward more rapidly there than in most
sections of the State, the progress in
the value of farm lands everywhere
has been steady and strong. Further- (
more, the methods of farming have
more than kept pace with the increas-'
Ing value of property. The use of
fertilizers is much more Intelligent
than formerly. Even the negroes
bate at their tongue's end the pro- ,
per proportion of constituent ele
ments In commercial fertilizers that
are suited to certaiu soils and crops. I
This is not as it used to be, for'
guano was guano then, and the main
thing was to get hold of it with no
regard to its component parts.
' The danger before our farmers is
the same thing that confronts our
people everywhere, namely, automo
bile s. If they do not get into the
habit of spending all their profits for
speed, they are on the high road to
wealth. We were glad to observe
among our old neighbor, a disposi
tion to harness up the mules and go
to church In the good old way and
we hope they will continue to do this,
and ri<l? only in the othfcr fellow's
automobile."?Charity and Children.
The Barnyard Manure.
The Minnesota Expermlent Station
says that manure can be hauled and ;
scattered over some portion of the
farm every month of the year to
good advantage. It is much better to
leave it on the land than in the
barn yard or in piles near the farm j
buildings. The Station has found
the manure spreader a wonderful'
help to lightening the work of unload-'
ing and obtaining an even distribution
over the soil.?Indiana Farmer.
EXTERMINATING CATTLE TICKS.
\ Pasture May be Freed of Ticks by
Keeping All Stock Off of it from
September 1 to July 1.
The mouth of August lends itself
ive'l to the eradication of cattle In
fer tick* when- a pasture rotation
plan Is used. By vacating a pasture
luring this month and keeping It
vacant until July 1 of next year it
may be freed of ticks, aud if no
'.Ick-infested animals are allowed to
enter after July 1 the pasture will
remain free. The United States De
partment of Agriculture advises far
mers in the tick region to take
advantage of this favorable time so
Far as practicable.
Pastures from which live stock is
removed, for a sufficient time become
free of' ticks by a process of starva
tion, as the ticks can not live to
Maturity if they are unable to get
upon animals. The time required for
alt ticks to die after the stock has
been removed from Infested fields
and pastures varies considerably, de
fending on climate, season, and wea
ther conditions. Experience has
fliown, however, that the period
from September 1 to July 1 is suffl
cieut, aud this appears to be the
most convenient time.
The advantage of vacating a pas
ture for the period named is two
fold. Not only Is the pasture freed
from ticks, but its disuse during that
time will probably cause lesg incon
auu CJIJICIIBP i Willi ai ailj
other season, and It will be benefited
by the rest and will have a better
growth of grass the following sum
mer. In some sections where pas
tures are utilized throughout the r
?inter, to vacate would probably ne
cessitate feeding the stock, unless
the farmer is situated so that he
can keep his stock on one pasture
while another pasture is kept vacant.
But it is also true that beginning
with September there will be a more
abundant supply of rough feed about
a farm which can be utilized. Au
gust is a most favorable month for j
making a start toward freeing prem
ises of ticks by the method .sug
gested.
The animals should of course be
free of ticks when they are again (
turned on the pasture in July. Where
the owner has a small number of cat-1
lie, greasing or spraying them with
Beaumont crude petroleum is a good
way to rid them of ticks. When the
number of cattle is large or when a
dipping vat is convenient it may be j
more practicable to dip them.
Full information as to how to get j
rid of the ticks, including directions
for the preparation of dips and
sprays, may be obtained free upon
application to the Bureau of Ani
mal industry, Department of Agricul
ture, Washington, D. C.
If your liver is sluggish and out
of tone, and you feel dull, bilious,
constipated, take a dose of Chamber
lain's Stomach and Liver Tablets to
night before retiring and you will
feel all right in the morning. Sold
by Hood Bros.
ll
Education is Accumulated Experience.
Progress upon the farm depends up
on experience. This is why I read !
the Ruralist and a half score of oth- j
er agricultural papers. The reason
I go over to iny neighbor farmer and
talk over his ideas it to get his ex
perience.
Several years ago my parents de
rided to send me to some college.
This they did I believe as a sort of
duty, as my friends were all being
sent to various schools away from
home. I went and thought I would
take up some other vocation besides
farming, as I had never seen any- i
thing easy or inducing upon my fa- j
ther's farm. Nothing but a great j
deal of hard work.
I entered the agricultural college
and decided to prepare myself for a
school teacher. Occasionally I would I
go out upon the college farm with
my student mates who were taking
the agricultural course. I could see j
that they were enthused over the
subjects of the farm. They would
tell me how to prepare the soil, se
lect seed, cultivate and harvest
crops to the best advantage. I could
see work that was being done with
intelligent labor and good tools. We
would return to our rooms and the
next chance I would go out by my
self. I would visit the live stock
department, bee the best breeds of
stock of our country, talk to the
keepers of the various breeds of
hogs, sheep, cows, horses and fowls.
I would visit the farm machinery, see
the cream separator, corn and cob
mill, corn busker and shredder, and
a pea thresher that would thresh
peas from the vines. I was especial
ly carried away with this last ma
chine, as picking peas upon my fa
ther's farm had been a great drudg
ery.
Finally I became restless trying to
become a school teacher, gave up
that course and selected the agri
cultural. I met instructors whose ex
perience seemed to be unlimited.
They would talk hours and hour* up
on facts, things they bad done and
?een themselves. 1 took a broader
conception of (arm life, kept aloof
from society, read and studied al
most night and day, because my |
time was limited and 1 was to pay j
Lai k the money I spent.
1 remained three years In college,
then came home, drained my old
l ome field, broke my land In the j
fall, planted legume crops, cron crops,
got farm machinery, good breeds of 1
live stock, worked hard, became in- |
t.-rested, and In a few years was .
ahead of my friends who had stay
ed at home.
I knew a farm boy who was very
strong. He was a good student and
decided to study law; so he enter
ed an agricultural college and took
a literary course. In his fifth year
lie became devoted to agriculture.
When school was out he was given
a position In my district in charge
of demonstration work. Last season
i he farmers who made crops under j
this student made an average of six
ty-four dollars per acre above labor
;md expenses upon cotton. Upon corn
a yield of fifty bushels above the ;
average crop was made.
I could relate dozens of Instances
just as above. In all my observations ,
1 have never seen a case where
good, prosperous farmers have been
spoiled by agricultural education, j
Such education teaches the love of
farming, it gets you interested in
the work. With love and Interest a J
person will go through a great many i
hardships and be more willing to
sacrifice than otherwise.
I would say to both young and
old, get experience, go to school, talk
to others of your standing, learn all
you can from observation, receive in
struction from these agricultural pro
fessors. The best farmer Is the
one that has the most experience.
All around me and everywhere I go
is the cry, "Where can we get
experienced men to run our farms?"
Many advertisements are only "to
those of experience."
This Southern country is demanding
that good experience be given quick- !
ly. If we farmers did not demand ag
ricultural colleges the government
would not be building them by the
hundreds. The editor of a paper
tries to make his paper what the
readers mostly desire.
Agricultural colleges make accum
ulated experience accessible. What
would you think of a man who haft
never seen a mowing machine try
ing to invent one, when he could
with but little money or credit buy
a machine? It is bad economy to
try to learn everything through your
own experience when others are wil
ling to give you instruction from
theirs.?.1 B. Jones, in Southern Ru
ralist.
Using Your Resources Well.
Headers of Home and Farm have
seen much in the newspapers and
magazines about the "conversation
policy." It originated in connection
with western forests. The movement
is an effort to prevent the destruc
tion of these forests, first by fire, and
second by the unwise cutting of
timber.
LHit there are other things to he
"conserved" besides western forests.
We waste our 6oil. We waste oar
seed and our labor. We waste our
money. We waste our lives.
A broad conversation policy calls
for the adoption of rules for the
conduct of life which will make our
labor more effective, which will en
rich our soils through cultivation;
which will develop our seed and
live-stock through wise selection;
which will secure labor-saving de
vices for the conservation of health
and strength.
The farming community of the
South has reached another season of
harvest. Slowly the cotton is ripen
ing for the hand of the picker. It
is work that has to be done not by
mechanical devices but by manual la
bor. Some day the inventor will
come on and show how it can be
done by machinery and how to har
vest wheat.
But it is a dream and this inven
tor is manifestly a long way off. In
the meantime the world is paying us
more for cotton than it will pay when
the cotton picker is at work in the
fields.
The purpose of this article is to
talk awhile to the Southern farmer
about the uses to which he will put
his income this year. We are as
suming that after the harvest, af
ter he has paid his hands and his
store account, there will be some
thing left for investment. We are
urging upon h'm to invest this sur
plus. whether it is big or little, in
farm implements, in household uten
sils, In those things that lighten la
bor and make labor more productive.
?Home and Farm.
In buying a cough medicine, don't
be afraid to get Chamberlain's Cough
Remedy. There Is no danger from It,
and relief Is sure to follow. Espec
ially recommended for coughs, colds
and whooping cough. Sold by Hood
Bros.
The Gasoline Engine On the Farm.
1 1 ? 1
We have had somethiug to say to ,
our readers about that labor-saving
device, the gasoline engine. It will
in time work a revolution not only
in the cities but in the country.
The modern automobile has as its
motive power the gasoline engine.
The new boats along our rivers and
the yachts along the seashore are
propelled by gasoline engines.
The contest between inventors now
Is between a storage battery for the
use of electricity and Ihe gasoline en
gine.
It is said that in the West owners
of automobiles hitch their gasoline en
gines to the pump and to the feed
cutter and in the South to small
cotton gins.
But there are engines made espec
ially for all these purposes?engines
of small capacity, engines of large
capacity.
With Ihe growing difficulty of se
curing reliable labor, labor that is
on the spot when needed, farmers
will come to a more ready recogni
tion of the value of the gasoline en
gine in the tarn and at the bouse and
in the field.
Have your son study mechanics
enough to know all about this simple
little motive power. It is easy for
the young to master machinery of
this character because they are sim-1
pie, effective and inexpensive. Let
him take up the study, write to ad
vertisers, get all the information ob
tainable, calculate the cost and then
the saving and put some of your
profits of the year 1910 in a small
gasoline engine to begin with. It is
cheaper than horse power and far
cheaper than hand power.?Home
and Farm.
???_ __
DO YOU WANT
A MACHINE?
If you want the best
Sewing Machine buy the
IMPROVED NEW HCME
I
if you want needles for the
machine you have send, 30
cents in pjstacje stampsjfor
one dozen ol thttr. By tuy
ing a dozr.i at a time you
gel assorted sizes.
for sale by
J. M. 3EATY,
SMITHFIELD, N. C.
Four Oaks Lumber
Company
Contractors and Builders
Do you \ t a house built, or V
you use building material? If ?? '
give us you work. We manufactur
an sell Rough and Dressed lumber
Shlngl-- -rackets, Porch Trimmint
and turned work. Heavy Turning
Sp dalty. Come and see our Mater
ll
Four Oaks
Lumber Co.
Free Liver
Remedy
It is well to stop a physical ail
ment at the first signs of its approach,
and that is especially true oi liver
trouble, which can eventually gi>?
rise to so many serious convocations.
Many have liver trouble and imagine
it is indigestion, and hence take the
wrong remedy.
When the liver does not store up suf.
ficlent gastric juices it becomes sluggish
an J in this way disturbs the stomach and
towels, with which It Is suppoc d to work
In harmony. Then comes the sallow
complexion, the pimply face, the dull
pain In the forehead, the thinning of
the blood, etc. A very quick and sensible
way to stop the trouble as well as to
cure It Is by the use of Dr. Caldwell's
Syrup Pepsin, which contains Ingredient*
especially Intended to promote the ac
tivity of the liver.
Among the many thousands who hava
written the d?tor about the results
achieved with his remedy, and who are
glad to make the facts public so that
others can help themselves, are Mr, Jas.
Kennedy, St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. s \
La Rue of Smith's Grove, Ky.. and many
others.
These, like thousands of others, started
the use of Syrup Pepsin with a sample.
If you will send your name and address
you can also obtain a free trial bottle.
This will prove to you that liver trouble
Is promptly cured with this reifiedy or
money will be refunded. Having tried
It you can then buy It In the reeular
way of your druggist at fifty cents" and
one dollar a bottle, and the latter It
gufflelent for an entire family.
This remedy Is a vast Improvement
over cathartic tablets and salts, which
onlv do good for the time being. 9yrup
Pepsin Is permanent in Its results. Is
fileasant to take and does not gripe. It
9 especially pood for all those who can
not stand a violent purgative.
Dr. Caldwell personally will be pleased
to give you any medical advice you m*y
desire for yourself or family pertaining to
the stomach, liver or bowels absolutely
free of crarge. Explain your case In a
letter anu he will reply to you In detail.
Fnr the free sample simply send your
name and address on f postal card or
otherwise For either request the doctor's
address is Dr. W. B. Caldwell, R.500 Cald
well building, MunUcello, 111.
HOOD BROS.
Do You Iron?
Or have you some one In your fam
ily that does, and you would like tu
eliminate the drudgery of this per
petual task? If so write me a card
to-day and I will be pleased to mail
you circulars, and write you a let
ter concerning a method, and a prac
tical little instrument that will help
you al that is caimed of It besides
being the cheapest of all ways to
smooth a wrinkle. Write to-day.
Yours truly,
R. W. ADAMS
FOUR OAKS, N. C.
P. O. Box 144.
THE JNO. A. McKAY MFG. CO?
Dunn, N. C.
Machinists, Iron and Brass Foun
ders. Castings of all kinds. We make
the best Swing Saw Machine in th?
world tor the price. OLD MACHIN
ERY MADE GOOD AS NEW. Higis
grade work guaranteed. Agents for
the leading makes of Machinery.
Good stock of machine supplies al*
ways on hand.
Agents for the celebrated Farquhar
Machinery. Agents for the Desmond
Injector and Phillip Steel Split Pul
ley.
BINGHAM
SCHOOL
1793 1910
? * ??"
THE BINGHAM SCHOOL, Asheville. N. C.. has prepared Boys to be Men for 117 YEARS. Ideally
located on the Ashevlll* Platean, 8 miles from city. Organization MILITARY for DISCIPLINE.
CONTROL and CARRIAGE. Boys eipelled from ether schools not received. Ylclous toys removed
when discovered. Mating absolutely excluded.
Address COL R. BINGHAM, Sapt.. Bo? 86
BOTH GROWERS AND BUYERS ENTHUSIASTIC OVER
The Benthall Peanut Picker
Peanut growers and buyers alike declare the Ben
thall Peanut Picker the only absolutely satisfactory
picker made. t
Growers (Jo the work of forty men with one machine, and more than double
their profits. It picks Spanish or Virginia varieties with equal satisfaction. I'
picks while the vines are in a condition for saving, thus giving a crop as good as
alfalfa. Buyers declare Benthall picked nuts cleaner and much more desirable than
hand picked nuts.
Vines are fed to picker like grain to thresher. Nuts come out whole and
clean. The stemming and cleaning capacity has been increased, and the weak parts
in the 1909 models corrected. 13 ft. model run by horse or applied power ; 16 ft.
model applied power only.
All horsepower machines will have 1908 shoe or shaker, and we will build
machines if desired with 1910 general construction and 1908 shoe or shaker.
Standard Peanut Co. buyers say : "It is a standing rule with our buyers to
give preference to machine picked peanuts, as in our opinion they are far superior.
W. F. Jones, grower, writes: "Threshed 173 sacks of Virginia nuts in one day.
Can thresh 100 to 125 sacks Spanish." E. J. Railey i "I threshed 1609 bag: with
repair bill of only 75 cents."
Big money picking for your neighbors. Write for free booklet giving pic
tures and full information. It will mean much in profits for you.
BENTHALL MACHINE CO., Suffolk, Va.