The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-09

in point OF Importance. deserves 10
have occupied the third place IN
this category, if not indeed the first,
is
THE WANT OF MANURES.
This is too large a subject to 90
into. even summarlly, on this occa-
sion. One OF two observations III
passing must suffice. Our system
OF agriculture consists III Wrestling
from the soil whatever 1t can be
tortured into yielding, and return
ing not one penny's worth. Now
the refuse from any crop IS suth-
cient if returned to the soil in prop
er condition, not only to maintain
its fertility, but to improve it con-
tinually. But in the case of the
North Carolinaf armer.its well earn
ed wages "are kept back by flaud,
until his land cries against him
and the burrows likewise thereof
| complain" Ia a word, this whole
subject, of the saving, manlpula-
ton, manufacture, purchase and
application of fertilizers, includ-
ing green manures,) which lies at
the basis of all intelligent remuner-
ative modern agriculture, is "a sealed
book to the mass of our farmers. |
verify believe that the annual waste
of manure alone, in North Carroll
ma, is sufficient in amount OF
moneys worth to pay u public
debt IN five years. ! call the at
| t%ention, the immediate and earnest
attention of this Society and of all
others in the State to this most i'm
portant subject.
Another matter III which u
farming is wofully deficient is Il
proper rotation of crops, III which
| include also their Investigation
and specialization.
The range of III cropping Is en-
tirely too narrow, especially so, IN
view of the unequaled possibilities
open to us in this direction. For
example, corn is our great crop.
| Nearly half our land. and hat the
best half. and more than half n
labor is devoted to this crop alone.
North Carolina is one of the great
corn producing States of the Tn
ion. The contest among farmers
has been, ever since | can recOllect,
to have the longest corn heap, the
biggest :" shucking," and the tall
est cribs and most of them. Now
this is a very expensive crop, both
in land and labor. And our peo-
pie have worn out both themselves
and their land in it's cultivation.
Now there is good ease why Hi
nois, Indiana and the great prairie
States of the Northwest shouldmake
corn their great staple, and should
construct their whole agricultural
fabric on this basis. They can't do
otherwise. You know they make
corn so cheap out there, sometimes,
that it is burned for fuel instead Of
coal. But we can't do that. We
are circumstanced very differently.
And we have almost the whole
range Of the agricultural products
of the continent from which to Sc
lect. No part of the continent, for
example, is better adapted to sheep,
cattle and dairy farming, and fruit
culture than our western counties.
And there are good reasons (famil-
lar to many of you) for believing
that nearly the whole State is pecu-
liarly adapted to vine culture. And
to mention smaller, but still impOr-
tant items, North Carolina appears
almost at the head of the census
list in the production of honey.
And yet there is a great deal more
honey IN the W00ds in our western
counties than IN hires. The pro-
duct ought to be centupled, and
could be 50 at a very small expense.
And so of cranberries in our eastern
swamps,a and of many other crops, in
yolylng little outlay, but adding
immensely to the yearly aggregate
of our production. And yet it is
corn, corn, corn, from Currituck to
Cherokee. 1t is like a monomania.
| do not believe in conductors
generally, but if one should come
along equal to this case, he ought
to have the Society's grand medal.
So much briefly for the diversified
ton of crops according to the sug-
gestions and adaptations of nature
and Il peculiar circumstances.
BY specialization of crops, or
Special cropping is meant the cul-
tivation solely or chiefly, in given
circumstances Of climate, soil local
ity and range of possible products,
of those crops which are most re-
munerative in the existing state of
markets, transportation and other
E~