The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-03-21
Experimental.
Through Northern Spectacles.

Through Northern Spectacles.
Col. Peter Wells writing to the
southern Herald about the Carolina
Piedmont Belt, gives the following
which we print for the benefit of
the immigration cause.
"When / first dropped down
INTO this town and saw the crowd
ed streets in December, the loads
II cotton, corn, potatoes. ETC.,
brought into this market, and
learned the amount of cash paid
annually here for cotton alone-a
million dollars-I concluded that
the Impoverished South" could,
BIZ industry, become rich again.
Ind vet | am told by persons here
! nat it is a question if It would not
t better to grow less cotton and
more grain, grass and cattle. Not
mtil after the war was cotton, to
any extent, planted as far north as
this. 1t was confined to the low
country toward the seaboard. But
by the use Of phosphates, which
quickens the growth, and helps to
open the bolls of the cotton, many
thousand bales are produced where
none was formerly grown. These
phosphates. or artificial manures
"a discovery since-the warfare
worth nothing in this connection.
The manufacture of them into
hrtilizers has grown to be an eX-
tcnsive business at Charleston and
ut other points on the coast is ex-
ported to other countries and is
brought up into this section and
sold to the farmers at comparative
" low prices 1t is dug from the
earth in the form of rock, or that
which appears rock, is then ground
or dccomposed by acids animated
by the introduction into it of flesh
of fishes, blood, etc. The sub
stance is simply the bones of ami
mails, many of them of extinct
species buried underneath the beds
of rivers OF lakes from which the
water has receded. These are COM
pletely turned to stone, petrified
teeth of sharks, tusks of elephants,
and other huge animals are taken
out and ground up, hundreds of
thousands of tons. From these,
this useful fertilizer is made and
affords to the State quite a large
revenue as the reports will show.
This can be used to advantage in
growing crops, and by the misuse
Of it may injure the lands as well
as the crop. What is needed. is
intelligent use of it by mixing with
vegetable substances.
The "cow pea" is a yine-making
fodder for cattle, and the seed af-
fording food for both man and ami
mails. Planting these early, and
when in full growth blowing under
Is one of the very best and cheap
est means of making land rich yet
found.
4 gentleman | met here buying
up the peas, SAID he had shipped
three car loads of them into Ala
Oama. For what purpose, | in
pired. He replied "To make
sugar (?)' and explained, by stat
m9 that they were to enrich the
soil for the growing of sugar cane.
The ''chufa" is another produc-
Ton new to me-, and nearly SO to
TINS State. 1t is wonderfully pro-
mcuve-is a small tuber growing
a the root of a kind of grass used
or hay; the nuts (much like pea
491tsl for the fattening of hogs.
me hogs dig them; this labor say
II9 Is appreciated by TOO many
-gre, white and black A farmer
wa me he planted two acres of
~ein this season, and fattened well
~enty-fye hogs; they are very
oInuous, and are eaten by the
~yIS before corn even.
They look very much like di-
~~notIye Irish potatoes; are very
stable, and when dried, much
TASTE like chestnuts. Irish and
toe' potatoes grow well, as l know
% What appears in the market;
drot eleat pains is taken to the pro-
Nah "oh OF either. Glover grows
has ~ l nave seen; into lot which
Season. n0'n cut three times the past
startaj l went IN December and