The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-24
Inc Agricultural Capacity @.
a Portion OF Granville County.

a pOrtlOn OF Granville County,
write from a few miles north of
oxford 10 tell YOU of what has been
lone and i now lone by some Of the
farmers right around me.
1t has not been long since four acre.
OF land vas sowed t wheat. and two
acres Of II secured, making a hundred
and twenty-five bushels. The other
was 50 badly lodged that il could not
be saved, and it was not much before
that, that one hundred bushels or corn
was gathered from one acre OF land,
anu but a few years ago that one acre
OF land prepared for tobacco welded
sixty bushels OF corn. Last year five
acres Of land. which a few YEAR ago
was considered valueless Welded a crop
OF tobacco that sold in the market for
two thousand dollars, but in this case
the result was more attributable To the
Skill Of the proprietor IN curing than
IN the land, confirming the old adage.
that there is more in the man than
there is in the land.
Two thousand pounds OF tobacco
has very recently been cut and sold
from one acre Of land. and the same
farmer the other day killed three hogs
i months old that weighed 101s.
And he makes twenty-five bushels
wheat To the acre. Another sowed
three bushels and sold from il eighty
bushels.
There are three farmers close around
me who will sell during this month.
after retaining enough to supply their
families, and they are large and in
creasing, fifteen thousand pounds
pork. Potatoes, turnips, and cabba-
ges go begging german millet grows
four feet high with heads six inches
long, and as big as my wrist, while
timothy grows higher.
Orchard grass two feet high now.
after being grazed all the Summer,
and with all this the cry is nov is
the winter of our discomfort"
Now your correspondent is not do
ing any of these big things, and there
are many others doing no better than
he. and [ say it to his praise-he is
like the Methodist preacher he heard
preach once. He went on to liken the
ministry of his church to the church
IN which he was preaching. He said
some We're likened unto the corner
stone upon which the sanity edifice
rested. while others were the sills
e t others We're the corner posts, and
others were the sleepers. For my part,
he continued, | am content to occupy
the position of an humble little stud
in the church.. Such is my position in
this agricultural edifice and | can't say
that play my part very we'll at that.
50 its "Jinney get your ash-cake done
with ne, while those big fellows are
dancing to the tune of MOLLY put the
kettle on and lets have tea
Now | am almost ashamed to say
that a large majority of our farmers
are making no more than ten bushels
of corn to the acre, and selling it for
forty cents a bushel and three or four
hundred pounds of tobacco, and sell
ing it for two to three dollars per hun
bred, and other things in proportion.
Their maxim is, "Man wants but little
here below, nor wants that little long"
Now, Notwithstanding what | have
said, and it is because of what | last
said, land is selling in this very neigh
bOrEood for s. an acre, on time, to
persons, black and white. many of
whom will never have time to pay for
it and | haven't got time to tell you
about coal and the gold, the iron and
the lead, the milestone and slate all
about the country around here and
yet the agricultural and mineral pro-
ducts of Granville are not represented
in the Museum at Raleigh. 1t ought
to be done. O..