The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-08-14

thaI score OF agricultural ana TRANCE 'Or-
gans' had failed in Raleigh since the war,
each successive failure adding odium and
distrust to be shouldered by any new en-
:erprise Of the kind, and they felt sure the
Departmental organ would have to pay its
own expenses for several years, until the
public could feel confidence in it. This sa-
gacious opinion was endorsed by hundreds,
who declared the farmers of North Carolina
would not sustain a weekly paper, and that
nine in ten Of our cople would refuse to
pay for any but a po!.>.cal paper,--the hot
ter the better, SO that it was of the right
politics. or some cheap Northern periodi-
cal, with pictures, and a dauby chrome
thrown in and that the new organ would
not get 500 subscribers in two years. The
outlook was indeed %unpropitious, both as to
time and locality, not to speak of the many
other drawbacks.
However, after considerable negotiation,
the ''Da7y Ne,cs Publishing COmpany,''
which was then doing the Departmental
printing, accepted the proposal. A formal
contract, with heavy bond and surety, was
signed by the Company, (Col. T. NJ. Holt,
President, binding itself to establish and
publish a good weekly farmers journal, Of
which one page should be allotted to the
Board Of Agriculture for the publication Of
its reports, experiments, announcements,
and such other official matter as the Depart
ment might deem of Importance to the pub
lie. In return for this extraordinary privi-
lege, the Board bound itself to announce
the paper as its Official Reporter, to instruct
it's local agents in each county to help cir
culate the paper, and to endeavor in other
ways to help it. This legal contract, also,
declared that the arrangement could not be
broken up without six months formal no
tice by the party desiring to terminate it.
The paper was established Oct. 9th, 1877;
and with many m1sgivings, and with the
ominous words of a brother-editor ringing
in his ears, viZ:-(YOu'l fail in six months,
and damage your reputation for there have
been so many farmers papers wrecked at
Raleigh the people will mob the next one),
the present editor took charge. Very soon
the report went abroad from interested par
ties that the Board of Agriculture was using
State money to run a paper owned by private
individuals. We wished to come out with
an explanation showing that instead Of any
such thing, the Board was really getting
the use of six columns weekly in a widely
read paper without the outlay Of a dollar.
But several friends connected with the
Board urged us not to engage in ccItro-
versy, and we submitted much to our cost,
as we now know.
Gov. Vance, however, as chairman OF the
IODdTu. uTCW up ~ ClICuldI me- We DI!Hltu
a number of times, containing the following
statement
Like the department itself, the paper VIII cost the
public not one dollar in the shape of taxes, the enter
prising publishers agreeing to publish free all matter
furnished them by the Board and risk their remunera-
ton in the patronage of the people. We pledge our
selves that every means in our power shall be eXerted
to make it worthy OF that patronage. If the Depart
ment OF Agriculture shall prove capable of doing any
thing tor the real good OF North. Carolina, these results
Will 9 known through these colun II from time to
time"
Subsequently, the Board subscribed for
about one hundred copies of the paper to
be sent to its local agents throughout the
State. the publishers agreeing to furniah
these copies at half price, (which barely
paid for the white paper, ink, type-setting
Snd POSTAGE on condition that the agents
should endeavor to extend the circulation
of the paper. These free subscriptions
were not only without profit, but in reality,
as is now seen, dunoging to the paper; for
the local agents $50 far as we can learn did
not obtain above one dozen subscribers alto
gether, and a a general thing, took offence
when their paper was cut of at the end OF
the year. We have received several angry
letters on the subject, as we'll as several
from parties who said they wouldn't pay for
a paper which their neighbor obtained free.
The agents, OF course, were expected to
paw for their subscriptions by their services
as agents, but, as we have said, this was a
failure.
And now to make the matter palmer, we
give the statement of the them publisher
that he lost one thousand dollars on the
paper the first year. True, he was then do
ing the Departmental printing, on which
there was a profit. But as he was doing it
at a less price than any other printer had
bid Cower we believe than the present
price paid for the work., no one could say
the printing was a bonus to the paper.
Mr.. r. A. Shotwell was from the first the
nominal managing-editor, but had not one
Hinq To do ,cih the reai management Of tie
papa, or business, (inclnoh"g tie subscriptions,
m1iliug, 0aS,rey1ng IF httcls, I .,ll255, &C.,
which was all conducted in the Dft,N -NaC5
establishment, until the Sth day Of March,
1879, when Shotwell & Dowd took full
control, under a lease for the term OF SIX