The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-07-19

when Mai. Thee. F. Davidson, of Ashe-
vile, Capt jos. G. Mills. of Burke, Alex
NJ. Kirkland, Of Mcdowell, Col. Steele.
of Rockingham, DR.. Chaplin. Mr.. &. A
Wharton, and other friends, called. last
week. Come again, gentlemen.
Col. d. X. Walker came in the other
day, wearing a mammoth Prussian he'll
met that suggested Herr Fritz at Sedan,
or Won Moltke at the head of his Cuiras
siers. Bushwackers will please take
notice, and not drop him by mistake.
He Is hostile to nothing but lodging de-
linquents and Diluted Democrats.
Capt. Jas. I. LeGrand, Of Rocking
ham, aud Capt. S. J. Pemberton, an old
subscriber and a new one, both genial
young friends, gave us IA pleasant hat last
week. They will do yeoman service for
the State in the epoch now unfolding.
Maj. John Robinson, President Of
the Dixie Agricultural and Mechanical
Fair, on beautiful Carr Mount, I near
Wadesboro, is one of the representative
farmers Of the State, "a man who lives
in the country, because that is the life he
prefers but is not 'Jurrted IN" the coun-
t.y. That is the kind of farmers we need.
A farmer should not be a mere drudge.
He sk~uld use his head to tighten the
work ofhis hands and feel assured that
an hour of intelligent labor is worth half
a day Of mere stupid plodding and dig
ging. Major Robinson thinks the pros
pect for the Fair. this fall, quite encour.
aging.
Among other friends who called du-
ring convention week were Mai. Julian
S Carr and Maj. Thos. H. Blacknall, of
Durham. There are few men who care
less for mere personal mention, yet, in our
judgment, men like Blackwell and Carr,
and the Hollis aud others we could name,
who are prominent in Business, are
more deserving of mention, than nine in
ten of the politicians who make the
types rattle in every town they visit.
Why? because, We answer, those success
full men of industry, in up-building
themselves. also up-build their com
munities and enrich the State in win
ming prominence for themselves, they
60 farther and advertise their neighbors.
Better still, they set an example, and
thereby stimulate enterprise all around
them. Such examples have been sadly
needed. The superior profits Of cotton>
farming, and slave rearing, before the
war, retarded nearly all branches Of In
dustrial Enterprise; and oft repeated
failures finally caused the world to think
that Southern men could not successfully
manage a large business. 1t is scarce ten
years since a gentleman of high character
pointed us to the silent walls ofthe Rock
Island Factory at Charlotte, in which
many thousands of dollars had sunken,
as an illustration of the folly of Southern
men trying to APE the New England
Yankee"
Ten years only have passed, and now
there are a dozen cotton factories within
20 miles of Charlotte, and all paying
handsomely. So, therefore, we repeat, it
Is a pleasure to meet men like Mai. Carr
1--WE give him the title because he was
gallant enough to retuse promotion, and
stay with his county-men, when offered
an ornamental position on staff duty).-I
men who have shown the world, and out.
slders generally, That Rip Van Wrinkle
has begun to done wuk'-up."
+ leased to to have a call from those
genial gentlemen. Maj. Geo. H. Hall, of
Richmond county, Thos. Y. Greenlee,
Esq, of Mcdowell, and Capt. w. L.
Tucker, one Of the courteous conductors
of the r. 4 q. r. r. There is an intel
ligent and clever staff on that route, and
we are pleased TO number Mai. Winder,
Capt. Martin. Capt. Allen, Capt's, Tuck
er, Lacy, Arlington, Weathers, ct al. as
regular subscribers of this paper togeth-
er with many local agent from Hamlet
to Weldon.
John A. Waller, Esq, of Knap O.
Reeds gave us some interesting points
about matters in Granville. He saws
some Canadians are now in this State
with a view to buying and drying sweet
potatoes. 1t seems that the fruit evan
will preserve the potato in the
way as the apple or peach; e~xtrac-
ting the water. but leaving the sweet and
pulp: which may be preserv-
indefinitely. In this way the inbab-
ltants of the icy North, who regard the
sweet potato as a great luxury and rarity.
can buy 1t like dried apples, at any store.
Now North Carolina, strange to saw
stands first in but one vegetable product.
namely the sweet potato! Many of our
farmers have raised from 400 to
bushels per acre and in the rich val
Ieys of Caldwell county, a crop of 700
bushels per acre was reported several
ago. 1t would seem therefore. that
there Is an opening for numerous Fruit
Dryers, as they can after finishing the
and berry crop; take hold of the
apple and devote the fall and winter 70
sweet potatoes.
Among our friends who called were a
lumber OF the Editorial fraternity, but
We do not consider them as visitors.
Iney belong to the Office, or should con-
'lder ltas a branch of their own, to be used
RELY when they are IN Raleigh. whether