The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-09-01

when the tree dies it is decomposed
and furnishes food for other trees.
1t may seem that God causes plants
and animals to grow, but they just
rot themselves. This is a mistake.
The same Almighty power is re-
quired to decompose as to compose.
Otherwise we would have no room
for new growths.
If all the ants that have ever
lived were on the ground now they
would be III feet deep. When
Christ fed the multitudes he said
"gather up the fragments, that moth
ing be lost" But when the farmer
feeds his multitude does he save the
fragments? Nothing seems to do him
so much good as to have barnyard
manure to waste, though he knows
it is good for every plant and every
soil. He looks upon that as being
too bulky-not worth hauling out
not concentrated enough. He wants
somebody to chew for him, he don't
want anything to do but to cape and
swallow The most villainous sight
| ever saw was an old toothless wo-
man chewing for great hulk Of
a boy, and wiping it into his mouth
with her fingers This deluded farmer
buys fertilizers because he can ride
when he puts it out. Thousands
are willing to go to the bad if you
will just let them ride. Hence phos-
phate is sought after with as much
eagerness as Louisiana State lottery
ticket and with less chance of gain,
as some few do draw prize. The
strangest thing Of this age is that
the farmers can be so fuddled as to
believe that chemicals can be pre-
pared and transported at a price
we can afford to pay for them.
There are only two ways to make
them; one is to burn the substance,
filter liquid through it and then
fry it down. The other is by dis
tillation. In these operations very
large portion is lost. In natures
labratory nothing is lost. have no
doubt that the phosphate makers
and Agricultural Departments are
in collusion. They 60 to the deal
ers and say if you will fiddle for us
we will rosin your bow. We will
make money out of these old chuc-
kle headed farmers. Can we get the
pay? We will have blank mort
cages furnished and the fools will
mortgage their farms and we will
soon own the South. ~
Pure dissolued bone wiU take. 1t is
a fertilizer, but you know that there
is not enough raw bone to be had to
supply one millionth part Of the
demand of this one article alone.
But the farmer will not think. We
can get baked bone, steamed bone
and old bleached bones, South Car
olina rock and other minerals, and
then it will be easy to guarantee it
to contain per cent of ammonia,
over ten per cent of available phos-
phoric acid. They will bite at
bait that gives them 13 chances in a
hundred and be glad of the oppor-
tunity.
1t flies over the Sunny South
with wings blacker than hell. King
Cotton lays down his sceptre and
pays it tribute, not only tribute
in money, but thousands have been
compelled to part with the dear old
homestead and the graves of their
ancestors. For pure ra,c bone, made
of South Carolina rock, they have
sold the bones of their fathers. But
when / mildly remind my brother
farmers as [ have done to-day, they
say l oppose scientific farming. |
have seen several Of your scientific
farmers. Take Mr. John. Smith as
fair sample. He lives several
miles from market, is pig-eyed, spin
die shanked and poor. He has a
few black berries, some dried apples
and cherries, one pound OF beeswax
and nine chickens. He bitches up
an old poor horse to an old shackling
wagon and off to buy fertilizer. He
finds the fertilizer man, who looks
sleek and fat and impudent. Mr..
Smith asks him for fertilizer, but he
is told that the price has gone up
and the price of his barter has gone
down, nevertheless he must have the
fertilizer. | have seen hundreds of
such scientists pass my gate, and l
have shed many briny tears for