The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-10-29

warm buildings must be erected for
the stock, for great deal depends on
keeping stock warm and comfortable.
A certain quantity of food must be
taken by the animal to keep up the
proper temperature of the body, the
excess then goes to meat, etc. So the
warmer the stock is kept the less food
it takes to keep the stock in good con-
dition; also the manure should not be
exposed to the rain or weather.
When the vegetable matter in the
soil is used up or destroyed the soil
becomes useless for most crops, and
this must be supplied in the shape of
farm yard manure. am perfectly
convinced that any farmer, ploughing
deep, draining the land and then ap-
plying fair quantity of pure farm
yard manure, say 10 to 20 tons per
acre, will grow more cotton on one
acre than they now do on four
Even taking the best crops into con-
sideration and the expense will not be
one-fourth. The three other acres
he now plants in cotton should be in
clover pastures and the rest of the
land in whatever is most suitable for
cattle feed; but if you keep cattle over
winter there must be an extensive
supply. of straw and hay both for
feeding and bedding purposes. Of
course the oats, turnips, ETC., must all
be well manured, otherwise will not
be worth growing. l have seen 100
tons of turnips grown on one acre in
Scotland, and I see no reason why
that amount cannot be grown here
where there is much better climate
and plenty of the ground quite as
rich naturally. If there is a proper
proportion of cattle kept then there
will be plenty of manure for all crops.
After crop of turnips has been made
they should be sufficiently manured
80 that oats or wheat, ETC., sown after
should not require any. By this
means you will have good crop o.
turnips, also good crop of grain the
year after. Although the farmer has
plenty farm yard manure he should
not neglect his composts; also he can
apply certain artificial manures for
certain crops that will pay but il. is.
like giving drunken man drink to
make him feel good for a little time
to give poor land, devoid of vegetable
matter, artificial manures. It will
only make the plant feel good for a
little, then the reaction leaves the land
poorer than ever and the plant worse
than dead. Artificial manures can
only act with profit where the land is
rich in vegetable matter and lime.
I find that there is very little atten-
ton paid to the proper rotation in
cropping, but it is of the utmost i'm
portance No two crops of a kind
should be grown on the same land in
succession, and clover should in no
cae be sown on the same land until
after a term of at least 8 years, but
clover pastures should be left as long
as convenient. | am inclined to think
that Italian rye grass would suit this
climate we'll and it makes excellent
hay, but for pastures, red, white and
Alsace clovers and timothy and cocks
foot grass are the best for pasture, al
though many other kinds of grass may
be very good.
With regard to the labor question.
It would be much better for the
hands to be engaged by the year, the
hands to be paid at the end of every
three months, but always per cent
age kept in hand to ensure the fulfill
ment of the contract, the hands to
work ten hours a day all the year
through with an occasional holiday.
Ten hours day is quite sufficient for
both man and teams and it has been
proved that more work can be done
in that tine than by the sun to sun
business, so need no comment"
I make bold to say that the farmer
does not work two.thirds of his time
in this country. The time he now
takes up in going to town, attending
Alliance meeting and generally loaf
ing, also the rainy days, he should be
in digging drains, fencing,
etc. He has simply not a moment to
lose if he wants to make farming pay.
In order to adopt this system of
farming, the farmer should begin
small, especially if he is short of cash,
but I say it is within the reach of the
poorest farmer to adopt it, and he has
no excuse for not doing it. The
smallest farmer can SOW one half acre
of clover the first year, get, say two
fair COWS with calf to good, blooded
bull, the second year he will have
two stirks and his COWS with calf
again; but he must increase his
acreage of clover, ETC., with his stock.
In this way he will soon have large
stock at little or no expense. Tile
makers would soon turn up if they
were patronized, and tiles could be