The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-06-17
MR., p. H. MANGUM's FARM.
The Best System of Terracing in the
South.

a LUTQC ECAtGUtCOH pCGCOWG NHy N"'
IN Fgve Yea, Thirty Bushels Of
. Corn to the Acre on Upland
A Bale Of Cotton to
the Acre.
We went out to Wake Forest COM
mencement on last Thursday and
spent a part of the day with T. ID.
= Mangum, ESQ, on his beautiful farm
two miles from the college
Mr.. Mangum was born where he
now lives in Wake county about Is
miles north of Raleigh and two miles
from the Raleigh and CASTOR Rail
road. His father was a lawyer by
profession but owned a farm. The
subject of this sketch spent a portion
of his early life in the town of Hills
boro. But at the age Of Is he came
to his fathers farm neal Wake For,
est and attended school at that insti
tuition. His health broke down twice
during the time he was at college but
he finally graduated. During his
college days he took great interest in
the affairs of the farm and to day no
mar in North Carolina knows more
about the details of successful and
systematic farming than Mr.. ?. H.
Mangum.
Mr.. Mangum inherited his home
place consisting of AL acres. He has
since bought land from time to time
and now owns 1888 acres. The
home place is in a higher state of cul-
tivation than out lying lands, but all
of his cultivated lands have been ter
raced and though worked by tenants,
the land is in fine condition and pro
duces good crops. His tenants nearly
all own their oRn stock and tools and
several of them have been with him
for years.
The home place of All acres is IN
the best condition, however, and shall
have our special attention.
He has about 60 acres in cotton this
season. Some of this land will make
considerably over a bale to the acre
if the season is good. Last year was
a disastrous cotton year, but Mr..
Mangum made an average of a bale
to the acre. He has As acres in corn
on the home place. Last year this
land made more than 80 bushels to
the acre on upland and As on bottom
land. He has so acres in clover and
10 acres in clover and grass. Mr.
Mangum runs six plows on the home
place and has a number of good cattle
and sheep. He haUls litter of all
] kinds from the woods and filters the
horse and cattle stalls every day ex-
+cept Sunday. He make a great deal
OF compost of manure and phosphate
and kainit. He spreads his manur
broadcast on cotton land at the rate
of 800 bushels of compost to the acre
and during the past five years has
manured about so acres each year in
this manner.
MI. Mangum has a reason for
everything he does and he rarely ever
makes a mistake. On his home place
his labor is hired. His contract with
his hands is after the form of the
Freedman's Bureau. The hand signs
an agreement to be respectful to his
employer and never to leave the farm
on work days without first getting
permission. One half of the wages
are paid at the end of each month and
the other half at the end of the
year In this way the employer is a
savings bank for the employee.
AS before minated, Mr.. Mangum
is the inventor and ~pertector of the
only thorough sY stem of land terrac
ino IN +hiC o0J7n+p- Tho i-rroo+0r -
a plan to make steam a motive power
done a great deal for his country.
Ben. Franklin won everlasting fame
when he drew electricity from the
clouds, but neither did their country
a greater service than has Mr.. Man
gum For AZ years he has labored
and studied and planned how to i'm
prove and save the soil. He has
solved the problem. He has reduced
it to a science. In the future others
may improve the system as Edison
has improved the work of Franklin
with regard to the various uses of
electricity, but that is yet untried.
Last week we were convinced by Bro.
Allen that the terrace would not do
on very steep land, but we are now
Thoroughly satisfied that it is the thing
on any land. Bro. Allen deserves
great praise tor his work in the
8ditching line. His plan could hardly
be improved, but if he will spend a
day on the farm of Mr.. Mangum he
will admit that the terrace will do all
that l claim for it.
Mr.. Mangum improves his land first
by deep blowing and with peas and
clover and then adds all the compost
possible. He says that the system of
farming that once paid well will not
do now under any circumstances.
Cotton or t ooacco must only be raised
as a surplus crop. As such either