The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-07-28
NYE NEEDS A FEW SEEDS
He Calls on the Hon. Jeremiah Rusk for
Assistance.

And Tells the Secretary Something
About HIS North Carolina Sur
rOundjngS-Antong Other
Products, They Raise
Real Good,
SerUIceU6Ie
Lungs.
Copyright, 1891, by Edgar w. Nye.l
SKYLAND, Buncombe Co., n. c.,
July Il, 1891.
Hon. Jeremiah H. Rusk, Secretary of
Agriculture, Washington, d. c.:
SIR-Would it bother you too much
to send me a few seeds for my place
here in North Carolina for use another
season? We have a climate here that
is peculiarly adapted to the growing of
fruit, but not especially good for
cereals. It is about the same climate
as that of France and Italy, but there
are not 50 many foreigners here. One
notices while travelling i'll France that
it seems to. be largely overrun by
CanuckS. Such is not the s. here.
We have a good, quiet class Of resi-
dents, mostly white, with black polka
dots, of course, this being where slavery
used to spawn in the early days.
But the country is settled by a
peaceable class Of agriculturists, who
haveacquired from the summer boarder
an air of being on a perpetual vacation.
Many farmers in Western North Caro-
lima, by watching their chances, are
enabled to sell their corn at forty cents
in the fall and buy back a portion of t
in the spring at one dollar per bushel
to plant and feed to stock. This builds
up a traffic III cereals, and has a ten
dency to make the farmers son ask
himself why the farmer is the most
independent of any class.
The average mean temperature of
the State is 50 degs., but for this por-
ton it is only 50 dogs, which you see
is a very fine average, and well ad-
apted to the growth of almost any
thing. Our soil here, however, is poor.
| must admit to you, as Secretary of
Agriculture, for I would not wish to
conceal anything from your bureau.
Our soil is a rather pleasing red clay,
covered with a thin topdressing of
footprints deposited here by the sol
diers who during the war retreated
from each other at a high rate Of speed,
snatching, perhaps, watermelon from
a nOncombatant as they ran.
To be a nOncOmbatant here and in
Tennessee and Kentucky during the
war was very exciting. A neighbOr
tells me that one night the Federals
came and took four mule ten rs from
his thrashing machine, and two milk
cows. Also his father. That evening
the COnfederateS came and took four
shoots and the grandsire Of the family.
Being a very tough old man, how
ever, he was returned. 1t was hard
enough to be soldier during the war,
but to be a nOncombatant at hat time,
Mr.. Secretary, and maintain ~peaceable
and friendly relations with both armies
! would OvertaX the tact and etiquette of
an angel.
Our soil here is about the only soil in
the South that has not been drenChed
with ~fraternaI blood. Either army
could escape at any time by abandon
ing the roads and allowing the enemy
to follow, if the enemy adhered to the
roads. The wagon roads, even then,
were impossible. To burn the bridges
behind them was a figurative express
sion only, for there were no bridges.
1t was 50 with the railroads also.
eve are riding much more smoothly
now" said a passenger to the con
ductor. Yes" he did straightway
make reply, eve are off the track
now"
Some criticise our agricultural meth
DDS here because we use a single mule
for blowing, and a little shovel pillow,
such as is used for blowing corn at the
north, but this is necessary, because
the soil is SO thin that to "plow deep
while sluggards sleep in order to have
corn, corn to sell and keep" is fatal,
for you thereby turn up a miserable
red paste with pulverized mica in it,
which constitutes about the only at
tachment which the North Carolina
farmer has for his farm.
Human health is prevalent to a re-
markable degree here, Mr.. Secretary,
and it is one of the two regions of the
globe where consumption is unknown.
No actual residents die here, Only
strangers who came here after it was