The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-07-28

quite ready l conversation, Mr.. Sec
rotary, far beyond their years.
The vine, cotton and silk flourish in
this country, and if you have cuttings
OF either hat the department could
spare | would like them. If you have
a dozen cuttings Of grOs grain silk that
would be hardy, most any shade, |
could use them on my farm. The
Catawba grape originated here. and
the wild grape, Of which there are
great quantities, is superior to many
OF the cultivated grapes of the North.
Some Of the native wine here is very
exhilarating, but this is followed later
on by a most profound depression. l
visited q vineyard here last week. 1t
was IN a retired place in the mountains
where there lived a kind Of recluse
who makes the native winesin great
%prOfusiOn. did not see his vineyard,
l saw most everything else on the fol
lowing day. He makes a sort Of sau-
terne which is very heady it seems to
me now, looking back at it.
[ was a long time getting up to his
cabin, but [ did not mind the journey
back. AS soon as he found out that |
was not connected with the govern
ment in any way he made me welcome.
I do not know when | have felt so vel
come as I did then. Both Of us felt
welcome. He laid aside his work in
the vineyard for the day.
And do you have to tread the wine
press alone? I asked, looking up into
his clear, honest eye-the other n
had been removed by the government.
" And do you have to tread the wine
press alone?' | repeated.
ooh, blank the wine press" he said,
as he took another dipperful of the
sauterne, 4 never S n of those
This wine has a bouquet also, 1t is
very potent indeed, 1t is like the
bouquet of a crushed tragedian, The
reader has no doubt witnessed the act
ing of a tragedian whose work by the
critics has been classed as rotten. We'll,
you take a crushed tragedian of this
class, and you get a bouquet not unlike
the moon light sauterne works of the
mountains.
This wine is a good antidOte for the
bite of the deadly moccasin. 1t is used
for that purpose almost exclusively.
The use of this wine along the valley
of the French Broad has now almost
wiped out the mOccasin and substituted
a bright green snake with a vermilion
stomach.
The soil Of the eastern part of the
State is what is called a transported
sand, gravel or clay, of the Tertiary
period, the assorted detritus of the
abraded hills of the metamorphic rocks
in the midland country" In the west
ern part of the State the soils are what
is termed clayey, of a most violent and
tenacious variety, running from a
cream color to a deep, dead red, and
when it has ground itself into the
clothing nothing on earth will remove
the stain, Everything has been tried,
HUH OCIlL441C uON1 W OpCOIoI CCU vi
the legislature, but it will not come
out.
Some eat the clay Of North Carolina,
but it is an acquired taste. Yankee
invalids will never get so they will be
willing to board where this is the piece
de resistance de ter7e, It would de
terre a good many from coming, Ifear,
as a waggish but feeble minded per
son said to me yesterday at the asylum
where [ spent the day,
We raise about 1000, 900 pounds of
rice in this State, Mr.. Secretary, on a
good year, and it meets with a ready
sale. Rice beer is now being made in
Georgia, but it is most deadly in it's
effects, While we hail with Joy the
| opening Of a wider market for our rice
we are panied to notice that the beer in
some cases creates a desire on the part
Of the consumer to lay waste some Of
the best known citizens Of the State.
Rice beer is said to be most disastrous
in it's effects, and a movement is on
foot to introduce it among the com
munists of New York and Chicago. 1t
kills the consumer i'll about two years,
[ am told. The only reason why it
might not work on the communist is
that it's fatal results depend entirely
upon it's action on the brain,
Tobacco does well here and grows to
a great size. Fine cut tobacco, so
largely used in the middle and western
States, is planted about the first of
June and is harvested in September,