The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-21

high brick wall through which en-
trance was Elected by means of a mass
i've iron gate.
This presents in general the appear
ance of almost every German country |
seat, only it may be well to bear in |
mind that there are no insulated farm
houses in Germany and such a castle
is a. ways situated in village seldom
as small as Pittsboro. Such villages,
however, are very different in most
respects from Pittsboro. The houses
are uniformly alike In almost every
particular. They are low, thatched
cottages, ugly and uninviting. There
are no front yards and seldom any
space between the houses. The villages
are therefore very compactly built.
The inhabitants are nearly all employed
by the owner of the estate, One or
two taverns, shoemaket's shop or a
small Jew store are the only features
not distinctly rural.
- =
I have frequently been asked if it
were possible for us in North Carolina
to attain even approximately to the
high standards Of farming prevailing
in Germany. My answer is that to this
there seems to be three obstacles which
taken together would render agricul
tural success of the kind have indi
Gated we'll high hopeless.
First and foremost, should like to
refer to the inefficiency of our farm
labor, then to the ignorance, or rather
illiteracy of our rural population and
lastly to lack of any systematic or
genuine encouragement
NOW as to the first of these think
there can be no clearer demonstration
than the fact that landlord finds it
more profitable to rent out his farm in
parcels to ignorant tenants who, from
the very nature of their position, can
not be expected to contribute any thing
towards the proper keeping Of their
lands than to employ these men as
laborers and so conduct his farming
operations as would otherwise not only
yield him a larger net income as the
result of more uniform management
and better judgmeIt but enable him to
have an eye single to the permanent
improvements of his lands In discuss
ing this anomalous condition with
farmer quite recently, I was informed
that although his tenants worked only
four months a year, If their labor be
considered as steady and continuous,
the annual production of his farm was
much in excess of that which it would
be il had hired them as Iaborers at a
minimum wage. He assigned as a
reason their general indispOsition to
work if it could be avoided. Our land
lord and tenant system is, and perhaps
always will be, a mystery to the Ger
mans and the reason is obvious.
'Of course as long as this state of
things continues any considerable inn
provement in agriculture is impossible.
I am inclined to think that the ineff-
cheney of our laborers is due in large
measure to the amount and quality of
their food, 7 might almost say to their
gluttonY. Speaking from observation,
I should say that a North Carolina
laborer eats at least twice as much as
German of the same class. The Ger
man subsists very largely on an essen
TALLY vegetable diet, and don't re-
member ever to have seen one suffer
ing from dyspepsia To illustrate this
| need only to describe the food of
German soldier, who constantly per
forms the hardest labor and is fed by
the government for the sole purpose of
fitting him for the hardships Of war.
As to rations, he receives as much un
leavened rye bread as he wishes and
this he keeps in his room. The amount
is, if I mistake not, loaves in two
weeks. Most of them, however, sell
at least one Of these. For breakfast
they get nothing but a pot OF black
coffee; for dinner, large wooden dish
Of soup made thick with vegetables
and little chopped meat; for supper
they have only their bread. The allow
ance of cents day generally sufices
to buy a small quantity of oleomargar
inc and q glass Of beer. Occasionally
they are given a cigar and in Russia
the privates are given cigarette once
a day.
Nov in America food has always
been abundant and easy to obtain,
while the other necessities of life have
been dearer. In Germany these con-
ditiona are Yeverao6 Thnpo waow;Do,