davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
AGRTCUITURE.
SOIL MOISTURE.

Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer. s2-
How TO procure soil moisture and.
prevent Its lOss has been the subject of
study ana experiment at the Kansas
Station TOR EFo years past. -----. r.:
As tae American formers generally,
and especially those of Kansas, suffer
greater LOSES on account of douth than
from all other misfortunesp put together,
it is apparent that the subject OF pro.
curing aud saving soil moisture ls OF
the very first importance.
a Mr. Campbell experimental ex
tausiyely IN Nebraska and South Da-
kosa few years ago to solve this same
problem, and the result Of his labors
was what is known as the Campbell
system of soil culture. -----r
The Campbell system is based upon
the following we'll grounded theories: {:
l. If the ground is hard and close most
Of the rain and melting snow will run
off into bitches, ravines, creeks and
other surface drains; but if the ground
is loose and open rain and snow water
will sink into the soil instead of run
ming off on the surface; therefore, to
procure soil moisture ploW deep in the
fall. 2 The moisture once In the soil
escapes IN three ways namely, it either
sinks down through the subsoil TO q
water bearing stratum or sand OF,
gravel, or the heat Of the sun converts
it into vapor and IN this form it rises
into the air, or che growing vegetation
takes it up through the rootsand evap'
CRATES it into the air from the foliage
or leaves; therefore; to prevent waste
Of moisture after il has been caught in
the soil Protect the soil from the suns
heat by a mulch of fine dirt two inches
thick, secbred by frequent and shallow
culture, and have the crop stand thin
On the ground, because many plants
will take up through their roots and
evaporate into the air from their leaves
more moisture than few would: Two
stalks OF corn in a hill may fail to beRf,
when one would have borne a good
nrr % S. - --5e9
I5 will be noticed that Mr. Campbel1's
system makes no attempt to prevent
loss ot the moisture which SINKS through
the soil to the sand or gravel lying be-
low. His theory is that when the
upper soil becomes dry this moisture
viii slowly c0me upon up through the
sana capillary tubes Chat it-went down,
as Gil asceuds a lamp; wick to the fame.
oae feature of. Campbell's system
not mentioned above ris the prompt
packing of the soil the same day it is
broken up in the faHs This is done by
a series Of wheels running close, to.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
.ORTICULTITRE'
sFRAWBRRRY CULTURR9FOR
vr--ro DECRM8ER. arm. -
Winter Protection

Il =
Correspondence OF The ProsressiYe Farmer :
, Winter protection should, 2 at the
North, be- applied about the last 6f
November; in this latitude about De-
cember 10th or 18th: a good Fale isto
apply it as soon as the ground freezes
hard enough for wtagoh'to drive over
the fields without breaking through the
frozen crust, a~3czc, .a..5 a2nzsze
The chief object in winter protection
is to lessen the heeving of the soil and
the consequent breaking Of the. roots
and rootlets of the giants The stiffeEs iffeRlEs
the soil the worse the rheevingr and the
greater the necessity for projection asa
The covering should not be thick,
enough to entirely prevent the soil
from freezing, but togreatly lessen the
freezing in the severest weather. Pine
straw, little Less than an zinch- deep
afFerti it settles, is the spEoper depth IL ia /
this, latitude t. would have to be be
deeper in proportion as yop went
, oE9E4n939EsI 11cI 81 aiaCtZ5 :n@ &c
9 In Rinter protection ct the North the
whole ground 6lst should 9 I'd be covered beds,
middlea and ale ,vso "a, .a.no GO
The varieties .9t ! dtmaterial that at can CA pc
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
,PooR. MANS -coRN saRLLRRe

J.E Rotan, Of Chester, Texas, writes
-the7st E3ufs Globe Dgmocrat: Get a
board 4 inch thick, or even Q inches
thick, drive four or six penny nails
into board, allowing about one eighth
of an inch of nail head to stand out
from surface 81 board. Drive rails in
rows one quarter of an inch apart the
whole length of board, which shbdld be
about '28 inches long. Get some very
thin pieces Of wood, nail a small strip
on7e8c6 side Of board, and at top end to
keep corn from WASTING out OF vessel
2youRre Smelling into, To u4tethe shelleF,
get a box or suh, set t,sheller one end on on
top of vessel, tee other end on bottom,
and by bElskly rubbing ear Of corn up
and down over nail heads, it will sur
prise you to see how fast you can shell
FCOFn
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

used are almost endless. Where pine
straWs Or pine needles, as it is often
called, can be obtained it is almost the
ideal covering. OF aNsimilar material
it is the. least ikelY to be blown off.
Wheat straw, coat straw, marsh grass
and, other similar things are used.
Cornstalks can. also. be- used but as
they do not lie close q much thicker
layer will, of course, be necessary.
The great obisctipn to oak and SINH
lar leaves is that they blow { # SO bad,
which is also the case with oat and
wheat straw unless they are cut up
very, fine, Yet such leaves end straw
are often used and anchored ia place
by placing on, them small stones or
little earth at short intervals. -a'7
All available stable or batnyard ma
ntre should be used for this purpose,
taking the. place Of other material Tf'
coarse it can be applied quite thick
directly over the plants. If very f1hel
iE VIII be best to use it r1ostly around
and between the plants and to put "a
coafser, more open material just over
the plants The effect of too close a
material over plants is to bleach and
make them tender. -~~- / si.35@I'E
Whatever covering is used it must be
nearly all removed from. immediately
over the plants about the time that
growth beg ins IN the spring. The ma
terial can be left around the plants and
betWeRn theE rows, where ia will serve
the double purpose of akeeping the bers
riesa clean and conserving moisture
then so: essential to 5a.good crop. oa5 ao-
Whether winter protection pays or
is even advisable south OF the Mason
and Dixon line is uncertain. ]: have
experimensed for many winters. Some
winters it 1did good some winters i6
seemed to be rather harmful I5 Ger.
tainly would not be advisable farther
South where crickets and harmful in
sects harbor under it and feed on the
plants! Besides, the warmer the eli
mate the more danger Of smothering
and bleaching the plants 9ga~.~ ID
But stable Or barnyard manure is ex.
fcelLentsi in any climate il properly used
have never known any insect pests
to harborc under it.al7sa2 za9a III. q.
At the South it should be applied
baround and between che plants. Used
in this way with a liberal dressing of
hard wood ashes City bushels to the
acre can be useol, OF, 300 pounds OF
kalni5 in place Of the ashes and 300
pounds OF acid phosphate, a heavy
crop .of fiae berries will almost surely
made. The fertilizer should be .ap
pied before the manure. 1t is also
good to use without the manure.
O. W. BLACKNALL,
so2aao~ a1'5 SIS sKutrelI,a MO- =
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
STUDENT LIFH IN AN AGRICUL
TURAL COLLEGE.

Like the majority Of J oung men who
are entering the. University Of Illinois
each year, began Ia the college of en-,
gineetiDg. To most farmer boys any
kindLo mechanical work IL fascinating,
and each fall we find hundreds of them
entering the engineering CLASSES of our
technical schools; while on the other
hand, very small fraction Of the COT
lege students in Illinois, at least, are
following stud ies which fit them for in.
telligent farming. I5 is. also true chat
surprisingly large number Of boys
from our towns and cities are directing
their college work toward agriculture
and horticulture. After two years OF
work along engineering lines began
to see that a broader and more inviting
field is open to Intelligent farmers than
to any other class Of men in our Coun~
try. .'5dWith this in view, and with the
resolve TO remain among the young
1menl who do not foFsake the farm, /
have now begun work in the college OF
2agricultures and it is nay intention to
gain practic Il knowledge of the ele-
ments, RFleast, Of the business which
hope to follow. Lasl1s ~ : o..
'itiot- 1-fc.z4*E# *sg,y1lF 1c.5ltJ Z
h A university which provides acourse
in agriculture as most State uliversi
ties do, ohas many advantages which
care beyond the reach of apurely agFil
cultural college,, The student has the
opportunity to- select studies lin the
other departments of the university in
IConpeetioR with bis agricultural work,
which will giye-1to his course of study
all that is necessary for q general edH
catien, and he need not conane him
self entirely to his technical work. /
have found also, since IIhaveg been at
Qhe University of Illinois, that daily as
sociation with men who are engaged in
literary, scientific and professional
Studies opens fields of thought and Oh
servatjqn WhIch are of great value al
though sometimes In an indirect way,
TO any student Of agriculture A large
univsity, too, is usually able to support
a large general library, and the student gd q
has st his disposal an opportunity for
reading and research which. will be
gone when his college days are ended,
p lcz-I5 1900 - - - Q '-r..2
Pr6dffnent, also, among the lintid
enceas which have assisted me since be
-ginnfng my agricultural studies at the
university is the Agricultural Cluo.'
This organisation is COMPOSED OF stu
dents ana Instructors Of the university
gwho are Interested 5jn matters pertain
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
LIBERAL GRASS SEEDING.

" There may Be.teasod for lightly seed
ing of grains which viii often 9ff6m q
single kernel produce itWo;% three Cor
even more stalks and proportfonate
increase of, yield BdSfh grass SEEDING
this rule does not hold : each seed can
produces but one stalk Tnis, under
the most favoring circumstances, may3
spread, so as to cover a wide space
But in grass seeding every thing is at
first against the young plant, Its seed
ls small. while, the grain is compare
lively large. Naturally the grass plant
is correspondinglyr small apd wholly,
unable to compete with The more Yigor
Gus weeds which are always, ready to
smother it. The only way in weedy
ground, as most long cultivated soil is,
must therefore be- to seed so heavily
that the-gEass crop muatot troua the frat
have the advantage. Thisis the seseon
for faHo seeding. We therefore advise
to seed 3hesvIly.t end iny ad ditioa 500
some cLofHer seed iqr the sprlpg, which
will fill in the vacant y galt SPACES which, ,tbe
fall seeding has not .qccQpled. It is az,
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
Klsbre!I,o NJ @.

After picking Tae apples with the ut
most care, / put them in boxes of equal
size. about ak inches deep, without
covers, and large enough, to handle
easily. I place these boxes in an open
shed,r fill the boxes not quite full and
set them in piles so es to make the sec
opd box cover the first, the third the
second, and SO on, until the pile is as
high as is convenient, and cover the
last box with a board. set these boxes
"a little one side Of directly over, each
other. so as to give little. air. / ex
anime the fruit frequently. and it there
is any moisture on the apples I slip the
boxes SO as to give q little more air; if
the, fruit is ahriveled IN the least, I
shut off an the air.. / keep these boxes
out of the cellar until there is danger
Of freezing, and then set them in the
cellar and Ventilate as before. In this
way I can keep my fruit until If comes
,again.-O. P, Mentor, Ohio - ~ =;
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
wRALTHo1N HoRTIcULruRR.r

We farmers should work those fields
in which NATURE helps US most! If Re9
find that nature has bestowed her
richest blessings in a particular line,
we should expend our enterprise and
energy in that direction. Nature is q
grand ally, but an obstinate and inyet.
erete foe IE is conservative to say =
that no section Of the country can eur:
pass Virginia in growing fruits ana
vegetables of the finest quality for
early and late markets. The teet by,
tne sacrometer shows the superior ex:
cellence Of the grapes of Virginia over
the grapes of Western New York and !
California. The London Pathological
Society some , ears ago gave. the Abe
marie pippin the palm as the best apple
IN the world; oar cherries are the
earliest and best in 3themarkets OF New
York While the North isrstiA in the
embraeeof winter, carloads and sahipsU,
loads of vegetables are leaving NeWOC
port ews7and Norfolk. ~ I7mighs meg
ton the experience Of g young meRu
who is member Of this society, who {
sold his first crop Of peachea In New
York. for 81 per bushel, their, large sizs,
and superior quality bringing that fine,
price on a full market By this one
crop he more than paid for the noun
tain land bought for his orchard and. -
for all expenses A farmer this year
received 81, 900 for the apples from 125
comparatively young trees; one Of the
vice presidents of this society declined
S14 600 40r the apples on about 100
trees; another oRice pEesidenV srefuSedTc
$4,000 for the apples on 600 trees.er
The last named orchard will pay someac'
thing like $500 profit per & acre. Il
measured the trunk at. an Alternately
pIppin7tFee the other day. s1eightar
and two thirds feet in nciEcumfeFanee, dis
had measured from tip 20 IT'D ,oG
branches sixty feet. was, about t6ftyss
feet high, end had produced one season,
fwenty-seVen barrels Of ,.appleg,r Of q
WHICH twenty two barrels were .of
merchantable size and quality. The
Owner; MF. zxtwEeI1, things it is 100 (
years old Our last crop Of fruit brought. =
as good prices as the present season. -
The facts Justify meAin saying that hdE.
ticdltdr6 opens the door o6fti great wealth y
to tt1e VlfRifhiia farmer If he viii only SRiC
inteEligsntiy and actively purstuee hf9U
natural adV6ntage5G Gssam1tB. woods!
in Southern States Farm Magazine. RRr
. sr F3T
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
RALEIGH,s N. c. sDECEMBERs ia, 1891

old say ing that nature 5abhers q vacu
una9- Itis never more true than when
gress or clover and weeds are growing
together. There is no better way to
exclude weeds than to seed heavily with
grass or. clover, either of which, lit
seeded so as to coverthe underground,
is the best weed extermiRator known
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
goRTH 9AROLIgA FARMERs' STATE AETl

e AECE. ...s-.-..,
President-Jno. Graham, Ridgeway,
C--l--. .-e g. ss 49, -- '-- %.
y Vice. Presidaut-w. B. Upchurch,
s seoreRaFy Tres surerzJ,T. B, Hoover.
HiIlsboro N. O. -
STATE Business Agent-T. B. Parker,
Hillsbor0,- N. N.C3It-1- .. -3sz@. . : =
Lec5urer-Dr. Y. N. seawell, Eilla-
now, N. Q. ~-.s.7- 90
house. Mackev Ferry, n. c. -'
ChspIgin-W.~ 8. Mercer, Mcyock,
NC . - - I. Es-.-'
OOtS tSziistant Door! keeper-Jas. e. Lyon,
Drharn, N. O. = -S-iE- re-
5ergeant.at-Arms-A. D. z. Wallace,
Raleigh. ". @. -z9 1880 -,
trustee Business Agency Fund W.
A. Graham, Machpelah, n. Q.
vyFar-TTvE ooMMTrTEE OF TIE NORTH
CAR INA FARMERS STATE ALLIANCE.
Nv. Denmark, Chairman, Raleigh,
NC - De-.
John Graham, RidgeYay, N. @.
". B. Fleming, Rldgewayl n: =. -.
A T aIleman, Concord, y. =.
Dr. J 3 Aiexender, Charlotte, n. =.
Thomas ] Ofdhem, Teer, N. o. O
STATE A .i.lAEOE JUDICIARY COMMITTED.
DR.. J E Person, PlEeviIIe. N. Q.
". s Barnes Raleigh; n: Q.
7. Ivey, aiIlsboro. N c. ---,--
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

Get out obtheaold1 utsz=buy an incuail
beter. There ara1R Iotgof good5anRs tOui
select from. Write rGsO0 81 8Eahlys'
manufacturer incubators, Q9lncgs IH8
on, ReilaJb9le Be 4Ip29qPeteE and Bro9aer, ,COnaE
Q lincy, III oF BqelkeEe IncubatoEa gosAus
springfetdS Ohio tiQqlng o. otsHEor
PROGRESSIVE IS .EARLl1l9aR, ARLl1sl and got all thaoc
information you wish. sepFgcasr
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
FROM THE GREAT STATE, OF
WILKES. -gg
Of the Progressive Farmer q


BOOMER, N. O., Nov 26, '9z.S5
1 am not subscriber to THE Pro.
GREssTyE FARMER myself, but my
father is ones 8ndzT live with him aud.
read it with great pleasure, especially.
such articles as Bro sossaman wroteina
your issue OF Nov. 9sh in reply to A. JIslT
Me8e.--4 an a middle Of the road Pop.
ulist myself, F66d gHke1to read the ar.
ticles on true Popu1ism. I cannot
write much on. politics, but that does,
not hinder me from being a true re.
former and believing in reform prin- ,
clples. Let BrOH 6ossaman come to the
front again: 1 s
Now, Mf: Editor as 1'sss many feE-
ters' ID your paper from different pIafrts
OF the State telling OF the many ad.
vantages- that they have, and, also oot 8
the fine timbers and minerals, Isw0nldc
like to tell your readers that we, have
1ne tarm lands, and plepsy OF timber
and min erals up here in the good "o1dn
State of Wilkes" We have 8B good c
lands for fruit, and especially for late
fruit, as can be found in North Caro-
lima; and while SO many people are
looking for new homes, think some of
them would dozWell to- come in this
direction, especially those who are
looking for lands on which to raise
fruits.a5We would be very glad to have
some good fruit raisers to come among
u.s., also think that If some who have I,
the 7Klondike fever would come in. thisr
direction, they. would find azure with0l
out going go far and suffering With
cold and hunger. 49, '"'10V @4 g os'
/ Wishing IHE PROGRESSIVE FARMER a.
wide circulation, and It's noble editor q
long and happy life,-=== ================
a
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

, Whencyou want furniture Of any,
kind, write E NJ. Andre VS. UhaFlottesao
N. Os and mention this papaE. E.15o5-
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14
JUDICIARY.

= 4. 3outnworth, Denver, Colo.
{. ". Beck, Alabama. % 2
Y z. Deyie,. kentucky. 5z1EcI- &
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

former and believing in reform prin. ,
clples. Let BroH Sossaman come to the
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

write much on politics, but that does
not hinder me from being true re.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-14

, g. g. FERGUSON.
The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-04
Joseph Cook Not a Clergyman.

The physical and mental breaking down
OF Joseph Cook emphasizes once more the
fact that people and newspapers can never
get over their habit of calling him REV. /"
the noted divine" etc. In point of fact.
he Is not and never was clergyman. nor
was he ever ordained to preach. But few
Bostonians know it. He has been a pow.
erful and influential personality in the
thought OF the Hub in years past, and I am
heartily sorry to hear of his affection. We
may gibe at him and disagree with him
but we cannot get around the fact that no
has thinking apparatus Of high order
Boston Traveller.
The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-04
A Visiting Card Swindle.

"A most audacious enterprise has been
undertaken and successfully carried ont
by respectable looking man. He rang
the bell of house tho other day, and, pro.
senting visiting card, asked for the mis-.
tress, Mrs. Blank, saying that the lady
whose card he offered had sent him. She
was dear friend of Mrs. Blanks. so that
tho latter listened willingly to the story
the man had to tell.
lie was the usual poor but deserving
parent of unnumbcred children. Mrs
Blanks friend had promised clothes and
had sent him TO her to sec if she could give
him work. If not, he was to go to Mrs
Dash, common friend OF both II can't
give you employment" said Mrs. Blank.
but will give you temporary help. at
all events. Wait moment. and | will
bring you down some money"
AS she descended, with her purse in
hand she saw the man stealthily remove
some visiting cards from the receiver in
tho hall and slip them into his pocket.
What ere you doing that forY" she
asked, her suspicious aroused.
The man looked up i'm CONSERVATION and
fled without another word. Mrs. Dasb,s
card, of course, had been obtained i'm the
same way.
Mrs. Blank is now warning all her nc
quaintances to put no trust in any man
who may present her card or use her name
-Pearson's Weekly.
The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-04
Emperor and Dumplings.

An anecdote which was current of Ferdi-
nand OF Austria at one time greatly de-
lighted his subjects and gave rise to a COM
mon saying. One summer day he was
hunting III the Syrian mountains and was
overtaken by violent thunderstorm He
sought refuge in farmhouse whose occu-
pants were just then at dinner, and his
fancy was caught by some smoking dump
Hngs, made Of coarse flour. He tasted them.
liked them and asked for more, and when
no got back to Vienna, to the horror of the
royal cooks, he ordered the Same dumpIings
to DO served up daily.
The courtiors were scandalized that such
a coarse dish should figure on the menu.
and even his physicians demonstrated
against the use of such food.
The emperor had always been the most
plant of men, but be now showed that he
had will of his own and persisted in
gratifying his new fancy Finally the
physicians pretended that it was dangerous
to his health to be living on dumplings
and insisted on his giving them up.
The hitherto dooile sovereign STAMPED
his foot and declared that he would never
sign another official document If his diet
were denied him.
Emperor 1 am" he shouted, land
dumplings will havew
Toprevent n stoppage of the government
machinery opposition was withdrawn. and
his majesty chung tenaciously to his dump
lings. Then the imperial phrase became
proverbial, and thereafter, when any one
insisted on gratifying n silly whim, some
one was sure to say:
Emperor L am, and dumplings l will
Companion.
The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-04
Advice to a Budding Journalist.

Reference has rightly been made to Mr..
Sala's kindness to journalistic beginners
Here Is what G. A. 5. wrote some years
ago to correspondent on the subject of
the best education for journalist:
"flrst.-Learn shorthand thoroughly,
ana when you have mastered it, advertise
for situation as general reporter on the
stall of provincial newspaper.
"Second.-Learn as many foreign Ian
guages as you have any aptitude for and
Keep up your Latin and Greek, if any
Latin and Greek you have learned at
school.
Third.-Read as many books on rs
many subjects as you possibly can get ac-
cess to and copy into big book such pas
sages as you may think useful or interest
ing.
Fourth.-Work as many hours n day
as you are physically and mentally able to
do"
BY way of p. S., Mr.. Sala added. lyon
write logibe hand, and that is in your
favor. Westminster Gazette.
The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-04
MarrIed to Helm lila IN.

IN the north of England, where rabbit
ooursing Is most in vogue, swift well
trained dogs often win large sums in
prizes. 1T is therefore little TO be wonder
GU at that the owners of these animals
them. upon
an old Yorkshire collier, well known
ior MS success in the coursing field. no.
gently surprised ali his mates by marry.
ing very unprepossessingp auper woman
ne had always been reckoned a confirmed
hater of the other sex. 'i'''
why has tn gone and got spIioed lad
ao my agey" one of his friends asked liz,
"Oh, that's not much of tale - 1, nn
swered the old man stolidly. II agree wi,
ye ,at Betsy yonder is no beauty, II sho
hau been, shouldn't have wed ber D..
tnat there dog o. mine, he WINS s,,nni,,
pinln for somebody to look after H.,
whiie was away at the pic. cop,dn,t
pear TO leave him in tho house Inv hissar
so L hit on the idea o. marvin RE
ohe,s mob handsome, but she's ni,h;r
good company for the dog. "-London Tei.
egraph. oon LEI