The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-30
IMPROVED MAMMOTH WHITE
FRENCH ARTICaOKE.
(Ht lianthus Tuberosus.)

and, taking one year with another,
there is no more reliable money maker
than the hog. He has bought more
farms, lifted more mortgages, educated
more farmers sons end daughters, and
built more farm homes ant filled them
with the comforts of life than any thing
else. He is a marketable commodity
Of greoter value than the grain he eats,
but his proper feeding and treatment is
too often neglected. This causes mil
lions of dollars loss each year-suff
cient, it is said, to have paid all the
mortgages on the farms. The people
of the State of Illinois, alone, last year
lost $5, 800, 600 worth, and in Iowa
600 900 head, or one third of the hog
crop, succum bed to the ravages OF dis
eases. Exercise is necessity TO swine,
as, confined in pens they are more
liable TO fall victims to isease, Toe
most successful plan is Co give them
more or less ranRe-in pastures when
the grass is succulent, aEd, after that,
ertichokes. These yield from six to
ten times as much as corn, and supply
toe nitrogen which corn lacks. It is
nearly or quite impoe sible for hogs to
have fevers while on an artichOke diet,
because artichokes build up and thor
oughly iDvigorate the system. A pig
with cholera pastured on artiChokes,
would be a curiosity. The latest report
by the United States Government says
that Hog cholera is caused by q
spt cific microbe or germ multiplying
In the body of an animal IL the sys-
tenn is in good healthy condition, this
microbe cannot obtain q fOothold
When drop of blood Ia placed between
two plates of glass and examined with
microscope, it 10 seen to contain, be-
side the minute disks which give it the
red color, little whitish grains called
white corpuscIes. Ifthe glass il warmed
to temperature Cq1al 20 that Of the
human body, thee corpuFcleg will be
seen 20 put out and retract minute
processes, which, es if acting the part
OF feet, enable the corpuEcles to crawl
over the surface OF the glass. The great
Russian naturalist, Metchnikcff has
discovered that the white corpuscules
in the blood feed on the microbes OF in
| fictitious diseaser, such as hog Cholera,
pneumonia, etc, when such microbes
are introduced into the system. Sir
Joseph List r, President of the Brit
ish Association for the advancement
of science, believes that this action of
the white corpuscles is the main deten
sive mesns possessed by the living
body against it's microscopic foes. The
cCrpuRClPs are manufactured by the
blood itself and vary in amount ana
power in direct proportion to the guam
tiGy and richness of the blood. These
scientific Investigations have proven
that If animals are given proper treat
ment and food that will purify the
blood and stimulate and invigoraEe the
system, they can resist hog cholera
and other contagious diseases. The
white CorpuscIes in good vitality are as
deadly TO these germs as stry chnine Is
TO a human being. That ia the whole
aecret of success with hogs fed on arti
chokes, The hogs harvest the arti-
chokes themselves, and, though called
lazy, will root up and lay bare enough
so that colts, calves and sheep may eat
with them. This not only saves a lot
of hard work, but gives the animal the
exercise 60 bene fetal to his health.
Ringing or C tting his nose locks him
out of nature's epOlhecary snop, en-
dangers his health, and is q plain
| breach of natures laws Since freezing
and thawing does not hurt the tubers,
the hogs may root them out in the
spring Rs we'll as in the fall. They also
produce an immense quantity of tops,
which horses, cattle and sheep are as
fond of as they are of the tubers, and
which makes excellent feed when prop
erly cured Farmers make mistakes
in not growing and feeding a variety
of food, or food adapted to the require
ments of the animals By thus adding
two feed stuff5 to those heretofore
| grown, a farmer ia enabled TO OBTAIN
best results for butter, fl sh or growth,
without paying out his cash for oil
meal or mill feed. But the planting of
artichokes must be begun right. The
fret step Is the selec ion of the seed.
Do not take any rex here Get seeds
that have @ reputation. There are arti
chOkes and arClchOkes. In many parts
of North America the wild artichoke is
q native. but 1t is merely a weed which
produces but few and small tubers. and