The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-08-23

, $1UU per 1QeY W0E0 CO4OenuC@
as useless by the s lpervisors in charge
at the time I took control. I trans
ferred seventeen of those that could be
moved to Castle Hayne and succeeded
in making q partial crop with them.
After the crops were made the chair
man of the executive committee order,
ed them sold, and if no one would have
them, to kill them. They were sold to
Mr.. D. A. Grantham at q nominal
price, There were @ number of others
SO worthless that the Supervisors were
directed to get rid Cf them to the best
advantage. Three of these mules were
traded by n of the Supervisors for
one horse, one at Arson for a COW, one
at Halifax was such a mass OF sores
that he could not besold, and was given
away to avoid having him killed. At
the Halifax farm there was a thirty
horse power engine and saw mill in al
most a worthless condition. / found a
large per cent of all the tools, and
farming implements broken and use
less, and badly scattered over the
farms. Few wagons even in fairly
good condition and most of the ma
chinery in like bad order. The cotton
gins were so out Of repair, that new
gins had to be supplied.
There was scarcely a weeks supply
of provisions on hand anywhere, and
on some of the farms, no corn and
fodder or other forage. .
You gentlemen will remember that
the Legislature of 1897 had made no
appropriation for the penitentiary and
with only 81, 1888 10 in the treasury and
1927 u in the drawer, and as shown by
Mr.. Leazer's report on pages % and SO
for year 1896, his figures, we started
the 1st of January with $40, O61 81 less
in farm products on hand than the
penitentiary started with the 1st of
January, 1896. In his estimate of
farm products on hand the 1st of Jan,
uary, 1897, he puts the total value of
the cotton on hand as a part of tho
farm products at ST Ill. 90, when in
fact the cotton actually sold for $7I,
533 16 He deducts $29. 900 from the
$77, Ill, the amount drawn on the cot
ton, and thus the penitentiary was
charged with havingon hand in cotton
the 1st of SANITARY, 1892, $48. 600, On
January 5sh, Mi. Leazer drew So, 600
more on the cotton, leaving cotton on
hand and charged to the penitentiary
at a valuation of $40. Ill, when in fact
the cotton remaining on hand when
sold only brought $50 533 16 The total
amount of the cotton that / sold brought
only $50. 558 80, Mr.. LeaEer having
drawn out before the LIST of April, $780,.
426 68. ,-sh-
I give these figures to show that
when / took charge on the 1st of April,
1897, there was only $2O, 558 3S in cotton
on hand and in the treasury 81, 7S3 10
and in the drawer 1927 70, total with
which to start business the 1st of April
$22. 469 IL. The amount I expended for
horses and in paying the bills Of Mr..
Leezer more than consumed the cotton
on hand and the cash turned over to
me.
With all the farms to be supplied
with provisions for man and beast and
with each and every Supervisor clam.
mering for them, wagons and farming
implements as shown by their letters
on file, you will find that my expendi7
lures were about the same per month
as that of Mr.. Leezer in 1896.
The brick estimated at S., 5l7 81 as on
hand the 1st of January, 1892, must
have been disposed of prior to the 1st
of April, 1897, as there was not near
this moun on hand at the latter date.
Under these great disadvantages | sup
piled the farms and furnished them
with teams and farming implements
and machinery. On each farm we in
creased the yield over any former year
in all farm products, and in cotton we
made q greater number Of bales and
heavier bales than eve before. There
were made during 1897 3,116 bales of
cotton, an increase of 500 bales over
any former year. It should be borne
in mind that the price of cotton for
the searson of 1897 any 1898, was ex
tremeIy low, and much below the
price of 1896 and 1892, while there was
no corresponding decrease in the ex-
penge of making the crop. 1t should
also be rendered that I was compelled
for want of reday money to buy on
credit and pay the additional price al
ways demanded when spot cash is not
paid.
The farms have all been improved
and are in fine condition for cultiva-
ton, and I consider the pe~nitentiary IN
BETTE fix than ever in it's history, tax
] mo into c~0raIdaratiOn the or resent state