The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-01-11

developing good deal favor in all sec
tions, but especially in the West where ,
the facilities for depositing mouey in
safe Institutions which command the |
confidence of the farmers, are extreme !
ly limited. But good deal of objec |
tion is raised to the project when the |
question arises as to what disposition |
the government shall make of the de
posits. 1t is proposed that the govern
ment shall pay the depositors a fair
rate of interest, two or two and half
per cent, and ia order to do this of
course the government must invest the
deposits in some good security which
will enable it to realize enough to pay
the interest. Here comes the hitch
The objectOrs say that the government
cannot find such investments. Post
master General Gary, however, says
that opportunities for safe and proper
investment at good rates of interest are
| not lacking, but IN all cases the invest
ments suggested would take the money
into the great business centers and
away from the rural districts where it,
was deposited. Gsn. Stones proposl
tion, however, leaves the money in the
immediate vicinity where it is deposited
and distributes it through the channels
Of trade. His idea is to have the gov
ernment buy with the postal savings,
county bonds and to have the money
used in the building of country roads
The bonds would run for long time
periods and all the immediate expenses
upon the county would be in meeting
the interest on the bonds, which could
be more than met by the money an
nually expended in repairing roads and
keeping them from deteriorating into
an impossible condition. In support
of his plan Gen. Stone remarks:
1.-The commercial benefits of COED
roads are we'll indicated by the New
Yofk Chamber of Commerce. This
body asserts that we are handicapped
In all the markets Of the world by an
enormous waste of labor in the pri4
mary transportation of cur products ,
Some counties, of course, would be too
conservative to accept the plan, but
tEere would be enough willing and
ready to take advantage of it to show
it's bent fits and ultimately lead others
to its adoption.
For this purpose long term bonds
would be more desirable than short
ones, and probably payment would not
be required in less than a hundred
years, if then, so that no present pro
vision need be made in reference to the
principal, except that the county should
have the privilege Of payment after
thirty years"
The free delivery system in the rural
districts is something of an experiment.
and the First Assistant Postmaster
says that it has been put to practical
test in twenty nine States and over
forty d. fferent routes. The results, he
says, are very generally satisfactory.
indicting that rural delivery will be
come permanent feature of the postal
service of the United States. Here is
another reason for better roads.
The Department of Agriculture has
issued a farmers bulletin which deals
with the formation and cultivation of
meadows and pastures in the Middl
Eastern States. The lesson it teaches
is that careful attention should be given
to the methods Of cultivation and the
selections of varieties best adapted to
the soils of the various sections. It ap
pears that the production of forage and
fodder in North Caroline, Virginia,
West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania amounts
annually to over twenty million tons,
worth at least one hundred end fifty
million dollars, and that fully two
thirds of this is supplied by grasses,
clover, cow peas, corn, stover and en-
silage. The farm stock in the States in
question numbers twelve million head
of all classes, valued at about $181, 900,
600, and they consume the amount of
forage and fodder mentioned above.
The idea of the Importance Of the sub
ject as applied generally to the entire
country is gathered from the fact that
the seven States in question are not
great stock raising States, but rather
States of general agriculture.
A. II. D.
Begin the new year by keeping &C