davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02
HUMUS.

All animal life is nourished and sus
tained by what it eats and drinks and
the air it breathes. So is plant life
nourished and sustained by what is di
gested for it out of solid substances,
the moisture in the soil, and the air
plants breathe through their leaves,
which are the lungs of plant life. Until
farmers comprehend the philosophy Of
animal and plant food digestion they
are walking up hill, and backwards at
that.
The mistaken conclusions in the farm
world to day is the result Of trying to
get at the truth by reasoning back
wards and inwards-from results and
effects to cause. The progressive
farmer reverses that-begins with
cause and reasons forward and out
ward to results or effects.
Humus is defined as a brown or
black refuse of animal or vegetable
matter. 1t is infinitely more, and the
object of this series of papers is to in
vest it with a dignity it deserves.
When the farmer sees it's usefulness
and Importance and his dependence
upon it, and how easily and cheapIy
he can ill his soil with it, then his
pockets will begin to fill with gold.
The earth is the first in Importance
in plant growth. The earth is the
womb of the world for seeds and plant
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Senator Billy Mason secured permits,
sion from Congress, before adjourn
ment, to investigate the food question
during the interim between sessions
and look into food authorizations of
various prodUc5s subject to inte- state
commerce. The Senator has goLe in to
the subject with his accustomed vigor
and has secured the services OF the
Chemical Division of the Department
of Agriculture for the purpose of an
alyses. He expects to have a report
Tor the next Congress which will show
to what extent some Of our common
foods are adulterated. ALI food which
is shipped from one State to another,
or abroad, is liable to come und er his
notice Senator Mason early announced
himself as a champion of pure food
and this action shows that he is alive
to the necessity of gathering evidence.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02
BERMUDA GRASS.

Bulletin A, Of the United States De
partment of Agriculture, Economic
Grasses" contains brief descriptions
of the most important grasses of this
country or those which have been in
troduced because possessing some
merit. OF Bermuda grass the bulletin
says:
A grass widely dispersed over the
tropical regions and warmer coun tries
of the globe. 1t has creeping habit
of growth, extending over the surface
of the ground and roofing at the joints.
In poor soils the leaves are short and
the upright Towering stems are only q
few inches high, but on good land it
grows to the height of 1 to feet and
yields a large amount Of excellent hay.
It may be cut three or four times dur
ing the season. In the Northern States
it does not afford a profitable crop and
is of little value for pasturage north OF
Virginia, but in the Southern States
and in the warmer regions of the South
west and on the Pacific slope it is cul
tivated extensively and is most highly
priced, Chic fly for grazing, all kinds OF
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

stocks being exc c9edingly fond OF it. 1t
grows freely on sandy soils where
other grasses will not thrive, and re
sists extreme drouth and high temper
atures. 1t is particularly sun loving
grass, and will not thrive in the shade.
1t is useful for binding drifting sands
and the loose soil of embankments or
those subject to wash. 1t makes a
pleasing lawn grass, and is extensively
used for this purpose in the hotter por
tions of the United States, for it will
thrive where the grasses ordin arily
employed for lawns could not survive.
The yield of hay under good conditions
is from to 4 tons to the acre, and as
high as 10 tons to the acre have been
produced under peculiarly favorable
circumstances.
While this grass will survive the
winters of the latitude Of Philadelphia,
the LEAKAGE is very sensitive to cold az d
turns brown with the first frosts. This
fact renders it Objectionable as lawn
grass, except in regions where the win
ter season is very mild. In many por-
tions of the Southern States there is
probably 20 grass equal to Bermuda
for summer pastures, and none which
will better resist the trampling OF
stock. Bermuda does not mature seed
except in the southern portion. OF our
country, but seed obtained from more
Southern latitudes is offered for sale by
some of our leading seed dealers. The
most direct and certain method OF
propagation is by transplanting which
may be effected by cutting up Ber,
muda turf into small pieces, scatter
ing these along shallow furroWs and
covering them lightly. When once
established, Bermuda grass is very
persistent and difficult to eradicate.
and it should not be introduced upon
land which is likely to used for other
crops.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Anufacture their own high price d
,hampagne and beverages, give them
the "6oquet," and keep several mil
lion dollars at home which now an
nually goes abroad for these products.
''If our people will drink these sorts
OF things" he said, in talking on the
subject, II see no reason why we
should not keep the industry within
our own borders and work up the ep
pie corings, ETC., here instead OF ship
ping eff this raw material to Europe
and then paying six prices for it when
returned to us in the form of beverages
with foreign labels"
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

There are a number Of seedsmen in
the country who are not satisfied with
making fair profit on the seeds they
sell, but who resort purposely to adul
teration. The seed section Of the De-
partment of Agriculture is operated
expressly for the protection OF farmers
and gardeners who buy seeds, and it's
officers invite the attention and CO op
GRAFTON of farmers to make it's sphere
useful one. The adulteration Of tertili-
zers was at one time paying business
and farmers were defr9uded Of thou
sands of dollars by having their tertill-
zers adulterated with worthless ''hll
ing" This practice has been stopped
almost entirely by State regulations,
with severe penalties attached for ad
alterations and these regulations pro-
vide that any farmer can have sam
ple of fertilizer analy zad free Of charge
by the State authorities or the Expert
ment Station. The government seed
testing operations are conducted on the
same order. Many seeds Of entirely
different plants are quite similar in
appearance and it requires expert ex-
animation to detect the difference so
that the farmer is likely to be imposed
UPON. While the reputable seed houses
use every precaution to protect their
customers, there are other dealers who
are not only careless but who must de
libsrately adulterate their seeds. Ad,
liberation is practiced in several ways;
bv using similar but cheaper seed, by
using "tailings" and by mixing trash
and weed seeds. In some cases the
seeds contained in the trash are killed,
but in others, they are not, and in the
latter case, the farmer not only actually
pays dear for the good seed ne gets,
but he lays up extra work for himself
by planting with his crop seeds, count
less weed seeds. In some of the samples
received by the Department only
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02
EXPERIMENTS IN CORN CULTI,
VATION.

During 1892 the most exhaustive ex
pertinent ever conducted by the 1lli
nois Agricultural Experiment Station
in the cultivation of corn was carried
on under the dire ction Of Prof. Holden.
From a circular sent out by the
director last spring we learn that these
experiments were undertaken in order
to determine the effect OF different
depths of cultivation upon the gro WITH,
development and yield OF corn; to dnd
the influence of several Of the most i'm
portant cultivators in common use
upon the moisture of the soil; to test
their efficiency in removing weeds and
their final effect upon the soil; to note
the condition of the soil at the end OF
the season, and the yield of ears and
stalks as the result Of the various
methods of cultivation.
The plan of the experiment was as
follows: A piece of ground was selected
that was as nearly level as possible. 1t
was plowed about six inches deep with
a three horse breaking ploW the last OF
April and narrowed Immediately after
plowing. The corn was planted the
8sh day of May and after it came up
the whole field was narrowed once and
then rolled. Four rows running the
length of the field were devoted to
each kind of treatment, and each treat
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Ferments in cider is a subj CT which
Secretary Wilson has caused to be In
vestigated during the past year. Thou
sands of tons OF apple parings, corings
and dried apples are exported annually
70 Europe where they are made into
cider, furnished with ferment which
European manufacturers have pro,
dueed after many years of experiment
and study, bottled and shipped back to
the United States and sold at high
prices. The Secretary states that his
agents have been making a study OF
this subject for some time and have
now secured some Of the ferment, and
he proposes that Americans shall
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Secretary Wilson states that the in
vestigations Of the Department in to
bacco ferments have already born
,ruit and that some important and en-
tireIy new ideas have been brought to
light in regard to tobacco curing. The
Secretary made trip to Florida last
year to see how the Cu0ans cured
their tobacco. He found, he says, 40,
100 Cubans in the State, who had come
there to engage in cigar making rather
than fight, and he found that they
knew nothing whatever about their
processes. They cured cigar tobacco
according to certain rules because
their fathers had done Sd before them,
but be could find nothing as the scien
tific reasons for doing 90. He states
that something of high Importance to
tobacco growers may shortly be looked
for from his Department.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Reports of the Department OF Agrl
culture, Washington, D. O., show that
in 1892 there we're in the United States
I5,498 40 horses valued at $65 Oh each
or a total of 81 OO7, 593 636, while in
1897 the total number Of horses was
Il. 364 667, their total value only t452,'
GAG 1876, or $31 81 per head. Where Is
the supply and demand argument in
thisl We find falling of in number
Of 1,I33 473, and loss in value OF
$33 so per head, total loss OF 1854,
s44 24O. Whose loes is it, and why 2
The Progressive Farmer would like to
know.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

small per centage of the true seed is
found; in some instances as little as 25
per cent. Mr.. Peters in charge Of the
seed section has recently sent out q
circular to all Grange organizations re
questing farmers to send him in sam
pies of the seeds the seeds they pur'
chase, and this Invitation the Depart
ment extends to all other farmers. The
Secretary of Agriculture is authorized
by Congress to publish the names of
seedsmen who are found to be aduiter
ating seeds. and Mr.. Peters states that
without general cooperation Of farm
ers, it cannot be expected that much
actual evidence will be obSained.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

The National Department of Agri
culture is receiving large number of
r. quests and il quiries from the islands
lately acquired by the United States.
From Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Philip
pines and even Cuba come requests
for seeds Of various sorts from Ameri
cans and natives. Army officers who
expect to stay in the islands for some
time send home for grass seed and
other products; they want their sta
tions to look something like home. AS
far as is known Bermuda grass is the
best grass for the tropics, but it is diff
cult of propagation on an extensive
scale, as this is carried on by means OF
cuttings. Secretary Wilson says that
no one knows much about propagating
by seed, but the Department is now
making Investigations along this line
1t is proposed to find out what proper
tion of the seed will germinate, when
it will germinate best and under what
conditions. Mr.. Wilson says that he
expects to have this information soon,
and then he will buy up all the B9r
muda grass seed in the world for dis
tribution among the islands. Investi-
gation, he thinks, will produce other
valuable grasses for those sections.
Experiment stations should be estab
lished, he states, i'll all the islands, both
for the sake of themselves and the
States. The subject of conditions there
is something of which but little is
known by the Department.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

ment of four rows was divided into
twenty divisions, one of which was cut
out to find the effect Of the cultivs
tions upon ground on which no crop
was grown. In this way each expert
ment was divided into twenty sections,
in order that any difference IN yield
that might be due to a possible d fer
ence in soil could be detected and elm
mated. Four rows on either side OF
the field were cultivated in the Ordi-
nary way, about three inches deep
with a small shovel cultivator through
the season in order to get standard
for comparison. In finding the yield,
the two inside rows of each treatment
were taken and the outside rows dis
carded, for the reason that they might
have been Influenced by the different
treatments of the rows ad joining, The
weight and number of ears, and the
weight Of stalks were found separately
for each plant. The yields added to
gether gave the total yield for each
treatment.
The per centage of moisture in the
soil under the various sy stems of treat
ment was found by accurately testing
the amount of moisture Of the ground
for three depths-nine, eighteen and
twenty seven inches, respectively.
This was done for each kind of cultiva
tion, onc9 a week during the entire
season, and the results here given are
the totals for the season.
TABLE SHOWING EFFECT OF DIFFERENT
DEPTHS OF CULTIVATION.
2 in. 4 in. in.
VT Of ears, Id. 1890. 466 466 437
| We of stalks, Id. go. 465 4S5 AL
Numbers of ears. 1908 1886 1l68
Per cent. of moisture 451 474 1855
An ordinary email shovel cultivator
with four shovels on q side, was so
arranged that the shovels could be set
to run accurately at 2, or inches in
depth and maintain this depth through
out the cultivation.
The shallow, or two inch cultivation
required hand.weeding, but the deeper
civilizations thoroughly removed all Of
the weeds. The deep cultivation left
the ground ridged at the end of the
season, while the shallow cultivation
left the soil in level condition. The
corn grew most rapidly during the
early part of the season upon the deeply
cultivated plats, but during the latter
part of the season the corn on the
shallow cultivated plats developed
most rapidly. The vigorous early de-
veIopment of the corn on the deep cul
tivated plats was due to the opening
up of the soil to the air and sunshine,
while root pruning at the latter end OF
the season tends to retard growth.
Briefly summing up the results of the
different depths Of cultivation we can
say that these facts seem to indicate
that deep cultivation removes weeds
thoroughly and tends to conserve soil
moisture, but that it leaves the ground
in bad condition at the end Of the
season, and by reason of severe root
pruning injuries the plant so much that
the yield of ears and stalks is greatly
reduced. Shallow cultivation does
not thoroughly remove weeds, is not
as efficient in conserving moisture,
does not tend to induce as vigor Ous
early development as does deep cult
vation, but it leaves the ground in
good condition at the end of the season,
and does not iDjure the plant by root
pruning as does deep cultivation.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

GIeason's Horse Book was first sold
exclusively by agents at g 90 per
copy. A new edition has been issued
which contains every word and every
illustration in the 81 90 edition, but
is printed on lighter paper and has a
heavy, tough paper binding. Every
man who owns a horse should have a
COPY. Send US 81 in new subscriptions
to The Progressive Farmer or IS IN re,
newaIs and we will send you a copy
free pre- paid. Don't fail to take adVan
tage OF this liberal Cffer at once.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

II am standGug nOtO Just behind the
wrtdi7s, and i1g fan gLOtC Of the cOn'tT'9
,gnset. Behind me are the shGGOtcS on
he track, before me lies the dGTH galley
Snd the riser. When I nIETlgte tctr'H StS
IGTk ,puters tCGst to cost one Etf1geT-
Iro look upon q country tChose govern
"snt & is OF the people, for the people,
nd bg the people, "-L. L. PoLS, july
Ith. 1890.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02
PRACTICAL FARM NOTES.

Written for The Progressive Farmer BY
the Editors and Hon. Guy &. Mitchell
Planting overgrown nursery stocK'
becsuse it can be secured cheaper than
Young stock, is e serious mistake. In
the first place the cost Of handling Is
much greater, and again, such trees
will never make the sturdy and vigor
GUS growth of the younger trees. 10
use them at any price is poor economy
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

An instructive remedial treatment
for wheat smut is now being carried
on by the Department Of Agriculture.
1t involve no new scientific discovery
or principle but the process is interest
ing. 1t was found that the various
Siberian and Russian grains recently
procured by Mr.. Carleton and which
are now being distributed for trial IL
various sections OF the country, were
all badly affected with smut. 1t be-
comes necessary, therefore. before dis
tributing it. to cleanse it OF this fungus,
which is being done by the hot water
process, as follows: The grain, in bags
holding about a bushel each, is fret
soaked for five hours and then allowed
to drain. Then bag is immersed in
a barrel Of water at temperature OF
10 to 12O degrees and held there for a
part of q minute, when it is removed
and plunged into another barrel OF
water at temperature of 132 to 133
degrees In this second barrel it is
kept for five minutes, being constantly
agitated. The water is kept at exactly
the right heat by the introduction of
steam through hose pipe connected
with steam pipes, running from a
boiler. The grain is then taken from
the bag and spread out two or three
inches deep on wire bottom trays, and
dried off rapidly. Toe grain, when it
finally comes from the water has al
most the consistency OF stiff dough
and to the uninformed would appear to
be ruined for planting purposes. AS a
matter OF fact, however, grain 90
treated is not only free fsom all smut,
but it terminates more readily and
surely than that which is untreated.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Has the Largest
CircuIat en- and is
the Oldest, Larg-
est, and only all
Rome-Print Farm
Paper in that Rich
arm n & and
Truckir G section
B. etw c n Rich-
mond, Va and
Savannah, Ga
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Bssfs of Advertising Rates: ten cents per agate
me Liberal discounts for time and space.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Money at our risk If sent by regist cred letter
,r money order. Please dO,,'t send stamps.
Be sure to give both old and new addresses In
ordering change of pOstOf1ce.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

Has the largest
circulation Of any
family Rgricultu-
raj or political
paper published
between RICH
mond and Atlanta
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

[CoNTINUED on PAGE 81
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02
PUBLISHED WEEKLY

The date on your label tells you when
expires. Receipts for mon
description win be given in change OF
fsbaI. ffnot properly changed in two
-0tffY us.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-05-02

TIE PROGREssTyE FARMER Is the Otncla1
Organ Of the North Carolina Farmers state
AlIIAnce.
The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-02-24
DUE

Ask your family physician about tho
water. and II he is honest he will en-
dorse Its use.
All who have drank the water speak
In the highest of terms for 1t.
This climate demands the use Of
such water and you cannot afford to
be without II.
The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-02-24
nnifIsn OPINION

Lsdl.nF london Paper Aptahs "
Americans .n fhs Philippine
NEW YORK Fsb 20 A san cabl,
tom London says Tho Spectator viii
say tomorrow The Philippines are
American property We question u the
work IT reducing them 10 order viii
De- very long. Il will never occur 80
any American 90 interfere with their
nsligiOn. whether u b. Catholic or
pagan or . mixture Of both.
why should the Tagal peasant. who
vill probably be freer from Official OPP
preston than any man In the world
except the Hindoostanee peasant, risk
his life. his house and his means Of
subsistence to enter into a contest with
rulers whom he sees from the exper-
ience Of Sunday that he l. hopelessly
unable TO defeat
"The Americans undfrrate their own
capacity for producing men whom they
can trust 10 govern well. Why, the
whole Continent OF Europe is already
declaring that the reserve force OF the
Union Is too great for the future Sc
curity Of the remainder OF the world"