davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Mr.. Jared Smith, the Assistant Agro-
stologist of the Department of Agricul
ture has received some very fine speci
mems Of the MetcRlt bean from the
South west. Mr.. Smith regards this
iegume as a highly promising forage
plant for dry or semi arid regions
This bean is a perennial and develops
enormous feshy roots, weighing many
pounds, thus providing reservoirs in
which water and food may be stored
from rainy season to rainy season. The
top Of the feshy root is usually six or
eight inches below the surface, so that
the ground may be plowed shallow or
cultivated without destroying the bud.
The specimens obtained show a rank
growth Of large green leaves and many
partially matured beans. The entire
crop, from where these specimens were
obtained was cut down by hail storm
in midsummer, and these are second
growth; else the beans would have ma,
tured. Mr.. Smith says, 1.-The Metcalt
bean is one of the most promising,
think, of our native forage plants.
The amount of forage which itproduces
is naturally large, but it also shows a
tendency, as indicated by these vines
which I have here, to improve in quail
ity and quantity with cultivation.
The pods and seeds of this bean, under
ordinary circumstances, ripen freely
in cultivation"
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

II there is going to be any testing of
seeds by the farmer before planting, it
is time for him to make his selections
from the seed catalogues and send for
the seeds. Then he can test them in
the house, near the stove, with cloth
and water and note the percentage of
termination. If they do not germinate
well, he will have time to send for
more seeds. 1t may not be very salts
factory to have to buy seeds twice, but
it is some satisfaction when seeds are
planted to know that they are good
and that they will come up if condi
tions are favorable. 1t is a good deal
more work to prepare ground for
worthless seeds than it is to test the
seeds, and it is great deal cheaper to
pay higher price for good seed than
to pay small price and lose time and
labor
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

During the past two years the bureau
OF animal industry in the United States
Department of Agriculture has con.
Quoted a series of experiments in the
use of serum as remedy for hogs
affected by cholera or swine plague.
The results we're eminently satlsfac
tory, proving that the dreaded disease
can be successfully and inexpensively
treated. The losses suffered by the
farmers of the Unit5d States annually
from hog cholera aggregate an enor-
nous sum. In Iowa alone during 1896
it is estimated that the hog raisers lost
Sl5 600 0C0 through the ravages Of the
disease. SQmmar zirg the results of
the experiments, it is said that 80 per
cant of the hogs treated in droves have
been saved, while in the droVes affected
with cholera and not given the serum
treatment quite so per cent. were lost.
The animals treated comprised seven
teen droves, and of these six droves
lost only one hcg each.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

The Entomologist of the Department
of Agriculture, DR. L. O. Howard, has
had in charge an investigation of the
San Jose scale on dried American
fruits, to meet the claims of Germany
that the scale was being imported by
this means. Great numbers of samples
of fruits, both sun dried ar evapo
rated, have been microscopically ex-
amined, and Dr.. Howard says that in
not a single instance has live scale
been found, thus completely disprov
ing the German assertion. The iC ca
was advanced that the scale was more
likely to be found alive on sun dried
specimens than those artif1ciaIly dried
in evaporators, but DR.. Howard Gays
that if such thing can be conceived
the scales on these specimens we're the
deadest of all. This knocks one more
pin from under the German position.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Sir William Crookes' predictions,
made before the British Association for
the Advancement of Science, to the
effect that the world will soon have
reached the limit of its production of
breadstuffs and that before the next
forty years there will be a wheat
famine Of the world, have received
some rather hard knocks from other
eminent publicists who do not take the
gloomy view presented by Sir Will
liam, Messrs LaWes and Gilbert, emf
nent British egriculgurists, have teken
exceptions to his statements, and Mr..
Ed ward Atkinson, the noted American
publicist, completely demolisaes his
theories The production and price of
wheat have been subjects OF study by
Mr.. Atkinson for two or three decades;
but before taking up the main question
in an article in Popular Science Month
ly he calls attention to the magnificent
food supply that would exist in Indian
corn, if all the wheat in the world
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Oae fact that is sometimes lost sight
of by farmers is that it does not pay to
leave land in clover more than two
years. Ii, the second year, after the
crop is cut, the aftermath il allowed to
grow and is then plowed under, a
splendid coating of manure will be
given to the land. Manure plowed un-
der in this way is evenly spread. OF
course even if the second crop is cut
for seed, the stubble and the entire
root system remain to act as a nitro
genous fertilizer for the succeeding
crop. If the clover is left, however,
another year. there will be only clumps
here and there, the plants having full
filed their purpose and died,
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10
THE DAIRY.
THE FU TURE HERD.

Correspondence Of the Progressive Farmer.
While do not believe that what is
termed the general purpose COW can
successfully compete with the exclu-
sively dairy breeds yet it must be ad-
mitted that there are many good COWS
to be found among the beef breeds and
on almost every farm one can find one
or more COWS that are above the aver
age in dairy work. It is from these
COWS that the future dairy should come
on the average farm. OF course, where
dairying is TO be made speciality, one
should begin with some special dairy
breed, either by purchase or breeding
from dairy bulls and grading up. But
the average farmer who keeps from
two to half dozen COWS from which
to raise calves and make butter for
home use, selling the surplus, does not
want the dairy breeds, because they
are only profitable where one makes
dsirying a speciality.
But rather let farmers find out
which are their best COWS, then breed
them to a bull whose mother was one
of these best COWS as well as the grand.
mother if possible, and in short time
one can in this way get herd of COWS
better than the average without much
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

The science of agriculture needs to
be more carefully studied by the aver
age farmer. Not the science that deals
with long and unpronounceaOle words,
but the simpler understanding of the
nature of the soil, its chemical proper
ties and their relation to growing crops.
Just as the farmer is beginning to un-
derstand the use and value of clover in
adding nitrogen to the soil, there de-
velops a growing tendency on the part
of many to over do growing this crop.
1t is clover, clover year after year until
the gains made in one direction are
lost in another. Glover adds fertility,
but constant growing of it in time ex-
hausts the other chemicals in the soil
which are necessary 30 the growth of
all crops including the clover, and the
soil is suddenly as bad or worse eff
than before any clover was grown
Exchange.
The above is doubtless true, but we
do not think that many North Caro-
lima farmers need to be warned of the
danger of too much clover.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10
RALEIGH, N. c.. JANUARY 10, 1899.

were wiped out of existence. The Bos
ton economist is so much more familiar
with the resources of this country than
Sir William Crookes that he ls better
able to discuss the problems Of Ameri
can production than the EnglEshman,
who assumes that the United States
had practically reached her limit. Mr..
Atkinson states that tWo-thirds OF the
land in the United States, not includ-
ing Alaska, is susceptible Of cultiva
tion; but that on one tenth enough
wheat could be grown to supply the
entire demand of the world without
growing a kernel Of it elsewhere. Al.
ready America produces between go,
0eO,OOO and 700, 600, 600 bushels (trom a
quarter to third of the total cousump
tiop) on fraction over two per cent.
of its soil, or about II. 900 square miles.
He presents figures to show that Min
nesota and the two Dakotaa, which
have produced this year 100, 600, 600
bushels of wheat on one eighth of their
arabic land, are capable of raising more
than double the entire present United
States product, Sir William Crookes
saw the only remedy for the supposed
famine, in discovering some method of
obtaining nitrogen from the air by cleo
tricity, for fertilizing purposes, but
Mr.. Atkinson calls attention to his
strange oversight of the fact that other
plants than clover have a renovating
effect on the soil. The COW pea, SOFA
bean, alfalfa, Metcalt bean end many
other types of legumes perform this
work admirably and at low cost.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Senator Mason, of Illinois, intro
duced, in the Senate last week, a reso-
tion directing the Committee on Agri
culture to inquire into certain legisla.
ton now pending before the German
reichstag, calculated to prohibit into
Germany American sausage and other
meat products, and directing the com
mittee, should the German bill become
law, to prepare a retsliatory measure.
This matter is practically covered by
the provisionr of the agricultural ap
preparation bill, as it passed the House
and is now before the Senate.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

The hen house furnishes very rich
manure for the garden; but it is a
rather one-sided manure, rich in nitro
gen 80 that applications of potash and
phosphate will be needed. Wood ashes
will supply the potash, but they should
never be mixed with the hen manure
before they are applied. Kainit will
supply al d can be mixed with manure,
tending to conserve the ammonia.
Lime is a fine thing to have about the
hen house, but it should not be mixed
with the manure.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

No young man who intends to be a
farmer, but wishes to get out of the
old ruts Of farming-in short, no young
man who intends TO be a successful
farmer not merely a slave Of a crop
grower, can make a bstter use Of the
winter months than by taking the
snort course in agriculture at the s &
ID. COLLEGE for winter term ending
March II h 1899 We hope that every
young man Of the class we have just
described will write to Prof. A. O.
Holladay, Raleigh, N. c., for further
information as to this matter, stating
that he is advised to do so by The FRO
GREssIvE FARMER,
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

A recent consular report shows the
enormous proportions to which the
been sugar industry has attained IN
Europe. The total acreage under cul-
tivation during the past season was
8 558, ,322 acres; the total quantity of
beets produced was 33 $50. 900 tons,
with an estimated yield Of 4 385 600
tons of sugar. The average production
per acre Of beets was AZ, ,795 pounds, or
nearly "a tons and the average per.
eentage of sugar yielded was 13 O6 per
cent
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

The Light Brahma is an excellent
fowl to breed, where one is wanted
which will not forage all over the
place, scratch everything inside out
and manufacture holes in fences. 1t
flies but very little, and low fence
will keep it within definite bounds. In
feeding the large Asietic strains, par
ticular care must be given to cast their
feed among plenty Of litter in order to
make them exercise in finding it. In
confinement of any kind, their ten
dency is to be too sluggish.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10
No AS
whose address is Sylvia, Jackson county.
N. 9. Very truly,


A. j. LONG, Sr.
The apples sent were very fae Bluffs.
IN fact the best Bluffs we have ever
eaten. But we must still adhere to our
opinion that the Buff cannot be classed
as first-class apple in quality. Ithas
too much OF the corky, Ben Davis ma.
ture and lacks criepness and sprirhtIi.
ness Of flavor. It is a better apple.
however, than the popular Ben Davis.
and If it was knO WI in the market. it
would doubtless sell sell because of it's
SNOWY appearance. But in u1alitv il
is tar inferior to the Winesap. the York
Imperial or the Albemarle Pippin. all
OF which you can grow in your noun
tain country. The mountain section
Of North Carolina is the best apple
growing section in the country, and if
the business was attempted there in an
intelligent manner and the orchards
cared for and the fruit packed properly.
there ls a mine Of wealth in apple
growing IN that part Of the State. But
as rule the mountain country pro.
duced fine apples in spite of the most
absolute neglect, and not by reason of
CAREFUL culture, for in aII my travels
through that region inspecting orch.
ards and nurseries found hardly an
orchard that is being properly cared
for. Then, too, when the fruit is gath
cred the common practice is to shake
the apples to the ground and gather
them into springless wagon and haul
over the rough roads to the nearest
town, where the dealers dump them,
good, bad and Indifferent into a round
Slated crate where they cannot be
tightly packed, and by the time they
reach Raleigh or other towns Of the
State they are in such condition that
they bring little money. Thep, too,
the mountain people thi0k that an old
red Lin bertwig is good enough to ship.
and people in the eastern towns prefer
to buy fine and well packed apples
from the North at big price rather
than give anything for the scabby ap-
pies sent In such poor order from our
own mountains. The only way to get
apples to market properly is to gather
the crop by hand and put them in
close barrels and pack 80 tightly that
no apple can move in handling. Then
If they are culled and only the finest
shipped, and these of the varieties that
people want, the price will always be
satisfactory. But there is no money
in sending alot of bruised and unculled
red Limbertwigs to sell. Growers must
plant well known and popular sorts
and then keep their orchards in good
condition and pack and ship as the
Northern growers do if they want to
make money out of apples. By neg
lecting these things and trying to get
people to buy apples of kinds they do
not care for, there will be no money in
apples, and the mountain country will
fail to reap the golden harvest that is
ready for the man who goes into apple
culture in an intelligent manner.
w. F. MASSEY.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Many successful poultry raisers feed
large amouats of clover hay during
the winter, when succulent food is
scant. The usual preparatisn is to cut
very fine and at night sprinkle well
with boiling water. By morning it
will be soft and ready for feeding, and
will be highly relished by fowls. 1t is
a highly nitrogenous food and can be
fed with advantage every other day.
Some poultrymen mix corn meal with
it; this practice gives complete food,
the corn furnishing the carbohy drates
or fat producing elements of the food.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10
AGRICULTURE.
POTASH.
Mr. Meacham Thinks It's Value is Over
estimated,

Mr. Meacham Thinks It's Value is Over
estimated.
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
1 have been cultivating the same
farm, located three miles south of the
city of Raleigh, for the last twenty-five
years I first used muriate of potash
said to contain so per cent. actual pot
ash, in 1875, in combination with cot
ton seed, bone ash and woods mould,
mixing it with water so as to have it
thoroughly mixed. The potash salt
Was used very literally, the result gave
me raoson to doubt the high estimate
placed % Vne potash. used in 1877
pretty much the same compost except
the potash, only using acid phosphate
instead. The results were very salts
factory. I then tried the potash in
various combinations, and on some
plots used it alone as compared with
no fertilizer; and have never been able
to trace the potash by any improved
results. I used ashes under ground,
with no appreciable good results; but
when applied as a top dressing the
ashes did much good for cotton, corn,
and potatoes. Every work on egricul
tural chemistry I have read (and /
have read many, all speak highly Of
the value of potash; but they all say
that potash is one of the most abund,
ant alkalies in our soil; enough within
g depth of 10 inches of surface soil to
last the world a thousand years, if the
soil is stirred so as to expose it to at
mospheric intlut nee. In advancing
this idea, expect to meet the reply:
Yes, but this soil potash is locked up
in combination with other earths."
answer unhesitatingly yes; but
also ask: Is not potash in the form of
saltpetre or muriate or phosphate also
locked up in combination3 And potash
having a strong affinity for acids, is it
not just as likely to combine when
placed in the soil with the acids, as
any other alkaline earth9 If free phos.
pnoric acid be applied to the soil in
which lime is present, does it not in
stantly combine with the lime and
form phosphate of lime9 Certainly. I
seldom take up an agricultural paper,
but that contains an article written by
some potash advocate, with so much
stress as to make a stranger believe
that the Southern lands contained no
potash; when the truth is, we have in
our native forest trees larger proper
tion of potash trees than any others. I
have experimental with potash salts
90 much during the last fifteen years,
and with so little good results from it
compared with plots having no potash
applied, that have about reached the
conclusion that those chemists who
teach us that cur soil contains in a
depth Of 10 inches potash enough to
last q thousand years, are about cor
rect. NV best success has at all times
followed the use of ezotiz3d matter,
such az eulphate of ammonia, nitrate
of soda, and fish scrap or cotton seed
meal. have never found any prec
tice more economical in building up
wornout land than the use Of the pea
COW pea of any Variety turned under
just after having heavy dose Of acid
phosphate soWed on the leaves and
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10
PRACTICAL FARM NOTES.

Written for The Progressive Farmer by
the Editors and Hon Guy E. Mitchell.
There is a decided tendency In the
West to improve beef cattle by the in
PRODUCTION of new and better blood,
and during the past season there has
been an INSULT eiency of good bulls to
supply the demand.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Reciprocity seems to be making
some progress. The fourth clause of
the reciprocity section of the Dingley
act allows the State Department consid
cradle latitude in making concessions
of reduced duties on articles of i'm
port, where an equal advantage is to
be gained by the United States. Last
summer the French Government
sought to enlarge its recipr ocity ar.
rangements with this country, but the
agreement as then entered into had
very limited scope. Negotiations are
now in progress to extend the system
and n. Cambon, the French Ambas
sador is expected to re e5urn to Wash
ington early in January in connection
with these negotiations. Even Ger
many, it is stated, may seek to enter
into s7me arrangements for mutual
concessions in tariff charges. Germany
desired a reduction in the duties on
sugar, wines and textiles and German
dispatches state that her Ambassador
here has been instructed to work on
these lines. There have been some ex-
changes on the subject of reciprocity
arrangements, but they can hardly be
said to have reached the dignity of ne
gotiations. The German Ambassador,
however, has recently been in consul
tation at Berlin, and it is possible that
he is now better prepared to enter into
formal negotiations.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

"Iapa standing TsOtU Just 6e'st'sd Ei'e
.,srtni,,. and 81, fin gEO1g Of the corlsfsg
sSInSst. Behind me are the sl1adotoS o., m
~ LTD; fTGcE, before ne lies the doris ggI.ey
1.,d The Tfyer. When I nIjngLe iGEth Sts
Io~k ,gnters I tUdTst to cast one LfIageT-
no look upon country 'Chose goUeT7'-
ssTat Is OF the people, for the people,
nd bv the people, "-L. L. POtH, J'ttg
Sfh 1880
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Has the Largest |
Circulation and 10
the Oldest, LArg
est, and only all
Home-Print Farm
Paper in that Rich
arm ng and
Truckir z section
B etw G G n Rich"
mond, Va, and
Savannah, Ga
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

Has the largest
circulation Of anV
family aRricultu-
raj or political
paper published
between Rich.
mond and Atlanta
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-01-10

[ooNTINUED ON PAGE 81
Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-06-24
GOLD BUG PRETEXTS
FOR HARD TIMES.

These are the days when the republican
managers and their gold democratic allies
get together over their sparkling wines and
fragrant cigars and perfect their plans for
downing the middle class and reducing them
to the ranks of the proletariat, and at the
same time forcing the latter peg lower, and
at the same time causing those suffering from
their Vaccinations to believe that some
''other Teller" is the man that ''struck Billy
Patterson
For instance they gave the country first
class 24-carat fine panic in '93; said iniadvance
that they would give the silverites of the
south and west needed lesson, and then
eooly turning around accused the free silver
ties of being the cause of the peoples dis
tress through the fear OF the triumph of free
silver causing Floss of confidence" and such
chestnuts.
Now should the same gang discover that
the present second rate boom could not be
maintained until after the campaign of 1900,
or that it would be more favorable to their
interests to spring the trap and bag the game
sooner the play will be to loose confidence"
on account of the public ownership agitation
circulation of the medium of exchange. put
out scare head newspaper articles, bring on,
by divers methods, by ''ways that are dark.
and tricks that are vain" a financial cata-
clysm or general business depression, and
then having the best chance at the public
ear through the press pulpit, etc, endeavor
to throw the whole burden of odium for the
prevailing conditions upon the public owner
ship advocates just they as did the 93 panic
upon the silverites, and afterwards upon the
tariff reformers and their Wilson bill ignur-
ing the fact that the passage OF the latter
measure in August, 1914, could hardly have
been the cause of panic during the spring
of 1873.
Did the goldbug descendants OF the ancient
Scribes and Pharsees manifest any shrewd-
ness, any intelligence in the pretext and ex-
cuses which form such large part of their
stock in trade, it would not be wonderful
that the people are deceived, but their con
tradictions and Inconsistencies are so numer-
Gus and glaring, so ridiculous and almost idi-
otto that one can only stand amazed at the
blindness OF people who are otherwise intel
ligent;
Fate has probably deereed that the repub-
lican party shall be the principal instrument
in the destruction of the American republic,
but whether a grander system shall be inn
mediately established upon its ruins or Pc
riod of chaos, confusion and partial return to
barbarism intervene is a debatable problem.
At any rate look out for a goldbug cry
that the fear of possible triumph Of public
ownership ideas Is the cause OF our financial
and Industrial woes 10 the not very distanl
future. @. E. PELTos.