The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-09
The Southern Planter J

we've months ago we were IDIc tt
congratulate our readers on the much
better prospects With which the year
opened than we had been able TO do for
many Years. This year we are 10 say
that the nation never entered upon Il
year with such wonderful prospects be
fore it, Every branch Of industry is rs
busy as possible The man who is idle
now is idle because he does not want
to work Labor is in demand every
where n rates of wages in excess Of
those previously paid, and the demand
for manufactured goods Of all kinds IS
greater than ever before experienced.
New plants are being erected all over
the county, and rs fast as completed
are put TO work. and Yet the demand
is for more. In all this prosperity the
farmer must participate. Busy work
men with good wages are good customers
for all the products of the farm and
with the increased demand comes better
prices. Beef. mutton, hog, and dairy
products have already seen a large ad-
vance in price. and the end is not yet.
Our stocks Of animals have been re
duced during the long period Of depres-
sion that the demands Of a population
OF eighty millions of busy people cannot
be met. except at largely increased
prices. until our herds and fiocks are
largely increased. This increase is a
work which cannot be accomplished IN
few months. or even in a few years,
with constant and rapid increase IN our
population and its coincident increased
consuming power. The indications,
therefore, are for at least 4 maintenance
Of existing values, and possibly. yea,
probably, Of better prices. Like con-
I,o Sto nj
crops though here the possibilities of
greater production are so easy that sup
ply will sooner overtake consumption.
Foreign demand is, however now so
much greater rhan ever before that it
may fairly be expected that even increas-
ed production will not cause fall IN
prices. The South is now awakening Z
to n sense OF its possibilities ad be-
coming more than ever 4 manufacture
inc section. The Southern farmer also
IS awakening to Il sense Of his oppor-
tunstirS. He is every day becoming
more ap roducer Of divcrsitied d crops, and
a manufacturer of those crops into fin
ished products. These are cheering
signs Of better times in future. The
day when grain could be produced and
sold at Il living profit in the South and
East has gone by 1t must now be
made INFO beef. mutton, pork, milk or
butter. in order to be sold TO advantage,
and this business can be done III the
South with greater profit than IN any
other section. from our long mild sea
sons possibilities Of crop production, ana
nearness to markets. and to dense pOpu-
lations of busy workers. Even the cot
ton crop is shrtly destined to be manu-
factured where growth, greatly to the
advantage Of the planters. Tobacco, the
other staple of the South, Is already
largely manufactured here, and facto-
rcS are SprlnGlng up on every SIDE. In
times Of prosperity this luxury IS Al
ways in increased demand. and I:ces
are now good for all good tobacco Lie
complaint frequently heard ,hat so-caltd
monopoly is killing the m lrket for To-
bacco has little foundation in sact. i'ood
we'll grown, well-cured tobacco Of The
type called for on the markets is today
selling for higher prices than cvet be-
fore. The difficulty is that 50 much Of
the tobacco brought on the market Is
neither. we'll grown nor cured into the
type the market calls fcr. Tobacco
growers and curers must learn 10 avail
themselves Of the teaching Of scierCc
and thus be able to make with certainty
what the market calls fer. There Will
then be no cause for fear. hu. that 4
good and paving price AN he secured.
The tobacco crop is OGn most eXactinS
in its requirements of technical hnoWl-
edge to be produced Suece sS.ui and
prGtitably, and the sooner growers reai-
ize this and act upon L The sooner Will
they cease to have cause Of complaint.
The fault IS more With themselves than
the market.
We propose to continue our work Of
helping the farmc" % meet fnt SO re-
uuircmentS Of lhn times ny l'ln@lnG
before him poln'.lly each month the
work which ,p-;- Ii n Ia have his al
tcrtion In The pas we have been 'c.
reatedly assured hat Inc article, " ~ X
for the Month";" in each issue. was alone
worth more than the yearly cost of the
journal Farmers are 50 apt to prOcras-
innate and put off from day to day the
work that ought 10 he engaging their
attention that a reminder of that work
is 4 most necessary part OF the duty OF
an agricultural editor. We have always
striyen to 50 time our remarks on this
subject as 10 make them cover the
whole field Of the journals circulation
In the later sections of our field our ad-
vice may sometimes appear premature,
y
the advantage Of calling attention TO
the subject in time. and once attention
is called to it the good farmer need only
exercise his discretion rs to the time
when he will commence the work. Whist
there is always q right time and sea
son 10 do all work on the farm. there
are IA few crops that are injured by the
land being prepared too soon to receive
them. 1t may necessitate extra work
ing of the land where this is done but
the fault of Southern farmers is almost
universally that they do not prepare their
land sufficiently or carefully enough.
The work that can be done on the
farm this month outside of giving that
attention to the live stock which they
will require in order to keep them con-
stanty improving in condition, and using