The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-09-04
Vol. XIII. No. 47.

ports CT manufactured toEtuDe to all
parts Of the world ves S. s>a Gel
\ wholesale dealer ii manufactured
cottons in TIE esty = Glasgow. Scotland
Is nos .n the Ua.trd states making pur.
chasss ol toe4~ 10 take to that ctts
When " fad tho United states loantus
moneys 10 several foreign countries asd
certain lines 6: manufactured cotton
goods being honsh, in the United states
by dealers IN Scotland !t indicates very
emphat:caNy the position nuW occupied
by our country among he nations u the
earth.
Today / am Eorth Carolina rnau. ad-
yisine YOU 20 bring your farms 10 the
very highest condition of production so
that TO great an extent is possible.
you can feed your own peopl. Nuu uay
rest assured the great Northwest VII
ind markets fer all It's surplus | haNc
looked carefully into the agricultural pro-
ductons of North Carolina reported ~
your staiisticians in l>S9 <ortn Carolina
raised in 1893 81 s5& It's bushels ot corn
The Department of Agriculture Is COS
operating with scientists outside with
regard 70 the Improvement og corn. You
raised 2 tS5. .59S bushels of yhcat and the
Department OF Agriculture has now
agents in northern Russia seeking whrats
that are rust proof rich In gluten etc
while the Division OF Vegetable Physiulo-
gy and Pathology j. cross breeding
whcats in order to get new varieties
from which to select sometimes which
Will be beneficial to tho people or the
country l notice that you produce in
considerable quantities oats. rye buck
wheat hay. etc You can extend the pro-
duction Of All these things YOU can i'm
prove the quality and yield of all these
things. II YOU produced 1sa.7S9 bales Of
hay in 1909. you en- grow rrass"s from
which hay is made, indicating that you
can extend the production 81 domestic
animals IS far as you see ft You pro-
duced GS ca 170 pounds OF tobacco Jan
1896 che year Of your latest rcportD.
The Department Of Agriculture has to
bacco under careful consideration We
are inquiring where the flavor comes
from and how that information may he
made profitable TO the pccpic or the
country. You produced G.0oe 600 bushels
OF sweet potatoes in lN@9. and have This
to say to you regarding tha. crop that
We are sending total shipments to va
riouS parts OF the world. to ascertain
whether the people in foreign countries
can be taught the value O! sweet pqta-
| toes, so that we can fad q market for
| sou over there. The total vaiue Of your
crops in 1892 was $53 020 22e
| find by inquiry into the production
| Of domestic animals that ,rorth Caro-
| lima must be we'll adapted to al OF
| thcm. January ]. 1900 the Department Of
| Agriculture estimates that YOU had 49,
| l64 horses 120.5l2 mules, oi32 238 dairy
| COWS. 274,S43 other cattle 235 2GD sheep.
| and 1869 1o3 hogs, with a total value of
| So. ,7C3774. Your capacity to produce
| domestic animals of course depends cn-
| tirely upon the condition Of your soil
| and the standard OF your agricultural
| management.
OF the reports received by your Labor
| Commissioner in 1888, g per cent say
| that the fertility OF The land Is well
! maintained, while % per cent report that
| it is not. Ny remarks today are for The
| beneft of the 30 per cent. ] find from
| the same source. your Labor Commits
| sioner, that the greatest industry in the
| eastern section Of your State is the saw
! ing and dressing II lumber which is
| only exceeded in tho entire state by
| the manufacture of cotton and tobacco.
| The time has come when the condition OF
| our forests requires careful inquiry The
| destruction is decidedly greater than the
| growth. The sections lying along the
| headwators OF vour streams are now lc-
ing considered bv the Department Of te-
| riculture, in conformity with authority
| from Congress. in order that those va
| ters, TO which YOU look for power in turn
! ing your mills. may not be dried mp
through the utter destruction OF the
| woods where the streams rise.
| The Southern States have a much heav-
| Ter rainfall than the Northern States.
| For example, the average rainfall in your
| own state Of North Carolina is So inches
annually while in Iowa il is 20.1 inches.
Yet the Southern states suffer much
! more from drCuth than do tire States Il
| the Mississippi Valley. The cause Is
found in the conditions OF tho soil In the
two localities. In the newer portions OF
| our country, where there IS sufficient
rainfall TO grow crops. and where there
is q deep soil full Of humus much less
rainfall viii mature crops. The South
ern States have been under cultivation
for long time but humus Is becoming
| scarce in the soil. Humus is dccayed
| vegetation. When the soil is well-store,l
| with il. it IL able 10 retain r1oistur".
Continual cultivation cxidise8 or burr4
out the humus and leaves the soil IN
capable Of retaining moisture The heavy
rainfall Of the South gives you large
streams, much larger than are foG:d Ia
| portions Of the country where the rain
fall is less The plant food formed IN
your soil from humus that rnay exie'
there is washed out much more rapid '
into your streams than if the soil were
we'll stored with organic matter. II ths
waters of your great streams were
analyzed when they are flowing thicl
with soil. it would be found that tho
-lart food Is flowing away from IN,
land. Putting the soil in such condition
as 10 retain these things until the plan
can use them, is an absolute necessity
A drOufh whore rainfall is heavy II
followed bv different consequences from
a orOuth whore rainfall Is light In III.
latter condition the nitratcs and othe
plant food remain in the soil: in tn.
former they have been washed away
| Drcuth on IN exhausted soil where IN
hur1Us has been washed out. scorche
whiln i lasts, leaving the soil no bet
! ter from arrested growth hut drouth o.
soil full of humus arrests the erowt'
| for the tine being. while the plant foo
| remains ready for use. as soon as nois
. ture is supplied to liquefy the nitrate
D and minerals and prepare them for tn
, | use Of the plant.
: fContinued on Page Two)