The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-02
RALEIGH N. C., TUESDAY, JANUARY 2 1900
NOTES OF THE FARM.

By w. F. MASSEY, of A. & M. College

the cut vines and clean them out, there
IS fortune III it Tor some one. and
we hope the machine is adj that they
think it is, and that It will soon be put
on the market and advertised regularly.
But with many Of our farmers the
getting of Il machine Tor any purpose
is often Il sad waste Of money, because
the machine is not taken care Of Go
anywhere through the country and You
can see machines that have cost Il great
deal of money left out in the weather.
and if not fully exposed they are put
away after the season of use is over
with adj the old dirt and hardening oil
cinglng To them, and in all probability
the chickens roosting ON the mower or
reaper and adding piles OF filth to them,
and when they are wanted for use the
machine requires Il great deal OF clean
ing and fixing before it can be used. \
little paint occasionally on the wood
work Of aH farm tools and machines, 4
coat Of oil and yalnish OH the metal part
of the plOWS and harroWs will save them
for Il far longer term of usefulness than
if neglected and allowed to rot and rust
| saw Il lot of ploWS and cultiyatOrs
lately put away in 4 barn by 4 man
Who should have known better with
great masses Of dirt cin"ing to them
Just a> they came from the field, and
the rust eating into them, and not a
ploW had It's wood painted since it was
bought. The amount Of money thus
wasted by American farmers. if sum
med up i'll one grand total would seem
to them incredible. but on almost every
farm there is more or less Of this waste
Now that the leisure season is at hand
Why not 90 to work. all Of you
who read this and see that every
tool and nlachinc on your place is not
only properly housed from the weather
but that all wood work gets coat OF
paint, and all iron work is cleaned and
oiled, and that all repairs needed to
them are made 50 that " hen YOU want
50 so actively at work in the preparation
for next years crop the tools are al
ready and clean for. the work. a stitch
IL tine saves nine"
Then resolve that yGu VIII start the
Improvement YOU Will .6 g .G. s. 6
Improvement Of your land in Il perman-
ent manner. Mr.. II. T.. Wood OF llu-
wanna county, ir@inia, tells III the Decem-
ber number OF the Southern Planter how
he made this yecar 1S1 bushels OF corn
per acre on land that a few years ago
was abandoned and allowed to grow up
in bushes. Mir. Wood says that he is
sure that | am right in the method |
sometime ago advised III saving seed
ccrn and breeding up L prolific variety.
His corn was planted in three foot rows
and six inches apart in the row. Here
cur farmers says we must plant six feet
apart and a single stalk II 4 place for
ccmI needs mor air in the South The
fact is that by a bad system OF selecting
seed corn they have got the corn long
legged and singled cared. and :, habit Of
tall growing that does need more room
Mr.. Woods corn had from >iv to eight
earns cn 4 stalk. the result of breed in
North Carolina is reported by the last
census as ayera gIng eight bushels Of corn
per acre, and we have seen many Il field
that would not make that much. OF
course there is no money in corn at that
rate and it is perfectly natural for The
cottoM grower who makes that kind of 4
corn crop to look upon 1t as 4 sort OF
necessary expense and as ''supplies" only
When upland that was as poor Il few
years ago rs our college land was can he
brought by good farming to make IS
bushels of corn per acre. Us ii did this
year. cannot corn on nearly all the land
in North Carolina be made TO produce
com crops that would make the crop one
Of the money supports of the farm rather
than merely supplies for the mules that
make the cotton and tobacco: When Il
hill top that was nctiiojlSly the poorest
land around Raleigh cam be brought to
make IS bushels Of ronc
make IS bushels OF corn per acre and to
pay fer the Improvement that caused 1t.
are there not MANY thousands Of acres
Of the level alluvial bottoms that now
make but q moderate crop, he made to
produce over 1G0 bushels! We have
travelled up the railroad above Winston
and note the fine bottom lands along the
Iadkin and hapy.. Il. Is Is. g. .6. g
adl>in and have nCfpd also that these
fine lands We're not carrying anywhere
near the crop they would carry if better
cultivated and NOT cultivated all the time
in corn and nothing else. 1t is one crop
farming. that has wrought I'll the ruin to
our Southern lands