The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-12-11
THIS E P

Our first page contains the usual
number of letters from experienced
farmers. The question of ditching
and drainage is one of the greatest
with which the farmer comes in con
tact and much more ought to be said
and written on it than is now done.
Mr.. Barbrey's letter on ditching is
intensely practical and common
sense.
A series of articles that is attract
ing much attention among thinking
farmers is that now running in The
Progressive Farmer contributed by
one of the largest corn growers in
the great corn State of Illinois, Mr..
j. G. Suffern. And one of the best
of the. series is that published in this
issue. Think about it.
Secretary Bruner, of the North
Carolina Department of Agriculture,
calls attention to Commissioner Pat
terson's plan for curing hams. The
good price secured for hams treated
in this way speaks volumes for Mr.
P~attersOn's method, and we are glad
to lay it before our readers.
The Interstate Cotton Growers,
Association made no mistake in elect
ing Mr.. Jno. P. Allison, of Concord,
this State, Secretary. We r sure
that u readers will be interested in
his report Of the Macon meeting.
There are other articles on our
agricultural pages that deserve men
ton, among them those contributed
by Messrs. Johnson and Moore.
Young men not yet married will
find much good advice in Frank Pix
ley's poem on page 4, while those
already married will find some good
suggestions in the article immedi-
ately following it.
And now while everybody is dis
cussing the reformavory, the better
ment of the public schools, and the
factory problem, the thoughtful let
tiers on page 6 are very timely.
THE schools cannot do their best
work when the home atmosphere is
wrong''-a fact that is d great deal
bigger and more stubborn than u
educators seem to realize-is the key
note of D. LIS letter. A newspaper
of the right kind in the home will
usually increase the efficiency Of the
schools % per cent. Not every news
paper will have this effect, but a
clean, enterprising family paper, not
devoted exclusively to politics or
sensational news, but giving proper
attention instead to matter for the
home circle or a children's corner,
will invariably prove a great stimu-
lus to educational effort. Few Of
the brightest pupils in any school
come from homes where there is no
paper of this kind. The school ques-
ton also interests Harry Farmer,
and his suggestive letter on page 1
is worth study.
The Presidents message in q con-
densed form is published on page Z.
Mr.. Mckinley seldom makes an effort
to control his party, is it's servant
rather than its dictator. Hence there
are nOt-as there would be were Mr..
Bryan, Mr.. Roosevelt, or Mr.. Cleve-
land President-any suggestions Of Il
surprising nature or calculated to
raise objection from party friends in
the annual message. As the Outlook
says: 1.-The President apparently
does not consider himself the leader
of his party, nor regard it as his
function to outline for it a policy, as
is the function OF the Prime Min
lister in England. His message is
largely historical, and in so far as it
looks toward the future it's recon-
mendations are rather interpreta-
tive of policies already approved by
4he party than suggestions of d policy
fer the party to adopt and pursue in
tue future"
CONGRESS IN SESSION.
Thn short session of COurraSS no.