The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-09-18
4 FINE WAKE FARM
Mrs.Tucker's Farm at Method
a Lovely Place.
he Success Which Has Followed The Industry
OF a Thrifty Negro Who Attenes to
Business Instead Of Politics.
editorial Correspondence

Method. y. c., Sept. 15.-Ihe PfellleSt
sight in the world is to lock upon the
craving croLs OF a large and well-tilled
farm. Yesterday morning in company
gitb NJ. j. ". Ayent, who is the superin-
tenGent of the farm belonging 10 Mrs.
r. s. Tucker, of Raleigh, situated al TINS
place, | drove over the 625 acres OF MRS
fuckers magnificent farm. 1t is a fine
body OF land and has the best frontage OF
any farm il North Carolina. In the early
summer l was passing through Methoo
and was more than ever struck by the
beauty Of Ills farm and its promising
CROPS. excelling anything ! had ever seen
in any part Of North Carolina. All the
old soldiers in North Carolina remember
it as Camp Mangunl." 1t was purchased
afterward by Major Tucker at dlHereEl
times until now it is a solid body CT 90
acres. living north of the S. A.. /" ana
\. G.. r.. r.. In spite of the drought and
rusts naat nave parcned crops every
where and cut short the yields, the crops
of this farm are wonderfully large When
the crop conditions are considered. 1here
is che body OF corn on TINS farm thal,
i, spite of the adverse conditions, is as
hourishing looking as if it had been visited
by good seasons. 1t is as beautiful q
IIclC, 1oiittti+iiAS - "AN'
! found on the prairies Of Kansas. 1t viii
| average forty bushels to the acre.
There are 80 acres in cotton On this
farm, and the drought has cut off the
| Weld about one-third. On the best part
Of the farm the yield Will be one and a
half bales TO the acre. # the season
| had been good the yield would have been
at least two bales to the acre. Mr.. AVelit
is a great believer in peas. In one BODY
there is 100 acres in peas, and for tbs
| season they are as fine as can be found
anywhere. peas" says Mr.. Avent, will
bring 100 per cent if you don't save a
pea" He mOws the vine and then
ploughs under. lie Will make two tons
Of good hay the crop over. On this farm
| there are also - acres OF corn land sowed
down in peas. His moto is, ito put peas
everywhere you can, it drives the nitro
gen from the air depositing it on the
ground and enriches the land
Besides the pea vine hay there are 100
acres in native hay, clover and grass,
Which was moved twice and this is the
third crop. \ more beautiful sight for
! grazing I have never seen. Mr.. Avcnt
expects to have two hundred tons OF hay
which will bring Sc, 900, for sale, be-
j sides leaving plenty of native hay to run
the farm this year. On 43 acres seven
hundred bushels of wheat were grown,a and
we're made on the poorest land on the
farm, ard were planted there TO hold the
land until ii was terraced. Speaking Of
terracing the land, tie system of ter
racing on this farm is most admirable.
This work has been going on for years
and now that most Of this beautiful land
is terraced it prevents washing and in
jury to the crops. The farmer who is
troubled with his land washing would
DO we'll to come here and study the sys-
tenn of terracing which has added much
to this beautiful farm.
Mr.. Avent is one Of the best farmers
in the State as we'll as ore of its best
citizens. He keeps all his farming imple-
ments in fine shape and is a strong be-
| lever in compost. He believes that the
| secret Of farming is to keep the land i'm
rroved, and to keep it from washing to
put peas everywhere possible.
A morning spent on & farm like Mrs.
fuckers is enough TO make q town man
hungry 10 live in the country, and to en-
JOY the delights CT country life. The de-
licioUs milk ard butter and fine fruit and
IGre water from q deep, clear we'll all
conduce to health and happiness. In
the successful management Of Mr.. Avcnt
it IS & treat ITO see how Wake county
land can be developed and made produce
| tive.
We hear a great deal nowadays
about the negro question and what the
| negro ought to do and how to do to get
along. This brings to mind the career
Of Berry O'Kelly, a thrifty, Intelligent
and respected colored man of this place.
In 1879 he bought q piece Of land on the
south sidc Of the railroads and opened
1 n 4ap n + - ~~I H. Ir
business here ever since. It is the only
! store at the place. Several negro CON
tractors who do business in Raleigh. sew
eral negro preachers and other thrifty
negroes live in what is known as the
OKeliy settlement. It is the best negro
| community in the county, the ruling
spirits being Berry O'Kelly, and his
| cousin, Nelson O'Kelly, who so conduct
themselves as to win the confidence Of
ail the white PEOPLE who know them as Wei
| as to be helpful TO their own race. AS
z merchant Perry O'Keliy has been very
successful. He began here in 70 with lit
tie or no capital. He now OWNS Sc acres
Of fine land right around his store, and
owns four other tracts Of land, one con-
tanning 1876 acres, another 325 acres. an
other u acres and the other 20 acres. He
also owns a good deal of town --)erty
in the city Of Raleigh. This is a flag
station and he attends to the business
of the Southern Railroad, is postmaster
and might be called the father Of this
! large negro settlement. Just across the
railroad from Major fuckers farm a large
and iourishinS school is built, the negro
church was burnt down and religious
| services are now held in this school.
While many other negroes in Wake coun-
ty have spent all their money and lost
all their opportunities by dabbling in
I%olitics in order to put unfit white and
| cOlOred men into office, Berry
and Nelson O'Kelly have attend
ed strictly to business and have
eschewed politics. They usually vote
the Republican ticket but rarely without
scratching and cutting off it's worst
candidates. Their success here has been
marked and is an object lesson for the
colored race everywhere.
j. d.