davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16

right away, the same land or some
other suitable place for the second
crop to be planted about the first of
August. Cultivate this late crop
with special reference to saving all
the moisture possible, as dry weather
Is the only serious drawback in max
ing this crop. Just before cold
weather sets in dig and bank up in
hills right out in the field where
grown. Then dig trench around
the hill, so as to keep surface water
from the potatoes and they will keep
plump and nice until late spring.
We must have an orchard of care
fully selected fruit trees. The varie-
ties set out, the preparation of the
land, the after care and cultivation,
are all important factors in having d
thrifty, paying orchard. If these re-
quirements are not fully met, we
need not look to the orchard for
either pleasure or profit.
We must also have Il good COW or
two and few pigs they will demand
our loving care every day in the
year. The very best of COWS and
the finest pigs O0tainable, if turned
out on the public or put into poor
pastures to make living for them
selves will surely fail to bring in any
profit to the owner.
There is not one farmer in a thou
sand, big or little, who makes and
saves feed enough to do full justice
by all of his stock. The more iced,
the more stock the more stock, the
more manure; the more manure,
the better the crops; and as the
circle widens and grows, the man
himself looks better and eve ything
about him takes on u brighter and
more thrifty appearance. Of course,
we do not expect to get vastly rich
all of sudden, by such small far m
work, but we do contend that the
great ma jority of the small farmers
In North Carolina Can, by proper
management, grow comfortably fat
and independent.
There are many other things that
must be done along with the tore
going; these will be considered IN
some future articles.
j. EDOM SMITH.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
Raleigh, N. c., April Is, 1901.
A NEW AGRICULTURAL YEARBOOK.

The Agricultural Department of
the University of Tennessee has re-
Gently issued a second agricultural
yearbook devoted entirely to sub
jectS of interest to the farmer and
fruit grower. About year ago an
agricultural handbook appeared in
the Record series and it's success
warranted the University in devot-
ing one issue year to agriculture.
The present yearbook is a copious-
ly illustrated pamphlet of eighty
three pages and the pictures are we'll
chosen and helOful to the reader
In the initial article President Dab
ney discusses education as related to
production from the standpoint of
the political economist. This is fol-
lowed by an article on ''The Progress
of Agricultural Education" by Prof.
SOule, in which is embraced a str ing
plea for the teaching of agriculture
in the public schools. Other matter
u0dEIuS Oh 0uuCdGlOn Te1dG0S bO 6u0
short course in agriculture now in
progress at the University. Prof
S0ule contributes interesting articles
on Horse Breeding, The Sanitary
Production of Milk, Computation of
Rations, Management of Ensilage
Crops on the University Farm, The
New Dairy Hall, and the Permanent
Agricultural Exhibit, a perusal of
which cannot but be beneficial and
useful to the farmer. Prof. MOoers
discusses fertilizers for Tennessee,
and Prof. Keffer writes on pruning
the grape and peach and on under
planting in orchards.
After careful examination of the
volume it would seem that no South
ern farmer should be without this
useful addition to his fund of agri
cultural knowledge, and especially
so in view of the fact that the year
book can be obtained free of cost on
application to Prof. Andrew NJ.
Soule, Department of Agriculture,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
GOOD PRICES FOR BERRIES.

The last issue of the Mt. Olive Adj
vertiser, published in the heart of
the berry region, contains these
timely points for growers:
present conditions assure very
good, if not fancy prices, for North
Carolina berries, and it behooves our
growers to be on the alert when dis
posing of their fruit in order to re-
Ceive its true worth.
We caution the shippers to be care
full about selling to buyers, lest they
accept the buyers Bait" and not
the market price. 1t is well known
fact that last year one buyer made
net profit of 81, 200 on four car loads
of berries. Does it take many such
arguments to convince growers that
they must exer Use care and judg-
ment? We know of local buyer
who did not invest one cent of his
own money, who made $500 in about
two weeks-can you imagine what
the man who put up the money
made?
1t is the buyers privilege to make
money out of the grower if he can do
so it is the duty of the grower TO
get every cent. possible out of his
crop, but when buyer makes a
clear profit of ona dollar per crate
out of the grower, it is evident that
the latter is having his leg pulled to
no small extent.-Mt. Olive IN. Co.
Advertiser.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16

All that the farmer raises has a
true market value. The best paying
market is often the home market
that il, full supplies for all the con-
sumers that are at home. This is
the first market that should be we'll
supplied. Buying and selling should
he carefully considered. In poor
farming country no grain should be
sold for money, but all should be
disposed of in the form of flesh of
some kind and then let the refuse go
back to the land.-R. r. Moore,
Guilford Co, n. G.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
No.. 9
STONE sILOs.

Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
Wherever possible, and that is
whenever stones are abundant,
would advise the construction of
stone in place of stave silos. The
reasons for this are numerous, but
the most Important is that of dura-
bility. A we'll built stone silo is
practically indestructible provided
one is willing to keepit in fair re-
pair each year. The wooden silo
must begin to decay before great
many years in spite of all the labor
put on it to preserve the wood, and
just as soon as the decay begins
trouble follows. That is, air is let
in at different places and the ensilage
is spoilt in spots. OF course a good
plank stave silO we'll built and we'll
preserved will last a good many
years, and it will pay any one to
construct such building. IF stones
are plentiful, however, it will be
more economy to build the stone
silO, and make it circular in form to
prevent waste and make it more con-
venient to fill and empty.
One fourteen to sixteen feet in
diameter and twenty two to thirty
feet deep, running a few feet below
ground, will make good size. The
inside of the silo should be we'll
plastered so that no air can get
through the walls at any time This
inside plastering will have to be re-
newed more than anything else, and
wherever the cement between the
stones in the wall has 1OOsened any,
more will have to be put in. The
annual repairing should consist of
this, With little mortar ready be-
fOrehand it is an easy matter to go
around the silo every summer and
repair all weak places before the en-
silage is put in. Every part of the
wall should be kept tmpervious to
the air, and upon this will depend to
a 1dESO CAbCuO Ou0 SuCN OSS VI b41O
work. Another important point is
that the silO must be cleaned thor
oughly each year before the new
crop is put in. If the ensilage is
taken out and the inside walls are
not thoroughly cleaned, decay and
fermentation will begin at different
points. Corrupt matter will adhere
to the walls or lodge in little crevices,
and this will form the foundation
for extensive fermentation later.
The germs of decay placed in the
silo before it is filed cause the de-
struction of more ensilage than any
other thing. Many a farmer who
has failed with his silO could trace
the trouble back to this lack of
cleanliness. It is very much like
failing to clean out the dairy uten-
sils after each milking. If we fail to
do this trouble is bound to come.
With the walls perfectly air tight
and free from all taint of previous
! filling, the chances are all in favor
of preserving successfully the years
crop of ensilage. G. T. WHITE.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
HARRY FARMERS TALKS.



Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
''Is it too wet to plow?" is the
question often asked after a rain.
We want to push our work and are
anxious to be in the field. The high
places around the home do not ST EN-
to be wet, there is some water in the
holes about the yard, and we are at
our wits ends to know what to do
Where the land is high and rolling
or is sandy with d porous subsOil,
the water sinks very rapidly and the
soil is in a condition to plow, but if
the land is fat and with a clayey
subsOll only 6 to ID inches from sur
face, it takes a good while for the
soil to dry enough to plOw without
injury. To overcome these Difficult.
ties drain the land as we'll as you
can, then get a rain gauge and place
it in an open place so that it will
catch what rain falls and no more.
A tin can such as are used for oys-
ters, tomatoes, etc will do; or, still
better. get a glass jar, (such as are
used for peaches, cherries, etc when
put up in brandy,) and you can
measure the depth and note the
eff act each rain has on the soil and
in Il short time tell exactly how wet
the soil is Our soil is made too wet
by ~ inches of rain in "a hours.
One half inch rain is a very good
season. Three inches falling inside
of as many hours will make d freshet
here unless it has been very dry.
We ought to have said that land
broken very deep will hold more
water than that which is plOwed
shallow
Complaints of scarcity of labOrers
is being made now and will be heard
more and more as the season ad-
vances. The wise farmer will pan
to do more of his work with horse
power There are Peop'e who think
so much of their horse that they
will actually do the work themselves
TO prevent the horse from doing IT.,
let the horse stand in the stall and
let their wives and children go out
in the woods and carry the cook wood
long distance. The women do it
gladly sometimes in order to have Il
pretty horse, not thinking how 1t
will affect their own appearance. OF
course, such instances are not com
mon. Harry Farmer is very anxious
to try to get this false sense of cruelty
TO animals out of our people. He
does not believe in being cruel to
human beings or the brute creation
either. Man has been given dOmin-
ion over the whole creation, and a
chance to use it for his advancement
and he will not be doing his duty II
he does not do it. 1t is not wrong to
sit on d plOw and have an umbrella
stretched over you and the horses
doing the work. At night when man
C'BuAoS III WIZ hCLS PAONOO OAAAO "S~J
can he sit up and read or go to the
postottice after his mail and do vari-
Gus little jobs and lie down and sleep
without having his legs or feet pain
ing him 50 that he feels tired next
morning. People sometimes follow
plow all day and at night are more
fatigued than the horse. If our
Southern farmers ever succeed, they
will have to use more horse power
ami do less work with their hands.
Keep the surface Of the land we'll
stirred where you expect to plant
potatoes (sweet). 1t will keep Ohe
grass down and save moisture.
HARRY FARMER.
Columbus Co, N. 9.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
Columbus Co, N. q.
HARRY FARMER

Let us lay aside ali prejudice. plow
and cultivate in the best way. Task all
that live in the dry belt to suhsoil one
acre of upland-dO not turn the clay
on t., t,p-culttvate upon ii level, and
see how you like it.-B. F. White,
Alamance Co, N. G.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16
THE VALUE OF COTTON SEED.

Here are some facts regarding this
subject which will surprise most
Progressive Farmer readers. But
however surprising, they are true:
Cotton is not only king among
the Southern export crops, but the
cotton seed is a commodity of great
and growing importance. Cotton
seed was once a waste product that
around every gin became nuisance.
There was no known use to which
the huge fermenting piles could be
put. A crop of 100000 bales will
furnish 100000 tons of seed, one
fourth of which will be required, by
present wasteful methods for plant
ing, which leaves 4,5O0, 900 tons for
manufacturers uses. The product
of ton Of seed varies, the average
being 81 gallons of oil, 725 pounds of
oil meal or cake, $50 pounds of kulls
and $50 pounds of inters. These
products, at present prices, are worth
about $24 for the products Of ton
of seeds. But there is no necessity
f using /, 800, COO tons for planting.
This would give 155 pounds per acre
to 25,OtO,OLO acres. Of carefully
selected seed, properly prepared and
planted, one-fourth that amount is
ample. This would leave for manu-
facturing purposes more than $780,
600 tons of seed, worth when manu-
factured, at least 1872, CO0,0O0. The
oil alone would bring more than so,
900, ,OOO-the equivalent Of 20. OOO,O
bushels of corn, or half that amount
of wheat exported. A noted statis-
tician stated few years ago that it
Yankee ,rmers could grow cotton
in the North they would become rich
raising it for the seed alone, and OF
this wonderful commodity the South
mas a practical monopoly All at
tempts to break this monopoly have
failed. It is the gran1est source OF
wealth ever possessed by any agri-
cultural country. Ali that Is neces-
sary is to handle it judiciOusly, pro
duce no more Of it than the world
must have, utilize the seed to the best
advantage and the treasures of earth
are at the Southern farmers feet.
The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-16

Be careful of one thing. Do not
get into fields too quickly after the
showers. Stirring the soil when
wet will do much harm. Dust, not
mud, is what you want. Run around
vour corn and cotton with the one
horse subsoil plow. 1t will pay you
weu.-J. B. Hunnicutt.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
There has been a notable increase

There has been a notable increase
in the past year of the number of
1arm separatOrs in use in the state,
in 1900 there being 1892, as against
1,762, of the previous year, and 904 of
1898, Chickasaw county leads all
Others in this direction, having 394
farm separators in use. Mitch
ely is second with 256 and Buchanan
third with 235. Wright has 224. More
than one-third of the counties have no
farm separators in operation
There were TIA permits issued to
milk dealers during the year 1900. OF
this number 211 were in Des Moines.
while only &C were in Sioux City
and but SO in Davenport. Burling-
ton had Al, Clinton, 43; Cedar Rap
ids, IS; Council Bluffs, AZ; Dubuque,
SO, Fort Madison, Is; Keokuk, 10;
Marshalltown, ID; Muscatine, 10; and
Ottumwa 80.
Twenty-one counties in the state
shipped more than 100000 pounds of
butter during the past year. Buch-
anan county heads the list with 1885,
1872. Bremen is second with 2,4SO,501,
and Chickasaw third with 2,3S5,S61.
The other counties shipping more than
100000 pounds in the order of their
rank are Fayette, Jones, Delaware,
Clayton, Butler, Dubuque, Kossuth,
Hardin, Black Hawk. Hamilton, Palo
Alto, Winneshiek, Mitchell, Story,
Buena Vista, Howard, Allamakee,
Linn, Audubon, Greene and Winneba-
go.
At the conclusion of the report is a
reference table giving the names of all
|creameries in the state, the location,
whether operated by an individual, CO.
operation or stock company, name of
proprietor, secretary or manager with
postoffice address, shipping station,
name of butter maker, whether sepa-
rator or gathered cream or both;
whether milk is received by test or by
the hundred; number of D. C. test
bottle and number of d. G.. pipette.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
CoyCERNING CRows

We note marked and steady in
crease in the number of crows all
through the settled portions of the
west. This black pest seems to be i'm
hume to all the agencies. natural and
artificial which limit the multiplica-
ton of other species of birds. The crow
is an exceedingly sagacious bird, readily
adapting himself to the dangers which
beset him, and is more than worldly
wise in his ability to circumvent the
ingenuity of man. who would limit his
numbers. The crow is long lived
bird, and there are plenty of old and
wise crows to educate the younger
ones in the ways of the world While
not Matching large broods of young,
The usual number rarely exceeding
four, they take such good care of their
black carcasses and live so long that
they may he now found in tocks of
hundreds and thousands. and when
such flocks make up their mind to feed
in cornfield they will leave it in al
most as bad shape as though cyclone
had passed over it. They are the
sworn enemies of all other forms of
bird life, eating the eggs and young
birds and doing more to wipe out our
desirable birds than any other agency.
10 see a crow should be to shoot him
If possible.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
IS NOT A MERCHANT.
The Farmer Cannot Be Looked Upon
in That Light.

Des Moines, Jan. 24-The Iowa SUI
preme court has decided that farm
er or stock feeder Is not merchant
within the meaning of the Iowa code.
The decision came on Buchanan
county case, where James e Jewell
had owned flock of sheep for por-
ton of the year, which portion includ.
ed the first of January, and the asses
sor had assessed his sheep in the reg
ular way. Jewell appealed to the
board of supervisors to reduce his as
sessment claiming he should be as
sessed on the sheep as merchant
inasmuch as he bought them to sell
and kept them only short time. The
board refused, but Judge Franklin G.
Platt decided that Jewell was entitled
to assessment on the sheep as mer-
chant.
Now the supreme court decides that
the law as applied by the board of
supervisors was right and Judge Platt
was all wrong.
ANY other construction than the
one we have given would tend great
confusion in the manner of making
assessments of live stock" says Judge
Deemer in the decision. "The ordi-
nary farmer would be required to sep
arate the personal property he had
bought for feeding and sale from that
he had bought or raised for use and
consumption and much would depend
on undisclosed and unascertained and
almost unascertained intent at the
time of purchase"
! Extends to Rural Districts.
Attorney General Mullen has given
Professor Barrett, superintendent of
public instruction, written opinion
that under the statutes providing for
the consolidation of independent
school districts, rural school districts
may also be consolidated where they
are independent. The statute was evil
IDENTIFY framed especially to accomo-
date those independent districts in
cities and towns which desired consol-
idation, but the attorney general holds
that the term independent district
applies as well to one kind of indie
pendent district as to another. A NUM-
Der of rural school districts have de-
sired to consolidate and under this de-
cision they will proceed to effect the
consolidation.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
State Dairy Commissioner Tells
What He Has Accomplished.
936 CREAMERlES In THE STATE.
Bremen County Leads in Number of
Cows, With 81 to the Square Mile
ottumwa Issued 80 Milk Permits
During the Year.

DeS Moines, Jan. 26-Bremer coun.
ty leads ell other counties in the state
in the number of COWS to the square
mile, according to the fourteenth an.
Inual report of the state dairy commits.
Isioner, which is now being mailed out
Bremen county has Al cows to the
square mile, while Delaware comes
next with 35. Jones has 80, and Scott
Fayette and Chickasaw each 81, Buch.
ianan and Dubuque have each 81 COWS
ito the square mile,
Emmett county, presumably on ac-
count of the fact that so much of its
territory is waste land, has but II
cows to the square mile, while Osceola
has only one more COW to the mile
than Emmett. Fremont and Dickin.
son tie at 15 while Harrison has but
i1S.
The average number seems to be
from % TO 55, and most of the coun-
tiles thru the central portion of the
Estate have the average number. The
excess is in the north central and
northeastern part o: the state of
which Bremen countw is almost the
center. The northwestern and south.
western portions have the smallest
number of COWS to the square mile.
The total number of COWS in the
state last year was 1,295,960, with an
leverage value of $3.50, making to.
Ital value of $3S,35S,5O3. The number
Icf COWS to each 1000 population is
I576.
The average value has increased II
cents per head since 1899, and over
So per head since 1895. Over 1899 the
total number of cows in the state has
increased about 10000, while over
1925 the increase has been more than
100000.
The average price of butter has de.
creased over seven years ago, but has
increased over last year. The aver
age price in 1898 was 81 cents; in
1894, "a cents; in 1895, 81 cents; in
1896, 20 cents; and in 1900 % cents.
During the year ending July 1. 1900,
there were but three licenses issued
for the sale of oleomargarine in the
state. All of these have since ex-
pired and no renewals have been TAX
en- out.
Of the s36 creameries in the state
|S42 are operated on the separator
plan, II on the gathered cream plan,
and so on combination of the two
plans. Five hundred and one cream
cries are owned by individuals, $40
are operated on the cooperative
plan, 116 on the stock company plan
and but one is state property.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
SETTLED AT LAST
Decision Handed Down in Famous
Bonaparte Dam Case
THE DAM WILL REMAIN WHERE IT is
Supreme Court Denies the Contestants
Rehearng in the Matter-Judge
J. c. Mitchell, of ottumwa, Repre-
scented the Meek Brothers-Details.

A final status has been reached in
the Bonaparte dam proceedings and
the dam will remain where it is. A
rehearing OF the case in supreme
court has been denied, and the action
is final Judge j. G. Mitchell, of OF
tumwa, represented the Meek Broth
ers, of Bonaparte, who wished to have
the dam kept intact, and the state
was represented by Attorney General
Milton Remley and by Attorneys Reed
& Reed.
The court at the October term held
that the absolute title to the Bona
parte dam was in Meek Brothers, and
that they did not have to construct a
.-shway in the dam, by reason of the
previous contract.
Some History.
The dam was constructed across the
Des Moines river at Bonaparte in 1852.
The Des Moines river was used for
navigable purposes up to 1865 or 1866,
and locks were maintained at Bona
parte. Later cribs were built across
the river above the dam and the in
tervening space filled up with rocks
and sand, forming a dam across the
river 90 feet wide, and almost perpen-
dicular, and obstructing the passage
of fish up the river entirely.
The right of the state in the dam
and in the locks was sold to the Meek
brothers by the Eighth general assem-
bly, for the sum of $500.
In the year 1893 an action was
brought against the geek Brothers be-
fore justice of the peace. The de-
cision was in favor of Meek Brothers.
Later on an action was begun in the
district court to abate nuisance, to
WITCH the defendants urged that pri-
vate property could not be used for
public purposes without compensa-
ton, and second that the matter had
been fully Gdjudicated in the action
before the justice of the peace in 1898.
The case was then carried to the SUI
preme court, and The lower court af-
firmed in the contention of res judica-
ia, the former adjudication of the mat
ter.
The decision of the supreme court
ends the matter, but the dam is an
obstruction to the river, and must
eventually be removed, probably ply
purchase. The Meeks at one time of
fered to sell the dam to the state for
the sum of $4,000, and it is likely
that, in view of the recent decision of
the supreme court a bill for an appro-
priation for this purpose will be in
troduced at the next session of the
general assembly.