The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-08-06
AgriG ture.
VIEWS OF THE FARMING WORLD.

Sections OF the SOuAbAy'
correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
Terrible as the consequences of
the heated spell in the West may be,
vet according to the experts of the
Agricultural Department., they
carry with them the seeds of their
own prevention in the future. 1t
takes some such frightful experience
as that which the West has under
gone TO bring home to the people of
those sections and of the entire
country as we'll the absolute neces-
sity of using
COMMON SENSE IN REGARD TO DE-FoR-
EsTATION
of the United States. In the last
fifty years this country has been
transformed from wooded region
region to practically treeless one
hence we have had destructive floods,
prolonged droughts, and now, of
late, hot spells exceeding anything
known before. Again and again
warnings that this would result have
been given out, but they have, for
the most part, gone unheeded. The
Bureau of Forestry has been at work
for some years proving these asser-
tions, following two methods: the
historical and the experimental. The
former is vitiated by inaccuracy of
data, so that most dependence is
placed on the latter. In connection
with it, a series of observations was
compiled by the Weather Bureau.
In each case two stations we're taken,
situated as nearly as possible on the
same parallel or latitude-one in a
wooded region and one not. They
were located in the Middle West and
included Little Rock, Fort Sill, Fort
Smith, Fort Elliott, Bismarck, Fort
Assinniboine and others. Invariably
the mean annual temperature was
found TO be lower at stations in
wooded districts than those on the
plains. The temperature at the
former never rose so high in the
summer or fell so low in the winter
as at the latter. Secretary Wilson
explains one reason for this: The
denuding. of the ranges increases the
arid lands the increase of arid lands
increases the prevalence of the hot
winds which destroy the crops and
the absence of the forests removes
the wind breaks that once checked
the progress of the hot winds. The
only immediate remedy at hand is to
plOw the corn fields often enough to
form a dust mulch at least three
inches deep. This will conserve the
the moisture and keep the crops from
burning up.
"Our agents are using every en-
deavOr to get most complete and &C
curate information of the damage
done to corn crops by the great
drought in the West" said Score
tary Wilson. 81 am afraid great
damage has been wrought theoorn
crop, but hope our reports will show
that grain crops have not been hurt
so the extent the dispatches indicate.
I think the wheat crop may have
turned out fairly we'll all over the
country." Speaking of the failure
Of the corn crop he said: FThe un-
avoIdable results must be
HIGHER PRICES FOR FIRST GLASS MEATS.
TLere may be a tendency for awhile
o. lower prices in certain grades of
L.aac, because farmers and cattle
growers are forced by a scarcity of
toller so rush their cattle to mar
ket Eventually, however, this will
mean @ scarcity of first. class cattle,
ana the price of meat will advance" "
a paper giving information in re-
g.-- tu
".....-, STORING, AND MARKETING
SWEET POTATOES
LAS oaan prepared by D. M. Nesbit,
l-.crIcaI Maryland grower, and
printed for public distribution by
'-- yanrtment of Agriculture. Ac-
s.s-.-" I'd this, the sweet potato
'.r My in warm climate;
who's .'ere is no frost it is peren-
d.. .a temperature below As de-
5Eee- fnJlres it, and frost is imme
4i"te.y fatal. On soils suited to the
sweet Potato it may be grown wher-
e'ef tne large dent varieties OF
'.''17 reach maturity, but when
grown near its northern limit or at
u1sn attitudes it generally lacks