The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-04-30

III

farm, and the fathers and mothers
are piously told to furnish pictures,
magazines and papers, and thereby
make their homes attractive, etc.
We do not, by any means, under
rate good books and papers, but to
the average Woodworking farmer
boy, three good, square meals day
will beat all the pictures ever hung
upon palace walls. A poor break
fast with no hopes of any better din
ner in sight, makes a dull and dis
contented hand in the field, and if
such fare continues, he will surely
rebel and go off in search of better
living.
1t is so easy to have an abundance
of something good to eat on our
tables the year through if we only
know how and will put forth little
effort. Of course, our ali cotton and
tobacco fellows will sJick to their
boiled salt fish, their "Western meat,
Western corn and Western flour" bill
of fare, in spite of all the advice of
all the stations, bulletins and pure
food congresses in Christendom.
1 suppose we will have to let them
alone in their poverty, as they seem
to like it.
To sell all we raise and buy all we
eat and use, gives us over to the
tender mercies of the mi idleman,
who skins to the bone at both ends
of the deal. The only sensible and
safe way for the small farmer to
pursue is to grow all he possibly can
in the way of home supplies.
Right here a good kitchen garden
comes in to help furnish at least one
half of all that is required to make
up a good meal. Make the soil deep,
rich and fine. Sow peas, beans, cab
bage, beets, etc, in succession. Keep
every foot of ground occupied with
something to eat or sell. Plant out
tomatoes, plant sweet corn, cuCum
bers, potatoes, squashes, melons,
strawberries, dewberries, and then
cultivate and otherwise care for
them as their needs demand.
We may have daily a bOuntiful
supply of delicious and wholesome
vegetables and fruits, fresh and
crisp, direct from garden to kitchen
and table. Not so with our less
favored neighbors in town and city
they have to eat such as they can
buy on the markets; often times the
best they can get is stale and inferior.
No little of the summer complaints,
with high rates of mortal ty among
children in factnrT villages and the
lowly in city iss<,, is directly trace
able to the sale of damaged fruits
and vegetab bfes they eat. They are
gathered and carted through the hot
sun to the railway station and many
times the shipments are delayed un-
til they are totally unfit to eat before
they reach the consumer. Blessed,
indeed, is the family that is so situ'
ated as to have their own little spot
of ground where they can grow in
plenty all the vegetables and small
fruits they need for immediate con
sumption, or to put up in cans fo1
future use.
1t was learned by some recent in
vestigatiors into the surrounding
and the living Of most of our mil
/ and factory people, that not one
family in ten even pretends to have
garden of any kind, no flowers, nc
shrubbery-everything black and
bare and uninviting. Such environ
ments always bespeak low order OF
! things, physical, mental and moral
The philanthropist may builo
school houses and churches and senC
out teachers and preachers to tell OF
a higher and a better life; he may
establish free libraries on every cor
ner the State may appropriate an
other million for free education but
all of these well intended efforts viii
fall far short Of the good results eX
pected, until we learn to feed Ou1
boys and girls with at least as much
care and Judgment as we manifest IL
making up a we'll balanced ration fo1
/ our farm stock.
In some future article we may give
a model bill of fare, which will be IL
easy reach of every small farmer IL
North Carolina, and we hope to see
the day when the tenant farmer and
the mill operative as we'll, may ST
down with thankful hearts to tables
similarly supplied.
J. EDOM SMITH.