The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-01-13

tinued for more than Two years still hold
good. indeed. in respeCtto some o. these.
prices have still further advanced dur
ing the year just closing. and this sat
isfaetory condition OF affairs for the
farmer viii. We think. be not likely TO
soon come 10 an end. certainly not 81
long as labor continues TO be so we'll
employed as at present. The consImp-
tion OF all the staple products OF tho
farm, and of most OF the luXurics, some
OF which. like -obacco. We produce large
ly IN the South. IS enormous. and II
would require an immense over -produc-
ton OF these TO seriously affect market
values whilst business continues good.
Whilst We have had large wheat and out
crops. and IN immense corn crop, yet
these, and especially corn, came at
time when there was no large surplus
held over from previous years; indeed.
in the ease of corn, when there was an
immense deficit caused by the failure OF
the crop a year ago. The supplies OF
fat stock of all kinds are short and are
likely to continue so for years, as the
great source from whence these come
the West-was compelled a year ago 10
sacrifice, in half fat or store condition.
immense mum bers Of animals which
should have been held over for this and
next year
Until the deficit thus caused is made
good, which will be a slow process whilst
consumption continues so large as dur
ing the past year, prices must remain
good. When prices are high, the temp
tation to sell stock which should be
held over either for breeders or for bet
ter finishing is too great to be resisted,
and hence the progress of recupcration
of stocks is q slow one. Dairy products
have advanced in price since the unfair
competition of oleomargerine has been
destroyed or largely curtailed, and this
advance is likely to hold and make furth-
er progress. With such a prospect be
fore them, We see no reason why farmers
should not prepare to make large crops
during the year now commencing. and
especially so with those crops which are
to be converted on the farm into meat
or dairy products. This is the true
line on which farmers should Seek to de-
velop their resources, as it will not only
resul in continued improvement of the
fertility of the farm. The one difficulty
which largely ConfrOnts Southern farm
ers is the Ia Dor question. Thousands OF
colored hands have left the country dis
tricts, and found employment in the large
cities and towns, and on the railroads,
and this exodus Of labor is going to
continue so long as trade continues good.
The only way to meet it is to turn large
areas of arabic land into permanent grass
and meadows and to make use largely III
the working of the arabic land and of
the meadows. of the labor saving ma
chinery which has been invented and
no =
prices With this machinery hands can
be dispensed with and better work done
and crops be made ard saved at less cost
than ever in the past. Another means
of saving cost must be found in the pro-
duction of larger crops on the same area
Of land. This will be found easy when
the crops are largely converted into meat
and dairy products on the farm, result
ing in larger production OF home made
manure which: is the best and cheapest
fertilizer which a farmer can use, and
which, if supplemented where needed
with commercial fertilizer, Will easily re-
suit in doubling our present crops with
out adding one acre to the land under
cultivation. The cost of making and
saving a crop of 10 bushels of wheat, or
of 80 bushels Of corn to the acre, VIII
be found to be very little more tran
than that of making and saving our
resent meagre crops Of II Or l. bushels
Of wheat and - to % hushelS of corn
to the acre. The secret of this inCreaS-
ed production 10 the acre will &c found
in better preparation Of the land before
planting, and in the use OF farm yard
manure and the legominOuS crops to sup
ply humus to the soil. The profitable
conversion of these crops into money lies
in the use of better bred live stock,
which will manure in :. Sc &C ..G g
which will mature in half the time re-
Quired by the present scrub stock. and
which Will make meat and dair products
alWas commanding the top figure on the
market. In this issue We have brought
together a large mass of information as
to these better bred animals with pic
lures of tpical specimens of the breeds.
we bespeak for this latter the careful
stud of our readers 1t means thousands
Of dollars in the ockets of Southern farm
ers and complete change in the ap-
pearance of thousands Of acres of land.
The work that can be done on the
land during the present month is usually
small as it is the one month in the year
when, if We are to have any winter we
are pretty certain to get 1t: yet in the
ma jority of years there are days even IN