The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-05-26

.,f.f he patent to the mind of every
who has taken the tlne and trouble
,.,.a-ti.-ate the agricultural conditions
l,a South that farmers generally are
r. earnestly seeking information for
l.rsr farming methods at the present
...,.. than ever before This is due partly
-. changed conditions which have taken
,.l,,.. within the past ten years and to the
,,Ic and general efforts being 50 earnest
l..,,.yocated along the lines of better edu-
.ti,ual facilities, not alone Tor the child,
f.f flr the adult farmer also. The ex-
+-rarIluary interest manifested III agri-
cultural education Is largely due to the
.r,,t- OF the Farmers Institute move
,1.ut which has come to be the leading
-a4,r for disseminating agricultural IN
formation among the adult farmers OF
tb, country. Some years ago farmers as
. ru!r were but little interested IN any
thing but the production of cotton. Their
every thought was upon the best plan for
Increasing their cotton acreage to the pioy
and increasing the yield per mule. The
I1V- prices at which our money staple sold
eight to ten years ago came near brea king
the country and estab blished the first~8m-
nrovement toward diversified farming IN
IN, South. Farmers realized that the all
cotton system was a dangerous policy to
pursue. and for the past eight years, es-
pe,I8Ily. more grain and forage crops
have been produced, each year noting an
increased acreage III food stuffs, until at
the present time there appears to be a
general disposition III the minds of farm
eIs to divide up their farms into cotton
gram and forage crops. The production
Of forage and grasses naturally has devel-
oped a sentiment III favor Of the increas
ed production of cattle and pork. The re
suit is, that the South is now rapidly
coming to the front as a cattle. pork anc
dairy section.
1t is gratifying to note that the United
States census reports for 1900 shows tha
the South increased her pork production
by a much larger percentage between 1885,
and 1900 than any other section OF tht
Union. A person has onl yto visit ou
State fairs to see the increased interes
H. and number of thoroughbred cattl
which are now being annually exhibited
by local producers. Within the last lou
years one firm of Texas breeders ha
distributed in this State fully one thous
beef cattle. These bulls will serve o.
an average of $1,000 cows annually, SO tha
within the next five years the Herefor
type of beef cattle Will become a commo
sight in most sections of Georgia, as the
are noW IL Texas.
Fully as many Of the Short Horn type
have been sold as the Hereford, one stral
being about the eual of the other IN bee
uaHtles. OF the dairy types Georgi
farmers are breeding up good herds of tl1
Jersey, Ayrshire and Holstein. The da
81 he scrub is rapidly passing away, an
the sooner they pass out from the countI
The better. All of these desirable chang,
In ou agricultural methods is the resu
OF thought, study and prepara ton to me
'fhe changed conditions that have cor
ironted Us within the past decade or tw
AGRICULTURAL LITERATURE.
One of the greatest educators of II
present time Is good agricultural hter'
ture. Every farmer should subscribe f
at least one good paper and read 1t cal
taty III search Of such information
"ll be beneficial to him in his particul
line Of business. There are few men COZ
paIduvely who can improve their conc
tons without study and research. A N;
may make good crops, and many hundre
DO. who never look at d paper or any OF
er kind OF literature, but while for
4rming may give good results IN some
dances there is but little or no progrt
made by the system. The man who rea
and thinks can intellgently explain
reasons for pursuing a certain course
farming which has been successful, he c
also iorcIbly give the benefit of his e
I+Hences and successes to other farme
"lo are trying to arrive at the same
suits. In farmers meetings there