The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-07-23
Our Farmers Exchange
Views.
CONTINUED from First Page)

with more or less uccess till either all OF
his available land is in strawberries or so
near all of it that rotation is impossible
Consequently the same lots or fields are
kept in strawberries year after year, or
perhaps plowed up and gwen one grudging
crop of cowpeas or some kind of soiling or
summer crop, and then hurried back into
strawberries again.
I'm a few years there comes a change.
The plants lose their old tine color and
vigor The berries despite better cult
walton and manuring than ever won't
size up. 1t is harder to get them pick
ed because picking is more tedious.
Que evil begets another evil. His I'M
rotated fields and feeble plants become an
inviting harbor of all pests and diseases.
Thus the two evils have practically the
same source. And it is hard to exagger-
ate in words the insidious power for
harm of either of these evils.
1.-The glib paradox that half is more
than the whole becomes fact when ap-
piled to strawberry acreage. Better IN
the long run one acre properly rotated
than two, three, nay than five kept to
dwindle on soil that protests In so many
ways against such unwisdom. And with
proper rotation would come naturally
many better things-smaller acreage, bet
ter cultivation, better manuring. better
picking, better packing and better pro-
fits. The diseases and insects that at
tack the strawberry plant have not yet
proven quite as harmful as those the
general fruit grower has to contend with.
Though in the aphis and the weevll we
see evils which will be great or small in
proportion to the intelligence and perse-
verance with which they are met and COM
batted.
Owing to the nature of the straw
berry plant 1T is hard to successfully com
bat either disease or pests on it.
Twenty eight years experience in
strawberry growing has convinced me that
these pests and diseases like the devil can
best be fought with fire. Burn them up.
But how burn pests and diseases and
spare plants? 1t can be done, and we
find the material right at hand and at
just the proper time to do it. As soon
as the crop is gathered NOW the plants
as closely as possible. Let the moved
plants dry for day or two. Then on a
dry breezy day loosen up the straw mulch
and set fire to the field along its wind
ward side. 1t viii burn up quickly over
leaving the field as clean as q floor. Not
vestige of trash or plant viii be left.
Diseases, pests and weed seed must then
be at least largely destroyed.
Burning cannot of course eradicate the
aphis or root louise. Proper and timely
care can destroy them by digging up and
burning the infested plants (Which are
apt to be only a few at first) and by a.
long rotation of that field in other crops. =
DIR. B. w. Kilgore. the State Chemist.
was to have followed with talk on Soils
and Fertilizers" but he was kept in the
court room by jury duty.
HON. E. L. DAUGHTRIDGE.
So Hon. E. L. Daughtridge, of Rocky
Mount, followed Mr.. Blacknall, with a
paper on Extensive Farming" He SAID
IN part:
I'm my opinion, one OF the greatest
needs of the State today IS agricultural
education. or the education of the farmers
and the boys and girls of the farmers.
This has been sadly neglected IN North
Carolina. and those boys who have been
educated. have not had the advantage OF
an agricultural education, because there
mas been no opportunity offered IN the
state for them to get it and for this rea-
SON the agricultural interests OF the State
has suffered, and the brightest boys have
left the farms to those boys who have not
been educated, either because they did not
have the opportunity, or were too lndol-
ent to accept it. A very large per cent OF
the professional men, and business men.
and men who fill positions of trust
throughout the State were farmer boys
and spent their boyhood days upon the
farm.
I'VE can no longer adhere to the one
crop system and plant all of our lands IN
cotton and go to the West for our meat,
grain, and hay but should diversity our
crops and make everything on our farm
as near as possible that we may need at
home such as horses, mules beef-cattle,
meat, hay and grain, etc. 1t has been my
experience that our lands in Edgecombe
county, and l am sure IN great many
counties in the State, especially in the
mountain counties Of Western North Caro-
lima. are well adapted to raising grain and
hay crops, and raising stock and dairying,
and this is as profitable considering the
cost and labor as raising cotton or tobac-
GO, and it requires very much less labor.
We must use labor saving machinery, and
cultivate those crops that can be cult
waited and harvested with machinery, and
do not require so much cultivation and
labor.
Negro farm labor is not careful enough,
nor is it competent to operate farm ma
ehinery. | think our white boys should
be encouraged to do mis- work. | am sure
if we will adopt this method of farming.
the boys will stop leaving the farms an
going to the towns seeking employment
as they have been doing. They will find
that this kind of farming will pay them
as well as any other kind of employment
they can get
in 1894 my father died. He left me
about 450 acres of land ca Tar River in
Edgeeombe county, and just about enough
money TO stock this farm and to make
one crop. / went to work on this farm,
adopting the plan outlined above. Since
THAI time / have bought and paid for
with profits from the farm. about $500
acres of land adjoining it, I have built