The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-04-20
BY ANDREW JOINER.

BY ANDREW JOINER.
I do not think The News and OBJ
server in all it's meritorious and gener-
ally successful fights for the general
betternent of North Carolina along all
lines, has ever undertaken a more
Important, DralSeWOrthy or difficult
task than its proposed propaganda in
behalf of better farming and more
thritt and wealth in North Carolina
following more attention being paid
to the raising of~food crops for home
lished last week in the Burlington
News, compiled by Mr.. j. S. Kuyken-
dali. the active and able secretary OF
GreenSbOrO,S Chamber of
opened the yes of the farmers of that
splendid farming county of Alamance
The reproduction of those figures with
the accompanying ringing editorial in
The Views and Observer has opened
the eyes of the farmers and the mer-
chants of the whole State, to the act
ual conditions, and the reason Tor the
lack of general and universal prosper
ity among all classes Of our people.
For years and years, his correspond
emf as farmer and writer. has preach
ed the doctrine of dipersity of crops.
the better tillage and smaller areas OF
lanes, and the furnishing of Local
markets With local products that
could be raised there. Other writers
and speakers and men devoted to the
best interests of farmers have done
twice as much along the same lines.
To town and country merchants
have suggested the fable of the goose
and the golden egg to induce them to
cease encouraging cash or credit
farmer customers to buy food n fer
tilizer wares when they could make
them at less cost than the western OF
northern farmer and save a great deal
more than the high railroad freight
charges as clear profit to themselves
instead of losing a profit to their de
mOralizing selling local merchant. lr
the city of Greensboro. when a mer-
chant has been heard to al
dull trade and poor countr patron,
age. [ have never failed to SUCCESS
what a drain on the community was
the simple paying of freight bills by
consumers of Northern n Western
raised products which were admirably
ADAPTED to Guilford county lands
When a so-called city business man
Industrial captain or general nancla
p~roraoter has been heard to caVll a.
the fact that Greensboro had Such g
sma1l back country from when &C
draw local wealth and trade, L have
never failed to call their attention &c
the fact if intelligent influential lead
ers like they and the merchants Woulo
only consider that they Of all mer
we're most Intimately concerned
in good farming, in that by helplns
to increase the yields OF landS II
Greensboro's rad radius, they tnefe-
kv multiplied the area of their "Dach
country" by many miles. And | nave
generally been smiled at to my race
and called a visionary. But l NJ,
rather have. a "back country VIII
customers only ten miles at 1urtnest
than to depend upon the same Voluilt
OF trade in a radius OF tWenes-hEt
miles. for the former customers Wou,o
be prosperous while the latter SIMPLY
buy a they have to
- have taken farmers into my Sai
den and shown them how by ralslns
cropS like beans, tomatoes, squooi
~cucurnbers, peas, etc, Whlch ran 90
bv the use of wire every one OF tneli
eight feet in the air, not taklhs
ground space. They have STOOD AM
looked and admired the pendant Gym.
bIine and cucumbers. pralseu liz
heans. peas and tomatoes when occu.
pied the air instead of cumberlns ~.
ground and some have SAID II
mighty pretty and vol have been rais.
ed On the farm or you'd been 700 l"H1
in the body to keep 1t SO Cream =.
grass and weeds" But I've never .n",
= solitary visitor to. eaten the &c,
point. Having but one-elghtn o.
acre earden. I concluded that pS
planting things that grew elgnt lee
up was getting exactly an acre ~
produce. saving seven-elgntnS WI
oil cultivation and seven-eighthS taxes
That appeals to them at once. IHo1
explaining to them that / a maze Q
study of successive crops, SO tnat
GuiIford soil I was raising 10 ma,uii.S