The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-24
HON JOHN CRAkORE FOOLED
HIS NEIGHBORS.
Progressive armer.)

4tves in the North, who called them
selves Crakore adopted the same
name and became John Crakore.
But John did not stop there; he
bought two good blocky mares, and
blows and implements TO SUIT the
team. He subscribed to The
give Farmer and Gazette and studied
improved methods Of farming,
The old house got a coat Of paint
and a broad porch, and ne laid Off
q lawn around it, and seeded 1t 20
grass and planted trees around it.,
Towering ~shrubbery, made a pretty
drive to the front door and side road
to the barn, and the old place soon
began to Iook home-hke.
His wife and daughters got catalogs
and bought flower seeds and bulbs,
and delighted in planting them. John
got a full blooded Jersey bull and
purchased a pure-bled boa and used
these to breed up his common stock.
Johns naighbOrs watched all these
things closely n at the store on Sat
urday afternoons John was discussed,
and the general opinion was that John
was on the road to the county home.
j w 49, 1~A*A ~ ~ 49,
and book farming did not pay in the
South, they knew very we'll.
But when these men. who had no
cows vent to the store to buy butter,
they We're told hat they could get
Mrs. Crakore's butter for 80 cents a
pound and not a cent less, and the
.store-keeper said he had quit selling
the oleomargarfne they had been get
ting for butter.
John had a fine lot Of half-breed
1hgs and his neighnors had to buy
sone pigs in the spring, and John got
IS each for his as soon as weaned,
and would not sell many at that
price.
Then. when they saw John driving
mis- mares to a smoothing harrow
across his corn and cotton they said
that John had gone clean crazy and
was going to ruin his crop. But John
kept on with harrow and weeder, and
the weather turned rainy. but be
tween showers he got over the land
and broke the crust rapidly, while his
neighbors were getting hopelessly in
the grass.
Then when they were trying with
angle ploWs to cover up the grass,
John mounted his riding c~u1tivator
with his two mares hitched to it. and
went over his crops in less than half
the time his neighbors took, and did
better work.
Fis neighbor. jim Mulekin. came
over one Sunday afternoon and was
astonished to see that Johns cotton
and corn were perfectly clean and
thriving Why said he. the grass
in my cotton is almost as high as
the cotton. I am lust waiting till
the rain stops so that / can go into it
with a turning pillow and cover the
grass up"
You need not have had the grass
there said John, IF you had used
the harrow and Weeder when it start
ed. and then had a t~wo-hoTSe Guilt
Nator TO get over rapidly between the
rains
And you will lose enough on your
cotton crop to have paid for two more
mules said John Il have found out
that horse power is cheaper than man
power, and that there Is profit in
mi if it is done right. Are YOU
going to SOW peas in your corn. Jim ?'
Sow peas, and they sellin' at s2..o
d bushel? | reckon not. Cant aft
ford IL"
Il can not afford not to do it,"
SAID john "hut I have plenty of peas
and would not take $3.50 a bushel
for them so long as I can find a va
cant place for them"
Fact is said Jim. IT don't see
how I am to pay for the fertilizer l
bought, and it CROWN grass instid of
cotton"
What did you buy said John.
Why, | bought the regular 2-s-2
that ! have always bought. and they
charged me s25 a ton for it, and that
was the cheapest they had. and [
used 200 pounds an acre on the cot
ton
perhaps the lowest priced, but not
the cheapest" aid John. Il did no
buy any ammonia. but mixed acid
phosphate and potash, about 10-5. on
the crimson clover last fall. and this
spring ! added only acid phosphate
for the cotton, for the clover is giving
me all the weed ] want, and on the
clover and cotton I have used 500
pounds Of fertilizer an acre that did
not cost me much more than your zoo
pounds, for l bought for cash.
Bought for cash." said Jim. "Whar
in the world did you git cash in the
spring."
D-A- $3.50