The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-30

not one of the sort that paints rosy /
pictures Of it's territory forIE nsers
When l first knew Joh- re
seemed to me to be over [, fJ
tive in regard to the possibility.
the counties on his road. But l learn
ed shortly that he was extremely con-
servative with one man, and rather
optimistic with another Then I found
further that he felt safe in recon-
mending the country to the man who
is familiar with it and with how TO
handle it, but cautious about urging
a man from the North, for instance, TO
settle in the South without looking
into every possible condition to make
sure he will be suited.
Far as Mr.. Blue said, "a dissatisfied
man cannot do himself any good. and
he cannot be Of help in a community"
Both the Blues are big cotton plant
ers. But they do not say great deal
about cotton, except to cotton men. In
q general way they have shown that
cotton can be profitably raised on the
| lands on their road, some Of the farms
being among the best in the state, the
average on a good many of the farms
| exceeding bale to the acre right a
| long.
| Building Up Cotton Farming
A cotton man looking for a location
| is encouraged to find land on the line
| of this road. Cotton makes good
freight and it makes a steady perma-
nent income for the road. But the
Blues want their territory to be broad
| er than One-CrOp country. So they
| take up everything that looks likely
and they try it out on their own farms
before they go very far into it, or they
arrange 1or an expert to come from
the department OF agriculture to in
vestigate the possibilities.
4 Last summer l was on the traiT
with John Blue. We passed field
on which he had planted big croI
Of watermelOns. A passenger remark
: lled about the likelihood of foot pas
sengers stopping to help themselves
Mr.. Blue nodded, I'VE plant enough
so that we can supply those who hell
themselves and also to have enough
left for market"
! He was not wrong in his estimate
: During the season the right OF wa
was marked by melon skins tOWar,
| Aberdeen and RaefOrd. but it was no
!. ticed that every day in the melon sea
:, son cars stood on the side track to b
= | loaded for the northern markets. VIII
Blue had another big melon field no
!. | veryl far away, and there he loade
!. u still more cars. The melons brough
: profit. But they brought some
thing else. After the melons had gOn
up to Yankeeland the same fields wer
= green with cowpeas, that had bee
: sowed between the rows. and tn
!, cowpeas harvested pay for the crop
u that are made They also put tn
;. ground in shape to plant cotton c
> corn the ensuing year. and there
one of the valuable points Of this ne
- style Of farming
A. Melons Help Soil.
Il was out with Will Blue one day
=, ,o summer when melons were ready
- h., octIa
~ pointing out what the melon crop doc
- for the ground. The proposition ;
- far as possible, is to plant waterme
:. ons on new ground. The ground
~ roughly cleared by cutting off IL
blackjacks and breaking with a plo'
~ II possible it is cut up with a dis
y harrow. AS much fertilizer as a ma
~ !, thinks he can stand is used in Il
y, melon hills. and as the land is rath
81 rough i. does not get, nor requir
ny much cultivation.
q Cowpeas sowed on the land usual
en make good crop, the new ground
a. pearing to be adapted to the comp
crop. The peas grow vigorously, al
seem to have no bad effect on the me
RI ons which are harvested as tn
ev ripen, the harvesting having little {
al feet on the peas.
# BY the time the cOWpea crop II
IN been taken off many OF the oak STUN
in are starting to decay, and the ne
"a plowing brings a lot of them out
to the ground, which can be planted
-, corn or cotton with good results, I
. decaying pea stubble with the decor
do posed grass stubbie and roots fro
IN the original crop Of wild grass putri
au, the ground into good shape for ~
lie stantial yield
ley Experimenting With Rye.
It Experiments such as these [
Blues are making. and they are !
ishi only suhjugatins 4 large ARA OF ID