The farmer and mechanic., 1913-03-11

FOR more rnan a century the theory or
farming in America has been to till
the ground while it will yield a crop,
then abandon it for something else.
Unluckily down in the light sandy
land of the Cape Fear country the new
ground did not seem very much bet
ter than the old ground, and farming
was not rated highly. Then came
the discovery of that old chemist,
F'reiherr Won Liebig, who discovered
that plants grew through the nutrition
! they obtain from the air, and that to
make satisfactory growth they need
from the soil certain soluble mineral
+ substances, which the farmer has
learned how to supply.
+ Potash, phosphoric acid and mi
| trogen. These are the three and it
4 is the discovery Of those three things
has been a principal factor in the
awakening, which has taken place
down in this country.
There are men living in the region
round about Raeford and Red Springs
! who recollect- when Robson county
made about thousand bales of cotton
| a year. Cumberland made about the
same amount. Robson now is one
OF the foremost cotton counties Of
the United States. A dozen farmers
living in Red Springs will make more
cotton than both Cumberland and
Robson, made in the days referred
to. Half a dozen farmers Of Raeford
will make more.
Most Of the change has come about
in the last twenty years, much Of Il
in ten Ten years ago there was St.I
a doubt as to whether the. Rockfsf
country was q farming possibility
The old residents looked on the coun
try as fit for grazing some cattle, fol
little corn, hay. some wheat, rice
) and things Of that character, but or
| a small scale.
Then lumber commenced to have {
value, and the turpentine and lumber
crop aroused certain energy and en-
thusiasm Railroads hauled fOres
products to the market. Turpentine
rosin and tar the naval stores that W.
found accredited to North Carolin;
in the topography, came from farthe
back in the country than Wilmington
That was good while it lasted, but
could not last Forests do not ma
r ture their crops rapidly enough t
r be good farming projects.
t The timber went, and the yeilov
mule. the Dixie plow and the So
: doctrine was preached to save tn
s people from destruction
e Many wise men laugh at the bell
cord of the plow mule, and the ab
t surdity of distributing two hundre
and stalks that stand on an acre
v And in does look like joke.
But the joke is on the wise one
who laugh, as it has been since tn
c wise men started that fashion b
8 laughing at Noah and his ark scheme
6 Noah sailed away when the wise me
/. were seeing the point. That littl
n bit Of fertilizer is not sufficient t
It make a crop of cotton, nor is the Dixi
K plow Vhe best tool. Still the whee
barrow was horseless carriage Ion
c before the automobile came to clair
e that distinction, and you will motto
e that where you find a big motor dc
n ing business the chances are that
l. yellow mule has walked that way
the monning.
n You can't tie a man down to
e primitive, idea for keeps. He tris
l. that primitive thing, and presently /
" sees where he can improve on
d That's how he comes to be a man il
j. stead Of the creature that DarWi
says he is descended from.
:, These folks say that two hundre