The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-12

hand in his feature of the expert
ment is ". A. Blue, of the Aberdeen
and Rocfifsh railroad. who is try
ing to arrange in some OF n north
ern cities to market stuff from the
line of his road in car lots to first
hands. Mr.. Blue has been working
on this idea for considerable time,
and along with the industrial agent
Of the Seaboard is trying to introduce
a more diversified farming in the
territory. The drawback about diver
SIZED farming is the trouble in find
ing a market. Mr.. Blues efforts is
to find the buyers who will take ordi-
nary stuff in quantity. the quantity
making it possible TO deliver the stuff
at a lower price than ordinary, and
to encourage the production of d.
versified crops by the assurance Of a
market for them.
He is trying to find a place that ne
| can sell a car Of cucumbers, a
car OF cymling squashes, a car Of
that the farmers a produce on the
many farms that are coming into ex-
istence along the line Of his road,
confident that if he can place such
crops at a profitable price the peo-
pie who are on the farms will be
glad to make them, and that they
will profit more by the many crops
than by the few.
AS this is a project Of magnitude
and the success Of it is Of vast inn
portance to the entire SandhillS sec
tiOn more than usual Interest is felt
in its progress. 1t it works out the
expectation is that it will be applied
to other and in the immediate Vicin-
ity, and that a broad general devel-
opment will be undertaken to bring
all the wild land Of the whole region
under cultivation in small units and
in ode ways. The departures
that are planned On these farms are
not radical enough to overthrow any
existing idols, yet enough that is new
will be introduced to permit the pro-
motors to expect better results thar
are realized by the average far
rner.
May Settle Labor Problem.
Another result hat is sought by
this plan is to settle the troublesOm
labor problem. While the big farm
in a way is somewhat attractive il
a theoretical way practice finds that
the growing scarity of dependable
uncertain. Mr.. Ashley is strongly IL
favor of bringing to the new farms
as many of the tobacco men and corr
n stockmen of the north and ives
as he can get, in the hope that the
practice Of planting those things tina
can be cared for by the family or
the farm will do away with uncertain
= hired labor. and also hat it will in
. trOduce some Of the practices on tht
: farms Of other sections where create
l diversity of crop production has beer
an absolute necessity. He wants tt
! keep away from SO much cotton. ant
! to get as close to cattle and hogs a,
possible.
The land that is to be developed i
" the typical sal hill land, a higl
: ground, sandy surface, we'll drained
mellow soil, easily titled, covered
, with black jacks, and a few scatter
ed pine trees about big enough 70
the sawmill. Most of the tract i
I level enough for cultivation waite
: is abudant, and fuel will be plentiful
d 1t is a tract that should 6etermin
I the possibilities of the Sandhill coun
4 try in the most definite manner an,
e the men who are back of it leave lit
( tie to be doubted. A. G.. Johnson I
t a live worker of unlimited energ,
Mr.. Ashley is a hustler n a ma,
Of means to put the thing through
: The whole community is standing b
y to make the project work out. an
the common guess is hat here
commenced the solution Of one Of tn
big problems of the development G
the State, for this thing will be take
IS up in other sections and the sam
tactics applied elsewhere.
e. 1t Is a Big Undertaking.
" The magnitude of the Job is one {
- the important features Of it. Whe
~ the Dundee farm was opened a yea
- ago farther down in Hoke county
was hailed as an excellent propos
ton, although the clearing on thu
- farm started with only three hur
dred acres, and the entire ira,
reaches only about a thousand acre
II has been a satisfactory exper
ment, and foreshadows what will 70
low on the Ashley land. Mr.. Saunde,
IS a force now to beg
| clearing on the mile stretch along II
| Aberdeen road immediately north
| the new station site, and in a wee
| or Two travellers passing his way vi
l see a scene of activity nearly "
| miles Ions on both sides of the roa