The farmer and mechanic. [volume], March 27, 1879, Page 170, Image 3

About The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885

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170
THE FARMER AND MECHANIC.
Ma i;
A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.
OFFICIAL REPORTER
FOR TJIE
North Carolina Board of Agriculture
AND
Board of Immigration and StatiMics :
ALSO REPORTS
The State Grange, Patrons of Hns'dry;
State Agricultural society ;
North Carolina Teachers Association,
etc., etc., etc., etc.
PUBLISHED
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BY
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t" Front Room, Second Floor, Mah
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JOB PRINTING
Of every description executed with
Neatness and Celerity, A I LOW
KATES.
Seasonable Notes for the Gar
den, Flower Garden and
Farm.
no. 1.
t -p ...1:1,1 e m..
.rroi. raircnuu, 01 tnu vnuucu
School, is also a successful flovver
and market gardener, near this
city. His observations have the
weight ofjiis practical experience
for years, and ought to be of value
to our readers. Hear him :
The season for deciding to have
a good garden and making good
resolutions in that direction lias
arrived. We will rush at the
work and hastily plow up the
ground which we call our garden,
or dig it up with a spade or hoe,
put- mi a very little manure per
haps ; sow a few seeds out of yel
low papers, which we have bought
at the grocery store; and then
turn in the hens to make the seeds
come up.
This we call gardening!
Now, what is worth doing at all,
I submit, should be well done.
The garden should receive as much
or more attention than the faim
crops. Be determined to make it
pay better than any part of the
farm, and make it the one place
from which you expect to draw
mostof the luxuries to be had upon
a fa.1111 ; and the place next to the
fireside where you will pass your
pleasantest hours. This is the
right spirit Let us now glance
at the methods of gardening.
Plow or spade, and harrow tin r
oughly two or three times over ;
for most vegetables the soil must
be very fine. No plant can grow
well in a soil that is baked up in
small clods. Harrow and rake as
soon as plowed. Do not leave any
soil exposed to the sun till the fur
row is drv. One half dav will so
harden the lumps that they cannot
be easily broken up. Manure lib
erally: put something in if you ex
pect to draw anything out.
" Nothing from nothing," is an
axiom in nature as well as in
mathematics. Use only well de
composed stable manure. Never
put chip manure on the garden;
the fungus that it will generate is
injurious to most plants. Sow
only a few varieties of seeds. Take
no more ground than can be thor
oughly tended. And see if your
ideas of a vegetable garden do not
undergo a radical change.
It is not too late to put out an
Asparagus bed; get roots one or
two years old, from some reliable
dealer, and ask him to give full di
rections for planting and cultiva
ting. Strawberries may still be
set anv time this month. Only
three or four varieties are success
ful here. The Wilson, Col. Chen
ev, Monarch andSeth Bovden.
Beets mav still be sown. Onlv
two varieties are worth anything
for the table here Early Egyptian
and Yellow Sugar.
Beans, (snap shorts), only two
of these varieties, the German
Black Wax. ami the Cabbage
Snap, as it is called in this locality,
are worth the trouble to grow.
The latter is quite a distinct varie
ty, and no doubt the best snap
known. It is peculiar to this locali
ty. I have never known it adver
tised bv any seedsman.
The pole snap, or cornfield snap,
as it is called, is found in great va
riety here. The white and the
Southern Prolific are the best.
These varieties are very late and
iast till killed by the frost. Of
the Butter Beans, the small Lima
or Siera is the onlv variety that
mf mi
will pay to grow. I find this bean
succeeds best to have the rows
eight feet apart, atd the poles two
feet in the row, and the rows to
run north and south. This ar
rangement gives alternate light and
shade so the vines will bear through
the entire season.
The Winningstadt and Large
York Cabbage are the best early
varieties for our climate. Put out
the plants at once. You will find
it cheaper to buy your early plants
than to attempt to raise them from
seed.
Adam's Early Corn, (not the
extra early), is the only variety of
sugar corn I would recommend for
roasting ears.
It is rather late to sow the Car
rot and Parsnip. Celery seed may
still be sown. This is the most
difficult plant to grow. The plan
which I have practiced ior several
years and which has always proved
successful with this and other small
seeds, is to cover the seeds with
very fine well decomposed chip
manure, or some fine substance
that will not break or form a crust.
I sow in di ills one inch drop, and
fill up the drills over the seed with
the chip manure, and then roll or
tread down firm. Then ir dry
weather keep the plants thorough-
lv cultivated, so the soil will be
loofce and moist, or the sun will
burn up the plants. Transplant
in July a. d August. Celery is a
very expensive crop.
Colhtrds for summer planting
should now be sown. Also the
Late Cabbage seed. Sow on mod
erately rich soil. We usually sow
our late cabbage too late in the
season, so that the hot sun burns
up the tender plants. Sow now
a id the plants will stand through
the hot summer in the seed bed
and be ready for transplanting in
August. No matter if the plants
do grow tall and shed moieof their
leaves, put them in good soil and
they will certainly head. This fact
would have been worth many dol
lars to me, had I known it when 1
first commenced business here.
And you see I tell it now much
against my own interest for I grow
p'ants for sale.
Cucumbers and other series are
too easily grown to need any in
structions. In a future article 1
will tell how to destroy the insects
that pester the melon family.
The Egg-Plant is a luxury that
few can appreciate. Send for a
few plan is and try them. These
with the Pepper and Tomato,
should not be put out till all dan
ger of frost is over. The Trophy
and Acme are the best varieties of
the tomato. The above list em
braces about all the plants that
need attention a. this time. And
now we will see about a Flower
Garden. This will interest the la
dies, and that man is hard-hearted
who will not gratify the taste of
his wife and daughters by provid
ing a suitable piece of ground, and
a reasonable amount of flower seeds,
bulbs and plants, with which to
ornament it. It will not cost much,
a few seeds of the Aster, Balsoms,
Dianthus Pinks, also bulbs of the
Dahlia, Tuberose, Gladiolus Cala
dinims, c., and plants of Verbenas,
Pansy, Petunia. Add to this a
few home plants. You have then
about you the sure marks of good
taste and refinement.
C. B. Faikchild.
Raleigh, March 24th, 18T0.
For the Fakmek and Mecha ic.
Cotton Culture.
PR. SALMON S CRITICISMS REVIEW
ED BY MK. I). P. M EACH A M.
friend was to bring out the truth
only on this subject as he claims,
we feel sure that the facts show
that he has not put the finishing
touch on the job.
As regards making a more profit
able use of our co'ton seed than is
as vet jrenerally done, we heartily
commend the concluding sections
of Dr. Salmon's article to the care
ful consideration of any and aU
enterprising spirits as affording
the finest opening, with the bright
est prospects of a profitable invest
ment for capital, now open in all
this country.
And I cheerfully bid him God
speed in his efforts to more fully
impress capitalists with the impor
tance of this opening for good in
vestment. D. P. Meaciiam.
Will You Bear it iu Mind?
(concluded.)
Our friend's remarks upon the
length of time required for the va
rious parts of the cotton plants to
undergo decay, and his suggesting
the same length of time as that re
quired by barnyard manure, affords
the most striking proof that he
knows from experience just noth
ing about it, particularly so, when
the only proof upon which he re
lies to sustain such a position, is
that farm yard manure is valuable
in all countries !
Now to undertake to prore that
one plant, solid as dry wood, will
undergo decay as quick as a mass
of matter which has already passed
through one half of the process, by
saying "that all countries acknowl
edge the value of the half decayed
mass or farm yard manure" is poor
logic; it begs one half the question,
and "takes the other half for
grauted."
The position he occupies on the
subject of washing would lead us
to conclude that his information on
that point has been obtained more
from the coloquial schools of the
present age than the school of ex
perience, for keeping in view the
kind of lands to which our article
alluded (rolling or hilly) we have
only to enquire if the roots of
plants, which he contends will not
wash away until the soil itself goes
are not brought to the surface by
every plowing which the land re
ceives ? The answer to this ques-
For the Fakmek and Meghmc.
Just a Word.
Messrs. Siiotwellaxd Dovvd:
Gentlemen: Permit me to ex
press my high gratification at find
ing vou in control of the Fakmek
an d Mechanic, and the hope that
you will be sustained and encour
aged by a liberal patronage. Hap
pily for our people, aud for the
future of our State, the old fogy
idea that farmers should blind their
eyes to all suggestions found in
papers or journals devoted to their
vocation, lest they might be misled
into book farming, is rapidly y ield
ing. The lawyer has to read the
physician has to read the manu
facturer has to read the banker
has to read the merchant has to
read that they may keep inform
ed as to their respective interests.
The farmer who has a wider and
more comprehensive field than any
or all of these, has been taught to
ignore all improvement, all ideas
of advancement. But I say he is
fast coming to a proper apprecia
tion of the fact that his, as well as
other vocations, requires the in
vigorating power of brains. We
have in our State nearly one hun
dred papers they of course aie
sustained chiefly by our agricultu
ral population, and only three of
these are devoted to the interests
of this class. I am satisfied that
the circulation of the Farmer and
Mechanic will reach an unprece
dented extent within the next
The am of tnis journal is to
benefit, the State bv advertising her
advantages and resources, to the
end that these boundless capacities
may be employed developed, and
made profitable. There are many
items worthy of publication in all
sections of the S ate, but of which
we busilv en craved in our Haleitzh
office mav never hear, unless our
friends, and those who would as
sist in the work, shall furnish us
an account of them.
So, too, in regard to farming,
mining and general intelligence.
We wish to make this paper one of
the leading vehicles of communi
cation between our working people
in all branches of industrv.
This can be onlv accomplished
by frequent exchange and inter
change of thoughts, inquiries, pro
posals, experiments, etc., etc.,
with relation to the everv-div
mi mi
affairs of life and business. Edi
tors are sometimts accused of
"kn wing everything' but, foi
one editor, we frankly confess vv
would rather have one sensible,
practical communication from a
wide-awake farmer, manufacturer,
or other business man, than many
yards of eloquent rhetorical edito
rial. Many think with us.
Moreover we shall be glad to have
our friends send us clippings from
other journals containing informa
tion wnieh they may deem inter
esting or instructive. It is some
times difficult for the Editor t
remember that "many men are of
many minds" and that articles
which he would enjoy, might seem
very dull reading to iiis next dooi
neighbor. If our Patrons will send
us the results of their investiga
tions, or selections of favorite ar
ticles, no doubt we shall derive
much benefit therefrom.
MM
there is every varU-'v
froui the rich black
land in the world, (an.i -for
jute ami rice) t t '
.
loam so e.veeliei t eariv
Fish are atuni! .m and
the sea and sound vw ,
hea1, mullet, herr.n ,
drum, flounder. sj.n. ..
hoglish. pinti-h. trout
dozn varieties f , ;i ..,
the fresh water yields ' ';', 1
turgeon, pickerel. ,.;' :'
robhms, eiinh. white v
ey ed pe: ch ; in fact, uv ;
cd t hat there are (if; . ,
f fish in North ( ' , '
Fine oyters. eiams,
Crabs, both soft an,: s".
elit-.i ! 1
1
twelve months. Our farmers, un-
tion will, we think, forever silence der our changed relations, begin to
the gen tk-man's doubts on this realize the indispensable necessity
point. We are as strong an advo
cate of rotation as the gentleman
dare to be ; but rotation alone will
not remedy the evil.
"Again,' says my worthy friend,
"a great part of the salts and ni
trogen from these plants aiv wash
ed out from them before they be
come detached, and this certainly
finds its way directly into the soil."
If my friend will look a little deep
er at this subject, he will perceive
that the remark is supported
neither by theory, practice nor ex
perience, unless he admiis of my
suggestion remedying the evil, and
that is to plow ali under as soon as
the crop is removed. It involves a
contradiction, amounting almost
to an absurdity, to contend that
this nitrogen, nearly all of which
of being better informed in regard
to everything appertaining to their
interests, and I for one rejoice in
tiie prospect of having at last a
live, enterprising journal, that will
meet their needs. I desire that
they should not only read it, but
that they should write for it. If
each of your readers, once in four
months, would write you a short
article, giving his experiences, ex
periments, observations; and offer
suggestions, it would not only help
you, but it would be of incalculable
benefit to the farmers who read the
piper. We need help. We are to
blame that we are not further ad
vanced, and I hope that renewed
energy, renewed life and a more
advanced spirit will mark the con
duct of our farmers. Honing that
rapidly escapes on the drying of the vou may soon swell your lists to
leaves of the cotton plant after be
ing killed by the fiist frost, will
ever find its way into that soil
ajrain.
And to maintain that the salts
are washed out by falling rains, is
assuming the ashes of the plant to
become available plant food before
combustion, the result of decay,
takes place. This is a new depar
ture in the science of chemistry,
unaccompanied, we think, by eith
er bearing, course, or distance.
However, if our friend has discov
ered marks sufficient to guide him
out of this dilemma we hope he
will publish it, and so flood us with
this new and resplendent light as
to deliver us from the errors of our
old ways. If the object of our
Holland mmig ration.
Elsewhere we allude to the Xew
Berne movement to encourage 1m-
migration from Holland. The
foil owing letter by a committee
sent to "spy out the land' as if
were, will speak for itself :
Editor Newrernian. Know
ing that a great number of Hollan
ders in Illinois, .Michigan, Indian
na and Wisconsin will' be anxious
to hear from us, and learn what
are our impressions of A'orth Caro
lina, we address a letter to you as
the shortest way of reaching the
largest number of those who are
interested in us. We left Chicago
on the Gth of February and ar
rived in Newborn on "the 1st of
March, being three davs on the
way; we remained in Newbern a
week, making acquaintaiu-es and
looking at our new home, when
we settled ourselves on the 8th.
The present name of the place is
Uavefock;it is situated on the At
lantic & North Carolina Railroad
about half way between Newborn
and Morebeacf citv. which last i
the terminus of the Road at Beau
fort harbor, one of the best ports
111 the State, from which vessels of
all sizes can sail direct to any part
of the world. By means of inland
creeks and rivers, we also have
water communications with ew
bern and Morehead city we bein
only about 18 miles from either
place.
Until we can build for ourelve
we are occupying S011ie houses be
longing to Mr. Amos Wade, one of
r nTcrs of th land of which
Mr. McLean has the control, who
has been most kind and liberal to
us. From his lwnlif.u- u. i i
Williams, who with his lovely wife
is hying on the spot, we have also
received much kindness and a-si---tance
111 getting set.led; indeed we
have met vwth nothing but
kindness, and find everything
toid us by Mr. .McLean, of the
country and people just as he rep
resented it. Tht re are a great
number of colored people hen? but
they in no way interfere with anv
one, and from all we can learn are
generally quiet and orderly. We
uere much surprised at the large
frev. I would like to hrfmm on our way
j t.M.u JIT. .J. ,
"VIII
thousands, I am your well wisher.
Farmer.
Our friend may depend on it v e
shall do our best to realize his pleas
ant prognostications.
Raleigh, March 30th.
Editors of F. & M.:
Gents: Please say to R. L. B.,
of Lenoir, N. C, that I hve no
Prickly Comfrey, nor Artichokes
for sale. I have not heretofore been
favorably impressed with the Com-
ubundanr ant
.1 Ui) n rllfltll in f 1, ..
range the woods and u ; . '
geese and swan, are f.!;i f
ponds and stream-. I-, . f
aie more than pleami
already begun umk
honing t h:ir bv !" .-! I
i 1 i ; .
will be lari'lv ineir i-,. .:
is every pro-pvet, will !, . ;
C u:ki.( M; j
Ai.i.i; K. Vivk,
Ai.r.i:i:r.. Hi ;. ",.
Haveloek, Maivh i: 1
Plowing- il Croi:s as Mr
A. t
A large number of f::n ;
unable to understand j,,, -
Dos.sible in hot tor f ! , . :
lands by plowing in t
1 . . . .1 1. . . 1
ourKw neai, etc., in a -r,
(ion. The difficuhv L ..
' i.l
that are shiulimm! t,, ,!,.,,
sustenance from the il ;n
they grow can return
in ore tit t ho i I t I... .. .
away in the:r grow t h. ' .;,"
is cleared no when it L l ,
1 11 " ri
plants draw nourishme.-n
atmosphere as well as f;(,
soil, and t his is one smi p v
While the leaves are aeranii
Stores of ferfilitv fi-.m. il,
roots are busy sean-lm,- !..
the soil, and thus the 1 wo .!
parts of plants work to(
is probable that erop
some W;iv nilnuno! fi.. ti
r T " " - - - ' j 1 1 1 ; 1 11 1 i '
phere ; a"t least," it ha tv,
satisfactorily nrood thot
not, and heme from ilu:
one of the most valuable
various forms of plant fond:
di'ii ved If thic i,,.;.,! ; '
it is certain that the le:((
from the atmosphere the .!,
of organic matter, and o
them so as to form t he .0,
of the plant. ; and w hen u.-
under the clover it eae
ganic matter in t he --oil.
is, in an imnortant sen-e. -,
But the excellent elh
ing under clover or .; j .1 r
crops are not due alone to ,!.
ri' fnff il i t i- . .1 , i .. : 1 e. .
- - t 1 1 1 1 , Mii.uuni 1 1 o n j , ! !
great dcep-penei rat iiiLr n-.i
a point, lower I ban imei ;
reals, and hence t hev drav.
plies of mineral food 'from -
inaccessible f ct ,.,,
plants; and further it i- .
served that thee root.- of
texture disintegrate and I
oil, so that air is let ,n.
some sense tin
is performed b
these roots decay tin y i'o;-,;
siderable portion oj'or-ana
etable matter, which, ..:
with the mineral. ie- ,
compost ior better plants
in.
From these brief con- '!'
it will readily be -a 1 .
possible to manure land h; ;
work
01
I if!)!.
m inven crops: am
parties who have crown it in Vnrti, I hn vi. .. l.,...i .
Carolina. I will add it to my col- j tw?nty acres in potatoes both of
. m 1 I I - - - - v
lection if our farmers will be likely , are. Sre n aI1d flourishinc
A 1 w-r
10 use ir. Very respectfully,
C, B. Fairciiild.
we
The location is exactly whf
were led to expect, and rho lnri
tven better than was represented ;
remark that it is a pra' ; h
ten enough followed h
bandrnen. The Hover:
the best of all the plant- f.
manuring, and it 1- ; -cheaply
raised. A thin dp
super phosphate (home j . :
almost always give a h a
red clover on common U:.
this crop, turned uud-r
its maturity and allow. '! 1
brings it into good tilth-. ;
tainly affords to the fain 1
margin for profit in h
crops. Boston Journal !
ist' v.
G kax villi-:. The lIo;d r
view says : )r. John K.
located in Henderson- -r-
A. Cheatham is ru-cth-g 1
... ,
ioie noiise on .vioin-ne
1 ? 11 1 . M-
i" ot; ccupieu ov nis son.
iamin Cheatham" The ' " 1
w ill soon be completed, :u.i M
tulel with a lare st( k -
vmv. i. j . ,jarJ " " ,
1 -1 It."..,-. '.
paei novvn ine jcjhi ,o.-
route to (iiecnville, N. (
former home of the Govh' r-
will be absent several days
Haleigh.