The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume], September 27, 1904, Image 1

About The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1904-1905

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
V
1 y
r
- dr tirh, isi ISml, iS Ir
4.
and 0) (Ztefltetll FMnt
PROGRESSIVE FARMER VOL. XIX. NO. S3.
THE COTTON PLANT VOL. XXI. NO. S2.
RALEIQH, N. C, SEPTEMBER 27, 1904.
$1 a Year in Advance.
The Progressive Farmer.
AND THE COTTON PLANT.
(Consolidated September 27, 1904.)
The . Most Largely Circulated Farm Weekly
Published Between Washington and New Orleans.
CLARENCE H. POB,
D. W. KILGORB, 1
C. W. BURKBTT.J
Editor and Manager.
Agricultural Editors
ANNOUNCEMENT.
It 13 the ambition of the Agricultural Publish
ing Company to make the one great farm and
home weekly of the Southern States. That was
announced when the company was formed to pur
chase and operate The Progressive Farmer last
December, and at no time have we lost sight of
this purpose Expansion, to 'lengthen ourcords
and strengthen our stakes" that has been our
aim. As we said two weeks ago, a net gain of
more than 2,000 in number of subscribers had
been made since January 1st, but this was a
gain chiefly confined to North Carolina.
To-day, therefore, we are glad to announce to
our readers and friends that the Agricultural
Publishing Company has just purchased the good
will and subscription list of the Greenville, S. C,
Cotton Plant, and combined its list of subscribers
with that of The Progressive Farmer. For twenty
years The Cotton Plant has been the recog
nized organ of the agricultural interests of South
Carolina, and its list covers every section of the
- State, from north' to south, from east to west.
We promise our South Carolina friends our most
earnest efforts to make "The Progressive Farmer
and Cotton Plant," the biggest, brightest, and
best farm weekly in the South, and we ask their
co-operation to this end.
To our old friends, we need only say that this
addition will strengthen the paper and enable us
to make it better than ever before. Our adver
tisers especially are to be congratulated, for this
purchase means that they will now reach a mag
nificent list of South Carolina farmers, covering
every county in the Palmetto State. And these
farmers are sharing the same unprecedented pros
perity which the entire South now enjoys. They
have more money to spend than ever before and
are buying" more largely than ever before. . .
We go forward 1 Now for a long pull, a strong
pull, and a pull all together, for 2,000 more new
subscribers before January 1st!
With hearty appreciation of the support ' of
our old friends, and hoping for the same cordial
co-operation from our new South Carolina
friends, we remain, - '
THE AGRICULTURAL PUB. CO., '
CLARENCE H. POE, President.
Raleigh, N. C, Sept. 24, 1904.
The Kansas corn crop has been materially in
jured by the cold weather. Last year Kansas
produced 169,000,000 bushels. The yield this, year
is certain to fall below that figure. A conserva
tive estimate by grain men and experts -who have
visited the corn belt place the total yield at
150,00,000 bushels.
The Condition of the Crops.
The U. S. Weather Bureau reports cotton open
ing rapidly in all districts except in North Caro
lina; worms and caterpillars are causing injury
in several States.
Chairman Jefferson Johnson, of the Texas State
Boll Weevil Committee, in a statement of the
cotton prospects in his State, says that the yield
will be about 2,640,000 bales, which is an increase
of about 10 per cent over the yield of last year.
He says that the increase in acreage planted is
the cause of the increase of the yield.
The Government estimate of the wheat crop
in the spring was 637,000,000 bushels. This es
timate was' reduced after harvest to 540,000,000,
and some think that revised estimate is still too
high. The Government estimate of the corn crop
this year is 2,500,000,000 bushels. Mr. James J.
Hill and others who have sources of accurate in
formation say that the crop will fall 500,000,000
bushels below the Government estimate.
Last week's' North Carolina crop bulletin has
this to say as to conditions in this State: Cotton
picking is general in all sections, but
on account of cool nights the bolls are opening
slowly; from all indications the crop will be quite
short. , Fodder pulling and haying is active in all
sections; and on account of the favorable weath
er, both hay and fodder are being saved in ex
cellent condition in the western half of the State.
Tobacco cutting and curing i3 advancing rapidly
in the north-central counties; about two-thirds
of the crop has been saved, and the general results
are fairly satisfactory. Peanuts were damaged
slightly; the crop will be short, but the quality
appears to be goQd. Plowing for wheat is general
in all parts of the State, but the work is advancing
slowly. Sugar cane is ripening, and some mo
lasses has already been made.
As to the wheat situation, the Washington
correspondent of The Progressive Farmer writes
as follows : "Uncle Sam will be forced to the nu
usual expedient of having to buy wheat this year.
Instead of being the granary of the world, with a
crop large enough to satisfy the large home de
mands and to supply foreign markets, we will
have to import enough to meet the needs of our
domestic consumers. This shortage has meant
record prices to -the farmers, but if will also, in
the near future, mean higher rates for flour and
for bread. It is of interest to see from what
source we will obtain this extra quantity. Our
eyes naturally turn first to our Northern neigh
bor. Canada has for years raised a large surplus
of wheat, which has found an N outlet abroad.
A"
Manitoba and Northwest Territories are great
grain producing sections, and have attracted an
increasing stream of emigration from the farm
ers of our own Western States. Wheat can be
harvested there within 120 days after planting.
There have been rumors that the crop there had
also been injured by rust and frost, but a report
from one of our consular officers says that the
damage is not thought to exceed 10 per cent.' The
average yield is nineteen bushels to the acre."
The Guatemalan Ant and the Boll Weevil.
The Progressive Farmer has received from the.
United States Department of Agriculture a copy
of Bulletin No. 49, Bureau of Entomology, "Re
port on the Guatemalan Cotton .:: Boll Weevil
Ant." After giving thirteen pages as to its
habits; etc., the report concludes as follows:
"The present status of the investigation of the
boll weevil ant may be summarized by saying that
three of five crucial questions have, been met and
answered, and that two others are still to be
reached, but with no insurmountable obstacles '
as yet in sight. -
"(1) An ant has been discovered in Guatemala
which attacks and kills the adult boll weevil,
and thus holds this most injurious insect in check
and permits the regular harvesting of a cropof
cotton, even under conditions favorable to the
weevil. '
"(2) This ant is carnivorous and predaceous; it
injures no form of vegettation, and takes nothing
from the cotton plant except the nectar secreted
for it on the leaves and floral envelopes.
"(3) The habit and temperament of the insect
are such that it is readily capable of domestica
tion, transportation, and colonization in the cot
ton fields of Texas. v'.
"The issues which remain to be determined are:
"(4) Whether the keleps will survive the winter
climate of Texas ; and,
"(5) Whether they can be obtained or propa
gated in sufficient numbers to serve the practical
purpose for which they"" have been introduced.
- "It would be most unfortunate, however, if the .
discovery of what may prove to be an effective
enemy of the boll weevil should result in any
premature relaxation of efforts to avoid damage
by cultural expedients."
Secretary Wilson, of the Department of Agri
culture, announces that he still has great hopes
of far-reaching results from the ant experiment,
incorrect newspaper reports to the contrary not- -withstanding.
The Secretary says that of the
eighty-nine colonies already imported , only one
has been lost, and that through an accident. The
statements that the ants have died off, or have
been killed, it is announced, are erroneous. The
ants are vigorous and are still active in destroy
ing the boll weevil, and all of the colonies have
increased in numbers since they were liberated. :
INDEX TO THIS NUMBER.
Condition of -Crops 1 .
Current Events : Editorial Review 8
Farm Notes from the Mountains, H. M.
Daniel 3
Fish Ponds for Farmers 11
Fungicides and Spraying, Dr. F. L. Stevens 2
Gigantic Business Combination, F. D. Koonce 10. r
Guatemalan Ant and Boll VYeevu 1
Plowboy the Leading Man 6
Seen and Heard m South Carolina: Editorial 9 ::
Selecting Seed Corn. Henry Wallace ........ 2
Teacners' Reading Course .'. 4
Departments on usual pages: Home Circle, 6;
Social Chat, 7; State News, 12; General News, 13;
Markets, 16.
, !
V i
f
r)
i
1:
i
V'
7
Ml