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Agricultural ' Farming Methods Twenty \ Years Ago and Those of Today. J. K. Bruner, Secretary North Carolina Board of AgricuIture. in the Progressive Farmer: Twenty years does not seem to he a long period, as time is meas ured, but it is, in fact, one-third of the average age of man. In that sense it is a long period, and within its span the young come to maturity, the mature build as best they may?success or failure ?and then the slow decline; with lengthening shadows falling t?e?ore; sometimes all too short and, perchance, lingering yet awhile for rest and the enjoyment of life, as character has taught how best to enjoy it. , But it is of farming?that God ^ ordained vocation of finite man ^ ?that I am to write. Turning j my thought in that direction 1 j am strongly tempted to tell of my own experience on a dearly j loved uncle's farm in old Rowan, but as that was irinro than tmontu years ago, I shall forego the re miniscence. A review of conditions then exisiting must of ne cessity be brief, since to tell it all would require a book; and the progress of the science during that period would require as large a sequel ; the outlook for the next twenty years, an appendix ! But twenty years ago our farmers were still pursuing the meth ods handed down from father to 60n for more than a hundred years; the same methodp, the same rotation, when any was followed at all. It was a wellknown "round:" corn, wheat, pasture, wheat, corn, pasture; pasture wheat, corn. In the cot ( ton eouuiry uie wneat and pup- . tare were omitted and cotton , substituted; in the tobacco country the same conditions prevailed. ' 1 TIIK "RIDGING" SYSTEM. One of the practices inj'those , days with all farmers was the , high "ridging" of the rows .be- t fore planting, not only in] pota- , t >c , but in corn, cotton a: d ? tobacco. "Hilling" took the ? pla *e of "ridging" in the tobacco t fields, and this is still adhered to t in some tobacco regions of the n States. These hills or rid ires I ? ??? , I were six or more inches above I ( tho level of the field, and the 1 } {.recess of throwing them up with jp the p!??w was taxing t.o the mus u cle of both man atid horse, a nib U when done there wan a corre spending depiv ssion of the same j depth in the middle of the rows. r There were intended to hold the ( moisture, it is supposed. Kvcn now, iu pinny woodlands, turned L out twenty or more years ago, in walking through the forest these by-gone evidences of useless U/nvIr m d rr k/? t.l a i t? l*? 'Pi.*.. ?*%# ? uiuj uv; piaiuij PCCU. 1 l?I^ . shows how thoroughly well the work was done; with what per 8isfence and patience horse and man "worked'' the soil. Hut. all of this has passed away, r llat cultivation has supplanted it 1 and with much better average re suits in the harvest and much * saving of time and labor. This is ( one of the improvements in our ^ agriculture: the hill side terrace " is another along the same lines. * t INCREASING THE YIELDS. ^ Still another improvement is ii the increased yield in our v acreage: this, frankly, is applic- b Department. ible only to the better, farmers, rhere are still certain shiftless, jareless, small farmers amonn he white population, and, th* ireat majority of "tenanters' vho aro not rigidly "overseered* L>y owners who aro responsible 'or the rating given this State in he census returns as to yield per tore. However, when such farriers as Mr. N. Shaw grow thirteen bales of cotton on six acres, n Robenson County, and when a tale to the acre is becoming the :ommon yield among the best 'armors of the real cotton.'counties of the State, we must] acknowledge the increase and ^put t down to bettor farming. 1 taul 'Teal" cotton counties; 1 nean it. There is much land vest ana north ot Mecklenburg jouuty planted in cotton which vould grow tons of good ..hay, tood alfalfa and good cloverjand field more cash at less expenditure of money for fertilizer, and ess of labor. Excuse the digreslion; but truth is might and 1 lope to see it prevail. But to get back : it has been 1 hard lesson for our Southern 'armers to learn the difference between the ante bellum "planfa iion," with its broad acres and uicestral "mansion," (which had seen the ambition of our people for more than .a hundred years), _ j a. i_ _ ur 11 f i tuu me ' isrm 01 to uay, wirn its home" and its few hundred acres lurrouuding. In fact, the lesson s but half learned, since the hold ' ugs are too large, especially ivlien the tendency for intensive I? arming is taken into account. That tendency to intensive ? J SOI arming is another improvement in ttie old methods. Why culti- ^ /ate thirty acies, as we did twen- j v years ago, to harvest ton bales ?f cotton? The average farmer is low getting that much from ten teres; the best farmers are get- pU ing that much from less than ten teres! Ml'KOVKD TOOLS AKK DKCR K ASI.VO sp EXPENSES. p!; Still another factor in the ad- Pu /ance of our agriculture is thel, r< nore general use of improved | Pa arm macninery. J he old moth j151,1 ><In giving place to the new ;handlowing of grain to the drill; the ac 'old tin horn" t > the cotton plan- j11 ' ,er, the scythe and the cradle to he mower and the reaper; the vv* 'bull tongue" to the sulky plow ; P1 he ln>e to the scraper and the ultivator; the pitchfork to the!ta' lav stacker and the manure I tei ^ I 'Pi ipreader; whole dry stover toj *'i dlago and the shredder?these ph ind many other labor saving de-I'd' noes are taking the place oflrel land work, thus increasing the! esnlt of die working hours of he day. i Sll jood Advice?Don't Increase' Your Cotton Acreage. In. I 1,10 ireeuvilie Mountaineer. in ? v . out Don t increase your cotton | Hm icroij^e. J' in not time to olantlw"f con iotton, ol course, but doubtless ism nany are thinking over the mat ? er. The bent way in the world j o lower the price ?>!' cotton is to >ogin preparations for an increas- To d acreage. The crop of the past 'ear in South Carolina was one! I if the largest on record. Had the easona been altogether favorable hroughout the state, it would j',,', ave been still larger. The crop J">' n the entire South, to be sure, fas smaller by several million ales than the year before, but Fol S E E D I T I M E[ *3Se experienced farmer has learned that some grains require far different soil than others; some crops need differenthandling than others. He knows that a great deal depends upon right planting at the right time, and that the soil must be kept enriched. i No use of complaining in summer about a mistake made in the spring. Decide before the seed is planted. best time to remedy wasting conditions in the human body is before the evil is too deep rooted. At the first evidence of loss of flesh Scott's Emulsion should be taken immediately. There is nothing that will repair wasted tissue more quickly or replace lost flesh more abundantly than Scott's Emulsion. It nourishes and builds up the body when ordinary foods absolutely fail. We tvlll send you a sample free. /r^s Pe sure that this Jk picture in the form V WUddfiV of a label is on tho wrapper of every i V^? bottle of Emulsion SCOTTC& BOWNE g^ilCf'lr CHEMISTS 409 Pearl Street NEW YORK ], 5CC- and x W!l ? all druggists <j is whs due to unfavorable pea * 118. If every planter in the South lilts this year juftt the amount planted last year, and the -en I as are p*od, the crop unda ut. Already we hear taik in some | rts of the State planters ^eltiup i inly for a hi^ crop, in some in 1 inces niiiti.y leaving a n ..ei ; nt (Hi (heir farms, in many ices much line stock is belli}: rchased, and some of K on a -iiit. with the expectation ol yiok for it with liiteen cents lion next fall. In some of tile stern counties the tobacco reage is go:ng to lie cut, and <re cotton planted. A i of this we deem very tin -e. (J it ton will brim; a good ice next tall. Them's baldly y doubt oi that, but ail of tins k of in reused acreage wiil not ' >.i i..a.. 11. . I iw i?/ \ 11 }'l lit* J Ml*" IU i iti | e day the Southern farmerI (Ml- cotton to tii>- exolush ;i Oil .or crops, t at day wih see .. furci to lower prices. What we need is not more col i acreage; ?t is diversification versify, make your faun el pporhng, and greater will be ij or measure ot success. Attacked in Mrs Nancy St 'ddnrd of Fount-in j i, S. (3. I w.is atlacked by tli.it tcrrilih | ni-.tcr you cull lihcnnmtisiu OUli NKW j >''t) V I! Y iviih rcconi" t-.ided to me liy druggist, ami alter t iking two hot ties, i t gnat monster of trouble and sufl linn! < b-ro il to take its tl ght. | ghu'.iv ic- ; amend i' to any snthiiog with Ulu-umii- j i. .Sold l?y Crawlor I llros. Notice the Overseers of the Public Highways of Lancaster County : ask you all to warn out your hands on h k*. it ion of road and work tcur mad d In two n now and the loth day of ich, so you c ill all make a good i port til- first Monday in .t|>ril, its the grand f v ri ijuirr s yon to do. The roads uiust J ivorkcd, and I hope I will not have to e any trouble with any of the overseers. ie due notice and work your roads. M 0. OAKDNEH, County Supervisor, ruary 17, 19UG. lui ~ TO THE i TRADING PUBLIC! I ^ If you want to SAVE your money during the present month, I Don't Spend ' A Nickle till you get our prices on r ILlotning, canoes, ^overcoats, odd Pants, Ladies' Jackets and a hundred other things. We have odds and ends in all these that we are going to close regardless the price. With best wishes to our I patrons generally, 4$ < Funderburk Comp'y. T-^ I J IfIIA ITV'JJ! 1V f \ | iiMlw9 iLiy iiiliiil | GIVE ME ? ti J. C. Edwards' Store , ~ "You will have to wait, the line is busy." "Well, I don't mind waiting, if time is money?I'll make it back when I get my goods." His Magnolia Flour is $2.30 per hundred. livery where else $2 40 and $2.50, and not half as nice and white. Seed Tick Coffee 11 1-2 cents per pound. Beautiful 5 lb. milk Fail filled with Roasted Java Coffee for $1.00. Wken Shoes j are needed, don't fail to see Hdwards. When you need Linen Collars at 5c each, see him? and when you need anything in Groceries and ' Dry Goods, it will pay you to call. 000 Kushels I. / of Virginia Valley Corn to come in this week nriro ??i / r h f T #? ? ? ? ? *- ? * ? ??&? ?- a wcini country people, town I people, and all other people, to come and see us. J. C. Edwards || Bennett's Old Stand. - f