| Show A successful experiment in teach I 1 ing agriculture so soon boon 0 n after the e close lose of the wan wac there wil hii was formed in in baltimore baltimorean an association of friends forthe for fon tho the purpose of advising and assisting impoverished ed friends in the southern states the immediate object was to afford physical relief but as the continuance of physical want can only be prevented by removing its causes the association wisely connected with their beneficence a system of moral and religious education their thir principal field of operations was in the rural districts of western north carolina in the tile outset they were met by a difficulty which they foresaw unless removed must prove arve an insuperable obstacle in the way pf af effectually helping a community where want vant of bread and want of intellectual and moral duffil culture ro extensively ten prevailed to nise rise fo to a condition in which they could support and educato educate themselves independently of forel foreign gli aid homes home provided with facilities fox foy secular and religious education imply im ply adequate means with a rural po population p u these can be obtained from no other source than the soil but bu t in the section where their advice and aid were most needed the soil oil had become so impoverished by thriftless cultivation the herns herds and flocks were of such inferior varle varieties des and the prevalent modes ot ol husbandry BO so necessitated not only scant returns I 1 but a 1 still further exhaustion bathe soil that wit without houta a change for the better continued poverty and arid dependence were vere inevitable besides it being the prevalent not notion lori that the meager products of the thel land were owing not to a defective style of farming but to a worn out soil the disposition of the more capable and enterprising especially among the young to emigrate seemed to be restrained only anly by the want of means to get away with a view to remedy this discouraging state of things the association in 1867 purcY purchased aed ned a farm of acres located at springfield on the dividing dividing line between randolph and guilford counties on this they placed as their superintendent an experienced and ind enterprising farmer and furnished him hird the means of teaching improved agriculture by exemplifying its processes and by bringing within the reach of the farmers in the je xe glon gion ilon jion round about the necessary facilities for entering upon a career of improvement themselves he was expected to conduct his farming operations in such a way asto as to shoto to the farmers in the neighborhood what modem improved agricultural machines aud and implements clements ts are and how they are worked what advantages there are in utilizing all the manure that can be made on t the he farm and supe ing lug chemical and other fertilizers in deep plowing and thorough cultivation in draining and under draining in adjusting soils fertilizers and crops to each other by rotation and other others wise in superseding or at least improving small smail scrubby native cattle r heep sheep and hogs by thoroughbred stock and in increasing the stoe stoc stock ak cap capacity of the farm by the tho culture of new now grasses and other othor varieties of green foI fol fodder fodden der def he was also to be the agent of the association for bringing within the reach of farmers in that locality bality lo and furnishing at cost or nearly so selected seeds improved agricultural implements clements ts and blooded stock and for organizing agricultural clubs and awakening a spirit of inquiry and enterprise by lectures on farm ing newspapers ac the results of thi practically benevolent enterprise have bavo equaled the most sanguine anticipations of the association in the winter following the purchase of the farm through gli the agency of its superintendent many farmers clubs were organized nemly nearly four hundred subscribers to td agricultural papers were obtained and nd about two tons of clover seed ayere distributed tri at cost in iii 1871 no reports h have ave come to h hand and for the intervening years the superintendent reports not only that the farmers in the immediate region are mal mai making in 9 rapid strides d es in agricultural improvement b but ut that the central leaven leavelt is em extending t ending fram them into regions more remote among the evidences of this are noted first the greatly increased demand for clover seed at the time the farm was purchased throughout that region the want of pasture and hay veas was nn an insuperable obstacle in ln mhd va of peeping keeping stock tany ext extent grit brit T arf d meet this want tue the made special efforts to h ge enal eral introduction oclever oc lover loven jin ati I 1 1868 aan in addition to two tons of clover seed several tons of the tho best peruvian guano were w ere forwarded to the superintend ent enty With instructions to furnish famish both the seed and the cost to farmers willing to test them in con junction it wag waa found ahat after once setting the cloyer on exhausted ha sted sied soil joll with mith juhno juano guano there was avas no necessity sity for jor further use of it IL in 1871 as a direct consequence of the example aud and facilities afforded by the associations far farm mover over peros had mon been successfully seeded to clover and the superintendent WAS conf cont confident ident thab that very soon clover would ba bd largely cultivated on every farm in wes western teril terri orth carolinas Carol caroi inas inai A second c evidence of a growing interest an agricultural improvement was found in the demand for improved agricultural implements among tho those he had furn furnished is hed were mowers re apers wheel rakes fakes iron and caststeel cast east steel plows cultivators clover seed eed gatherers ac and it was observer ed that hito whatever ver ven neighbor hood one of these agricultural ma ilia chines which supersede hand pow er by horsepower goes gov it immediately becomes a Ef silent mient orator which successfully pleads for the removal of stumps st stone onesT knolls and alling hollows follows and for the under draining of places too top wet and soft for horses and machino machine to pass 0 over er aur A largo large amount bf lof under draining drain ipg had been dono done on almost all ail the farms for fior many miles rulles around A third evidence was apparent in the increasing numbers who visited the farm for the the tho purpose of seeing done on it andoci it is done inaho in the spring of that thal year strangers ear car came ae in such buch numbers nearly the whole time of tile the superintendent to shaw and explain the improvements they had pomp n 9 t to q s see bee boand and bearn earn about of thorough ibfred batocki tock kept for production on the farm and for propagation in fic the surrounding region there were tive five head of al demeas der a south Bouth southdown down buck a chester ow a berkshire i boar and in greater or less ids nu numbers abers offspring ani ang and crosses from the same during the searon a small smail stream running through the farm stal atal cost of a bone enill ahad been heen built which and grind 1500 pounds of or bones bonos per day it is believed to be the first ever built in north Ci carolina trolina and hud fx fram benefits to tho the farms in the vicinity are anticipated the tile superintendent thinks the the tho region is well vell adapted to fruit growing and ands in lew law of or the results of expert anio nets since he began his farming operations there lie he is con conr vinced thattie hp choicest fruits can carr be lie grown britho an poorest lollaby sol soi lahy laby fertilizing til izing them wi with th peas plowed uil uri under and mulching the trees vrees with leaves he has made experiments Ims in oiling and with soa so favorable ay results 1 chati he intends to fe kaj ediin I 1 a that way vay all the cows and helfers on oh the he says 1 I 1 I 1 last year I 1 took f roul undred s quare rods the food for one cow one and twenty two to das da suid suld swid nathis thia year have had nearly aa satisfactory results I 1 hae have hao now growing one and a halt ac breso m ot vye ryo ano one acre ol 01 oats oata for fant seed feed inz ing a the spring to bo followed with lucerne hungarian grass orchard sra gra arrays is clover and corny corn and wind u up with beet beets carrot and turnip tops the bu bull buil I 1 t and one cow eow f have not been out toc tor eighteen months and aro are perfectly healthy laboris labor 13 abe cheap a but manure manuro is 14 the great desideratum in tho the rep report ort of 1872 tho the association represent that their agricultural ell eri enterprise terp rise ac springfield field with ith respect both to the farm and to the ben ban beneficial resu results sits they designed by luto dimise diffuse through the neighborhood hoo boo daud dand and aud over oven the state lias ilas been beva favored with continued and grow brow ing guc success cess on abo the farm naw well ivl stocked toc toe ked hed with horses mules mulas cattle cattie sheep sheb shee ho hogs 9 a a and ild iid rowls fowls ai the barn was full v very r large larg L crops cr or of 0 bay hay wha wheat and a ud e corn rai having been produced from ro m a field 0 of eeleni acres which ahl U up to within three years had been covered with bilm and sassafras and considered the i most exhausted part of or fisa the fa farm earm rm bushels of wheal wheat had been harvested bushels from one adne acre the other othen sik six sik six av averaging 2102 21 S 3 bushels the superintendents both doth of agriculture and education are re 1 ported as receiving tho the heaitly cooperation of all classes clashes of citizens and as frequently invited ta fd do liver public addresses relative to their departments not only inthe in the neighborhood af pf bf their central verli operation but P in dista distant nt uty oky fj t 1 f turu i M jf j parts af pf the state the edu education catlon cation filst first made ride the special ial lai design of encouraging and arid aid ing inythe tiie ilia children mildren of needy friend have now grown into gene gone general ral rai an and T permanent schools in eleven ad jacent counties out of child w ten en who have received instruction since 1866 more mor than half were not connected the order of 0 ITri ends the superintendent in of adf the farm reports to the association the following inter esting estin 19 summary of results t th hii hil us a far the effect of df our opera operations tlona tiona on the corm corn hb teen een gratia gratifying lidga and n d kanbe c an be pan sen igen ilen for fifty miles around about acres havo lave been beer goyn boyn with clover claver in inthe lot int theu them be counties commenced hate been introduced instead i of ahr he the cradle cradie are frequently seed beed the fhe and tho the reaper liang lance lanee e num erm emm ere of people from all parta of the state statte gont pont continue hitie hetle to visit the farm tb to see eee for themselves selvestre ule the uie new way and they very gene tally cypress themselves satisfied that thit it Is au an improvement on the old exhaustive system more or eor less will become centers of influence and improve improved 4 ment the effect of oun our educational and agricultural efforts in staying the tide tlde of crai cral emigration gration to the west Is very tery apparent parent and add has aa already saved to north V carolina ar hundreds idt hur her best citizens monthly report de department of agriculture 1 |
