Weather Crop Bulletin reports a hot dry week in 1896
The Central Office Raleigh NC reports for the week ending April 18 1896 an extremely warm dry period with sunshine and an average state temperature of 75 degrees. Rain was scant and drought persisted though farm work advanced. forecasters expect good conditions if showers arrive. Vegetation advanced with trees nearly fully leaved. Eastern district notes drought and limited beneficial showers. corn and cotton planting progress, strawberries promising. Central and Western districts describe widespread dryness but crops growing, with detailed notes on corn cotton wheat fruit and alfalfa cultivation guidance and farm practices.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Central Office
Raleigh
N.C
North Carolina State Weather Service
Central District
Western
National Farmers Alliances and State Officers Listed
A fragmented list of officers for the National Farmers Alliance and the North Carolina and South Carolina chapters is provided. It identifies presidents secretaries and executive committees, with multiple names and locations, noting Reform Press Association connections and a directive to newspapers to retain and expand the listed state papers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cyrus Thompson
Richlands
D. C
Jno
Graham
Ridge
Hillsboro
N.C
Curer
J. T. B. Hoover
Elm City
W. N. Seawell
Villanow
Durham
N. C
A. D. K. Wallace
Rutherfornton
T. Ivey
W. A. Graham
Machpelah
North Carolina Farmers’ State Alliance
A. F. Hileman
Concord
N. C. English
Trinity
Agriculture Advice From A Thoroughgoing Farmer Citizen
A persuasive voice extols berry gardens and self reliance for farmers. It condemns unpaid taxes on personal property, urges practical learning through hands on work or college, warns against animal inhumane conditions, emphasizes weed control before seeding, and argues cheese and butter industries affect the broader farm economy.
Alfalfa or Lucerne Planting Guidelines
In the South alfalfa can be sown in spring or autumn. For hay, sow twenty to thirty pounds per acre. for seed, fourteen to eighteen pounds per acre. Do not cover too deeply. Alfalfa matures by the third year.
Give the Farm a Name
The piece urges farmers to label their farms with names on barns or road gates to aid visitors, boost beauty, and inspire pride. It argues labeling would encourage tidier, better kept properties and deter slovenliness by contrast, fostering overall rural improvement.
One Way of Raising Sweet Potatoes by Ridge Cultivation
Geo. Berkelmann describes a ridge planting method for sweet potatoes. Furrows are formed parallel in rows, fertilizer covered by two plows leaving a centered unbroken strip, rows rounded with a hoe, and vines laid to promote rooting and cover. Planting distance, fertilizer rates, and irrigation are given to maximize yield and shape of tubers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Geo. Berkelmann
Losses of Chickens From Hawks Foxes and Raccoons
Reports from poultrymen across the Southern Middle and Central States show losses of 10 to over 50 percent of hatchings due to hawks foxes and raccoons. Readers suggest bounties 50 cents on hawks 2 dollars on foxes and 5 dollars on raccoons to reduce numbers, urged by granges and societies. The issue affects many women and semi invalids, risking further increase if not addressed.
Poultry Digestion by Hard Substances
The article explains how poultry use hard materials to aid digestion. After crop storage, food moves to the gizzard where strong muscles grind it. Hard seeds or stones are preferred, and birds select appropriately sized pieces, sometimes wearing down larger pieces like crockery.
Breeding stock caution cautions young breeders on prices
John M. Jamison warns against chasing high priced pedigreed stock. He says purebred value exceeds common stock but warns you may not recoup money, and prestige cannot be bought. Start with quality, buy pedigree later as funds allow, and go slow without experience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John M. Jamison
Farmers’ Home
Northwest
Breeding Pigs for Bone and Carcass Quality
Farmers seek bone rich hogs for market while breeders note that fine boned stock lacks vitality. A Western swine breeder reports crossing improved hogs with Florida razorback stock to restore constitution and meat quality. First crosses grow 200 to 250 pounds cheaply. a 16 month old barrow reached 480 pounds on foot. Sorghum cane yields about 20 tons per acre and syrup roughly 12 gallons per ton, with seed valuable for feed and leaves usable as fodder.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Florida
Salmon
Department of Agriculture
Bitter milk from bacteria and spoiled dairy products
The article explains that bitter milk results from bacteria altering proteins into bitter compounds with other species and peptones also causing bitterness. It notes diseases of mammary glands as other spoilage causes and mentions fermentation by bacteria and yeast producing carbonic acid. It cites Kefir grains and Dr. Weigmann’s sparkling milk from similar materials.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Weigmann
Buttering hoard accused of fake color laws misleads buyers
Rampan alleges a man on South Water Street Chicago bought 75 samples of imitation butter and found 62 were genuine buttering. He argues consumer deception, urges a law banning color imitation, noting Iowa’s cheaper noncolored product after a similar law.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
South Water Street
Chicago
Iowa
Profitable Pears and Practical Orchard Tips
Last year confirms pears as highly profitable. Prune cherry trees only lightly, avoid large limb pruning, and feed fruit trees with wise care. Quinces demand prompts better soil, cool roots, and deep, cool soil. The peach must grow new wood yearly. Emphasizes thrift, proper packing, and market demand for top quality fruit. Encourages home manure use and careful thinning of peaches and pears for better yields.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Green
Tee
Also Mentioned on This Page
THE
National Farmers’ Alliance and Industrial Union
Mann Page
Brandon
H. C. Snavely
Lebanon
R. A. Southworth
Denver
Col
A. L. Loucks
Huron
W. P. Bricker
Cogan Station
J. F. Willetts
Kansas
W. L Peeke
Colo
Gonts Carolina Farmers’ State Alliance
North Carolina Reform Press Association
Oficers
J. L. Ramsey
Marion Butler
W. S. Barnes
Emnlina Wi Aichman
Agriculture
Farma
Rampan
Horticulture Fauit Notes