i89o 
475 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
HAYING IN NEW JERSEY. 
To day for ttie first time in two weeks, 
the farmers in Morris County are enjoying 
a fine rain, while a considerable amount of 
hay is out in various conditions. We need 
the rain, however, for the corn, oats and 
potatoes. The ground had become quite 
dry. In all the potato and corn fields in 
which the cultivator had not been kept 
going, the surface was getting in bad con¬ 
dition. I am a firm believer in shallow cul¬ 
tivation for corn ; but the cultivator should 
be kept on the move all the time until the 
corn gets too large to permit one to work 
in it. Some farmers think a crop of corn 
cannot be raised unless the plow is used. I 
think otherwise. The oat crop in our 
county is not looking well as a general 
thing, mostly on account of the flea, that 
damaged the crop for some time. Other 
grains are looking very well, and some 
fields of rye have been harvested. I think 
I am safe in saying that more hay has 
been gathered in splendid condition than 
ever before at this season, on account of the 
last two weeks of beautiful weather. 
Farmers all seemed to begin early this year, 
and most of them have pushed the work 
along faster than usual. The quality of 
the crop where the land is good is excel¬ 
lent ; on old meadows it is not so good; but 
it is fully 100 per cent. Our farmers, 
almost without exception, have come to the 
conclusion that the way to get large, good 
crops of hay and keep the meadows going 
year after year, without plowing, is to top- 
dress them ; they were a long time getting 
at this. So far as my experience goes, I 
think a meadow can be made to yield large 
crops of hay for almost any length of time 
by putting on say, 15 loads of good stable 
manure per acre every third or fourth 
year with a manu re spreader. I would 
prefer to do it as soon after cutting as pos¬ 
sible, although rather than not do it at all 
I would put it on at any time. J. J. M. 
NORTH CAROLINA NOTES. 
Mr. Hale’s account of his peach business 
I read with a deal of interest; also Mr. 
Albaugh’s remarks about the history of 
fruit and truck growing in different sec¬ 
tions of our country. I think what he says 
accords with facts. I doubt not the cor¬ 
rectness of his remarks about peach grow¬ 
ing in Georgia. In fact, judging by the 
character of the growth and the quality of 
the seedling fruit of this country, and the 
thriftiness of a few peach orchards in 
Hunterdon County, N. J., now in bearing, 
which were set with trees grown from buds 
produced from North Carolina peach beeds 
placed in nursery-stock in New Jersey, I 
have no doubt that the Piedmont belt of 
the South is destined to be one of the great 
peach centers in the Union. In loculi'ies of 
considerable elevation, remote from large 
streams, our native fruits rarely fail. In 
fact, there is not a fruit, grass, grain or 
forage plant of any kind, now growing in 
New Jersey and its latitude, that is not 
growing, or can not be grown in North 
Carolina, and all will grow with equal 
vigor and perfection, the culture and fertil¬ 
ity being the same. 
Last fall 1 sent to one party in Hunter¬ 
don County, N. J., 500 bushels of peach 
pits gathered from a circuit of not many 
miles in the surrounding country. This 
year there will be no peach pits to be 
gathered.* I have already had inquiries 
for pits. Our peach season here begins 
about the first of June, and continues for 
five months. We have seedling native va¬ 
rieties of much value. The Lady Ingold 
ripens just after the Early Crawford and 
resembles it very much in appearance. 
There are also others that are grown large¬ 
ly throughout the State. The peach here 
attains to an age that is probably not sur¬ 
passed anywhere. The minerals and tim¬ 
ber of the South, although great, are the 
least ot its resources. The adaptability of 
the soil and climate to the growth of the 
various forage plants, grains and fruits 
promises far more. The dairyman, stock¬ 
man and the lover of choice fruits looking 
for a home or place of business, ought to 
make the circuit of this rolling, upland 
country lying between the foothills of the 
Alleghany range and the tidewater belt, 
which is blest with an abundance of never- 
failing springs, and with a climate whose 
extremes are not so pronounced as in much 
of our far western country. Owing to the 
achievements of science and man’s inven¬ 
tive genius, if we want to raise big crops 
of grain, grass or fruits, we are not forced 
to seek the virgin soil or river bottom, but 
locate where we like, and go into the mar¬ 
ket and procure the plant food—the ma¬ 
terials to make the crop. Every year rail¬ 
road facilities are increasing and new 
routes are laid out. Last fall the seeding 
was done in a decidedly commendable 
manner for this country, and wheat and 
oats during early winter were very prom¬ 
ising, but the unusually warm weather in 
the latter part of the season, forced nearly 
all forward plots of wheat and oats into 
stalks, which the late frosts in March cut 
down, resulting in a crop hardly worth 
cutting. In some places insect ravages 
were very marked, owing probably to the 
very mild winter. It is doubtful if much 
more than half a crop on an average, will 
be realized in this part of the State. 
In this immediate section more clover 
and grass seeds were sown last fall and this 
spring than ever before, and this year more 
clover hay will be made. Our leading 
farmers begin to realize the value of clover, 
a hopeful sign for our future prosperity. 
The fruit crop this year is a pretty general 
failure with all varieties, except apples. 
They will not be more than about half a 
crop. Blackberries are plentiful. Corn is 
verj promising just now. Tobacco looks 
well, but in some places worms are un¬ 
usually abundant. This is not a cotton 
section, but I understand that the cotton 
crop elsewhere is quite promising. Irish 
potatoes are yielding well. Some com¬ 
plained of the potato bug and resorted to 
Paris green and Slug Shot. Sweet potato 
plants are about all set. The garden crops 
are pretty generally promising. Some 
gardens are of course always ahead of the 
average. The gardener is up to the times 
with seeding, culture and manure, and fully 
appreciates that acre of the farm. Ninety 
cents a bushel are offered at the mill for 
new wheat. Thrashing will probably begin 
within a week. The past three weeks have 
been very favorable for the growth of sum¬ 
mer crops, there being sufficient moisture 
and the weather being warm. The ther¬ 
mometer has been ranging between 90 and 
100 deg. The latter figures it rarely reaches. 
From 95 to 80 deg. is the common range. 
Thomasville. J. B. 
FARMERS IN POLITICS. 
The farmers’ organizations throughout 
the country are exceedingly active in the 
political field at present. The Farmers’ 
Alliance, however, is still far ahead of all 
others in numbers, influence and activity. 
There are, in reality, two National Farm¬ 
ers’ Alliances—the Northern and Southern. 
H. L. Loucks, of Dakota, is President of 
one, and L. L. Polk, of North Carolina, 
President of the other. There is no plain 
line of division or demarkation between 
them, and they co-operate heartily with 
each other. The latest estimate of the 
membership of both organizations, by Mr. 
Macune, Chairman of the Legislative and 
Executive Committees, puts it at 2,500,000. 
There are organizations in Maryland, Vir¬ 
ginia, West Virginia, North and South 
Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, 
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkan¬ 
sas, Indian Territory, Colorado, New 
Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Indiana, North and South 
Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Cali¬ 
fornia, Washington, Illinois, Michigan, 
Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jer¬ 
sey and Delaware. During the session of 
Congress, the Executive and Legislative 
Committees have representatives constant¬ 
ly at Washington. It is their duty to keep 
a close watch on legislation, and urge 
upon the Senators and Representatives 
from the various States the views expressed 
by the members of the Alliances among 
their constituents. They also enter vigor¬ 
ous protests against all legislation which 
they consider inimical to the agricultural 
interests, and keep the different State Alli¬ 
ances thoroughly informed of the action of 
their representatives in Congress on the 
various measures indorsed or repudiated 
by them. In other words, they form a 
“ lobby ” in the interests of agriculture— 
a long-felt desideratum. The Grange is 
also similarly represented at the National 
Capital while Congress is in session. 
'I he following brief synopsis of the reso¬ 
lutions passed at 23 recent important con¬ 
ventions of both alliances, gives a fair 
idea of the principles advocated by them. 
Some of the resolutions were passed by ail, 
while others found a place in the platforms 
of only some. They are arranged in the 
order of theit general acceptance. 
The establishment of a system of sub¬ 
treasuries throughout the country for the 
storage of agricultural products on which 
80 per cent, ol the value should be advanced 
by the government at two per cent, inter¬ 
est. The free and unrestricted coinage of 
silver. That railroad transportation as well 
as telegraph and telephone service shall be 
conducted at actual cost, and that the gov¬ 
ernment shall own and operate all three. 
The passage of laws prohibiting the alien 
ownership of land and providing for the 
recovery of lands now owned by aliens and 
foreign syndicates. Co-operation of all 
producers and laborers to protect them¬ 
selves against the exactions of non-pro¬ 
ducers. The election of Presidents of the 
United States and Senators directly by the 
people. Stringent legislation against trusts 
and other monopolies. A trial of the Aus¬ 
tralian system of balloting at State and 
National elections—to insure the purity of 
the ballot box. A radical reduction of the 
salaries paid to public officers, County, 
State and National. In favor of the But- 
terworth Bill against gambling in agricul¬ 
tural products. Against food adultera¬ 
tions. In favor of legislation to stamp out 
pleuro-pneumonia, and to protect ail 
domestic animals from contagious diseases. 
In favor of fixed salaries instead of fees for 
county officials. 
That, in view of the fact that agriculture, 
the greatest interest in the country, is now 
represented in Congress by only 13 Repre¬ 
sentatives and one Senator, it is the 
bounden duty of farmers to send more of 
their own members to the National Legis¬ 
lature. The issue of a sufficient amount of 
fractional paper currency to facilitate 
exchange through the medium of the 
United States mail. The abolition of 
National Banks and the substitution of 
legal tender notes for their bills. Such 
a revision of the tariff that the burdens 
now resting on the agricultural classes 
shall be lessened to the greatest pos¬ 
sible extent. An increase of the volume 
of the currency by the general government 
to an extent corresponding with the in¬ 
crease of the business and population of the 
country. The reclamation by the Govern¬ 
ment of lands now held by corporations in 
excess of their actual needs, to be held for 
actual settlers only. That all revenue, 
National, State and County, shall be 
limited to the necessary expenses of the 
government, economically and honestly 
administered. In favor of a deep-water 
harbor on the Texas coast, preferably at 
Galveston. Permitting farmers and 
tobacco producers to sell leat tobacco in 
any quantity to unlicensed dealers or to 
any other person without restriction and 
repealing all laws to the contrary. Pro¬ 
hibition, a tariff for revenue only, an im¬ 
partial ballot for all creeds and colors, and 
several other special subjects find places 
among the resolutions in different parts of 
the country. While all are almost entirely 
such as would meet the approval of the 
farmers of all sections, still the resolutions 
passed in the South are tinged with a 
subtle Democratic and those in the West 
with an equally fine Republican flavor. 
While both branches of the Alliance pro¬ 
fess to be non-partisan, Democracy has be¬ 
come a religion in the South, and the most 
independent farmer must hesitate long be¬ 
fore incurring the odium inseparable from 
apostasy from it. In the Northwest and 
West, however, no party ties appear to be 
so indissoluble, and an independent State 
and National movement has been started 
by the Northern Alliance in Kansas and 
Minnesota and probably in Nebraska. 
In some of the States each of the resolu¬ 
tions is put on a separate card, and the 
cards are submitted to the County, State 
and National candidates for election or re- 
election. On the back is an explanation to 
the effect that the card has been prepared 
for the purpose of pledging the candidates 
to support the demands which have been 
ratified by a large majority of the subordi¬ 
nate Alliances. It is broadly stated that 
politicians have so often deceived the 
farmers by verbal promises, which they 
have broken after often denying that they 
bad made them, that the Alliance men 
have decided, for the future, to take their 
pledges in black and white. If the candi¬ 
date to whom the card is presented for his 
signature, signs it, then the person who 
presented it sends it immediately to the 
Secretary of the State Alliance, to be kept 
for future reference. If the candidate re¬ 
fuses to sign the card, then the person who 
presented it straightway sends it to the 
Secretary of the State Alliance. If the can¬ 
didate signs an obligation to support some 
of the demands and refuses to support the 
others, he can, if he chooses, give his rea¬ 
sons in writing, and they will be forwarded 
to the Secretary and filed with the card, or, 
if he refuses to sign any of them, he can, u 
he desires, give his reasons ior tiie relusal, 
and they also will be put on record. In all 
cases the Alliance supports the candidate 
who gives the tuilest, most reliable and 
satisfactory pledges. 
Cl'o be continued.) 
PRINCIPAL 
-AND — 
INTEREST 
IN THESE’ BOOKS 
FOR RURAL READERS. 
HORTICULTURIST’S RULE BOOK-By 
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THE ANNALS OK HORTICULTURE-For 
1889. By L. H. Bailey. CONTENTS : General 
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Combating Insects with their Parasites. Vegetable 
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some Tender Fruits. Notes on Fruits in California. 
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THE HOME ACRE— By E. P. Roe. Mr. Roe 
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