By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as published in the Charlotte Observer, November 22, 1948
Formerly known as one of the great cotton producing counties of this state, Cleveland County farmers have kept their cotton and have reached out along other lines. They milk cows, grow apples, have good gardens, produce certified seeds, and have some of the finest small herds of swine to be found in North Carolina.
In this, they are doing just what our leading farmers have long advocated for the other parts of the state. Then, too, there are many small industries over the county that provide both employment and markets for farm produce. There are also many good Cleveland farmers who know that it is not wise to have only one or two cash crops as the sole source of income but who do have these crops, intend to keep them, and are making other acres, not in cash crops, help to produce an income also. Long ago Cleveland farmers gave up the idea of cotton alone and began to use their extra acres for pasture, corn, small grain, alfalfa, clovers, sweet potatoes, and all the several kinds of feed crops needed for hogs, beef cattle, poultry and dairy cows.
But let’s never that forget that Cleveland is a good cotton growing county and that they intend to keep on growing cotton. That is, if the cost of picking doesn’t get too high in comparison with the price of the staple. The growers say they caught a “fit” this fall. The price of picking started out at $2.50 a hundred. Then it began to rise as the fine harvesting weather continued. Finally, it leveled off at about $4 a hundred and some men said they have paid as high as $4.50 a hundred. At the present price of cotton, this is just about one-third of the money received for a bale.
Many growers say that if this keeps up and if they do not soon get a mechanical picker suited to the small farmer and with many of the present kinks ironed out of the machine, they may have to abandon cotton in favor of some other crop. The present picking machine is not yet satisfactory for North Carolina conditions, especially in the Piedmont.
A few men have changed from cotton to other crops. Ted Ledford of the Midway community does not grow a stalk of cotton. He owns 62.5 acres of land with 34 acres in crop land. Of this 34 acres of crop land, Mr. Ledford has 31 acres of Ladino pasture. He buys feeder calves and grows them out on this pasture for sale as grass fed steers in the fall. In addition, he grows about 20,000 broilers each year. He says he gets more clear profit at less hard work from these chickens and beef animals than he does from cotton and that his land is getting richer and more fertile right along.
Dairying has long been one of the chief farm industries in Cleveland County, and County Agent B.P. Jenkins says it is fast becoming of chief importance. All the local milk markets, or processing plants, which buy the fluid milk are increasing their routes and new patrons are joining in selling almost every day. Many of these newcomers to the cow-milking business say they are highly pleased with what they call “this newly found sideline.” Several of these new cow men say that they have been averaging about $25 a cow in each of the two-week checks which they get from the milk plant.
Ben Jenkins estimates that dairying has now reached up into a million-dollar business for Cleveland farmers and the fundamental reason for this nice cash income is because the landowners are growing alfalfa for hay, Ladino clover and orchard grass for pasture, and have excellent local outlets for all the milk they can produce. Another thing that will have a great influence on this milk business is the new artificial breeding association, recently formed. This allows the little fellow with only one or two cows to breed up his stock from some of the best blood lines of dairy stock in the United States. John H. Wright, who has this work in charge for the association, says it is breeding an average of 100 cows a month, in widely separated parts of the county.
This first test-tube heifer to be dropped in Cleveland County is owned by John Rufus Dellinger of the Belwood community. Young Dellinger is the sixth member of the endless chain calf club to declare a dividend since this chain was established two years ago by the Shelby Rotary Club. Fourteen of these heifers were placed originally over the county and when the Dellinger heifer is six months old, it will be placed with another 4-H club member. Then John Rufus will have fulfilled his obligation to the Rotary Club and his cow will be his own without any further cost.
Some of the other members of the Cleveland endless chain calf club who have paid for their cows by passing on a heifer to some other boy or girl are: Robert Cabiness of Lattimore, whose cow was placed with Dwight Tessener of Boiling Springs; M.D. Cabiness Jr. of Lattimore, with Donald Hastings of Casar; Joyce Williamson of Lattimore, with Bobby Huskey of Bethware; and Ralph Crotts of Polkville, whose calf went to Charlie Bridges of Polkville.
There has been quite a movement to add more silos on Cleveland County farms. Beginning early last May, these feed-saving storage places began to go up at a fast clip. Many of the men wanted to be assured of succulent feed for their cows in winter and many others wanted the silos to provide summer feed when dry weather began to hit the pastures. They say it is coming to be about as important to have insurance against dry weather as it is to have insurance against winter hunger.
Many a feeding problem is being solved by the simple expedient of growing alfalfa for hay and Ladino clover for permanent pasture. Tom Cornwell has been growing some fescue seed for these new pasture planters. He planted five acres to Fescue 31 last year and combined an excellent crop of seed during the past summer. Dewey and Paul Hawkins of Shelby also seeded five acres of fescue in the fall of 1947 and early this past summer they combined 250 pounds of valuable seed. Then they grazed the fescue for the remainder of the summer and added Ladino clover this fall. The Hawkins brothers used a part of their fescue seed to plant more pasture this fall but sold most of it to neighbors at a good price. Lamar Herndon followed out the same idea with his Ladino orchard grass pasture this year. He saved one acre during the early summer, combined the seed, and got 60 pounds of excellent Ladino clover seed from that one acre. He has planted five more acres of the mixture this fall to further increase his pasture growing.
Along with this expanding of pastures by growing seed at home, quite a few Cleveland men have changed over from the production of grade “C” milk for manufacturing purposes to grade “A” milk for bottling. Ray Waugaman, Shelby, Route 1, and Earl Wallace of Cleve-Co Farms in the Elizabeth community have both built new barns to conform to the grade “A” requirements. Mason Roberts of Shelby, Route 1, is building a large dairy barn, 40 feet wide by 60 feet long, and is adding 25 milk cows. He plans to add a grade “A” milking room so that he too can sell the premium product. Tom Hamrick of the Oak Grove section has recently built a 10-stanchion milking barn.
One of the problems facing those who plan to expand their dairy business is to find good cows. All summer long, Cleveland farmers have traveled from one sale to the other and from one breeding establishment to another hunting dairy cattle. Seven Guernseys were bought at the annual Guernsey sale in Statesville early in September and 10 Jerseys were secured at the annual Jersey sale at Statesville also in September. The would-be dairymen say they are still on the hunt for good, high producing cows at a reasonable price.
APPLE ORCHARDS
Cleveland County now has some excellent apple orchards. As yet these are not planted widespread over the county but those on hand are well kept. Some of the leading orchards are owned by Lutz and Ledford, J.D. Elliot and son, Wayne L. Ware, and B.H. Grigg and sons. Lutz and Ledford made an exhibit of their quality fruit at the North Carolina State Fair where it won much favorable comment. The orchard owners have begun to plant Ladino clover among their trees so as to produce the nitrogen needed for best fruit production. This reduces the cost of producing the apples and helps to maintain a high quality of fruit. Then, too, this clover can be cut and allowed to lay on the ground, thus providing a valuable mulch which helps to conserve needed moisture. This moisture problem is one that the successful orchardist of that section must meet if he is to produce the highest quality of marketable fruit.
B.H. Grigg and Sons are enlarging their present orchard out on Shelby, Route 4, from 19 to 30 acres. They have six acres of bearing trees that are now eight years of age and then they have 13 other acres of Stayman Winesap, Red and Yellow Delicious that are only two years old. Mr. Gregg has planted Ladino clover in his old orchard as a cover crop and a nitrogen gatherer.
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