Carolina Farm Notes, February 1940

By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as published in The Southern Planter, February, 1940

The early bird lays the high priced eggs. Progressive poultrymen know this; so they are making plans now to hatch out pullets to lay these high priced eggs next fall and winter. To remind all poultry growers of this important matter, H.C. Gauger of the State College poultry department, says the heavy breeds, such as the Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires or Barred Rocks, should be hatched between February first and March first. The light breeds, such as the Leghorns, should be hatched between March first and April first.

DR. WINTERS PROMOTED

The recent promotion of Dr. R.Y. Winters, formerly director of the North Carolina Experiment Station and now assistant director of research in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has had a favorable reaction in North Carolina where Dr. Winters served as plant breeder and agronomist before becoming director of the Station in 1925. He left for Washington in 1937; and in addition to becoming assistant director of research in the Federal organization, he has recently been placed in charge of coordinating the research programs of the four regional laboratories to develop new uses for farm commodities.

SELLING AT CURB MARKETS

Two thousand farm women sold $350,000 worth of surplus garden, pantry and home supplies at the 44 home demonstration curb markets operated in North Carolina in 1939. Mrs. Cornelia C. Morris said the stimulus for growing, conserving and preparing this material for the markets was a desire on the part of the women to improve their rural homes. The money was used for better housing, comfortable furnishings, more efficient home equipment, health protection, and the like. The markets also stimulated attention to finance, farm management and to the budgeting of time and funds.

“As a result of their market sales each week, we have many women knowing for the first time how much money they are receiving and how much they are spending for living expenses,” Mrs. Morris said.

CHAMPION 4-H MEAT PRODUCER

Joe Sanderson, a 16-year-old member of the Grantham 4-H Club in Wayne County, has been named the champion 4-H meat producer in North Carolina and has received an inscribed gold watch as a prize. In his three years of club work, Sanderson has handled 101 hogs, taken part in four judging and four showmanship contests, and has exhibited corn and swine at local, county, and state shows to win $181 in cash prizes. His total returns from his swine work amounted to $1,620.09 and from his corn has amounted to $273. He lives on his father’s farm, Route 1, Four Oaks.

EASY MONEY?

One day T.M. Mayfield, assistant county agent of Union county, visited R.P. Stegall, farmer of the Marshville section. “How can I make $1,000?” Stegall asked half jokingly.

“By growing turkeys,” Mayfield shot back.

That called for more talk and on May 15, Mr. Stegall placed 1,100 turkey poults under four electrical brooders. The poults at 40 cents each plus the cost of the brooder house, the four brooders, and of the feed made an expense of $1,482.70. He lost 80 of the 1,100 poults started, and sold the mature birds for $2,513.76. His profit above feed cost was $1,161.06.

So Mr. Stegall made his $1,000 and still has the equipment which he says is just about as good as new.

BULL, INCORPORATED

Twenty-eight Iredell 4-H calf club members decided that if they were going into this dairy business on a sound basis, they had better get one of the best bulls that could be bought.

Therefore, they formed the Iredell 4-H Jersey Bull Association, prepared a constitution and by-laws, and set up a governing body consisting of a board of five directors with a president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer and two additional membes elected by the 28 stockholders.

Edgar Troutman, Statesville, Route 3, was elected president, and James Vanstory, Statesville, Route 4, vice president. Charles Tomlin, Statesville, Route 4, and L.T. Brawley, Mooresville, Route 2, are the two additional directors. The 28 members each took shares of stock in proportion to the number of heifers they have to breed. Each share entitles the stockholder to one service free and 50 shares were sold to finance the purchase.

The Association secured a 14-month-old animal, Morrocroft Designer, from former Governor Cameron Morrison of Mecklenburg County.

SAVING $11.8 MILLION 

One disease control practice expanding from nothing six years ago to where cotton growers treated the seed planted on 600,000 acres in 1939 has been worth $11,830,000 during the past four years.

Howard R. Garriss, extension specialist in the plant disease department, said treating cotton seed before planting was first tried in North Carolina in 1943 when enough seed to plant about 2,000 acres were treated. In 1936, definite demonstrations were begun and these demonstrations indicated that the average increase per acre in the value of the seed and lint amounted to $9.82.

Garriss sums it up this way:

   --24,000 acres were planted to treated seed in 1936, worth $300,000;

   --200,000 acres were treated in 1937, worth $2,200,000;

   --450,000 acres were treated in 1938, worth $43,438,000; and

   --600,000 acres were planted to treated seed in 1939 with the increased yield worth $5,892,000.

In the many field demonstrations conducted during the four-year period, an average of 431 plants emerged per 100 feet of row where the seed was treated, as compared with 305 plants per 100 feet where the seed was not treated. The plants growing form the treated seed were more halthy and vigorous and produced an average of 1,248 pounds of seed cotton per acre as compared with 1,023 ponds where the seed were not treated. The treatment consisted of dusting the seed with a 2 or 5 percent ethyl mercury chloride powder (Cerasan).

DAIRY COW CLUB

Boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 21 years in 20 Piedmont counties served by the milk routes of a large commercial milk processing company (Carnation) may now join in a newly organized Piedmont Dairy Cow Production Club.

The milk company is cooperating with farm agents in the territory to teach the club members good dairy practices and to develop a sense of ownership among the young people. Prizes will be offered for the best production record over a 300-day period. Entries will close on April 30, 1940.

Club members will be aided to obtain one or more cows with the understanding that all milk from the animals so secured will be sold to the company. This milk will be tested and weighed separately from any other milk that might come from the same family and the company will keep books on the project, paying the club member on the first and 15^th of each month. One of the checks must be used to pay for the cow obtained under the agreement. The company will also lend club members the necessary cans and strainers free of cost.