From 'Around the State', July 1953

From the “Around the State” column in the July 1953 issue of Extension Farm-News

TAYLORSVILLE

More than 2,000 persons turned out recently on the Taylorsville courthouse lawn to help celebrate the Alexander County Dairy Festival. More than 2,600 half-pints of milk and 3,000 squares of ice cream were consumed by the crowd. The county’s Grade A dairymen donated 145 gallons of milk and a local dairy processed and bottled it for free distribution at the annual event.

BOONE

Paul Brookshire of Boone walked off with top honors in the recent Tri-County Lamb Show and Sale with his 120 pound Hampshire lamb. Edwin Shepherd of Alleghany was second prize winner, and Wendell Colvard of Ashe was third. Forty-five lambs from Alleghany and Watauga counties were shown and sold at the West Jefferson event.

HARRELLSVILLE

The Mitchell brothers, of near Harrellsville, and their dog had a close brush with Brer Fox the other morning. As they approached a pasture at daybreak, they saw one of their dairy cows trying to hook a small animal. When they reached the pasture, they saw a small fox sitting outside the fence. It was foaming at the mouth and made no attempt to run. The dog smelled game and went after the fox. Instinct told the fox to run, then deciding it didn’t look right for a fox to be chasing a dog, reversed his direction again.

The fox didn’t scare, so the dog turned to his master for protection. The brothers, Thurmon, Linwood, and Joseph, sensing the fox was rabid, ran from the dog. Suddenly everyone was chasing everyone else.

The fox called off the fun and lay down. The Mitchell brothers secured a hogcatcher and slipped the noose over the animal’s head. A local veterinarian is testing Brer Fox for rabies and Rover is sulking under the porch.

HYDE COUNTY

Hadacol may not be like Duz, which “does everything,” but some folks will venture a wager over its possibilities. E.L. Topping, Hyde County farm agent, says that two Hyde farmers have tried it for bloat in cattle and say it works fine. Topping says Jack Pugh, farmer of the Nebraska community, found a cure in the patent medicine for his indigestion and decided to try it as a possible cure for bloat in his cattle. Pugh says it worked! Warren Watson, a well-known Hyde purebred Hereford breeder, heard of Pugh’s experience, tried Hadacol as a remedy for bloat and found it worked for his cows also.

WHITE LAKE

Simon Gurganious, near White Lake, is propagating two new varieties of blueberries developed by the N.C. Agricultural Experiment Station. The new varieties are resistant to canker disease, which becomes a serious economic difficulty in some varieties. The varieties in bearing are Rancocus, Jersey, Cabots, Weymouth, June and Scammell.

YANCEY COUNTY

T.S. Godwin, assistant county agent, is about ready to sell his fishing equipment. Godwin, visiting 4-H’ers recently in Yancey County, heard about a “horney head” fish of the younger sister of one club member had caught. The child went over to a small pool to show off her catch. Instead of coming up with the fish, she brought up a water moccasin, which had wrapped itself around a rock. The snake was killed before anyone was bitten, but Godwin thinks it may be a “sign for him to hang up his fishing gear.”