Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Farm News From Across North Carolina, October 1956

From “Around the State” in the October, 1956, issue of Extension Farm-News
FORSYTH             
Woodrow Park of Clemmons, Route 2, put together a regular conglomeration of auto parts and came up with a machine that serves very well as a tobacco harvester. Forsyth County Assistant Agent W.L. Hobbs Jr. says that Park needed a harvester but he didn’t have the ready cash to get one. Undaunted, he assembled a harvester from junk parts and installed a new 8 ½ horsepower motor in it. The harvester worked so well, he plans to try building a machine to harvest his sweet potatoes.
YANCEY
Harvey Phoenix of Prices Creek section of Yancey County is using molasses to increase farm income, according to Assistant County Agent W.H. Anderson. He says Phoenix is figuring on about 200 gallons of molasses from 1.2 acres, which he will sell for about $3 per gallon. Phoenix is using an old two-roller mill drawn by a horse. He says many people come by to watch the operation, stand a little while, buy a gallon or a half of molasses, and go on their way.
GRANVILLE
“It pays to have your soil tested,” according to Granville County Agent C.V. Morgan. He says John Long, Route 4, Kittrell, cleared about 100 acres of land last year. He planted a recommended variety of hybrid corn on the land this year, and used a good high-quality fertilizer. Even by using these good practices, Morgan says, he will little more than get his seed back because of a deficiency in phosphate. Morgan says the difference between a bumper crop and practically no corn at all was a little, rather inexpensive, superphosphate.
TRANSYLVANIA
“If I get in, I’ll have to grow in,” says Buck Owen, Balsam Grove, in talking of dairying. For a number of years, Owen has been interested in adding an enterprise to his farm that would make it a full time operation. Finding the kind of enterprise that would fit his farm has not been easy. After considering several, dairying looked like the answer. With this in mind, he bought several dairy calves. Assistant Transylvania County Agent G.H. Farley says by utilizing feed that is available, Owen is now growing out the calves for his future Grade A dairy herd. He hopes to start selling milk next year.
GRANVILLE
Many farmers would be pretty happy to find oil on their land, but not Bill Gant of Granville County. He’s already had plenty of oil and now he wants to farm. Assistant County Agent W.B. Jones says that Gant was a successful oil distributor for years before buying several hundred acres of land. He’s already constructed farm ponds, seeded permanent pasture, established a herd of beef cows and hogs, and grows some tobacco. Jones emphasizes that Gant isn’t just farming for fun either. He’s making a success of it.
TYRRELL
Tyrrell County farmer W.Y. Reynolds is a successful fall gardener, reports County Agent H.H. Harris. He says apparently the secret of Reynolds’ success is he prepares and fertilizes his soil. Reynolds plants varieties of vegetables that grow well in the fall season. In spite of the hurricanes last fall, Reynolds has collards, mustard, turnip greens, and lettuce large enough to eat by the last of October. Onions were large enough for table use in November. Harris says, “One visit to his garden will convince you that he is even more successful this year.”
JONES
John Barber, a Jones County farmer from Trenton, Route 2, says he is convinced that it pays to follow recommended practices in growing tobacco. Last year Barber failed to fumigate his soil for nematodes and as a result his yield was cut considerably. Barber took no chances this year. He started his crop by planting a disease resistant variety of seed, treating his plants for blue mold control, fumigating his fields with the recommended amount of chemicals, and following soil-test recommendations in fertilizing his tobacco. His tobacco has cured well and no signs of nematodes appeared.
Negro County Agent Fletcher Barber points out that, according to the number of tobacco sticks the farmer has used this year, he feels sure that the yield will be increased considerably.
GRAHAM
Crawford Jenkins of the Stecoah section has found that hybrid corn and topdressing form quite a combination. Graham County Agent D.D. Robinson says that Jenkins topdressed his hybrid corn with 400 pounds of ammonium nitrate. He estimates his yield on this acreage at 105 bushels per acre. On the other side of the road he used open-pollinated corn, and although he fertilized it well, left off the topdressing. He estimates its yield at about 30 bushels per acre.
NORTHAMPTON
Farmers in North Carolina could take a few ideas form Northampton County farmer Julian Edwards, on the way to raise pigs, says Bruce Woodard, assistant county agent. He says Edwards has one of the largest hog farms in the state. He has 50 sows that have raised 460 pigs for an average of a little over 9 pigs per sow. Edwards has a central farrowing house that will take care of more than 40 sows at one time. Edwards attributes his success to breeding gilts of proper size, age, and condition, proper feeding practices, care of sow and pigs at farrowing time, weaning at proper age, and other good management practices.
SURRY  
There is much work involved in converting an old, run-down place into a well-managed forest plantation. “This is what Golden Baker is finding out,” states Charles Earnest, assistant county agent in Surry County.
Some months ago Baker bought a 69-acre place with about 10 acres of cultivatable land. His object was to convert it into growing trees for future high-quality lumber, and a future income for his children, explains Earnest. First of all, Baker ran into the big problem of honeysuckle control. “This he began immediately, and at a reasonable cost. As Earnest says, “He put a tank on the back of his jeep and began spraying the honeysuckle with 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T.” So far, results have been very favorable, according to Earnest.
MADISON
Making money in the beef cattle business is not the only concern of Amos Thomas, a Madison County farmer. He says the most important thing is what you do with the profits. Assistant County Agent L.V. McMahan says Thomas invested his savings from a beef cattle enterprise in a loading chute to make it easier to move cattle to market. Thomas feels he can save several hours each time he gets ready to take cattle to market. He also feels that cattle can be handled more carefully while loading on a truck. Thomas believes anyone can construct an easy place to load cattle and invites his neighbors to come by and take a look at his.
BEAUFORT
Julian Cutler of Pinetown at Everett’s Crossroads can’t see knocking himself out for no reason. That’s why he recommends centipede grass for “lazy men.” Beaufort County Agent M.P. Chestnutt says that Cutler seeded eight ounces of the grass on his lawn two years ago. Now, Cutler says he has to mow that part of his lawn only half as often as the rest of his lawn. And the good thing is that the centipede is spreading to the rest.
GASTON
Anyone desiring to see a truly beautiful young Angus bull should visit Hugh Helms of Cherryville, Route 1, says Gaston County agent Thomas Taylor. “Perfect in every detail—that’s all you can say about him,” Taylor explains.
The Helms bull is 2 years old and weighs about 1,400 pounds. Many breeders in this section have seen this bull, and all say he is “the most nearly perfect animal ever seen in these parts.” Many county agents have seen him also, several expressing the belief he is among the best in the Southeast. “I don’t know about that, but he surpasses anything we have seen around here or anywhere else,” Taylor states. Helms is now using the bull with his herd of 30 Angus cattle.
ALEXANDER
Willis Scott of Taylorsville, Route 3, is beginning to realize now that it pays to feed the mice in the apple orchard. Alexander County Assistant Agent Haskell L. Shealy says that last fall, Scott could have poisoned all the main runways and tunnels in his orchard in half a day. But he didn’t and he’s losing some of his trees as the mice “feed themselves.” He plans to put out some zinc phosphide and strychnine for them to dine on this fall, however.
POLK
Can you teach a young calf to drink from a bucket? Little Janice Powell of Hickory Grove does and gets paid for it, too! Janice’s father, Fred Powell, who operates a dairy in Polk County, takes the calves away from the mother when they are about one day old. Father, Fred, and daughter, Janice, have a bargain. For each calf Janice teaches to drink from a bucket, she gets 50 cents. Janice says, “I haven’t missed one yet. Every time a calf is born, it means 50 cents for me.” Janice is a member of the Green Creek Intermediate 4-H Club and owns a 6-month-old Jersey calf.
NORTHAMPTON
Realizing the need for a balanced farm income, Doyle Taylor, Northampton County, is planning to enlarge and improve his swine enterprise. Taylor will improve his present stock by the use of better herd sires and careful selection of replacement gilts. Assistant County Agent Johnny Winston says in order to take care of additional brood sows, Taylor is seeding an additional 10 acres of ladino pasture and plans to build a central farrowing house.

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