NC Farmers Successful With New Crops, 1945

By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, as published in the Wilmington Star, Dec. 3, 1945

Apparently peanuts are adapted to the sandy soils of central Carolina. J. Hawley Poole who owns an extensive farm in the Hoffman Community of Richmond County, grew 100 acres of the nuts this season and reports that some parts of the field have been thrashing out up to a ton of peanuts per acre.

The average, however, will be around 1,200 pounds of nuts per acre and about 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of good hay. Mr. Poole did not dig his peanuts until after the September rains, and consequently little time elapsed between digging and thrashing.

N.L. Hendrix, farm agent in Richmond County, says other growers in the Sandhill section are finding peanuts to be a profitable crop. The peanuts fit well into the peach trees and seem adapted to the light sandy soils of that area. Mr. Hendrix is of the opinion that production of the nuts will be greatly expanded in the next few years throughout the entire Sandhill country.

The production of lespedeza seed also is steadily expanding. Up in Franklin County, O.T. Moses, of Spring Hope, Route 2, reports that he has harvested 1,800 pounds of uncleaned lespedeza seed from a three-acre field. This is an exceptionally good yield and one of the best that I have heard about so far this season. Mr. Moses believes he has a profitable combination in seeding small grain in the fall followed by lespedeza planted on the grain in February or March. The small grain will pay the whole cost of preparing the land, fertilizer and seed. When the small grain has been harvested in June, the lespedeza remains on the land and grows well at very little extra cost, producing a profitable crop of hay or seed. Mr. Moses says his seed are clear profit and he is recommending to all farmers in this section that they follow the Piedmont Carolina plan of overseeding lespedeza on their small grain next February. He says it is safe and sound farming and provides ample feed. If the crop is properly handled, it also builds up the land.

N.J. Wicks, also on Spring Hope, Route 2, a neighbor, tried out grain sorghum this season and says his yield per acre is right at 40 bushels of grain an acre. The grain sorghum has about the same feeding value as corn and Mr. Wicks is considering expanding his acreage next season. His two sons, Jack and Harold, will use grain sorghum in their 4-H Club project for 1946. The grain produced will be used to feed pigs which the two boys are now growing.