Farm News From Across North Carolina, March 1956

“Around the State” in the March 1956 issue of Extension Farm-News

Tryon

A.P. Williams of Tryon, Route 1, likes grapes but not in the large numbers he had last year. Polk County Assistant Agent Robert D. Flake says that Williams made the mistake of planting all of his home garden bunch grapes in the same variety. And of course, they all ripened at the same time. He’s correcting the situation by replacing some of them with varieties that will ripen at different times.

Fremont

It’s a pretty good bet that J.L. Lamm of Fremont, Route 2, has plenty of barbecue-loving friends dropping in at his house around supper time. Wayne County Assistant Agent H. Calvin Hodgin says that Lamm cooks and chops up big batches of barbecue and then freezes it as a means of preserving pork. Hodgin says that with depressing hog prices, “opportunity is begging the barbecue lover to turn his hogs into barbecue and store it.”

Chowan County

Alma Forehand of Cross Roads community Chowan County is operating a regular modern “pig factory,” says County Agent C.W. Overman. Forehand built his “factory” last fall and it’s really going in high gear now. It has 10 “maternity wards,” special facilities for older and larger pigs, automatic brooders for the youngest. Forehand said he was tired of losing pigs, and is going to do something about it.

Green River

Clyde Morgan, vegetable farmer in the Green River section, believes in making the most of what he has at hand. Assistant County Agent C.H. Thompson says that Morgan collected native mountain stone and used them to veneer his attractive farm home. By doing the masonry work in his spare time, he figures he saved from four to five thousand dollars.

Tabor City

A few years ago, B.G. Lane, Tabor City, Route 3, dairyman, would probably have recoiled at the mention of “wire grass.” But he tabs it more respectable relative, Coastal Bermuda, as the answer to his grazing problems. Columbus County Assistant Agent Archie F. Martin says that Lane’s farm is sandy and he has been unable to get more succulent grasses or clover to hold up during the summer months. But that irrepressible Coastal Bermuda “stays right in there.”

Davidson County

Here’s a new angle for the old “environment versus heredity” argument. Gary Gallimore, 4-H Club member of Davis-Townsend school, comes in on the side of environment. Davidson County Assistant Agent W.W. Johnson says that Gary was getting only 18 to 22 eggs per day from his 85 pullets, but after building a new poultry house and moving the pullets into it, production shot up 55 to 60 eggs daily.

Alleghany County

M.E. Motsinger of Alleghany County doesn’t believe in kidding himself. He says, “My farm has a potential for much greater production, if it is managed properly.” D.G. Harwood Jr., Extension farm management and marketing specialist at State College, says that Motsinger recently requested assistance from his county agents in re-organizing his farm for maximum production. With the current cost-price squeeze, Motsinger realizes that efficient, economical production is a must.

Mebane

Marvin Newlin, dairyman of Mebane, Route 2, would be the first to admit it’s hard to beat luck. Alamance County Assistant Agent Thomas M. Haislip says that Newland recently attended a cattle sale, planning to buy a registered calf for his son, Wilbur’s 4-H project. The calves went pretty high and at the end of the sale Newlin didn’t have the calf he had promised to bring home. But then fate stepped in. It was announced that Newlin was the winner of a registered calf given by the sponsors of the sale.

Asheboro

Looks like chickens are just like people when it comes to wanting attention. Or so says Foy Gann of Asheboro, Route 4. Assistant County Agent E.M. Stalling says that Gann has two groups of broilers. Although both get the same feed, he is pressed for time and doesn’t get to visit one of the houses as often as the other. The “slighted” broilers aren’t doing nearly as well as the others. Gann recommends being “neighborly” with broilers.

Catawba County

Bet you don’t know that cows are very “sensitive” creatures. Garland Abernethy, Catawba County dairyman, says they very definitely are. Assistant County Agent Frank A. Harris says that recently Abernethy was feeding alfalfa hay along with his silage; when he began feeding lespedeza, milk production dropped from eight cans to six. After resuming the alfalfa feeding, the production quickly moved back to 7 ½ cans.

Belwood

If anyone has any secrets of getting a cow to have a heifer calf, please pass them along to Charles Peeler of the Belwood community, Cleveland County. He’d be everlastingly grateful. Assistant County Agent Henry W. Dameron says that Peeler received a registered Jersey heifer as a 4-H Club project back in 1946. The next year the heifer freshened with her first calf—a bull. Nine years have passed and each year—another bull calf. Peeler, now too old for the 4-H Club, says wistfully, “The sad part is that she was such a good milk cow.”

Robeson County

Roger Gentry, Maxton farmer, thought he had a lazy tenant on his hands last year. But now it looks like the tenant was just smart. Robeson County Assistant Agent G.T. Rodgers says that Gentry’s tenant was a week behind in his tobacco harvesting last year—by Gentry’s reasoning, that is. The tenant refused to be hurried, however, and is Gentry glad! The late-harvested tobacco sold for $300 an acre more than any other harvested on the Gentry farm.

Tyrrell County

Lawrence Brickhouse, of Columbia, Route 2, has noticed that many people have a fondness for knees—cypress knees that is. Tyrrell County Assistant Agent Donald E. Steagall says that Brickhouse, a Senior 4-H member, has decided to capitalize on this fondness for knees. He’s going to make electric lamps out of cypress knees as part of his farm and home electric project this year.

Transylvania County

Mrs. Harriet Herbert of Pisgah Forest, Route 1, thinks she must be growing the most “delectable” grubs in her garden. At least skunks seem to think so. Transylvania County Assistant Agent G.H. Farley explains that Mrs. Herbert has been finding odd, funnel shaped holes in her garden. But what puzzled her was that the holes weren’t confined to the planted rows so she knew it wasn’t something after seed. Finally she discovered that the skunks were digging for grubs and leaving their “calling cards.”

Polk County

Leonard Green, Polk County poultryman, may be spoiling the fun of scratching for his chickens, but he’s sure saving on mash. Assistant County Agent Robert D. Flake says that Green makes his feeders about two inches wider at the bottom than at the top. Green comments that “with troughs only one-half to three-fourths full and the slides sloping inward, a chicken has a hard time scraping feed out.”

Hertford County

F.E. Holloman, purebred breeder of Poland China hogs, received two “valentines” from an unexpected source. Hertford County Assistant Agent P.E. Parker Jr. says that early on the morning of February 14, one of Holloman’s sows farrowed eight pigs, which made him happy. But he was even happier when at 12 o’clock he went to turn the sow in with her pigs and found two more beside her.