From Polk County News and The Tryon Bee,
Friday, November 28, 1919
Polk County Farm and
Home
By J.R. Sams, County
Agent
Last week was one of unusual interest as I went through Polk
county. One who is not acquainted with NEW POLK COUNTY, would think she is
still asleep; but she “aint” like Rip van Winkle. She is awaking from her long
slumbers and putting on some real progressive movements. If you don’t believe
it, do like I do, go around and see for yourself. Last Wednesday I left
Columbus at 1 o’clock and went to Tryon to discuss the possibilities of growing
sheep in Polk county with Mr. Vorhees from Michigan, and to attend a meeting of
the directors of the Polk County Fair Association. There I convinced myself
that old Polk is still on one corner of the map and certainly means to stay
there as own by the pluck of these men to settle all premiums at last Fair and
to have the best Fair in all north Carolina next year. It was then my pleasant
lot to spend the night with Mr. James Scribens, which gave us opportunity to discuss
Hampshire hogs, cattle, sheep, poultry and all round better farm methods and
management.
Mr. Charles J. Lynch’s farm was next visited, when Mr. Lynch
kindly took me through his home and showed and explained his Delco lighting plant.
He said, “now if a farmer is not able to own both an automobile and Delco
lighting plant, by all means leave the auto off and put in the plant. We first
went to the basement and poured some kerosene oil in the tank and primed up
with gasoline, and away she went till the batteries are charged and the thing
grips off automatically. We then went to the living apartments and turned on
the beautiful white lights. The next stunt was to set the electric iron going
and then an old-fashioned jar was put into position and in an instant the
sure-enough old style churn was in motion till the butter was on hand and that
without any labor on the part of an already worked to death mother. Then a
nearby sewing machine was put in motion by a touch of the toe and away she went
without let or hindrance or exertion of a back broken woman. Then a kind of
rattle dashing was started up in another corner and lo and behold it was a
washing machine doing the work of three or four women without the aid of but
one to put in and take out the clothes, and then—o---you just ought to see that
thing twist the water out of them and the job is done. Well, the thing can do
almost anything to be done about the house except eat and sweep the floor.
All of this is going on way out in the country on a farm. We
then went out and inspected the grass fields which had been lately sown and bid
fair to be a success. Mr. Lynch is secretary of the Hampshire Swine Breeders
Association, lately organized, and is very enthusiastic for the beautiful
belted hogs.
The next farm that attracted more than passing notice was
that of Mr. W.B. McSwain. When I first saw in the distance the glimpse of this
farm I saw something which resembled a cane mill in operation, and I thought my
luck would be to see an old style molasses boiling that night; but when closer
inspection was restored to, I discovered that instead of a cane mill, a stump
puller was in operation and that 500 stumps had been pulled in less time than
three days; on further investigation I found that all this tearing up of stumps
meant that Mr. McSwain had just purchased at a cost of $1,400 a tractor and
first-class plowing and general land fixing outfit. All this looked like
progress, but when I looked around and found that he had sown four acres of
grass and had the seen necessary to sow 10 acres more, and you just ought to
see his cows and yearlings on that beautiful green pasture browsing and gracing
on the green grasses sown one year ago I then went down on the creek bottoms
that were covered with elders last year and found a negro ditching and acres of
this low land that had been worth less, sown to grass and made valuable for
pasture. See together, what Mr. McSwain is doing, puts him right in the lead of
the most progressive farmers in Polk County, Mr. James Blackwell and Wm. McDade
have cleared their fields of stumps and are ready for the tractor. Mr. Ed
Lancaster was the first farmer in the county, so far as I know, to install a
tractor. He, Mr. McSwain, Mr. Granville Thompson and Mr. Crawford Walker,
making four farmers who now own tractors in Polk county. Now don’t everybody
get crazy and buy a tractor, for every farm, even a large one, does not need
one. But where several neighbors have small fields level enough and clear
enough of rocks and stumps might cooperate and buy one together. So ow if you
don’t believe that, just go around and see for yourself. Then come back to old
Columbus and see stump pulling and tree digging going on right in the court
house square. It’s a sight to see how they are tearing up dirt that has not
been molested since the good Lord made the earth; but my—how the dirt is flying
now. It’s all because old Polk is waking up never to sleep again.
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