The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-19
TWO COUNTIES NEEDED TO HOLD
GROWING TOWN OF ROCKY MOUNT
Population Gain in Twenty Years One Thousand Per Cent
Great Railroad Center But Greater Still AS Thriving
Farm and Live Stock Community

Daughtridge farm in the summer tell
the story. Governor Daughtridge took
from that field between 1000 and q
100 bushels Of wheat and about 5000
bushels of oats Then after a crop
like that is harvested the land is
planted to something else. The grain
may be followed by COW peas and a
crop Of hay made that will more
than pay all the expenses Of. the en-
tire seasons work. Last year the gov
ernor planted 700 acres of cotton. He
is cutting out the cotton now and will
plant most of the cotton land to grain
and gradually get to making more
feed for cattle. Last year he fattened
$50 cattle. His ultimate idea is to
raise stock on a large scale. He will
have beef herds, dairy herds and
sheep.
Money in Sheep.
Speaking Of sheep he remarked,
1--WE have pasture knee high to the
sheep right now, and in a climate and
| on a range that is thoroughly adapt
! ed to them. 1t is rarely necessary to
! feed sheep in this section where you
have a good pasture. We go into the
| flock and shear six or seven pounds
| Of wool a head, and along in April
| we have a bunch of lambs that will
| weigh about 40 pounds apiece, and
wool and lambs go to the market, and
are as near profit as anything I can
| think of. The river low grounds make
| ideal pasturage, and the sheep do not
appear to be troubled with disease
and I look for great extension Of
| the sheep raising Industry in the
whole Tar river valley"
troubled with disease, and I look for
a great extension Of the sheep raising
industry in the whole Tar river val
ley"
It is apparent that many Of the
| farmers are shaping up for more live
stock in this part of the State. Many
are becoming directly interested in
cattle, while others are taking more
to grain, which is one of the first
steps toward cattle raising, for it
means a lot Of stuff on the farm that
cattle can use to a profit, and that
means the gradual building up OF
herds The sentiment here is that
after the farmer has shaped his place
for grain and forage and started in
with few cattle he will naturally
keep on until he accumulates a herd
and then he will stay a cattle man be-
{ cause this part OF the States is fitted
| by Nature for cattle. When the farm
) er gets his fences up, and his build
: ings and a silo. and things Of that sort
he inclines to stay with that kind OF
farming, and to let cotton take it's owr
e uncertain way with some other man
2 Then it is argued here that cattle
4 farming puts different aspect on the
S question Of the fertility Of the farm
: Instead Of carrying away fertility il
: the crops that are sold from the farm
] and buying great quantities Of com
t mercial fertilizer the farmer finds tha
t cattle farming does not deplete hi
e SOIL nor require him to spend a for
o tune every year for artificial helps.
|, Another thing that Lieutenant Gov
r ernor Daughtridge is working out i
it the problem of the traction engin
Il for the farm. This machine has bee1
r tried in several of the counties farthe
e west, and in many cases does not ap
It pear to be satisfying the farmers. Blu
e down here it evidently fits a differen
" condition. 1T may not be a good i'm
it plement for small fields, and for cul
; tivation,' said the governor, but TO
e field like my wheat field, for in
" stance, I imagine we will not meet tn
Is objections you have encountered i
1t the cotton counties. We can plow
1T big field with it, we can seed the bi
,e field, and as there is no cultivatin
N to do we can finish the job by havin
e the tractor pull the harvesting ma
le chine, and thus make the crop fro1
to beginning to end So I think tn
N tractor in our grain fields looks prom
ze ising."
s. Sofa Beans and Live Stock
le On this farm are some other d.
partures. One is field Of alfalf,
which was started out to be a field
to 10 acres of the crop, but whic
c. reached 13 acres before it was fiji
st ished. Alfalfa is a debated crop j
at various parts Of North Carolina, ha,
ps ing it's followers, and also havin
vn those who do not incline it's wa
a Here is a difference of opinion, fl
n while it is regarded as a valuab
sc crop Governor Daughtridge rath,
it thinks that sofa beans fed to cattl
n hogs, horses and mules is destined
a beat alfalfa. He raises a. considerab
n number Of horses and mules, and hi
ed no occasion to buy work stock.
u looks as if the sofa bean had come
'e- take permanent place in North Ca
m olina agriculture, and because Of Il
35 evident value Of this cron in All kin