Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-03-07

Can be Increased 80, UUU,UUU
by Use of Wood Mold and
Leaves.
Raleigh.-North Carolina farmers
face the greatest opportunity for serv.
ice and profit hat the farmers Of
any country have ever had. With the
fate of the war in Europe largely de-
pendent upon food supplies and with
half the world starving the opportu-
nifty for service to country and hui
mainly is unprecedented. With q
world shortage Of food and feedstuffs
Of all kinds prices will continue to
remain at their present high levels
not only until the end of the war but
for one to three years after the war.
In the face of shortage OF labor
North Carolina farmers must produce
q larger total of corn. wheat, cotton.
soy beans, peas, potatoes, sorghum for
syrup, hay crops and livestock. A
larger acreage in these crops cannot
be worked than was worked last year
but the same acreage can be made to
produce larger yields. Bette. soil
preparation and better crop cultiva-
ton will increase yields and profits
to large extent but increased fertil-
izetion must be depended upon for
the greatest part of the increase that
Is so urgently desirable.
Fertilizer Bill $35,o0o,0o0.
There are $4,000 head of work stock
upon the farms Of North Carolina.
There was used upon the land cult
waited by these animals last year more
than $4,000 tons of commercial fer
tilizers and more than $4,000 tons of
cottonseed meal. 1t is extremely
doubtful if larger supply Of CONNER.
cial fertilizers will be available this
year. If the same quantity is used
this will represent q commercial
fertilizer bill Of approximately $35. 1000.
900. The stable manure from 1856, 5000
head Of work stock and approximately
100000 head of cattle, IL properly saw.
ed and utilized, would be worth at
least $50.0O0,000. Here Ii an oppor.
tunity for increased Sterilization be.
cause many OF our farmers have paid
little attention heretofore to the max.
ing. sewing and utilization Of stable
manure.
The Greatest Opportunity.
The greatest opportunity. however,
lies in the utilization of forest leaves
and wood mold. The past winter has
been ideal for the purpose of rot&ins
leaves and there are very few farm
ers in the State who have not an op-
portunity to largely increase their
production this year through the use
Of this form of fertilizer. Agricul.
tural experts are agreed that ton OF
dry forest leaves and wood mold con.
tains at present fertilizer values, IS
worth OF fertilizer ingredients. This
means that If five tons of leaves and
wood mold are used on every equiva
lent one-horse farm in North Caro-
lima the aggregate value of such fer
tilization would be more than $15,0O0
900, or very nearly half the value oil
the States commercial fertilizer bill OF
the year.
The Children Can Help
The raking and hauling of forest
leaves and wood moA is not difficult
undertaking. The raking into piles
may be done by the smaller children
or by the grown-ups during spare
time and can be hauled between nov
and planting time. Wood mold spread
upon wheat during the next three OF
four weeks will largely increase thu
yield, according to the quantity used
Wood mold and leaves spread upor
land that is to be planted in cotton
corn and otheg crops will very great!
increase yields and will render NOR,
effective the fertilizers used. Haulin,
of leaves and wood mold should b,
continued during spare time even aft
er the planting season of cotton an;
corn, being worked into the groun;
during the cultivation Of the cror
On wheat and other grain the result
will not only be seen in the increase
production Of grain, but in the increas
ed production of hay or other GRO
which follows.
A $25,ooo,ooo Increase.
Agricultural experts have estimate
that the production of food and fee
Z crops in North Carolina could be IL
creased $25,O0O,OOO this year by tn
utilization by farmers of this oppo
tunity for increasing the fertility {
their soil. It has been repeated
demonstrated that the application {
manure and other vegetable matter
noticed in the land for several year
after the application SO that the a
plication Of leaves and wood mold TIL
year will result in not only increasin
the yields during the coming seaSc