Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1922-04-07
North Carolina Imports Too
Much Food and Feed

value more than $235, 600, 900, a
cording to figures which hay
just been compiled from censl
reports under the direction of (
G. Branson, head of the Depar
ment of Rural Economics of tn
University of North Carolins
The average prices of food prt
duction in 1920 were higher tina
at the present time, but even
that the recent conservative est
mate by John Paul Lucas tina
North Carolina was sending ou
OF the state not less than $100,
600, 900 year for these product
is shown to be ultra-conservativ
In fact, Lucas states frank,
that he is a "piker" when
comes to estimating how foolisl
the farmers of North Carolin'
have been in their agriculture
policy.
The University News Lettel
of April 3rd is featuring the
'Live-at-Home" campaign anC
DR.. Branson is quoting in his pre-
sentation of the present situation
in North Carolina with regard te
the production of food and feed
stuffs from studies and investi.
cations by Prof. F. S. Hobbs anc
Miss H. R. Smedes.
In referring to the position of
North Carolina as fourth in the
value of our field crops, the state.
ment is made that I'VE have con-
fused crop wealth with agricul.
tural wealth because crop farm.
ing is so nearly universal with
US. We are not the fourth larg-
est producer of agricultural
wealth, because as q livestock
state we are one of the poorest
developed in the entire Union.
Only about one-fourth of Our new
farm wealth created each year
comes from the sale of live stock
and livestock products. The
status of the eastern half of
North Carolina, the great tenant,
cash-crop, area, as a livestock
region is pitiful."
1t is shown that while there
has been something accomplished
in the way of breed improvement
in North Carolina, the state is
really no better off in the matter
of livestock production than it
was in 1910, at which time it was
rs per cent below the level of
even a lightly stocked farm area.
One third of our farmers eat
no butter and drink no milk, and
of course are providing no milk
for their growing children, be-
cause they have no milk cows.
Iowa with fewer farmers has
four times as many cows and
these are of better quality.
Less than half the farmers of
the state grow sweet potatoes
for family use and a much small
er number grow Irish potatoes.
We import more wheat than we
produce and one-half of the far
mers in the state in 1920 pro-
duced no hay or forage for their
"The simple truth" says Pro-
fessor Hobbs, lis that thousands
of our farmers do not begin to
feed their family and livestock.
People on these farms live on
short rations, especially in lean
years. Their diet is Unbalanced
and insufficient. They are un-
1ernourished, their children
badly fed and their physical de-
velopment stunted."
Farm people should be the
best fed Of all people. They
should and could have a we'll
balanced diet, with just a little
attention to food production.
Every farm in our state should
feed itself first. Our farmers
would produce surpluses for sale
in our towns and cities if only
our towns and cities would settle
the local market problem for
home-raised food and feed sup
plies. Instead the people of
North Carolina spend 295 million
dollars a year for imported food
and feed supplies. Neglecting
home-raised food crops and buy
ing farm supplies Of this sort
with cotton and tobacco money is
a hopeless way of getting rich
and getting on and up in the