Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-07-28
great sale for oats and barley but each
farmer attempts to grow largely what
the livestock on his own place can con-


the livestock on his own place can con
sumo.
Perhaps no other area in any
Southern state has a greater variety o.
hay crops from which to choose thar
may be found in the "a piedmon,
counties. There are (1) the different
kinds of small grains, like oats, barley
and vetch, which may be cut eithe,
in a green or mature state; (2) tn
different types of %clovers, like rec
clover, lespedeza, sweet clover, Aus
trian winter peas, crimson clover ane
alfalfa, some Of which provide NOR
than one cutting a year; ~ the an
nual legumes of the soybean and COW
pea type; (4) the voluntary or mead
ow hays which are never planted ane
81 in many instances, the specia
grasses which are planted for botl
grazing and to furnish mixed hays 70,
all forms Of livestock.
! SIZE OF FARMS AND TYPE OF
FARMERS
The farms of piedmont North Car.
DINA vary in size from three acres tc
a few farms in the area of approx
mately 5000 acres with the average
being approximately 70 acres a farm
The greater percentage of total farm:
are from SO to 100 acres.
The piedmont has a high percent
age of farm owners. In a few coun-
ties the number of farms owned av-
erages around 80 per cen while in
other counties only 80 to 70 per cent
Of the total farms are owned, the re-
mainder being manned by tenants In
the piedmont area there are 50 per
ce1s of the farms cultivated by own
ers while ~ per cent are farmed by
tenants, as compared with the state as
1 whole where sos per cent are own
ers and 49.2 per cent are tenants.
1t is also interesting to note that
the percentage of which farm opera
tors for the piedmont area is 64.2 per
cent as compared with the other re-
sio.; of the State which have an av-
erage of sos per cent white opera
tors. The number of colored tenants
operating farms is 35.s per cent for
he piedmont area and 1914 per cent
Tor The other regions of the State.
LIVESTOCK LOPMENT
1t is claimed by many of our agri-
cultural leaders that probably the
greatest weakness in North Carolina
agriculture is the lack Of livestock.
This is said in spite Of the contention
of most farmers that there is no non
ey available for this type of farm
ing. This accusation does not apply to
the piedmont section to the extent
that it does in other sections. The
great industries have been located in
the piedmont and dairying and live
stock production have grown more
rapidly than in other regions.
The piedmont section now has 4s
per cent of all the dairy cows of the
state, 1871 per cent Of the swine, -
per cent of all the laying hens and 9
per cent of the sheep population.
The numbers of livestock in the
piedmont area is as follows: dairy
COWS, 1860; hogs, 16o,694; sheep,
1o,493 and laying hens, 2,427,934.
The majority of piedmont farmers
are convinced that livestock is prof
table and that much of the expense
for fertilizer can be saved and a bet
ter soil developed through the grow
ing of livestock. Then, too, the live
stock in this area offers a market for
surplus feeds and grains. A minimum
Of hand labor is required for livestock
farming because machinery can be used
to good advantage in growing grain:
and hays and in the production Of
pastures.
The successful piedmont farmer III
nine cases out of ten will have hi
farm we'll stocked with at least three
kinds of livestock. This combination
guarantees him a year around farm in
come. Such an arrangement enable:
this type of farmer to market his So
called cash crop products more or les
independently, thus eliminating EN-
Urgency sales.
SOIL FERTILITY
The building of fertile soils ans
maintaining them is one Of the majo:
problems of piedmont Carolina. Sol
erosion is a big drawback to the area
Even so, the problem is being attack
ed wisely and progressively by tn
majority of farmers in all counties
One of the most hopeful signs of ov
grooming this major drawback of sol
erosion is the fact that more than 500,
600 acres of legumes such as lesredeza
red clover, vetch, crimson clover, Aus
TRAN winter peas, soybeans and COW
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