Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-12-15
Is
Gradual Trend on
Farms of the State
Daily DsSDatrsi fSuTt-@T.
In the Sir Walter Hotel.

Raleigh, Dec 15.-NOrth Cardinals
composite, or average, farm shows a
distinct, if slight, trend toward di-
verSitica1iOn of crops and better pro-
ductiOn Of grains and other feed nee
essary for livestock raising, accord
ing to figures just released by Sam
Hines, chief Of the farm census di-
vision of the State Department Of
Agriculture.
Figures do not differ widely from
those for the composite farm of 1888,
but where there are changes they are
all in the direction Of better distri
button OF crop planting. Only eXcep-
ton to this tendency resulted from
the tremendous tobacco crop which
was planted and harvested in the alb
sence of any form of acreage or mar
keting pOundage control
This sent the average acreage OF
tobacco up almost one per farm in
the State and made the golden weed
planted on the theoretical "cOm
posite" farm exactly the same as the
cotton acreage-2.9 in each case.
But before considering and noting
the changes, here are the Hines fig
ures on the average North Carolina
farm.
To begin with, it consists of 81
acres, in itself slight reduction from
last years 80; of which more than
a half (45 acres to be eXacD is in
woodland, slightly more than one
third (28 acres) is in cultivated crops,
three acres is lying out cleared but
not worked, and five acres is in pas
ture.
On this composite farm there live
an average Of ST. persons Of all ages,
who have half bred sow and 1.3
horses and mules. Last years figures
showed COW to the farm, but this
information is not included in the
Hines figures
On the farm there are used 3.3
tons of fertilizer for the following
crop acreages: Corn 9, cotton 3, to-
bacco 3, wheat 2, oats |, peanuts l,
lespedeza 3 ID, hay ? ID, Irish po-
tatocs 1-3 truck l-3, orchard IL,
home garden IL.
The trend to better feed for live
stock is indicated in these figures
by comparison with last years 8 IL
acres OF corn, 2 ga acres Of lespedeza
l ID acres Of wheat, and less than
an acre each Of soybeans for hay,
coWpeas for hay and clovers.
For the first time in the history Of
North Carolina the tobacco acreage
was equal to that OF cotton-a fact
clearly the natural result Of low
prices for cotton last year against
good prices for tobacco, coupled with
control Of cotton acreage and no con-
troll Of tobacco. There followed, too,
the logical result of better prices for
cotton and worse prices for tobac-
co this year-thOugh Of course the
European war entered into this pic
ture as a decidedly complicating fac
tor. Even before the outbreak Of hos
tilities IN September, however, it was
obvious that tobacco prices were in
in decided slump.
Figures on the number Of cattle,
sheep and other livestock were not
included in the Hines release; but it
is generally asserted by farm experts
that there has been at least a slight
increase in the livestock population
Of almost every kind.
The figures upon which the COM
pOste farm Was based are those turn
ed in to the Department of Agricul-
ture by the tax listers and super
VisOrs in every county Of the state;
and MI. Hines declares that they are
correct to within very small frac-
tiOnal MARGIN Of error