The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-08
. Rv F. H. JETER

BY F. HI. JETER
For about nine years Catawba
County farmers have been quietly
building great dairy industry
around small organization OF tai
ented men associated together in
/ he Catawba County Jersey Cattle
Club. Some of the herds establish
I'd by these men will 60 back 40
years or more and some are quite
recent. Their idea is to continue
to keep CataWba a dairy section
as the basis Of permanent kind
of farming. The Club has an an
nual meeting where important
business is Transacted; it holds an
annual sale of good breeding stock;
and, it usually plans for some kind
of summer picnic or barbecue for
the benefit of it's members and
their families. More recently it has
begun the very fine practice of
holding a banquet for the young
All dairymen of the county who
constantly need encouragement
and support in starting their own
herds. Such a banquet was held
at Newton last Thursday evening
when more than so persons en-
joyed the hospitality of the Cattle
Club.
The banquet was in the form oil
an old-fashioned pot pie with
plenty of dumplings. These dump
lings by the way must have been
made from Catawba-grown wheat
and home-ground flour because
they were delicious. The cooking
had been done by the Oxford home
demonstration club under the in
terested eye of Miss Wylie Knox,
home agent. There was plenty of
milk to drink from Jersey herds !
and other good things from Cat
awba farms. The desert was de-
licious cherry pie from home-can-
ned fruit topped with a liberal
helping of ice cream made from
homegrown milk. After the enc
ning's program had been complet-
ed, the boys and girls present en-
ioyed a showing of the new dairy
picture recently completed for the
Extension Service by Dermid Mac
lean.
Among the members of the Cat
tie Club were those whose names
are synonymous with the progress
of dairying in North Carolina-the
Moses, Lutzs, Sigmons, Seitzs,
Shufords and others of that great
group of leading North Carolina
dairy folk. The cattle club was
organized back in 1887 and each
year except 1910, the members
have been selecting some of their
best animals and offering them for
sale each spring. They have not
attempted to Gull their herds by
this method as has been done by
so many dairy groups: but have
said. in effect, 1--WE grow good
cattle up here in these red hills
and we want you to see just what
we do produce. Here are some OF
our best. Try them AS result
Of this sensible attitude, they are
building reputation for their Je>-
seys. 1t is well to keep in mind,
also. that these hardheaded Cat
awba farmers know exactly what
their cows are doing. The mem
bers of the Club started the Cat
awba Cow-testing Association mi
the spring of 1885 and have con-
tinued testing until now.
Earle Brintnall. the efficient
farm agent, says a number OF the
herds have been classified by
competent dairy experts sent to the
county by the American jersey
Cattle Club: and, as a result, it
has been noted that the percentage
of good COWS has been steadily on
the increase while the percentage
of poor cows has been as steadily
decreasing. AS the animals I'M
prove, the owners have more milk
to sell. For instance, they sold 49,
900 pounds of surplus milk to the
Statesville milk processing plant on
one day in late 1943 as compared
with only 1858 pounds sold on that
same day in 1899. The young people
also are getting enthusiastic about
Jersey calf club work as evidenced
by the fact that 80 fine heifers were
sent to the last Junior Calf Show
At statesville where 240 head OF
animals were exhibited. Out OF the
30 head sent by the "a Catawba
boys and girls, IA were placed IN
the blue ribbon group, and 10 in