The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-12-25
By F. H. JETER

One of the very interesting doc
uments to reach my desk IN re-
cent months has to do with
survey made in Cleveland county
by Paul Leagans of the Extension
planning office at State college.
Cleveland is one of the more pro-
gressive agricultural counties OF
the state with high type of rural
citizenship on the land and what
Cleveland plans to do after this
war has been won will be of in
.erest to all the farmers of the
other SO counties in the state.
Primarily, Mr.. Leagans believes
that the farmers of Cleveland will
have to make plans for about TO-
LOCO acres of land which will be
forced out of cotton production.
Growing cotton is the main farm
enterprise in the county with ST.
800 acres being devoted to the
crop in 1913. Right now, the grow
ers are thinking about how they
may compete with synthetic fl
bers and with farm macnanization
in other areas of the South. Lea
gans found 500 farm tractors in
1.-THE county with about 100 of them
fully equipped with all the nipple
ments used in producing cotton.
There are orders for so more trac-
tors now in the hands of the farm
machinery dealers and three cot
ton picking machines will be Sc
cured when available. Some of
the cotton growers say they will
be able to compete with the otner
areas but many of the smaller
farmers on rolling land are doubt
full and enough of them may be
forced out of production in the
next 5 to Is years to account for
the 10000 acres mentioned.
In the meantime, plans are on
foot to improve the gins, to de-
lint and grade the planting seed,
to get more storage space for the
baled staple, and to increase lint
production per acre. A very def
mite plan is under way to grow
: only that staple of cotton which
is desired by the textile factories.
The growers plan to work in CO.
operation with the textile school
at State College to furnish sam
pies to be tested for staple length,
: strength of fiber, and quality of
,, fiber. Future cotton varieties will
be based on the results of this
research, they say.
Already, the production of small
grain is on the increase in the
county. Through the able leader
ship of County Agent John Will
kins Cleveland farmers have in
creased their wheat acreage from
about 5000 acres in 1880 to more
than $4,000 in 1914. Barley has
been increased from practically
nothing in 1880 to 5000 acres in
1914 with one firm buying about
$4,000 bushels of this grain for feed
and seed this past year. Oats also
have been increased in acreage
until about 1000 acres are now
seeded to this grain. Most of the
oats are cut in the rough stage
as a feed for livestock.
Corn is an important crop to
Cleveland farmers with about 49,
600 acres planted in 1913. The
present acre yield is low but the
growers are beginning to test out
the new Hybrid corns being de-
veloped by the North Carolina Elk.
pertinent station and they say that
there is possibility of increasing
production by 100000 bushels a
year on the same acreage by
adopting known improved methods
Demonstrations by progressive
farmers show that this can be
done.
Interest in dairying has been in
I creaslng steadily; there are vel
over 1000 Cleveland farmers now
selling dairy products of some
kind. More than IS registered
dairy bulls have been placed ir
ID the county during the last two
r years, and the number of mill
v cows has increased by 5000 il
$ tne last three years. Mr.. Leagan.
O. found that Cleveland is well adapt
2 ed to this shift to livestock be
G, cause the county enjoys a Ions
S grazing season, the soils are wei
adapted to the growth of feee
= crops, small grains and pastures
Dr. and adequate markets are avail
Y BILE. the county has a rolling to
biography which needs to be hand
rs led SO as to prevent e erosion. TIL,
e. growth of sod crops and legune
N Will be beneficial in this respect
TX Inen, too, about l 900 tenant fami
., hes will be forced from the Ian,
n II the cotto-' acreage is reduce,
as 1t appears it must be. Thes,
gs persons can well go into livestoc]
I'd production Or must engage in som
It, KIND OF Industrial occupation.
It.