The Wilmington morning star., 1944-05-15
BY F. H. JETER

~ l. 1As LEN
When the great forest of long
leaf pine were swept from the sand
hill section of North Carolina leav-
ing only black jack oaks and other
scrub growth, the landowners turn
ed to peaches az a source of in
come and for years the peach crop
paid well when seasons were IA
vorable. Competing areas, how
ever, made the peach market some
what uncertain and the growers
have continued their hunt for IA
vorable crops. Tobacco was
brought in and has paid well where
soil conditions were favorable.
Some alfalfa wae attempted after
the growers learned to lime their
land and to use borax to overcome
plant food deficiencies in the soil.
Last year, the demand for oil
crops brought the peanut to the
section, and farmers say that this
crop has come to the deep, sandy
soils to stay. Others now report
that the sweet potato seems ideally
suited, and Frank Cox of West End
says he will make the yam an es-
sential part of his farming plan
from now on. He recently COM
pleted selling his 1943 crop, cured
in his tobacco barn, and netted 81
a bushel for the U. S. No. l grade.
The potatoes paid more clear pro-
fit than did my tobacco" he said.
The two crops fit well together in
that the period for most work with
each occurs at different times.
Red clover would be a valuable
crop in North Carolina even though
it were grown for its seed only,
says Allen Hall of Statesville,
Route l, Iredell County, who has
more than doubled the value of hie
farm in the past eight years by
using definite crop rotation in
which legumes, particularly red
clover, have been included. Last
year, Mr.. Hall not only produced
an abundance of high quality red
clover hay but he also sold about
SO, 500 worth of seed from his farm.
He prepares the soil well, uses
plenty of limestone, applies phos-
phate and manure, and then adds
a complete fertilizer before seed
ing the clover. Largely as result
of using legunes, his acre yield of
wheat has jumped from 20 to 35
cushels in the last eight years and
his acre yield Of corn has increased
by 40 per cent. Mr.. Hall uses les
pedeza and vetch as two other
legumes in the rotation.
The Judge of a Recorders Court
in one of the States coastal coun-
ties has found an effective method
to break up chicken stealing and
to add to the national supply of
pulpwood. Recently, when two Ne
gro men, accused of stealing chick
ems were brought before him and
the evidence proved them to be
guilty of the charges, the Judge
sentenced both to work out their
fnies by cutting pulpwood. The cul
prit who actually broke the lock
on the chicken house door was
fined $50 and costs and so had tc
cut 20 cords of wood on his in
ability to produce the cash. The
fellow who only eased the chickens
from their perches was required
to cut only Is cords. Both are nov
definitely better citizens.
A definite effort to produce more
corn for feed in North Caroline
this season through an improve
ment in the average acre yield.
of 20 to % bushels rather than il
the planting of more acres ha:
been started by good farmers
neighborhood leaders, and exten
sion agents. One typical way il
which the problem is being APP
preached is through the use O
countrywide corn-growing contests
In Nash County, for instance, thu
contest is open to all adults WHIT
will plant az much as five acres
and to all All club members ane
FLA students who will grow a.
much as three acres. The contes.
tant who makes the most corn ir
each of the 20 communities of the
county will get $25 war bond next
fall. The contestant winning the
county championship will get $5C
bond. All of those who produce az
much as so bJ shells an acre will
be entertained ut corn ban
quet to be held llext winter. Farm
organizations, eli nc clubs, and pub
lic-spirited citi1 ms are working
with county agl hts in promoting
these contests ami in furnishing the
prizes.
North Cardinals lone egg-drying
plant at North Wilkesboro has beer
using between 900 and 1000 cases
of eggs daily this spring and is
buying three or four times that
many. The plant has paid 80 cents
a dozen and exchanging cases. The
owner, George Coble, will pay
farmers about 81, 100000 for eggs
used this season.
Faced with the fact that cotton
growers of Johnston County had
declared their intentions of not
planting over 60 pc: cent of the
acreage seeded to He crop in 1913
business interests Vt the county
have staged a cottol growing con-
test in which they are offering a
500 war bond to tt highest pro-