The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-06-19
BY F. H. JETER

l
appear to be well worked, to be
free of grass and, despite the gan-
eral drouth which has prevailed for
several weeks, are growing wei
During the past two weeks l nave
been through representative part
of Eastern Carolina and back up
through the foothills to the noun
tains. Cotton from Duplin to Ruth
erford is the best I have seen it
at this season. 1t is remarkably
free of grass and has been getting
its side application of nitrogen. Civ
en- a favorable season, it may yet
beat the boil weevil and produce
normal crop despite the e
planting. Corn looks good. 1t is
growing rapidly and as yet has a
good color, despite dry weather.
There is a great need for more
corn per acre this season and many
growers were applying nitrate of
soda last week to push growth and
increase acre yields.
All over the State grain grow
ers have been busy with reapers
and combines and acre yields ap-
pear to be satisfactory. The new
Sunrise barley developed at h e
Piedmont Branch Station of t h e
North Carolina Experiment Station
is giving a good account of itself
and farm agents predict that the
variety will be planted heavily this
next fall.
There is more talk Of insect trou-
BILE this season than I have ever
heard before. Late planted corn is
affected with bud worms and the
tobacco insects have already be-
gun their depredations. Over in
Pasquotank County new insect,
the rough headed corn stalk be-
tie, has destroyed some 400 acres
of fine corn and the growers can
only ploy up the crop and plant
something else. Down in the South
eastern part Of the State the white
fringed beetle is causing consider
able damage.
This beetle m e from the
ground onto the plant, lay eggs
which hatch into larvae that 60
back into the ground and proceed
to eat up everything that looks like
root or tuber. Truck growers
have found the beetle unusually
troublesome unless their crops are
kept so covered with spray that
the adult beetles find little unpoi-
soned foliage on w h C h to feed
above ground.
North Carolina also has another
new insect enemy in the chinch
bug which so far seems to be cen
tered in Mecklenburg nd Pitt
Counties but which is spreading
rapidly. This pest is now emerging
from the infested wheat fields onto
the corn crop and is causing dam
age and destruction as it goes. A
barrier of dinitro seems to be eff
fective in controlling this pest.
Furmans Smith, veteran agricul.
tural leader and thinker Of Neck
lenburg County, says that few peo-
pie appreciate the difficulties Of
farming. They little know, he said
that the farmer must be a good
botanist, a biologist, chemist, a
civil engineer, a financier, and still
know how to work and to market
the results of his labor. This season
certainly has been one to test his
ingenuity for the simple reason
that he. started the season late be-
cause of continuous rains and since
that time he has had to contend
with spotted weather. The lack Of
labor, insect epidemics, a n d regu
atoms as to selling prizes have
further aggravated the situation.
One of the bright spots of the
season has been the fine crop O.
hay produced from the cereals ane
legumes which were planted las
fall. Another has been the unusua
yields of alfalfa harvested at thu
first cuttings of this year. Man,
growers say that more than a tol
to the acre of prime alfalfa ha,
was harvested and that thic will
pay the entire cost of seeding tn,
crop last. fall.
DR.. L. D. Baver, director Of tn,
North Carolina Experiment Station
believes that farmers of this Stat
can grow as fine quality of al
falfa as is produced in any othe
State, and he had number Q
test plots planted last fall in sew
eral sections of the State. Almos
universally these plots have prove
the truth of his belief. The frs
cuttings, in most instances, ar
paying the cost of putting in tn
legume and there will be an ave,
age Of at least three more cutting
to be made this season. Certainl
the one planting should last for 9
least five years and the crop wi
improve year after year if lin'
stone and phosphate is added
Sheep growers are pleased viii
the cooperative sales Of lambs an
have b selling their choie
i grades for $40 hundred pound
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