The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-24
Carolina F arm Comment
By F. H. JETER

stanly County is rapidly becom-
ing a livestock county, and it's
neople are concerned about the
Importance of producing ample
feedstuffs. They are planting
more pastures and grazing crops
this fall as they plan to produce
more fluid milk for the local milk
receiving plant located on the out
skirts of Albemarle. The county
has just purchased set of forms
for building concrete silos and
these are being rented at cost
to the dairy cattle and livestock
owners. Those men who have
built silos in past years say that
they have proved to be a great
asset during the winter months.
Not only has the silage stimulated
the milk flow per animal but also
health conditions of the cows so
fed have been improved.
A lumber of Stan1y farmers
have started producing Grade "a"
milk in the last few months and
they need silage as a succulent
feed. The new forms, owned by
the county, will be passed from
farmer to farmer as needed and
the men using them say this is
one of the most progressive steps
taken by the county commission
ers in recent years. James Sides,
young dairy farmer of Abe
marie, Route 2, was the first
man to use the forms but ten other
men are now on the waiting list.
Many of these men are replacing
their old trench silos dug sew
eral years ago.
A report from Granville County
indicates that the farmers in that
old-time tobacco-producing section
are definitely going to increase
their pasture, hay and forage
crops. Claude Morgan, farm
agent, says there are $4,000 acres
of idle land in that county and
if these acres could only be put
to work in producing feed for
livestock, through production OF
pastures, and other forage, the in
come of the county would be in.
creased by one-half a million dol
lars annually and the tobacco
acreage would not be touched.
Granville farmers, therefore, are
interested in this idea and they
have already begun seeding pas
lures. alfalfa and other hay and
grazing crops as the weather has
permitted.
Wake County farmers also are
pleased with the results which they
are securing from alfalfa. For
instance, Lloyd Weeks, farm agent.
says that James D. Adams of
Willow Springs is getting more
hay this year from IA acres Of
alfalfa than he did from As acres
Of lespedeza in 1914. The hay
is of superior quality and it costs
less to produce than that which
he secured from his IS acres of
lespedZa.
The same thing is happening
down in the tobacco-cotton county
of Robson. Recently, the entire
agricultural personnel Of that
county held a meeting under the
direction of Farm Agent o. P.
Owens and drew up an outline
for a forage-production plan en-
bracing the entire county. The
group spent the whole day on the
problem and finally evolved some
thing on which everyone could
agree. The plan as adopted tells
exactley how to select the soil for
good pasture in that county; how
to treat the land and what seed
10 SOW. They agreed that spring
seeding pays well in that section
and are advocating that IS pounds
Of Kobe lespedeza, 10 pounds Of
Dallis grass and pounds Of white
Dutch clover per acre be planted
between next February IS and
March l. In the meantime. they
advocate the seeding of temper
airy grazing crops including the
planting of 40 pounds of Italian
rye grass per acre, or the plant
ing of two bushels Of oats and
two bushels of barley per acre.
Or four bushels of either one per
acre planted before September 30.
These grazing crops should be
fertilized, they said, with 300
pounds per acre of 6-8-6 mixture
at seeding time and then top
dressed with 100 pounds of nitrate
Of soda on November l, to be
repeated on February l. Plans
also are being made to seed sum-
mer grazing crops so as to pro-
vide rotation of grazing through