The Wilmington morning star., 1945-05-14


earlier plants had died. Only a
few complained of the blue. mold.
AS matter of fact, manysof the
growers said the blue mold was
needed to hold back plants that
had grown too fast during the
warm spring for setting in the
field.
Little cotton is being planted
in the tobacco section this year
but that which has been planted
is coming through the soil. The
small grain down there did not
look 50 good. Much of lit was
grown for grazing and is there
fore not to be compared with tha
fine grain one could see in Ala
nance and Randolph counties fur
Their west.
There was one significant OBJ
servation that will be of interest
to all meat eaters. Northwestern
North Carolina is hog country.
In days past one could hardly
drive from Raleigh to Elizabeth
City without seeing commercial
herds of swine on many farms,
especially in the area from Will
iamston and Windsor on east.
Whether the hogs were back in
swamp pastures or whether they
were in barn lots hidden away
from prying eyes, they were not
to be seen. Men who have been
keeping dozen or more brood
sows and others who have been
selling as many as 500 pigs from
their farms each year have only
enough pigs to kill for their own
meat. In fact, the absence of
hogs began to be so noticeable
that 1 began to ask about them,
and men answered that it did not
pay to feed hogs high priced feed
and sell the fat animals at the
ceiling price allowed. Some said
they could sell the corn much
more profitably as grain than
as marketed through hogs
Apparently, however, mort III
western Carolina farmers still
have enough hogs for their own
meat supply and perhaps their
idea about this should be time
ly tip to those of us who live in
southeastern and Piedmont Caro-
lima. Those who do not have
few pigs for meat this winter
had better get some pigs as early
as possible. Nearly every farm
in that section had its poultry
flock. There are a number of
commercial hocks to be seen and
the owners said it is a wise idea
to lock them up tight and fast at
nightfall. Chicken thieves are
prevalent. In fact, one man said
thieves will break into the smoke
house right in the back yard if
they get half a chance. Fewer
acres will be planted to soybeans
this year but apparently the
acreage to peanuts will be increas-
ed. Lespedeza is moving east and
is taking the place Of soybeans
as the farmers in that area be-
gin to grow more grain. Like their
Piedmont brethren, the eastern
Carolina farmers are now over
seeding their grain with lespedeza
for hay seed and soil improve
ment.
There was some killing of bar
ley In the upper Piedmont coun-
ties towards Winston-Salem. On
the whole, however, the small
grain seems to have recovered
almost completely from the
freezes of early April. 1 have
never seen better looking wheat.
The dairy cow population in all
that country is increasing by
leaps and bounds. The easy mar
kets provided by the milk re-
ceiving stations established by
Carnation, George Coble, and the
other manufacturing dairymen
are having their effect. Better
pastures also are coming along
and there is much electric fence
around fields of temporary graz
ing crops. Poultry is a standard
crop in the territory, SO much so
that some folks had signs in front
of their farms, Fresh Eggs and
Fryers For Sale" Believe it or
not those signs are there and
should you not be able to get a
nice broiler for your Sunday din
ner this week, remember that
the farm folk of North Carolina
are still living very well indeed"
Allow only one shoot to develop