The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-04-22

ID
to obtain 5000 acres NJ ~ ING -
the pine trees produce 3O0 ho.rS
feet an acre each year and then
sell the timber as it maturesl Thu
probably is not SO easy as it seems
Down in Carthage, Moore County
lives man who knows all ahovt
this and whose whole life has beer
devoted to timber. Many years ago
his grandfather owned Shepherd
Mountain in Randolph County and
cut timber from all that area.
This grandfather built seven
dams on Caraway River, in the
Uwharrie's. and used the resulting
water power to run his sawmills.
His grandson followed in the patri-
arch's footsteps. But first he took a
course in agriculture at State Col
lege, managed Lake Latham Farm
at Mebane, and the Crammerton
Farm, before loca ting in Carthage
in 1915.
Buys Tract
> Last week. he bought the 1900
, acre tract Of land which ne. was
/ hired to cut back in 1916 and he
added it to his holdings to make
the $500 acres total that he now
owns. This original tract, which
was the first timber that Colin
Spencer ever cut, has been lumber
ed three times since 1916.
That year Mr.. Spencer cut about
eight million feet of timber. BY to-
day he has bought and cut more
than $50 million feet of timber in
Moore and the three adjacent coun-
: ties. At one time, Mr.. Spencer op-
Grated milling plants at Carthage,
Hemp or Robbins, Glendon, and
Bennett. He operates only one plant
: today, the main one at his head.
: quarters in Carthage, and he says
! the black market in timber is about
: to close that one temporarily.
Replants Trees
After cutting timber for about
eight years on leased land, Colin
Spencer began to see the wisdom
of replanting trees and of using his
own sound commonsense in tim
Der harvesting. Therefore, in 1922
he began to buy his own land. To-
day he owns about $500 acres,
mostly in timber tracts, running
along the fertile bottomlands of
Moore County streams.
Although most of this land is used
to grow timber, the lu1nberman al
so possesses that inherent love OF
farming that is present in all of us
and so he operates about six farms.
One is livestock or cattle farm,
and all six of them produce tobac-
! 70 and general crops. He showed
me, with great pride, his cattle
farm with its excellent seeded pas
ture on which 81 head of purebred
Hereford cattle were finding a good
living.
Tr0tting Mare
Their ne turned out his Tennessee
trott,ng mare or walking horse with
as fine hlghhea AIDED, long-legged
young colt as I ever saw. This
mare also had young filly in the
adjoining stable. Mr.. Spencer owns
purebred Percheron draft mare
that had beautiful colt about one
week old. Another mare brought
down from his mountain farm anc
now too old to work is being useo
as brood animal to produce re
placement Workstock.
The regular commercial herd O
Herefords were out on a swamp
pasture and Mr.. Spencer selects
and sends some of his best bee
animals to his mountain farm eacl
summer where they fatten on blu'
grass for discriminating market
The commercial herd in Moor,
County furnishes double purpos'
because they clip the young hard
woods ard underground where pin
seedlings are set, as well as fur
nish beef for market.
Wooded Acres
I visited some of the woode,
areas where Mr.. Spencer bega
\ to set pine seedlings back in 1916
He plows a deep furrow taroug
the forest floor, and the seedlin
trees are set along this furroW
This allows moisture to settle il
the furrow and for mulch to &C
cumulate there to keep the sol
fertile and moist. He has one tract
for instance. where he cut out al
the hardwoods, except the whit
| oak, to provide fuel wood for ar
orchid farm near Pinehurst. Thi.
orchid farm does not use coal be
cause the SCOT seeps through int;
the delicate plants and so it use
hardwood for fuel.
Loblolly Pines
Il After removing all the hard
woods from this area, the tract was
set in loblolly pine. and while some
expert foresters said the plar
wouldn't work, it does seem tt
work because the young pine trees
are right there now, growing lust
ily under the white oaks that are
with the dogwoods. By the way
Mr.. Spencer sells his dogwood ano
persimmon timber to textile mills
to be made into bobbins for use il
the weaving machinery The white
oaks will be harvested later fol-