The Wilmington morning star., 1946-02-17
HORN OF PLENTY
IN N. {. IN l945
Tremendous Increase In
Purchase OF Farm Ma
chinery In State
BY HENRY MADDU
N, C. State College

ir North Carolina last year ard
presented Tar Hell farmers not on
| ly with the exceptional crop yields
but also with record breaking re-
turns in dollars.
Growers were continually pla-
gued with labor shortages through
out the year but by swapping la
Dor with each other and making
better use of labor-saving machin-
cry, they were able to save all
Of the crops that were produced.
At the same time, the expense of
producing these crops was proba-
bly, greater than ever before in his
tory.
Today the average farmer is a
wide awake, keen-eyed business
man, who has shed his whiskers
and is shaving with an electric
razor. He is constantly searching
for new ways and means of re-
ducing unit labor costs on his
crops, looking to the day when the
honeymoon of high prices will be
a thing of the past. He is sold on
farm mechanization.
In spite of conditions that have
prevailed in North Carolina during
the last four years, the number
of tractors now on farms in the
state is practically double what it
was before the war. The days Of
one man and one mule are over.
Machinery Increase
There has been a tremendous in
crease in all types of harvesting
machinery used on farms. Jointly
owned equipment is now the plan
of many small farmers. Two plows
are being bolted together so that
they, can be operated by one man
instead of two. Land is being har-
rowed, fertilized, and planted at
one operation. Every effort is be-
ing made to reduce the amount of
hand labor involved in the produc-
ton and harvesting of crops.
Leading Cash Crops
The leading cash crops in North
Carolina last year were tobacco,
corn, cotton and cotton seed, tame
hay, and peanuts - in the order
named. According to preliminary
estimates by the State Department
OF Agriculture, these crops were
worth about 555 million dollars.
Sweet and Irish potatoes brought
in another 80 million. Small grain
crops were valued at about 20 mil
lion and the fruit and nut crop at
about million.
Final figures on the farm in
come of North Carolina growers,
including returns from dairying,
livestock, hogs and poultry, are to
be published.
Record Crops
One Of the outstanding accom-
plisAments of 1915 was the record
breaking corn crop due to excel
lent weather conditions and the
use of hybrid seed and better
methods of fertilization and cult
walton in growing the crop. The
farmers produced an average of
Is bushels per acre over the en-
tire state, and maintain that this
average can be increased to 40
bushels during the next ten years.
They point out that many grow
ers who followed all the plans of
the Extension Service for
maximum production made yields
OF from rs to 100 bushels per acre
on land that had formerly produc-
ed only about 30 bushels.
Taking a tip from John A. Arey.
Extension dairy specialist at State
College, who reported an annual
hay deficit of about $50 thousand
tons, the farmers increased hay
production by 100 thousand tons.
In spite of a seed shortage, the
growers increased the alfalfa acre
age by Is per cent in one year
because this crop is giving more
than twice the average yield for
other tame hays.
Tobacco
Tobacco yields continued tn
climb and the state average is now
!, 100 pounds per acre as conapar-
ed with about 700 pounds only. a
few years ago. Farmers have used
exceptionally large amounts of
fertilizer for tobacco in recent
years because all grades of leaf
have been selling well, but in the
future the growers may possibly
pay more attention to the quality
OF their leaf than during war
years.
Becauseof exceptionally wet
weather during most of the grow
ing season, the average yield of
cotton dropped from 454 pounds of
lint per acre in 1914 to 81. pounds
in 1915.
However, the winners in the
State Five-Acre Cotton Contest
pointed the way to methods for il.
creased yields per acre and the
production of cotton at lower
cost per pound George H, Blanton
Of Rutherford County made ID
bales on five acres in winning the
championship. The four winners in
the western district averaged e688
pounds Of lint of more than u
bales on the five acres. The win.
ners in the central district averag.
ed 10 bales, while those in the east
ern district made more than II
bales average on acres.