The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-10-27
GARDENING
and FARMING
IN DARE
BY J. L REA. Co Agt.
Cover Garden Ground

Maintaining an adequate supply
of organic matter in the soil is a
big problem for home gardeners,
Especially in the South where the
growing season is long and the
summers are hot. But a high or
|ganic matter content must be main
tanned if good yields of quality veg
|etables are to be grown.
In the old days when every farm
had horses, cattle and chickens,
manure supplied organic matter
and much of the plant food for
country gardens. Today, manure is
difficult to obtain and expensive.
Compost made of crop refuse,
leaves and lawn clippings is widely
used. Here again, compost is limit
ed and troublesome to prepare.
Sawdust has been helpful in many
gardens. The best and most success
full source of organic matter for
gardens is small grains seeded in
late summer and early fall. Grains
make vigorous growth, prevent loss
of plant food from teaching in win
ter, and add enormous quantities
of organic matter when plowed un-
der early next spring. Seed 2 or 3
pounds of oats, rye or wheat per
1000 square feet and rake it into
the ground in September or Octo-
Der.
Dare County Figs
Tommy r. Midget of Mashoes
has convincing proof that Dare
County figs sell at premium. For
years Midget has sold figs to
special customers as far inland as
Rocky Mount, He says he preserves
most of his figs and customers are
notified when to pick them up. For
the past several years he has not
had enough figs to supply his custo-,
mers and is now setting out new
fig bushes. He has several varieties,
but thinks the Brown Turkey is the
favorite.
sweet POTATOES
Many of you are digging sweet
potatoes or will soon be doing so.
Wire Worms and nematodes do lots
of damage to sweet potatoes. The
potatoes that are cut and cracked,
in most cases, usually have been
by these two pest, nema-
todes and wire worm.
Nematodes are the worst enemy
and do millions of dollars of dam !
age to sweet potato growers
throughout the South. Many of the
good producers fumigate the soil
before setting out the sweet POI
tatoes.
Carl Daniels of Skyco was get
ting a good yield of sweet pota-
toes but all were damaged. We
recommended that he treat the soil
for nematodes and for the past two
years he has gotten excellent re-
suits. Where wire worms are trou-
blesome an application of Adrin or
similar material applied in the soil
does a good job of controlling this
pest.
Stay In School If You Can
Young people should exert every
effort this year to stay in school.
Machines today are doing the work
of unskillel men. Fewer jobs in the
future will be open to poorly ed
ucated and unframed workers. Flu
ture job opportunities will largely
be in professional technical and
skilled occupations. A recent nation
wide study revealed the following
lifetime earnings of men according
to education:
Less than 8, years school $780,
600. 4 years of high school, $751;
900, A years of college, $435, 900.
Thus, the years of college edu-
cation added $4,000 to lifetime
earnings = more than double the
boy who dropped out of school
after 8 years. Figured another way,
the 4-year college student was
earning better than $1,000 a week,
while on the college campus! Can
you afford to pass up this oppor-
tunity?
Farmers Home Administration
For a number of years Farmers
Home Administration Program al
most entirely excluded Dare Coun-
ty. Now that the F. H A. Program
has been enlarged, it can be bene-
fit to residents throughout Dare
County. Mr.. Daniel Willis, F. H. A.
Supervisor from Hyde County, and
l visited several people this past
week in an effort to explain the
extended policy of the new pro-
gram.
People who have not been able
to borrow money for new homes
have an opportunity to do so with
the new Government Loan Program.