The news in this publi
cation is released for the
press on receipt.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
NEWS LETTER
Published Weekly by the
University of I^orth Caro
lina for the University Ex
tension Division.
SEPTEMBER 22, 1926
CHAPEL HILL, N C.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS
VOL. XII, NO. 45
Kditorial Boartii B. C. Branson. S. H. Hobbs, Jr., L. R. Wilson, E. W. Knight. D. D. Carroll. J. B. Bullitt. H. W. Odum.
Entered as second-class matter November 14. 1914, at the Postoffice at Chapel Hil. N. C.. under the act of August 24. Idld
VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS
VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS
] Jerseys up in Catawba county is no
I proof that North Carolina is a dairy
In the table which appears else- j
where the states are ranked according J
to the gross value of all farm products | State of Sm&li Farms
per farm for the year 1926. The data
are not strictly comparable as crops fed
to. livestock are not deducted from crop
values, and therefore there is some
duplication; more in some states than
in others. The gross value of products
per farm as given in the cable is above
the apiount that would appear if crops
fed to livestock had been deducted from
total crops produced. It is impossible
to arrive at data that are strictly com-
The mam reason for our small out
put per farm is that our larius are i
small. In cultivated acres per farm |
we rank last of all the states. The ]
main reason why our farms are so j
small is our excessive cultivation of'
intensive hand-made crops. Only 19 i
percent of the land area of the state
was in crops last year. If our agricul
ture was properly balanced we would
have more land under cultivation. Cul-
A PRIME NECESSITY
It is only as the farmer comes to
think ofhiniaelf as in business and to
use business methods in his daily
tasks that the people as a whole, in
industry, trad^, or the professions,
will remotely approach a proper use
of and profit from our state’s
richest endowments. A prosperous
agricultural industry is the prime
necessity not only in North Carolina
but in America today.—Gov. A. W.
McLean.
pounds from the Mooresville Creamery,
but that happens three or four times a
week.” The Mooresville Creamery was
one of the pioneer establishments in
this section and it has been managed
in a manner markedly successful. It
operates its own ice plant for refriger
ating express cars and ships its butter
to points widely separated. Express
shipments of butter from the Moores-
viUe depot have become in recent
months a material factor in increased
freight revenues from the Old A. T. &
0. Farmers organized the business
there and farmers and business men
carry it on. —Charlotte Observer.
parable, due to differences in agficul'i tivated acres to the farm would be higher
tural practices in different states. An . outputper worker or per farm would
Iowa farmer feeds corn to hogs and be larger. But as long as we concentrate
sells the hogs. A North Carolina farm- hand-made cash crops to the practi
cal exclusion of other forms of agri-
i culture we may expect to see our state
near the bottom in output per farm.
bumper crop in the Sand Hills, and going :
ELECTRICITY ON FARMS
Electricity has had a magic effect as t
beKging.-fifty cents a cozen fifty miles : development of industry,
away in Chapel Hill, and often none at |
that price.
The local merchants say that they
cannot get apples from western North
Carolina. They do not know who has
apples for sale, nor what they would
receive should they order a barrel of
Our Local MarKet
feeds corn to mules and horses
with which he raises cotton and to
bacco. Indirectly we feed corn to
cotton and tobacco. For all piactical i need more variety in North Caro- i them. So they order apples from the
purposes the accompanying gross values I agriculture; variety on a com-[ Hood River Apple Growers in Oregon,
just about show the true position of f^ercial basis; more food and feed 1 and other farmer-asso:iations which
the states agriculturally on a per farm more fruits and vegetables, I stand ready to supply the market in
more livestock and animal products. j steady quantities and standard grades.
: You order a barrel of Hood River apples
! and you know what you will get. You
In conclusion we would like to call' order a barrel of apples from a western
attention to our immense local market j Xorth Carolina farmer and you know
for diversified agricultural products | what you have gotten only after the
that as yet has scarcely bee^ tapped. 1 last apple has been taken from the
ThemilUonurbandwellersofNorthCaro-1 barrel,
lina are being fed largely by the North
and West. They could easily be fed by
North Carolina farmers, and will be i The only solution is for the farmers to
when our farmers get ready to supply ! perfect cooperative marketing associa-
the local markets. The million urban | tion, adopt standard grades, and stand
dwellers of the state consume in the 5 ready to supply the market with apples
neighborhood of two hundred million dol- in steady and reliable quantities, just
basis.
The gross value of all farm products
for North Carolina was $1,660 per farm
for the year 1926, and our rank was
fortieth among the states. That is,
there are thirty-nine states in which
the value of farm output per farm
averaged above North Carolina’s. This
may be rather surprising to those who
have so often heard North Carolina re
ferred to as one of the leading crop
states. We do rank high in total
crop values, but there is something to
agriculture besides crops. Livestock,
milk' butter, canned goods and so on
The Solution
a part of agriculture just as much • lars’ worth of food annually. This food ; as the commercial apple growers' of
^ . 1- ...... ...... ..I. _ XT 41. ..J t- T'Vio
as cotton and tobacco, but most people
in our state seem to have lost sight of
this point.
Crops vs. LivestocR
Our crops in 1926 were valued at 368
miUion dollars and our rank was
seventh in gross value of all crops.
Our livestock and animal products
were valued by the federal Depart
ment of Agriculture at 84 million dol
lars, and our rank was 22nd in gross
value.
But North Carolina ranks second in
farms, so that when we divide our
gross values by our 283,482 farms the
product per farm is small and our rank
on the only fair basis of comparison is
very low. Our rank on an agricultural
worker basis would be still lower, due
to the fact that North Carolina fami
lies are so large, probably the largest
in the United States.
North Carolina is a great crop state.
We do not rank so well as an agricul
tural state. , Fourteen states rank
ahead of North Carolina in gross value
of agricultural products. Yet only one
state has more farms.
A study of the accompanying table
will give some idea of the smalt place
of livestock in North Carolina’s agri
culture. There are ten states in
which animal products are more valu
able than ail crops. There are several
states in which crops are not much
ahead of livestock. There are only three,
states in which livestock is relatively
less important in the scheme of agri
culture than in North Carolina. Live
stock and animal products make up only
19 percent of the gross value of farm
output in North Carolina. Eighty-one
percent is contributed by crops, mainly
the non-food crops of cotton and to
bacco. In no state are non-food crops
relatively more important than in
North Carolina. In Florida, for in
stance, the crop ratio is very high, but
the crops are fruits and vegetables,
which are edible.
On a per farm basis North Carolina
ranks last in the United States in ani
mal products,—in meat and milk pro
duction.
We have a great deal of diversity in
North Carolina, but it is not diversity
on a commercial basis. Cotton and
tobacco are our only farm products of
any great commercial value. We raise
a grept variety of fruits and vege
tables, but the volume that enters the
channels of trade is negligible com
pared with cotton and tobacco, and
compared with the importance fruits and
vegetables oitght to assume in this
state. And as for livestock of the
food and milk variety. North Caro
lina simply has no standing at all,
neither in quantity nor in quality. The
fact that we have a few gold medal
been such a potent factor in the building
up of an industrial empire here in the
piedmont region of the Carolinas. It
has revolutionized industry in many
localities in other parts of the country.
In urban life it has been a tremen
dous factor in promotion of the com
fort and convenience of the people. Its
use in lighting'streets and residences,
offices and business places, and in the
operation of urban transportation
facilities has been followed by its
introduction and general use in the
home for cooking, for the operation of
sewing machines, washing machines,
and for numerous other purposes.
The next step in the development in
the utility of electricity is the exten
sion of its use in rural communities,
not only for domestic use in the country
homes, including lighting, but as a
factor in farm operations. New uses
of electric power are already beginning
.to lighten farm work in field and
home. Experiments indicate tremen-
“ , 1.T ,1 J XTT X u rrur.' dous expansion of electrification in
issuppliedmainlyfromoutsidelhestate. :the North and West have done The districts in many states.
An inventory of the shelves of any individual farmer has little or no chance j _ . ....
grocery store will prove that we are to find a market ^or his apples,
fed by distant states. Our local market Solving the local market problem is
for food and feed products in J^rth : one of the biggest problems facing the
Carolina equals the combined value of state. Something must be done to
our cotton and tobacco crops. We will bring the producer and the consumer
never be a rich agricultural state until closer together. It is to the interests of
we largely feed ourselves. We can both to work out the solution. The
feed ourselves and continue to produce North Carolina consumer is closer to the
our splendid non-food cash crops, and Oregon and California producer than to
when we do we will have a farm output the North Carolina producer of the
that will cause the state to rank high same products.
on a per farm basis. An agriculture Oregon apples are sixty cents a
whose gross product per farm aver- dozen in Chapel Hill., Apples equally
ages only $1560 per year cannot possi- as good are being peddled by individual
bly afford a fair standard of living. ■ farmers for fifty cents a bushel m
Our gross and net income per farm western North Carolina. The. moun-
must be raised; farms must become tain farmer can reach only the loca.
larger; and the only answer is diversity consumer.
on a commercial basis. A great oppor- The farmers of North Carolina must
tunity is right here at hand, the oppor- learn the trick of merchandising their
tunity to supply our million urban products. The hope of the farmer lies
largely in group effort. We can pro
duce individually, but only through
group effort can markets be developed
and supplied in any quantity demanded,
and in reliable and standard grades.
great good is being accomplished by
use of electricity for the dairy farmer.
Some uses involve water supply, venti
lation, sterilization of equipment, feed
ing, milking and separation, it was
reported. East of the Rocky Moun
tains and particularly in truck farming
districts much interest is being directed
toward use of electricity in develop
ment of overhead irrigation.
There is every pro.4pect that within a
few years development of electricity in
rural America will make tremendous
strides, Doctor White said, in an inter
view. He has travelled almost constantly
during the past year, investigating,
directing and oTiserving for the com
mittee, and he reported that there is
noticeable a great improvement in
rural homes, much of which may be
attributed to the use of electricity.—
Charlotte Observer.
Increasing use of electricity on farms
of the United States is bringing about
manifold benefits, it was reported by
Dr. E. A. White, director of the com
mittee on the relation of electricity to
agriculture, at its third annual meeting
in Chicago the other day. A dispatch
to The Christian Science Monitor re
ports Doctor White as saying that elec
tricity is releasing farm men and i but it is different now.
women from drudgery in much of their ■ Churches organized
long day of activity. In homes it is three miles of each
CONSOLIDATION
In the Biblical Recorder of last week
there is a brief article by C. H. Dickey
on the necessity of consolidating weak
churches, that is packed full of com
mon sense.
The amazing statement is made from
an investigation by Mr. Middleton, secre
tary of our Sunday school board, that
since the year 1916 no less than seven
ty-eight churches in existence then
cannot be found now, and he adds that
he has marked off from the census list
26 churches that he knows to be dead,
and makes the further statement that
we are carrying at least 76 more
churches that have not reported to
their associations for the last five
years.
This is a distressing situation and
should be remedied. We have been
putting money in rat holes for years
trying to save weak and inefficient
churches that are doomed to death. In
fact they are dead already having only
a name to live.
We are living in the day of mergers,
in business, in education and along
other lines. Why is noff this same
principle a sound one in the religious
realm? Good roads and swift trans
portation have changed everything. In
the days of slow movement and rough
roads there was some excuse for
chujfChes organized near each other,
within two or
other that are
used not only for light, but to speed up ! barely able to live ought to combine and
'j J i merge their strength so as to support
many household tasks and decrease I capable pastor and maintain an
physical toil in connection with them. | orderly and effective organization. ***
For the poultry farmer electricity is Consolidation is the word, and it is to
being used increasingly for stimulation
of egg growth, brooders, incubators,
and in food preparations. Investiga
tions of the committee show that
be hoped that sentimen.t in favor of
church mergers will grow, and thus out
of weakness we may be made strong.—
Charity and Children.
OUT IN WASHINGTON
Out in the state of Washington there
are 125 apple growers who make up the
erabership of the Yakima Fruit Ex-
which has just finished its
dwellers with home-grown food.
APPLES GALORE
Apples are selling for fifty cents a
bushel in the mountains of North Caro
lina and sixty cents a dozen in Chapel
Hill and hundreds of other places in
North Carolina! The papers are daily
telling of the state’s bumper apple
crop and of the hundreds of thousands nie
of bushels that are going to waste, change,
that will rot on the ground. And peo- second successful shipping season xhe
pie in Chapel Hill and elsewhere in the first year the exchange shipped oca -
state are eating apples from Oregon, loads of apples and last year 2o0 cars
Washington, New York and other dis- which brought a total of $2o0,000. The
tant states! Fifty cents a bushel in; Yakima Exchange distributes its fruit
the mountains, sixty cents a dozen; Iinder three brands and the merchants
over the counter in Chapel Hill. A | who order a brand know ™ ^vance
bumper crop, with apples rotting in the I what they will get. Very I'kely this
mountains while a hundred and fifty association is marketing apifies m North
miles to the east they are selling for five Carolina, while western North Caro^
lina IS complaining of a bumper crop
and no market. It would be a very
simple thing for 126 mountain farmers
to form an association for marketing
apples,-just as simple as for Washing
ton farmers. Later on other associa
tions would develop. Finally these
could federate into Western North
Carolina Apple Growers, Inc., or some
and possibly we would
develop into America’s leading com
mercial apple region. We have the
natural resources. It is up to us to
cish in on them.
cents each! And they are not North
Carolina apples at all. They are from the
Far West, three thousand miles away,
and have passed through the hands of a
large number of middlemen, each of
whom has taken his due profits. That
is why they are five cents apiece.
Peaches
Sand Hill peaches have been selling for j such name,
about a dollar and a half a basket in
New York, and when you can get them
at all you have to pay from two dollars
to two and a half dollars in Chapel Hill.
The writer has been reading the daily j — —
articles telling of the bumper peach I EXPRESS TOWN
croD and of how the farmers are having rr . -n # ,
to turn to brandy-making in order to i Setting out from Statesville for
save the surplus from rotting. For more 1 Charjotte one night recently on Cap-
than two weeks he has daily enquired | tain Claude Morrison s June Bug
for peaches at the local stores and has | Special
.kept a strict watch for street venders, ; of seve
but he has been unable to find any ; dept. After we got "ay
laches at any price, except occasion ally | -!>ta.n was asked a out iL Oh
GI^OSS VALUE OF FARM PRODUCTS PER FARM, 1925
Value of Crops and Value of Animal Products
In the following table, based on U. S. Department of Agriculture data, the
states are ranked according to the gross value of all farm products per farm
for the year 1926. The parallel columns give the value of crops and the value
of livestock and animal products separately. The table presents gross values,
as crops fed to livestock have not been deducted, and tnerefore the data are not
strictly comparable.
North Carolina ranks fortieth in gross value of all farm products per f.arrn.
We rank seventh in total crop values and twenty-second in total value of ani
mal products. But we rank second in total number of farms, which explains
our low rank per farm. The ratio of animal products to total farm output is
lower in North Carolina than in any other state except three,—Mississippi,
Louisiana, and Florida.
U. S. average gross value of farm products per farm $2,663.
S. H. Hobbs, Jr.
Department of Rural Social-Economics, University of North Carolina.
The Observer noted a delay
of several minutes at the Mooresville
the
was
t>y the dozen over the countef, and the j his response,
price usaally is fifty cents a dozen. A . batter. We have jus
loaded 3,000
Rank States Value
Value
Gross
Rank States Value
Value
Gross
crops
animal
value
crops
animal
value
(millions)
products
perj
(millions)
product
per
(millions)
farm
(millions
farm
1 Nevada
,$ 12.
....$ 13
$6,410
25 Massachusetts ,
$ 52.
....$ 48
$2,990
2 Iowa
. 516.
.... 696
5,206
26 Pennsylvania ...
330.
.... 267
2,980
3 California
. 618.
.... 186
5,181
27 Indiana
273.
.... 293
2,891
4 Nebraska
. 343.
.... 286
4,919
28 Missouri
339.
.... 408
2,866
5 North Dakota.
. 302.
.... 71
4,905
29 Delaware
. 20.
.... 9
2,826.
6 Wyoming
. 34.
.... 41
4,844
30 Ohio
. 337.
.... 341
2,770
7 Arizona
. 32.
.... 19
4,722
31 Maryland
86.
.... 46
2,676
8 Colorado
. 159.
.... 106
4,670
32 Florida
117.
.... 17
2,616
9 idahp
. 126.
.... 67
4,481
33 Michigan
'292.
.... 202
2,568
10 Montana
. 128.
.... 77
4,372
34 Oklahoma
300.
.... 167
2,370
11 Illinois
, 498.
.... 461
4,208
36 N. Hampshire..
. 23,
.... 24
2,231
12 South Dakota.
. 208.
.... 108
3,986
36 New Mexico
. 29
.... 37
2,082
13 Kansas
.. 327.
.... 315
3,870
37 Texas
637.
.... 308
2,027
14 New Jersey. ..
. 68.
.... 44
3,776
38 Louisiana
. 215.
28
1,833
16 Wisconsin
. 863.
.... 343
3,663
39 W. Virginia
80.
.... '66
1,616
16 New York
.. 350.
.... 321
3,677
40 North Carolina.
358.
.... 84
1,560
17 Washington....
. 186.
.... 74
3,547
41 Virginia
. 178
116
1,517
18 Minnesota
.. 414.
.... 236
3,448
42 Tennessee
212.
.... 165
1,495
19 Vermont
,. 46
49
3,418
43 Mississippi......
. 311
.... 62
1,460
20 Oregon
. Ill
77
3,364
44 Kentucky
. 212
160
1,488
21 Utah
. 52
32
8,230
45 Arkansas
. 243
75
1,4^2
22 Maine
. 112
46
3,125
46 Alabama
. 260
65
1,337
23 Rhode Island..
.. 5
7
3,07u
47 Georgia
.. 250
82
1,331
24 Connecticut....
. 40
30
3,010
48 South Carolina
. 177
42
1,267