Gsrdner-Webh CoTle^p Library
Special Collections
p,0. Box 836
Boilirid Spririds? NC 28017
The Foothills View
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1983
BOILING SPRINGS NC
Permit No. 15 • Address Correction Requested
SINGLE COPY 15 CENTS
Rabbits Make
Big Jump
To China
The North Carolina Depart
ment of Agriculture Marketing
Division, working with several
Tar Heel rabbit breeders, has
sold two shipments of rabbit
breeding stock - totaling 288 rab
bits - to the People’s Republic of
China. This sale of rabbits was
the first from the Southeast, and
only the second since trade rela
tions with China were resumed.
The China National Animal
Breeding Stock Import and Ex
port Corporation of Beijing (Pek
ing), China made the purchase of
100 New Zealand, 8 California
and 180 Rex rabbits. The New
Zealand and California breeds
are used for meat purposes,
while the Rex breed is used
primarily for its fur.
Third Grade Flying High
ri fa
^ V ~ -r
PHOTO BY JOHN MARlC ADAMS
Third graders at Boiling Spring echool soar in spirits at the school's Kite Day. Contests were held
ior the largest kite in the air. and for best homemade kites.
“1 am pleased that the rabbit
industry in North Carolina has
been forerunners in the
Southeast in shipping breeding
stock to China,” stated
Agriculture Commissioner Jim
Graham. “1 am also pleased tliat
the livestock section of our
Marketing Division was able to
get our state’s foot in the door,
so to speak, and we are looking
forward to more livestock sales
to China. 1 am proud of this
staff, particularly Bruce Shankle
who works with export livestock
sales.”
Remembering When
Milk Was Five Cents
The value of the rabbit
breeding stock sold was approx
imately $15,000. Breeders Rufus
Boyd of Washington, Eddie
Hudson of New London, Stan
Summerlin of Monroe and Bill
Abernathy of Denver supplied
the rabbits for shipment to
China.
The two shipments of rabbits
occurred on March 2 and March
9, when 100 and 188 rabbits,
respectively, were shipped. The
first shipment left from Raleigh,
the second from Charlotte, via
New York and San Francisco to
China.
With the success of this ship
ment behind, there is a possibili
ty of further purchases by China
of rabbit breeding stock this
summer.
Today the average person
walks into the local grocery store
frequently to purchase a paper
or plastic carton of cold, fresh
milk without even considering
the process of getting that carton
onto the refrigerated shelf.
Sam Weir, 69 year old Kings
Mountain retiree recalls the days
just after World War I when
milk wasn’t even available in
stores.
“People would bring a pail to
our house and get milk. My dad
dy would sell it for 5‘ a bucket,”
said Weir.
In 1918 the Weir’s stated the
first milk delivery service in
Kings Mountain. Weir said that
it was the era of horse and buggy
and now newspaper. “Everyone
went to the Post Office for news.
“My daddy saw a poster in the
Post Office for wagons and
drivers to go and build Fort
Bragg. He and my brother Ted
took two teams of mules down
to the fort and saw a man
delivering milk house to house,”
said Weir.
“When they returned to Kings
Mountain after World War I,
our family began delivering milk
in buckets and then later in bot
tles.”
“Within a year there were 100
farmers delivering milk in Kings
Mountain,” he said.
“Later my daddy bought and
remodeled a horse drawn hearse
to deliver milk,” said Weir.
The first building used for
milking was wooden with a ce
ment floor. The cows were
caught and tied with a rope
while eating from a long trough.
‘The cows placed their heads
through stantions, wooden bars
about two feet apart to readh the
feeding trough. While eating, the
cow would be milked by hand,”
Weir said.
He said that the first milking
machine was operated with an
air pump. A metal pipe hanging
down between two cows was
connected to two rubber pipes.
The air pressure forced the rub
ber pipes to simultaneously
squeeze the milk from into a five
gallon metal can.
“Milk directly from a cow is
hot and the quicker it’s cooled
the better. At first we used ice,
but later built an electric cooler
with flooring lumber,” said Weir.
At first the milk was strained
only with a cloth. Later a cloth
was placed inside a metal
strainer. The milk was then put
into a vat to be cooled.
The bottles were placed under
the hand bottling machine which
resemebled a round bucket to be
filled.
The Weir’s built an electric
refrigerator and sterilizer with
double walls from flooring
lumber.
“We milked around 32 to 35
cows twice daily. I got up at 4
a.m. every morning to milk and
walked home from school only
to milk again,” said Weir.
“We delivered milk every mor
ning for 5‘ a pint and 10‘ a quart.
Customers paid by the week,” he
said.
When the first wooden barn
had fallen down a milk house
and new barn were built with
handmade bricks on the bottom
half and wooden slats up to the
roof. The structures are still stan
ding on Grover Road.
As the years progressed new
conveniences were added to im
prove the process. “In 1931,
when I finished high school our
family started going out of the
dairy business,” said Weir. ‘To
day the man who owns a dairy
has little manuel labor to do.
Everything is taken care of by
automatic machines.”
Despite The Temperature, It’s Spring
—Maples Are Turning Red
One early sign of spring is the
reddish haze seen in looking up
through the leafless branches of
some local trees.
These are likely to be red
maples, one of the most common
Piedmont trees.
Both male and female flowers
are found on the same tree. The
male flowers are red-petalled
with fluffy yellow pollen. The
female flowers, with miniature
red wings, develop into fruits
called samaras, the Latin word
for elm seed, and the reddish
twigs and leaf stalks contribute
their touch of color too.
The seed may be red, green or
brown and are covered with a
papery sheath shaped like bee’s
wings, or, some think, like a
skate key. Then they ripen, in
early spring, they are released
from the twig, and beeause of
their shape, they twirl rapidly as
they fall to the ground.
A wind can propel them some
distance from the parent tree,
perhaps to a more suitable spot
for germinating, probably one
good reason that the red maple is
one of the most common Pied
mont trees.
Both the American and wing
ed elms are also in bloom before
the leaves appear. The flowers
aren’t as conspicious as the
maples, but they too give a
reddish-brown haze to the tree
tops. The small flowes are
greenish-red, hanging in clusters
from 1-inch-long, thread-like
stems.
While the flowers might not
be very noticeable to us. the bees
are more perceptive and gather
some of their first spring nectar
from the blossoms.
The elm fruits are encased in
half-inch-long samaras, which
ripen before the leaves unfold.
They, too, are scattered by
means of these wing-like casings,
which differ from the maple’s in
that they are not in pairs. The
American elm has a small notch
opposit the stem end of the
samara, and the winged elm’s
has two tiny tips like a beak and
is covered with white hairs.
Later in the springs, sassafras
flowers may be seen with the ap
pearance of the earliest leaves.
Unlike the maples and elms, the
sassafras carries male and female
flowers on separate trees, only
the latter producing fruit in the
fall: blue berries set in scarlet
stemmed cups. The spring
female flowers are clusters of
delicate greenish-yellow stars
that droop at their stem ends.
The male flowers are somewhat
showier.
Young twigs and terminal
buds of the sassafras are bright
green and tempting to some
human nibblers because of their
tangy flavor. Sassafras tea, made
from the root, was very popular
at the time of the American
Revolution to avoid the exhorbi-
tant tax on British tea and has
since been widely used in folk
medicine to treat a varity of
ailments.
Most people think of trees in
terms of leafy shade in the sum
mer or of dramatic color in the
fall. A stroll now along the trails
of the N.C. Botanical Garden
can reveal a different and in
teresting view of trees and a har-
binger of things to come.
Flinthill DAR
Has Heritage
Of History
“Love of Country Through
Historic Cleveland County,” was
the program topic at the April
meeting of the Flint Hills
Chapter, National Society
Daughters of the American
Revolution. Mrs. James L.
Padgett introduced Mr. Roy
Jackson of Shelby who talked
briefly and presented a slide pro
gram entitled “Some of Your
Heritage,” which depicted the
history of Cleveland County. He
began with a map of the area
before our Country was formed
and showed many historic sites
from all parts of Cleveland
County.
Mrs. R.F. Sweezy, Regent,
presided over the meeting which
was held at the Fellowship Hall
of the Boiling Springs United
Methodist Church. The
Chaplain, Mrs. Joe Kendrick, led
the DAR Ritual, gave the in
vocation, lead the Pledge to the
Flag, The American’s Creed, and
the singing of our National An
them.
Mrs. E.C. Willingham gave
the National Defense Report
and the President General’s Let
ter was read by Mrs. Sweezy.
Mrs. Paris Weathers reported
for the nominating committee
and presented the following who
were elected: Mrs. Travis Jolly,
Treasurer; Mrs. Bobby Hum
phries, Recording Secretary; and
Mrs. James L. Padgett,
Registrar.
Mrs. Arnold Ramey and Mrs.
Hal Dedmon attended the 83rd
State Conference and they
reported that North Carolina
had a gain of 80 members last
year, despite a large loss by,
death. The Flint Hills Chapter
received five awards including
highest State and National
award for outstanding yearbook;
Honor Roll; for 100% Dues pay
ment remitted with computer
printout; and Honorable Men
tion on a religious needlework
wall hanging which was made
and entered by Mrs. Sweezy.
Mrs. Ramsey will leave Monday
for Washington to attend the
92nd Continental Congress.
Two minutes reviews were
given by Mrs. Paris Weathers,
Librarian; and Mrs. Joe Ken
drick, Radio, TV and Motion
Picture Chaimian.
The meeting room was
decored with large vases of white
jonquils and red azaleas.
Hostesses were Mrs. Catherine
Harris, Mrs. E.C. Willingham,
Mrs. Bobby Humphries, and
Mrs. Otto Matheny.
A Bunch
For Brunch
Shelby Group I, members of
Delta Cappa Gamma hosted a
brunch for the members at
Dover Club House on Saturday.
Dorothy Poston gave the in
vocation. Following the brunch,
an initiation service was con
ducted for new member, Debi
McDaniel, reading coordinator
at James I-ove School. Following
the initiation, Faye Burton nar-
ratored a film on the Delta Cap
pa Gamma society. Dr. Bettye
Carpenter, president, presided
over a brief business session.
Honor Roll Called
At Crest High School
Below are the students listed
by Crest Senior High School as
honor students;
12th - Straight A’s - Derek
Greene, Sharon Harbison, John
Kennedy, Mary Lamb, Deana
Latham, Becky Proctor, Brenda
Watson, Scott white, Katrina
Blair.
12th - A Average - Ben
Brown, Yvonne Carter, Wayne
Cogdell, Oletha Coulter, Jeff
Cooper, Carmen Creach, Susan
Greene, Mark Horn, Lisa
Johnson, Lana Jolley, Penny
Jones, Robert Lamb, Dennis
Lankford, Jimmy Lovelace,
Melonie McGraw, Pam Rollins,
Eric Rumfelt, Suzanne Sanford,
Joanna Sorrells, Sheila Toms,
Julia Walker, Terry Wray, Julie
Blackbun, Tammy Pruett, San
dra Canipe.
11th - Straight A's - Gene
Lancaster, Mitchell Lipscomb,
Brian Long, Melissa Mathews,
Beth McKee, Janet McSwain,
Renee Melton, Lydia Perrin,
Pam Plank, Shelia Webb.
11th - A Average - Lori Bell,
Lisa Bowen, Lisa Bridges, John
Cabaniss, Kim Cooke, Lori Dun
can, Lisa Deaton, Catherine
Hicks, Molly Holmes, Karen
Hord, Mike Humphries, Kim
Lail, Kevin Laye, Patrick Litton,
Beth Maloney, JoAnn McS
wain, Felicia G. Mitchell, Marie
Moore, Kim Morrison, Jeff
Owens, Tracy Pearson, Wendy
Patterson, Sherri Shade, Kim
Weaver, Gina Webb, Aleta
Withrow, Angie Stepp, Eddie
Turner, Elizabeth Ford.
10th Average - Richard
Acuff, Billy Black, Melissa
Brown, Wanda Dover, Rhonda
Greene, Tommy Hamrick,
Tracye Hamrick, April Haynes,
Kevin Hodge, Amy Hope, Lisa
Humphries, Kirk Jones, Marilyn
Kelly, Beth Lamb, Renee Lar-
rieu, Keith Larson, Lynn
Lavender, Mary Littlejohn, Jeff
McEntrye, Steve Moore^ Angela
Morehead, Dejuana Parker,
Crystal Parker, Dennis Pearson,
Charlene Petty, Steve Putnam,
Mike Rabb, Heather Rhom,
Melinda Roberts, Gwen Pyron,
Craig Scruggs, Shannon Scog
gins, Madeline Spikes, Jackie
Walker, Randy Watts, Carol
Weaver.
10th - Straight A's - Sandra
Bailey, Emily Jones, Joe Mad
dox, Angela McGinnis, Chris
Melton, Angela Morrison, Caleb
Nolley, Patti Rollins, Robert
Queen, Mark Smith, Brad
Stamey, Scott Wilson, Chuck
Wright.