Friday, August 28, 1959
new BERN MIRROR, NEW BERN, N. C.
Farm Production Costs in
State Will Rise This Year
Feeder pigs are the only thing
expected to cost North Carolina
larmers less in coming months.
Cost of other farm production
items are expected to remain stea
dy or creep upwards during the
rest of 1959.
These predictions were made by
Charles Pugh, State College farm
management specialist, in his mid
year farm costs outlook report.
Feed prices are expected to re
main about the same throughout
1959, Pugh said, as high inventories
of livestock and poultry offset
abundant grain supplies.
Declines in prices of feeder pigs
are likely, while continued high
demand should maintain the price
of feeder cattle through this fall
Although fertilizer purchases in
North Carolina in early 1959 were
up one-third, prices will likely con
tinue unchanged.
Pugh further reported that con
tinued strength in the non-farm
economy will likely force some
farm cost upwards.
For example, a high rate of resi
dential construction will boost the
price of farm building materials.*-
The steel strike could raise farm
machinery prices.
Farm wage rates, interest, and
taxes will continue to increase
slightly. Pugh expects the increase
to be in the neighborhood of 5
per eent.
W. C. CHADWICK
GENERAL INSURANCE
Clark Building
Telephonasi
3Kice ME 7-314( — Homa ME 7-3433
State Ranks
Sixth when
Bees Counted
North Carolina is climbing near
the top again in the number of hon
eybee colonies. And it’s a good
sign, both for the production of
honey and the pollination of crops.
W. A. Stephen, bee specialist for
the N, C. Agricultural Extension
Service, says the state now has
about 210,000 honeybee colonies.
This is the first year North Caro
lina has reported more than 200,-
000 since 1900. At that time Texas
was the only state with more bees
than North Carolina. In 1941 the
state dropped to a low of only 164,-
000 colonies, while usually ranking
in the top 10 or 12 states.
The 1959 figures, released re
cently by the Crop Reporting
Board of the USDA, show only
California, Florida, Texas, Minneso
ta and Ohio ahead of the Tar Heel
State.
Stephen says one explanation for
the 15 per cent increase over 1958
figures was the very low winter
loss. Another reason can be found
in the fact that weather during
the spring build-up was favorable,
resulting in strong colonies which
swarmed early.
Unfortunately, North Carolina’s
1959 honey crop is not proportion
ate to the number of colonies, says
Stephen. There waS a partial fail
ure of gallberry in the southeast,
and the sourwood failed to yield in
the mountains.
God does not want us to do ex
traordinary things: He wants us
to do ordinary things extraordinari
ly well.—Charles Gore.
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N.
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C. LicentB 1697
Are you getting the benefits
from your vegetable garden that
you should? If we assume that a
garden is desirable from the stand
point of economy and nutritional
value, are you using recommended
varieties, fertilizer and cultural
practices? Let’s see what a recent
survey in a western county reveals
Seventy families were interview
ed and asked questions about ten
vegetables which are considered
to be the most popular for home
gardens. This is the story: Only 44
of the 70 families had vegetable
gardens; Irish potatoes '"and toma
toes were the most popular vege
tables grown; only a small per
centage planted strawberries (25
percent) and lima beans (5 per
cent); most families did not use
recommended varieties; the same
was true for recommended ferti
lizers; other advised practices were
not followed by a large number of
the families interviewed.
There is no way of telling how
typical these results are when com
pared with other rural communi
ties, but I suspect that this local
situation is not unique if data were
available from other areas.
To me this situation brings into
sharp focus the wealth of informa
tion available to rural and urban
people, in the whole field of agri
cultural endeavor, and the puny
use that is made of it. Have we
reached the point where we only
want to be helped and do nothing
to help ourselves? Maybe so, but I
am not ready to accept this.
Sweet potatoes need lots of pot
ash and this is generally true of
all of the root crops. Recent tests
made on Norfolk loamy sand show
ed that yields per acre varied from
fifty bushels on the no-potash plots
to as high as 350 on the high pot
ash plots. In addition to the higher
yields, the quality of the potatoes
was better. These tests were con
ducted on low potash soils. The
best way to determine total potash
needs for sweet potatoes is to have
your soil tested.
More than a year ago I called
Gibberellic acid (“Gibberellin,”
C. H. STITH, INC.
Complete Insurance Service
Since 1905
248 CRAVEN STREET DIAL ME 7-2963
THERE IS NO SECRET TO OUR
LONG YEARS OF SUCCESS.
WE PIONEERED, THEN KEPT PACE
WITH THE TIMES.
SlAllINGSm
PLUMBING-HEATING -AIR CXINDITIONING ^
OUale yca^ of C>LpcAil>uicJ
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Every drop
gives you
more for
your
money!)
SHELL
KEROSENE
Ives Oil Co.
DISTRIBUTOR
ME 7-2197
m.e.gafilner
n.c.stete colleye
“Gibrel”) to your attention and
told something about the amazing
effect it had on plant growth. There
is an excellent article in the August
issue of Reader’s Digest which you
should read, if you want the latest
on the use of this substance.
, Many of you who have a yen for
something new may want to experi
ment a little with Gibberellin in
the home or greenhouse this win
ter or outside next spring and
summer.
What else is new? The Garden
Blue and Menditoo blueberry va
rieties, both Rabbiteye types. All
Rabbiteye types were selected from
the Florida wilds and have been
improved by breeding. The Rabbit
eye blue berry is much better
adapted for home garden use than
the “highbush” type because of
adaptability to a wider range of
soil types, a shorter rest period,
less sensitivity to soil acidity and
have more resistance to heat and
dry weather conditions. The Rab
biteye is best adapted to the lower
Piedmont and Coastal Plain and
other areas with similar climatic
conditions.
The plant of Garden Blue is vig
orous in growth habit while Men
ditoo has medium vigor. Fruit size
of Garden Blue will average from
130-135 berries per half pint cup
while Menditoo will average 95-
100 berries per cup. The quality of
the fruit of Garden Blue is rated
good and that of Menditoo as high.
The fruit of Garden Blue begins
to ripen in mid-June in Eastern
North Carolina and is finished by
mid-July. Menditoo begins ripening
about a week later than Garden
Blue and will continue over a peri
od of six to eight weeks.
If you would like to try these va
rieties let me know and I will
give you a source of plants.
Q—How can I remady a stubborn
window that is difficult to open and
close on account of the weather
stripping the sash stick?
A—Dip a cloth in hot paraffin
and rub it along the stripping. It
works like magic.
The sole meaning of life is to
serve humanity.—^Tolstoi.
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ME 7-2250
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