TAGE 4 CROP REPORT OF MARCH 1st SHOWS SWING TO CASH CROPS L. ______ 'The total acreage to be plant- evidently reflects a shirt in aced to crops in North Carolina in reage to more attractive cash 1^37 shows very little change crops. For the United States as ftom that harvested in 1936. ac- a whole, however, a 2 per cent cbrding to reports received from ine.reas,e is shown Th,is js ^uUe , _ natural in view of last year s growers by the Federal and State drought conditions in the Middle Cooperative Crop Keporting Ser- West which seriously shortened vice as of March 1st. the corn crop. However, there is a decided Next in importance is tobacco, idiift in intentions from certain which brought unusually favorfpod and feed crops to the major able prices in North Carolina last cjtish crops, if farmers' early in- year. The flue-cured planting inipientions are carried out. With tentions are for an 8 per cent substantial decreases in the corn increase in this state, as comdjld sweet potato acreage, no pared with a 10 per cent increase change in hays and oats, there is for the Nation's flue-cured belt. 4" considerable increase in tobac- The Old Belt shows a 7 per cent 00, peanuts, Irish potatoes, cow- increase, and the eastern New peas and soy beans. Obviously. Belt something over 8 per cent, the favorable prices received for it is understood that considerable pertain crops last year are show- trouble is being experienced in ihg effects on planting intentions the plant beds. The first difficulfbr 1937. ty encountered was the too rapid '-The first three months of 1937 development of plants in the bed; were generally unfavorable for the second was continued rains farm work in Noith Catolina. a!K| co]d snapS Present reported due to continued rainfall prevent- , , ,, ,, ... ihg field work. While the winter images of blue mold, especially Was the warmest on record?in 'n TyPe 13, are receiving condftntrast to one of the coldest on siderable notice. Insect or larvae nicord a year ago the mild con- damages to plant beds have often ditions had their unfavorable in- , , , ,, ... le ,T ? , ., been reported. Very probably all fluences. Unusually early bloomnomination :of these are exaggerated, in as ing ui planus ?? ? m?v ?? , of seed (like lcspedeza, tobacco, much as most ot these arc comdtc.) encountered later damages plained of each year. The area fVom freezes. As of March 1st, of piant |)c(is js probably the the conditions were appreciably ]a ^ hjst of thpstate_ ahead of the usual so far as b * plant development was concerned, partially on the theory that too but farm work was necessarily many plants arc better thanhav(felayed, although not quite as ing a shortage. The weather faciquch as a month ago. tors at this date will mean far Corn is the principal crop in more than the preceding condiIfiorth Carolina, occupying about tions. The acreage of tobacco for one-third of the total crop land, all states shows a 15 per cent inKarmers report 3 per cent less crease from last year's harvested acreage intended this year, which acreage. j ? I Farm Needs ! Cole Planters . . Cole Distributors Plows, Plow Parts, Transplanters I. ~ Seed Potatoes . . Fertilizer Bountiful Beans G. W. KIKBY & SON SUPPLY, N. C. i ................ ...?? * ~ , ? I 1 % I | Be! 1 n IJfg, I ? : Tt I ~~ i Warm Days Bring 1 Farming Activity Farmers Have Turned Now E In Earnest To Production Of Their Crops For The Year 1937 i Warm spring: days give North j Carolina farmers the go-ahead "" lc signal for their annual task of j ^ getting crops started. Cotton and tobacco, the State's | aj two largest cash crops, are be- ^ ginning to receive a great deal ir of attention as growers have be- w gun to plant their cotton seed: and set out their tobacco plants. Then, too, gardeners and truck jl( growers are planting vegetables in preparation for family needs .and commercial markets. In practically every phase of farm activity, a multitude of new work has been added to the 41 farmer's and farm wife's daily y, chores. . Realizing that this flurry of 1 spring activity calls for timely |ei advice, specialists at State Col- j lo lege are preparing to offer sug- j gestions and aids on the Caro-1 y lina Farm Features radio program, heard over a number of | North Carolina stations. 1! The schedule in full for the1 tl week of March 29-April 3 fol-' ^ lows: Monday, Dr. C. D. Grin-! nells. "Spring Care of Cattle"; ^ Tuesday, L. W. Whitford, "Pond U] Scums"; Wednesday. H. R. Tol- ^ ley, "The 1937 Agricultural Con- ]e servation Program" (WPTF);.p, Thursday. Miss Sue Koon, "Home n; Demonstration Progress in Chatham County"; Friday, H. C. w Gauger, "Let's Raise Chicks q Right"; and Saturday, Harnett p County 4-H Program. w in Nitrogen Increases Small Grain Yields |ki The acreage of small grain in t]j North Carolina this season is the al biggest in years, said W. H. Ran- _ kin. State College agronomist. ti< The unusually large crop be- j tii ing grown means that growers should give serious consideration is to the condition of their small ai grain fields, he continued. di A good top-dressing applied as to soon as the weather permits will g< help develop large, healthy, full- th bodied heads of grain, he stated. The top-dressing supplies nit- or rogen that is essential to growth sr and development. Rankin recom- ar mended 25 to 100 pounds of nit- er rate of soda or sulphate of am- p? monia to the acre. It should be applied in March, fo or as soon as early spring grow- cc th starts, the exact time depen- ni ding upon the geographical loca- m Cour C TL Jul c 1U Sut le St ? ? Yo IE STATE PORT PILOT, S( iog Outlook In State Is Bright xtension Swine Specialist Forecasts Better Hog Prices During Coming Months; Demand Holds Up Better prices for hogs this sum ler are forecast by H. W. Tay>r, extension swine specialist at tate College. Although large stocks of pork nd lard are now in cold storage, 1 e said, the number of hogs be-; ig slaughtered is diminishing, hile the demand is holding up ell. Most of the Nations' market ogs are produced in the wes!rn corn belt and in the north sntral states. The supply of corn in the wes>rn com belt is approximately 3 per cent less than it was two ears ago, and the number of ogs there on January 1, was stimated at 14,525,000 head, the iwest in years. The 26,473,000 head of hogs in j le north central states is about le same number produced in 335, according to a report from le federal bureau of agricul-, iral economics. Any increase in hog produc- j on in these regions will depend pon a return of corn producon to something like a normal i vel, and that cannot affect hog rtccs this spring and early sumicr, Taylor pointed out. The outlook, then, is that there ill be a good market for North arolina hogs, he continued, rices are expected to hold up ell through the spring, and rise i the summer. However, the question of wheler an individual farmer should1 )ld his hogs for summer marsting will depend upon the con- j ** V?5e Virtcra an/1 tVlPamniint' 11UJ1 U1 I1IO iiVgu u<.v? id type of feed he has on hand. on and current weather condi- j ons. J i Do not wait until small grain ' in the boot, or until the heads : e showing, Rankin said, as top- j essing at this time is too late | i do the heads of grain any >od even though it may make11 ie leaves greener. He also urged growers to buy i ily good fertilizer of a mixture 1 lited to their soil requirements. ; id to remember that the cheap- j j are not always the least ex-,i nsive. , i "It is the amount of plant. 1 od you get for your money that i Hints," he said, "and not the i imber of pounds of filler that i ay be in the bag." t Wee /^i . IT bet IN scribe ate ur County Southpoi 3UTHPORT. N. C Good Corn Story (By Guy A. Cardwell) One of the best stories that has come to me in a long1 time was circulated by the Agricultural : Extension Service of the North J Carolina College of Agriculture. It is so good that it bears re- ' telling, although it was circulated as recently as January of this ( year. Thompson Wins Negro Corn ,' Growing Contest "The State corn-growing con- j, test for Negro farmers this year . was won by A. G. Thompson, of : Robeson County, who produced j 101.9 bushels on a measured acre ( of land. In producing this high yield, Thompson used methods recom- . mended by the State College extension service, said C. R. Hud- , son, who has charge of extension work with Negro farmers. Last January, Thompson broke ; his land by plowing to a depth of eight inches. He gave the field j a light application of one ton of , stable manure. Hudson explained that more! j manure would have increased the J yield still further, but Thompson' had only a small amount avail- ' able at the time. On April 25, Thompson planted ' his seed, Latham's Double-Eared i variety, and applied 400 pounds , of 3-8-3 fertilizer. His land is a , light sandy loam. When the stalks were about two feet high, he applied another 400 pounds of the same fertilizer. ( Just before the corn bunched for | tassels, he gave it a side dress- ] ing of 200 pounds of nitrate of soda. While growing, the crop was cultivated three times. At $1 a bushel, the corn was : valued at $101.90. The stover j, produced was worth $17, and the j soybeans grown with the corn were valued at $8.00. This made j, a total return of $126.90 from J the acre. j ( It cost Thompson $21.60 to pro- , ducc the crop. His net profit J was $105.30. ! j As state winner, he will be . given a free trip to Washington, j with expenses paid by a com- , mercial firm. I. Edward Ballard, of Northamp- ] ton county, who produced 100.3 bushels of corn to the acre, won j second place in the contest. j( Like it or not, low average, corn yields in this section have ( been a serious drawback to farm | prosperity. With yields half as , good as those mentioned above, r ind with ample pasturage, we c could successfully compete with ( the corn belt states or with any i nther country in livestock pro- j rluction. And if we would only c support cotton farming, peanut ] farming and truck crops, farm- ^ i k Visi Qvf W tAl Tf i Now' Pori Newspape t, N. C. FeedGrain Supply Low In Corn Belt The total feed grain supply in relation to livestock numbers on farms probably is no larger than two years ago following the 1934 :1 rought, the Bureau of Agricultural Economics said on March Sth in a special livestock-feed situation report. Though the feed situation early this winter was described as "appreciably better than two years earlier," higher livestock prices and more severe weather conditions this winter have encouraged heavier feeding than in 1934-35. The Bureau reported small supplies of feed grains on farms in the Western Corn Belt, where the corn shortage is "serious". Increased corn production from the low drought levels is needed in this area, said the report, "to make possible a desirable increase in hog numbers and livestock feeding and to maintain farm income in line with increased farm income elsewhere. "An average production of corn and other feed grains in the Corn Belt in 1937 is likely to result in a total supply of feed grains per animal in 1937-37 somewhat larger than average", a largerthan-average portion of the crop will be used to build up drought depleted stock! Fairly large importations of corn and concentrated feeds are expected in the next few months, out a record small carry-over of feed grains on July 1 is in prospect. The market supply of hogs and grain-finished cattle for the remainder of 1937 is expected to be smaller than in 1936, but larger than in 1935. The situation in the Corn Belt states should inspire farmers in the South to carefully look after their feed needs. This section sends so many of its dollars away to pay for supplies that we must save that we should take advantage of our productive opportunties and conserve our wealth whenever this can be done to advantage. And surely it is to our advantage to pay ourselves and tiur own labor for producing feed rather than to pay laborers in jther sections. I am not opposed to fair trade axchange between different sections of this country, nor between this and other Nations. This would be suicidal in my line >f business-transportation-and the i ng with ample livestock and poultry to give us a balanced jperation, this would bring perpetual good times to the great agricultural South. tors 1 * n eks ra r0 : Pil r ? ? WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7. i?M protect toe ? sucked dry. economically Excessive moisture in When the bo ^ can afford brooder house contributes on an even k trading and development of cocidiosis and r^H to be generou MU our piratory diseases in young ctu^B buying. ?or peanuts, truck Coccidiosis germs propa^H cotton, tobacco,! abroad across rapidiy in a warm moist er.v.r^B crops, lumber, ' broad in this ment, explained C F. the waters, an" ve should State College extension poul^l land, in the meantime, w^ ^ m>? save a largei ? on south- And dampness lowers