Newspapers / The Sandhill Citizen (Southern … / Sept. 29, 1933, edition 1 / Page 5
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The North Carolina State Fair There is now more information, more demonstration, and more les sons of more kinds at one N. C. State Fair than could be found at a dozen fairs two dozen years ago. The mod ern state fair is not merely a place where one may recreate and be en tertained, and have J;he thrill and punch at being a part of a large crowd. It is an educational institu tion. This is particularly true of the N. C. State Fair since there the State College of Agriculture, the State Department of Agriculture, and the U. S. Department of Agriculture unite in the entertainment of farm visitors and their instruction through exhibits that show how to do better the man/ j^bs that farmers must uc. Results of tests and experiments that are of defirate benefit to rural and urban people are offered in condens ed form--results that have been prov en to be of profit to rural men, wo men and yo„n.r people are the “head liners’’ and ‘ conclusions” of many, many exnib.ts I have formed the habit of taking pencil and notebook to fairs and find note-taking a means by which I can take a large part of the fair home with me and re-visit and re-study the exhibit-lessons at leisure. Two years ago I was standing in front of the exhibit of home-grown and home-cured meats. My mind wan dered back to my boyhood spent on Grandfather’s and Father’s farms, and I wondered if the meats before me were as good as the horne-made products of my childhood. While these thoughts possessed me a man and nis wife came by looking for the attend ant of the exhibit. In the conversation that followed it developed that at a previous fair this couple had made a careful study of meat curing after following the Shay method of hog feeding, and that they now raised many more hogs and slaughtered all of them at home; and, that now their product was of such quality and in such demand that all surplusses were sold at the same price that “Smith | field” and “Virginia” hams and ba I con sold for. The lady informed me that “we learned so much that we did not know | before that we have now decided that this one exhibit, with the explanations given, was worth more to us than all the costs of attending three or four state fairs.” Later it became known that hams exhibited by this couple won the first premium. The 1933 State Fair will be “fat and ! rich” in educational exhibits—exhib its that point to the way for farm j folks to live at home and live better than any other class of people. Where . do the people in the cities get the I products that enable them to reputed I ly live so well ? Do they come origi nally from farms? j “Everybody” should go to the fair | this year. The one great power behind the State Fair is to show the best and tell how the best was produced, so that we can go back home and also produce the best or even better. Railway tickets and gasoline now 'ost less than either has cost in a long time. All aboard—jump in—let’s The Soulh Carolina State Fair I have spent two to four days at South Carolina State Fairs each year for ten out of the twelve last years, and have learned that the people of our sister state take great pride and keen interest in THEIR fair and I know that Paul Moore, the secretary, is “crazy about making OUR fair the best in the South,” to use the ex pression of a S. C. home demonstra tion agent I met in Columbia. I also know that Mr. Moore has made great progress towards this end and will succeed in his “crazy about making” if given the support he deserves and should have—support from the people to whom the fair belongs. This year the South Carolina State Fair authorities have made a ruling that I have advocated in three states for years. There will be no premiums for farm, garden, orchard or live stock produced outside of South Car olina. The fair folks take the posi tion that the South Carolina Fair is the state’s fair, and that it exists for the people of the state. When state fair premiums are open to exhibitions from other states, then there is the possibility of competi tion from 47 other states. This is not fair. It keeps state exhibits at home and away from the state fair. It is hard and costly work to pro duce and prepare fair exhibits. When we find that we were “beaten by an outsider” and a “professional” at that, we say “never again!” This has hap ; pened many times in South Carolina ■ and other Southern States as well. , j These professionals too often buy : their exhibits and sell them before 1 they return home. Farmers who grow ' or raise for the show ring at a fair , should compete only with exhibition ■ from their own state, and not with “foreigners.” Money paid to outsiders ■ for agricultural exhibit premiums is i thrown away since it discourages ; home producers and destroys their in centive and loyalty. Do South Carolina or North Carolina go outside their boundaries for their sheriffs, con gressmen, governors, or senators? State fair’s function is to expand, diversify, and improve the industries and products of the state by education stimulated by competition and reward to exhibits of excellence brought to gether as object lessons for all who wish to profit by seeing and learning. Don’t store seeds that have insects or insect eggs on them, and don’t ■ store where insects, rodents, or mois ture can ruin them. How to get rid of “bugs,” “worms,” “weevils,” “insects” etc. is an important problem at this time of the year. These enemies are ever present in large numbers, and we should examine all grains and seeds at intervals—examine inside and out— and to be on the safe side fumigate with bisulphide of carbon, after plac ing in an air-tight bin, box, barrel, or other suitable container of proper size. TIMELY REMINDERS FOR EAI2LY OCTOBER For Garden and Orchard 1. Make ready for harvesting and storing sweet potatoes. Do not be sat isfied with other than a standard storage house. Follow the rules for curing and storing. 2. At no other time than when dig ging can the best seed sweet potatoes be found. Save seed from none other than the most prolific hills with the best shaped potatoes. Potato seed that make the best potatoes should be neither undersize nor over. 3. In spare time get ready for win ter spraying. Examine the sprayers and dusters, check supplies of mater ials, and order needs. Read up in lat est bulletins and learn improved me thods of applying and the best mater ials for the many insects and diseases. 4. Sow onion seed before October 15. If properly cared for they will make the best and most profitable mature onions. Cover the seed one fourth inch. Of course they must be fertilized heavily, kept scrupulously clean of all weeds, and thinned to four or five inches. Plant sets for early bunching onions as soon as you can get them. 5. Plant early radishes in the open up to October 20. Also prepare cold frames for sowing radish seed Nov ember 1, and others for sowing at monthly intervals until the middle of February. This will provide a regular supply of radishes from November 1 to late March. For April radishes plant between March 1 and 15. 6. Mature green tomatoes gather ed just before frost and stored in a dark, cool and well ventilated place will furnish delicious ripe tomatoes until Christmas. Wrap each tomato in paper. Examine them once a week and take out those that show a ten dency to lose their green color. Place these in a sunny place to rip en. 7. Consult the garden planting calendar and note the many kinds of seeds that can be planted now to make the garden evergreen through the winter. Such a garden will keep the doctor and the wolf from your door and put vitamins to work in the bodies of the whole family from Grandma and Grandpa on down to the babies, biddies, piggies and calves. 8. When the second crop Irish po tatoes show by the color of the vines that they are mature, then dig them; or, if frost touches the top of the vines then dig at the first opportun ity. Store in a dry, cool place where the temperature will not go lower than 40 or higher than 70 degrees F. They may also be stored in out-door hills with 8 inches of soil. Store no bruised or specked potatoes. FOR EARLY OCTOBER PLANTING April and May in the spring, and September and October in the fall are the heavy planting months. Most of us have spring planting fever when the sun is warm and flowers bloom j and birds sing in the spring, buti when the sun is less affectionate, J when the birds twitter and chirp and, sing but little, and many flowers have ceased to spread their corolla and perfume, our planting fever loses its temperature and garden and field, unmolested, ripen and scatter myriads of seeds to make more weeds for us to fight the next year. No land should be allowed to re main bare of a crop through fall or winter. If we grow two in the place of one crop on the same land then we have two in the place of one chance for profit or use. We seem to for get that we are far enough south to grow two (or more) crops a year, and by this neglect allow our land to loaf and not work for us. Loafing land “gets into bad habits” as does a loafing boy or man. And, land washes away when idle, loses fer tility and gets out of order. It be comes the Devil’s Workshop,—is otiose. There is more to incite and urge fall planting this year than usual. The depression is not yet a thing of the past, and we are still in need of the fruits of our own labor. We need now and will need for some time, yes, for all time, feed and food and fertile land; and fruition—a quartet of f’s! The Sandhills region is blessed with soil and climate, but maledic tions may fall upon us if we fail to live up to our responsibilities and ac countabilities for their best use or neglect opportunities in waiting. Here is a list of farm crops that are due to be planted by October 15th; Alfalfa, Alsike Clover, Austrian Peas, Barley, Canada Peas, Crimson Clover, Italian Rye Grass, Perennial Rye Grass, Lawn Mixtures, Mam moth Clover, Meadow Mixtures, Oats, Orchard Grass, Pasture Mixture, Rape, Re dClover, Tall Meadow Oats, Turnips, Vetch, White Clover. And here is the vegetable or kitch en garden list: Beet, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Chives, Corn Salad, Cress, Endive, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard, Onion Seed, Onion Sets, Plain Kale, Radish, Rape, Spinach, Turnip. CONSIDER THE PESTS Every crop, yes, and every plant is subject to attack by insect, and di seases. Some plants, the manufactured products of which are standard insec ticides, are themselves subject to in sect injury, such as tobacco, cedar, and pyrethrum. It is difficult, and in some cases impossible to grow some crops without the added expense of warfare against their enemies. Many crops are total failures if their ene mies are not overcome or kept in check. The chestnut growth over large areas has been destroyed by uncheck ed enemies. Successful peach culture is practically impossible if the San Jose scale, curculio, and borer are not kept under control, The time has come when it is equally necessary that the fight against insects and diseases be waged as persistently as the fight against weeds. The farmer of the fu ture must have more knowledge of his crops and their pests and he must cultivate more wisely with improved implements. He must be more indus trious, must put forth more effort, and incur greater expense in produc tion for high yield and quality. This insures against loss and avoids unnec essary expense in marketing by or ganization and cooperation.
The Sandhill Citizen (Southern Pines, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 29, 1933, edition 1
5
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