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VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NUMBER
Is a Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding of the Sandhill Territory of North Carolina
Address all communications to
the pilot printing company. VASS, N. C.
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1925
SUBSCRIPTION $2.00
FINE ALFALFA
AT WILCOX FARN
Ground Covered With Dense
and Vigorous Growth
of Green
John Wilcox, county commissioner,
has to do something more than earn
five or six or seven dollars a month
from the county, or what ever the
big salary of a county commissioner
is, so he carries on farming to sup
plement that salary. His big farm of
1,200 acres in the Horseshoe of the
Deep river, has about half its area
cleared for cultivation and pasture,
and the spring is far enough -along
for the land to be showing its worth
as a producer of crops. Probably the
most interesting phase of the farm
operations at this time is the alfalfa
field with which Mr. Wicox has been
testing out the possibilities of the
red lands of the county. Last year
this field was mowed several time,
the first yeild being about 2,700 tons
of hay to the acre, and the followTng
cuttings carrying the total up to a
figure that suggests that alfalfa
given half the attention that cotton
requires will make a better return for
the outlay, and with greater certainty
of making and harvesting a crop in
these days of uncertain labor.
The Wilcox farm is the historical
tract once owned by Governor
Williams and figuring as the scene of
the battle of the revolutionary days
when Fanning and Alston brought
their antagonism to a climax. The
house in which Mr. Wilcox lives
sheltered Alston at the time of the
battle, and is full of bullet holes that
are as plainly seen now as on the day
they were made. For a century and
a half the farm has been cultivated,
and its possibilities to day are ex
cellent. The disturbance of the recent
war interrupted and changed farm
conditions in the Horseshoe country
as elsewhere, and a difficulty in
getting suitable help has led to con
siderable experiment along lines that
may help to determine how to farm
with more machinery and less man
power. The farm is equipped with
every modern implement and machine
that will accomplish work.
Duroc-Jersey hogs have had a place
in the farm program, the red hog
appearing to give better results than
the Berkshire, which has made such
a pronounced hit in the sandy section.
Mr. Wilcox does not attempt to ex
plain why the red hog has done better
on his farm, for he has tried both
red and black and has several Berk
shire brood sows in his herd now.
He has turned off good crops of
hogs, some going to Richmond to
market, some to Harry Lewis at
Southern Pines, and a large number
to persons who buy young pigs to
raise. He has sold this spring four
or five dozen young pigs in this way,
and has more in the lots that will
probably follow.
While he has been giving more at
tention to hogs than to other farm
stock he does right well with turkeys,
and he hopes to build up a herd of
cattle of a good type as he has done
with hogs, for it is his opinion that
grazing is to be one of the big possi
bilities in the Deep river valley in
the days ahead of us when labor is to
be scarce and when crops must be
harvested by the animals that can
feed themselves in the fields and in
the pastures, and save the work of
handling the bulky products.
Road improvement has made big
strides in the upper section of the
county, and with this big change over
the old time roads that part of the
county will have a better chance.
Before the railroad came into the
lower part of the county and gave
the sandhills the outlet to the world
the upper end of the county was far
in the lead in development. But
transportation changed all that, and
the river section was outdistanced.
The Norfolk Southern road changed
conditions in a way, but good roads
came first to the Sandhills and the
Deep river was still in the mud. Now
good roads have penetrated up that
way, ^nd the people are in hopes of
a revival of old time ascendancy and
prosperity. A lot of good farms are
up in that part of the county, the
Wilcox farm. Will Harrington’s,
Evelyn Harrington, Graham Tyson,
Dr. Street, Sandy Jones, and others
big and little, all with land of fertility
and endurance, good homes, intelligent
farmers, fine women and bright
children in the homes, electricity and
water in the house, telephones and
other conveniences that are attractive.
One need up that way is more settlers
to cut some of the big farms into
smaller holdings, for Mr. Wilcox says
the old day of abundant labor appears
to be past, and to handle such big
plantations is almost impossible in
these days of the drift of people from
country to the towns.
KIWANIS PUSHING
HOTEL PROJECT
At the meeting of the Kiwanis club
Wednesday the committee having in
charge the new hotel scheme an
nounced gratifying results, as many
persons are offering subscriptions, and
hotel men are taking an interest in
the proposition with the end in view
of securing the new place if it is built.
The committee was continued and in
structed to carry on vigorously.
Richard Tufts and Charles Gloma
were chosen delegates to represent
the club at Minneapolis in June, with
Harrison Stutts and Mr. Bass, of
Aberdeen as alternates.
The new radio outfit is serving its
purpose in the sick rooms and will be
moved about from place to place a
week at a time to provide entertain
ment for the largest number possible.
Among the visitors present were
two introduced by Bion H. Butler who
told the members that John Chilcott of
Brookville, Pa., and Fred Lane, of
Brockwayville, Pa., had been boyhood
playmates with him sixty years ago,
and called attention to the three old
codgers as about as good a collection
of boyhood friends of civil war days
as any Kiwanis club in the country
can produce at a minute’s notice.
POULTRY AND
EGG MARKETING
Lewis Says The People Should
Get More Serious About
This Matter
CONVENTIONS THIS
YEARATrfflEHURST
From Now Until Way in May
Half a Dozen
Scheduled
Pinehurst will be lively with crowds
of people until the season closes the
latter part of May, as at least half a
dozen Wg conventions are scheduled
'fiftng-'with the other patronage, each
meeting probably to bring from a
hundred to five hundred delegates.
These meetings will be held at the
Carolina, but it is likely overflows will
have to be cared for at the other
hotels. Already dates are secured for
conventions in the opening of the
season in the fall at Pinehurst, three
having arranged for November and
December, and these will also be big
gatherings. The dates so far an
nounced are as follows:
April 21, 22, N. C. State Insurance
Agents, approximate attendance, 150
to 250; April 26, N. C. Nursing Asso
ciation, approximate attendance, 100
to 150; April 27, 30, N. C. Doctors,
approximate attendance, 300 to 500;
May 4, 6, N. C. Federation of Women’s
Clubs, approximate attendance, 200 to
300; May 7, 9, N. C. Bankers, approxi
mate attendance, 300 to 400; May 11,
13, N. C. Dentists, approximate at
tendance, 200 to 300.
November, Kiwanians; December,
Motion Picture Theatre Owners of
North Carolina; Dec. 4, 5, Sixth An
nual Meeting of the Association of
University and College Business
officers of the Eastern States.
Take good care of the young pigs
this year, they will likely be worth
real money next spring. Records
show that about half of the pigs
farrowed die before being weaned,
say swine specialists of State College.
To have a paying com crop, plant
good sound seed.
The weather has been fine this
spring and with early warm weather,
every old hen on the place began
shelling out the eggs and all at once
the bottom fell out of prices much
earlier than was expected this season.
In ten days the wholesale price of
eggs on the Raleigh market went from
40 to 25 cents per dozen. It was then
that the N. C. Division of Markets,
in cooperation with the Farm and
Home Agents began making plans
for shipping eggs in carlots and the
first carload of eggs from eastern
North Carolina was shipped March
11th from Washington, N. C., at 23%
cents per dozen f. o. b. track.
This past week other cars went out
at 25 cents per dozen f. o. b. track
and the prices are up to 27% cents
per dozen.f. o. b. track, in carlots this
week (March 23).
When the first car of eggs moved as
a cooperative carlot shipment, the
farmers were receiving from 15 to
20 cents per dozen, and when it is
understood' that the Division of
Markets plans some 20 to 30 cars of
eggs this spring while they are cheap,
it can be seen what a saving can be
effected to the producers—from $500.-
00 to $1,000.00 per car of 400 cases.
So far as demonstrating that eggs
can be marketed from this State in
carlots, it is now a settled fact and
plans are now under way for getting
poultry and egg cars operating
regularly in certain portions of the
State to take care of the surpluses,
especially during the spring months
when about 70 per cent of North Caro
lina’s present egg supply comes on
the market and they are very cheap.
Another project that is being
fostered, is the storing of eggs. When
a large supply of our production
comes within a few months and we
are eating so many cold storage eggs
from outside the State, it is very
practical that we should take care of
our supply by storing a good per cent.
It is unfortunate that North Carolina
does not have more storage space for
eggs, but it is being provided and
one plant this year can accommodate
50 cars.
As was done last year, live poultry
is moving in carlots. Around 15
counties are now interested in this
movement and will participate in
such shipments during the next 30
days.
Only last week some 19,000 pounds
went from Washington, N. C., as a
carlot movement and a North Caro
lina Wholesale Produce firm will load
in carlots from three counties this
week, the shipments going north and
east. Most of these shipments have
been bought by firms outside the
State, but we are encouraging home
facilities in handling the shipments
and in developing competition. One
North Carolina firm will store 12
cars of eggs this season and is try
ing to get North Carolina eggs as an
advertising feature as well as help
develop the industry.
We need to create more interest on
the part of North Carolinians in a
great industry like that of potiltry.
This State should now be thinking in
terms of $100,000,000 for poultry and
eggs annually and by increasing the
quality right along as well as the
quantity of the average farm flock, it
can very easily be reached.
We could market carloads of
poultry and eggs by the scores if we
could get them assembled faster, and
beginning this summer and fall the
Division plans to help develop better
methods of assembling and grading
of poultry and eggs to be marketed
in 1926.
Let’s get more serious about this
wonderful crop in which the children
can lend a help as to labor, as well as
which aids in a better distribution
of labor on the farm as a whole. Mr.
Bill Boll Weevil is standing at the
entrance of every cotton field in North
Carolina and he is brazen enough not
to wait for an invitation to enter.
The poultry and egg money will help
keep the children in school if the
cotton crop is cut heavy, so let’s look
after the children and let them help
earn this money by having some good
poultry and then taking more inter
est in marketing the products.
V. M. LEWIS,
Livestock & Poultry Marketing,
LAST CONCERT OF THE
SEASON AT PINEHURST
The last musical concert of the sea
son was given at the Carolina Theatre
Tuesday evening when three great
artists appeared on one program.
This trio calls itself the Griffes Group
in honor of the late Charles Griffes,
noted composer. Included Olga Steeb,
a young pianist from the Pacific coast,
who is being heralded in one press
notice as the coming Paderewski,
Sascha Jacobinoff violinist of great
natural skill ad ability who thorough
ly understood the handling of a fiddle,
and Lucy Gates, long a favorite with
a great many American people. This
soprano has had a wide popularity
with victrola people and the discs re
cording her numbers have been pleas
ing affairs.
The program ‘ opened with Olga
Steeb and Jacobinoff playing a number
of airs from Beethoven, which was
followed by Lucy Gates with selections
from Greig, Lemaire and Liszt. Miss
Steeb and Jacobinoff with three num
bers each gave to the audience a rare
treat on piano and violin, alone. The
program was concluded with the
group in concert. The Pilot makes no
attempt whatever at Musical criti
cism but it can probably' say for the
entire audience of men and women
whether they know much or little of
music, real artists were recognized
and appreciated in the command and
superb way they handled their instru
ments. Miss Steeb is no doubt one
of the greatest pianists ever heard in
the Sandhills and it was with a great
deal of interest her music was re
ceived and the light airy way her
hands had of moving over the keys.
WOODLEY RAISES
SANDHM COTTON
Moore County Legislator Knows
How to Carry on a
Big Farm
CAR OF POETRY
LOADS APRIL 14
Prices Expected to Run About
Twenty or Twenty One
Cents
E. J. Woodley, member of assembly
from Moore county who lives at
Jackson Springs, knows how to make
cotton and corn. He came into this
county about fifteen years ago from
South Carolina and settled in the
edge of the county, picking up land
in the edge of the three counties, and
he has been adding to his holdings
until he has now about 1,700 acres.
Of this nearly half is cleared, with
more getting cleared all the time. It
is to be said of the assemblyman that
his land tells where it is if you
happen to be driving along the road.
The good cultivation and clean and
business like condition of the farms
is not easy to misunderstand.
About 500 acres of cotton will be
the crop this year, and some of it is
already planted, although it is early
in the season yet. But Mr. Woodley
says he wants a chance to beat the
weevil on some of it. This crop will
be slightly bigger than that of last
year. The farm is steadily growing.
It is also not only a cotton farm, but
the feed to run the big place is made
there. Last summer corn enough was
made to sell some and have enough
for the two dozen families that live
on the land. Other supplies were pro
duced by the farms and the tenants.
It is apparent that the example of
the Jackson Springes man has had an
influence on others in his neighbor
hood, for all around is evidence of
improvement in farm practices, indi
cating a big future for the section in
which the Woodley farms are located.
In addition to the big farming inter
ests Mr. Woodley has in the neighbor
hood of Jackson Springs he also car
ries on one of the big stores of the
Sandhills, and does a big merchandis
ing business.
On Tuesday, April 14th, farmers
will find the poultry car on the track
at Vass to load with all varieties of
chickens, ducks, geese, etc., in ac
cordance with the following letter
V. W. Lewis writes The Pilot:
“On Tuesday 'and Wednesday, April
14th and 15th, we expect to ship a
carload of pooiltry from Vass and San
ford, respectively.
“Since this is the first shipment
made from this territory, it is very
important that we make a success of
the venture, and I am asking that the
District Agent of that section, to
gether with the Farm and Home
Agents of Moore, Lee, Harnett and
Hoke Counties, set aside ‘some time
between now and April 14tii, for
properly advertising this shipment.
“We shall be able to notify you by
Wednesday, the 8th, what the prides
are for the following week. You may
rest assured that we will get as much
as possible for this shipment, namely,
hens, roosters, fryers, broilers)
ducks, turkeys, guineas, etc. ^ The
main point to consider is getting the
proper tonnage for filling the' car,
and if each one to whom I am writ
ing will get back of the project, th^e
is no reason why we should not 'give
a splendid demonstration of voluntiary
group marketing of a carload " of
poultry.
“It is also possible that along with
this bid on poultry, we will submit a
price on eggs to be taken up at the
same time, but the eggs must . in
thirty-dozen egg cases and the farm
ers must furnish the cases, which are
to be included in the prices for eggs
f. o. b. shipping point.”
A letter from the Southern Pro
duce and Commission Company at
Hamlet to D. M. McCrimmon says:
“It is hard to (^uote the market as
far ahead as the middle of April, as
it is about as fickle as cotton. About
the only way is to see if. the tonnage
may be had, then quote the prices a
week ahead of the schedule. We are
loading four cars in South Carolina
this week at 21 cents for hens and^the
comprise 90 per cent of the tonnage;
old roosters 10 cents, friers 35 cents,
ducks, 15 cents, geese 10 cents and
broilers 2 pounds and under 40 cents.
“All these cars are loading at
different places and a full tonnage is
obtained on all; two of the cars were
loaded in one county and just six
weeks ago we loaded another car in
the same county. We should think
that around 20 cents for hens *wo^!l be
a fair price to get the movement
started in your section. There is a
considerable expense attached to a
carlot movement. This is especially
true in operating the car through for
the first time.
“Definite prices will be quoted when
the car is scheduled but you can see
what they think of the price, and you
man count upon us to pay the top
market price.”
The business people of Vass and
vicinity are helping with this move
ment, and the sentiment now is that
it will be a success and open a new
field for a farm income of considerable
magnitude.
NEW ELECTRIC SHOP
OPENS IN ABERDEEN
Henry Addor and Bert Wicker are
opening a new electric shop in Aber
deen where they will have for sale
everything in the line. This will in
clude radio outfits, lighting and
heating appliances, the house furnish
ings, novelties and miscellaneous ma
terial that attaches to electrical
wires and current. The names leave
mighty little to be added concerning
the character of the new place, for
they tell of ability and experience.
Tom Tarheel says his children like
eggs aboxft as well as town folks and
so he only sells his surplus.