Burley Tobacco Supports
'To Continue This Season
" The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's marketing
experiment allowing the tale
of untied, baled burley
tobacco is to be continued for
another year. The USDA will
extend price support and
official grading for limited
quantities of the tobacco
It and do something ever
since. The next morning I got
on the phone to Furney and he
explained that thee was no
known control for it. He came
VP and we began testing
sprays down on Jack's Creek.
Nothing worked very well."
'? Furney Todd, a jovial
emcee regarded as the
fpremost authority on tobacco
diseases in the state, stepped
|i> the microphone on the
damp hillside. "We all have to
remember that this is the first
epidemic we've ever had in
burley. We've had two mild
epidemics in flue-cured, in 'S3
apd '64, and I lived through
both of them. But this year is
a disaster, and it just caught
us without warning.
? "Hie good news," he went
on, telling everyone to turn to
page */ oi uieir
mimeographed report, "is
Ridomil EC2 You can apply
it to the soil and get full
tobacco protection. We've got
the answer, folks; we've got
tie answer!"
It all seemed too simple,
and I asked Wiley DuVall if I
bad heard right. He said yes,
Ridomil had not been ap
proved for general use yet,
jMit it seemed to work. "It was
h?ng used to control black
shank on this plot here and in
two other counties," said
DuVall. "No one knew it
?ould have any effect on blue
jhold ? that was Just good
Sick. This was a discovery
made by accident."
We left Mountain Heritage
with a State Patrol escort,
headlights and flashers on,
ind sped along to Roy
Ammons' farm south of Mars
frill, the scheduled stop in
Madison County. Roy
Ammons and his brother
grow 16 acres of tobacco
?long the bottom of a small
valley, and I asked him how
He was doing this year. "Not
too bad, considering," he
said. "Last year about this
time my plants were above
qye level" ? he raised a large
hand above his head ? "and
this year they're about a foot
shorter. But we'll cut it all."
? Wiley DuVall went to the
microphone. "Roy started out
Here real good," he said, "but
dven Roy couldn't dodge it
this year. The mold has pretty
^dl has hit every field in the
county. We were going to put
Ridomil on these plots but the
<?y we came it poured down
rain and we couldn't get into
the field. The only thing that
saved Roy was his high, wide
beds His fields are raised up;
otherwise the water would
Mve washed him away. I
Ipve some color pictures that
liok like he was growing rice
hfcre."
"'I caught a ride back to
8|ar* Hill with Doug Taylor of
tie FHA, who told me that
Roy Ammons is one of the
better growers in the county,
"tie stays right on top of the
said Taylor. "He
t in touch with the ex
inn Deoole, and when he
? problem he calls in.
? the most important
_ he follows their ad
advice of
DuVall and Furney
to the local growers had
preparations for
get some
carrying
eyar," said
i'? a good
your stubble
tnrougn cm im-80 season,
Acting Secretary of
Agriculture Jim Willi ami
announced on Aug. 13.
W.B. Zink, county executive
director of the Madison
County ASCS office stated
that under the continuing
experiment, any producer
interested in marketing baled
1979-crop barley tobacco
should apply during the
period Sept. 4-M at the
Madison County Agricultural
Stablization and Conservation
Service office
Zink said, that in the signup
and marketing process, there
are only four changes from
last year, which are:
?Each producer would be
guaranteed price support on
the larger of 1,500 pounds or
20 percent of the farm
marketing quota (instead of S
percent last year).
?Any unwanted quota
would be apportioned to
producers desiring to sell
more than 20 percent of the
farm marketing quota from a
state pool instead of a county
pool.
?Sales opportunity would
be available on each sales day
instead of on only five
specified days.
Individual bales in a lot
must be identified. Tobacco
graders with the Depart
ment's Agricultural
Marketing Service would
continue to apply official
grades to the limited quan
tities of untied bur ley packed
in bales during the 1979-80
season.
Any burley tobacco
producer who is interested in
marketing his tobacco in
bales should contact the ASCS
office between Sept. 4 and
Sept. 38, Zink concluded.
I
BEVERLY PRICE I
River Week
Recreation Opportunities Abound At Event
Learning to enjoy the river
will be emphasised diring
Frsnch Broad River Week 71,
Sept. IMS. Thia idea is
carried out In the week's
theme, "Get Your Feet Wet".
French Broad River Week
offer* a variety of
recreational activities to
encourage people to explore
the river's beauty and ex
citement. The week is
coordinated by the Land-of
In Service
Navy Seaman Recruit
Beverly S. Price, daughter of
Ogle and Selma Price of Mar
shall, has completed recruit
training at the Naval Training
Center in Orlando, Fla.
During the eight-week train
ing cycle, trainees studied
general military subjects
designed to prepare them for
further academic and on-the
job training in one of the
Navy's 85 basic occupational
fields.
Included in their studies
were seamanship, close-order
[irill. Naval history, and first
?id. Personnel who complete
this course of instruction are
eligible for three hours of col
ege credit in physical educa
:ion and hygiene.
A 1979 graduate of Madison
rligh School, she joined the
"Javy in June.
Sky Regional Council with
?^..ral other organisation*
planning and sponsoring
event*
Recreational opportunities
during the week Include a
French Broad River Raft
Race on Sept. 22, 2 to 4 p.m.,
from Long Shoal* road Bridge
approximately three mile* to
the Bent Creek Recreation
Park in Buncombe County.
The race ia sponsored by the
Buncombe County Parks and
Recreation Department and
WRAQ radio. There are no
restrictions on sise of rafts or
entries. Businesses,
organization*, and interested
individuals are especially
encouraged to build their own
raft for competition. On the
same day, the recreation
department and WRAQ will
also sponsor a French Broad
River Appreciation * Picnic
from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lake
Julian Park. Musical en
tertainment will be provided.
Leisurely float trips and
canoe and raft races in
Transylvania County are
other recreational activities
of the week. The Brevard
Chamber of Commerce is
sponsoring float trips on the
river as it flows through
Transylvania County on Sept.
16, Sept. 19 and Sept. SI 1:90
to 5 p.m. Historical sites and
events, flora and fauna, and
hydrological studies along the
river will be discussed on the
trips Canoes will be fur
oiahed for a $3 registration
fee par trip or a ft fee for all
three tripe.
A white- water raft trip in
Madison County on Sept 31,
will offer plenty of challenges
and thrills. Sponsored by
Smoky Mountain River
Expeditions, the five to six
hour trip will orginate at
expedition headquarters in
Hot Springy at 1:15 a.m. The
coat is $33 per person.
For hikers, there will be
"river rambling" hikes on
Spet. 16 and Sept. 33, spon
sored by the Wenoca Group of
the Sierra Club. The Sunday
hike along the North Fork of
the French Broad River will
assemble at 3 p.m. at the
Pisgah Lane Bowling Alley in
Brevard.
Other activities of French
Broad River Week include a
"Friends of the River" din
ner, Southeastern Regional
Small Hydro Conference,
"Reflections On a River"
luncheon, tour of water
pollution abatement facilities
at the Olin Corporation, a
Natural Area Conservation
Methods Workshop, Erosion
Sedimentation Control
Workshop.
Reservations are requested
for all activities. For more
information or reservations,
contact ' the Land-of-Sky
Regional Council (704) 254
8131.
WILL HOFFMAN and JEFF POWELL of Mare
Hill competed in the North Carolina Junior State
Tennis Tournament held Aug. 13-17 at tlje
Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. Facing
tough statewide competition, Jeff won two singles
matches and Will won one before being defeated.
The two also teamed up in the doubles matches,
losing in the first round. More than 100 entrants ia
the 11 and 12 year old bracket made the trip to
Greensboro.
f
Most communities in Madison County havfe,
or soon will have, tennis courts for the publif.
Residents of Mars Hill have access to four public
courts at the recreation complex on Crooked
Road.
A Tour Through Madison County's Tobacco Land
ROY AMMONS (right) of
Madison County hosted the
Research on Wheels visitors,
who inspect his tobacco (far
right). Wiley DuVall (below)
speaks to the group, and
Furney Todd (below, right)
shows off some black shank
disease. The group also visited
experimental plots at Moun
tain Heritage. H.S. (bottom).