VOL. 3, NO. 33
New Methods Seen
In Farm-HomeTour
By Johnny Hensley
Approximately 35 people
accompanied the Yancey County
Extension Staff and Wilbur
Howard of the Farmers Home
Administration to several farms
and a home under construction
Wednesday, August 7. Those
who attended the Annual Farm
and Home Tour were witnesses
to the changing agriculture of
Yancey County. Visitors to the
county joined the tour of several
different farm enterprises.
Agricultural income to Yan
cey County in 1973 was greater
Cattlemen
Rediscover
Clover
By William Bledsoe
Fertilizer shortage coupled
with price increases and uncer
tainty of beef markets are
causing cattlemen to rediscover
cjover as away to cut production
costs. Fertilizer supplies are
tight and expensive. Prospects
do not look good for improve
ment soon.
Doubling of fertilizer prices
in the past year is causing many
cattlemen to go away from an
“all grass’’ torage of ladino
clover and orchard grass. The
clover in the combination fixes
Nitrogen from the air and
eliminates the need for any
nitrogen fertilizer for the or
chard grass. The cost of
fertilizing fescue has jumped
from about sls per acre to more
than S2B since last year.
Suggestions for establishing
orchard grass-ladino are as
follows: Prepare a good seedbed
incorporating the needed
amounts of lime, phosphorus
and potash during preparation.
Seed between August 15 and
September 15 at the rate of 2-5
pounds of ladino clover and
10-12 pounds of orchard grass
per acre. Cover no more than Vi
inch. Tillman is an improved
variety of ladino that should be
used. The clover seed should be
innoculated. Maintaining a pas
ture height of no more than 6
inches by grazing and clipping
improves the performance and
life span of the clover stand.
As more people are making
the switch, many people are
looking also to the faster gains
of calves and increased milk
flow of cows because of the high
protein content of ladino
orchard mixture.
m * ly ■%,
Curtain Call Os Tom Jones, Parkway’s Season Opener
THE YANCEY JOURNAL
than $5 million dollars and is
increasing each year. Many of
those who attended were
amazed to see the system
designed to allow one man to
house up to 5 acres of burley
tobacco. This method is cur
rently being used by Grover and
Warren Westall of Prices Creek,
on an experimental basis in
cooperation with N.C. State
University experiment stations
and TV A.
Others were more interested
in the future of “Pick Your
Own” strawberry operations
such as that of Wayne McCurry
or Walter Edwards, visited on
the tour. Yet, other people were
surprised to learn that an
individual with a desire to
achieve can obtain a satisfactory
income farming without owning
a single acre of land. Those
attending the tour saw how
Wayne McCurry of Pensacola is
doing just this.
In addition to the above,
members of the tour also
learned how to measure the
growth of a day-old beef calf
using only a common yard stick.
The group also looked at
“Cutback” Rhododendron, re
latively new to North Carolina.
“Cutbacks” are young native
rhododendron which are cut off
at ground level and the roots are
transplanted into a field and
allowed to grow a new well
shaped top. These cutbacks are
then sold to the nursery industry
and used in landscape plans.
The group paused shortly at
the Walter Edwards farm for a
refreshing break which included
entertainment by Tommy Hens
ley, a Yancey County 4-H Club
member, and a delicious slice of
Strawberry Shortcake accom
panied by apple juice. The
refreshments were provided
compliments of Cy Jordan
Realty, Inc.
If you missed this year’s tour
but are interested in what is
happening in agriculture in
Yancey County, remember to
attend next year’s Annual Farm
and Home Tour.
Performers Get Standing Ovation
As Curtain Falls On Final Show
By Gloria Shott and Jim Fisher
The twenty-eighth season at
Parkway Playhouse has ended.
The curtain has closed on the
final performance and the stage
is bare. The set flats have all
been scrubbed and placed in
their proper order in scene
storage, the lighting and sound
BURNSVILLE, N.C. 28714 *
19k Wi'i ' JHN|
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Tour Hears About “Walter” Tomato
I ‘ r'wH Urn A I » fl
as'-. i
Jeter McCurry Home Under Construction
equipment have been crated
and trucked off, costumes have
been sorted and stored, makeup
has been gathered and the
empty greasepaint tubes have
been thrown into the trash-sad
and empty reminders of the end
of an exciting six weeks of
putting on makebp and cos-
tumes and appearing on stage
before appreciative audiences.
The students have all left for the
Fall sessions at their colleges,
staff members have returned to
their teaching and/or acting
positions, C.F. “Pete” Raby,
Managing Director, has gone to
Colgate University in Hamilton,
New York, where he is a faculty
member, and Lauren K. Woods,
Managing Director, has return
ed to his faculty position at
Monmouth College in New
Jersey.
Parkway Playhouse is empty
now, but as one sits in the last
row of seats looking at the bare
and darkened stage, with only
the ghost light standing alone
illuminating a small area, there
are memories-pleasant mem
ories-that run through the mind.
There are the memories of the
seats filled with enthusiastic
Burnsvillians who so willingly
and open-heartedly support the
Playhouse with their atten
dance, the sound of laughter
evoked by the riotously funny
season-opener, Tom Jones,
directed by Lauren K. Woods.
The mood changes quickly as
one remembers the strong
impact of William Inge’s ro
mantic Picnic, directed by Stan
Dean, the thrills and chills of
Night Watch, directed by Larry
Alford, and the nostalgic ro
mance of Eugene O’Neill’s Ah
Wilderness! , directed by
Woods. There is still laughter
echoing through the empty
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1974
hiuse at the hilarious antics of
tie characters in Arsenic And
0 d Lace, which was directed by
Sin Dean, and if you listen
cl sely you can still hear the
s< inds of the final production,
tl: lovely musical, My Fair
L Jy, so artistically and superb
ly directed by Woods, the
© loing strains of the familiar
ir:sic-‘Tve Grown Accustom
e< To Her Face”, “I Could
Hve Danced All Night”, “Get
N To The Church On Time”
ai 1 many others. You can still
hi r the applause of the
Si urday night audience as they
gi ea standing ovation after
th final curtain.
But now even the ghost light
is limming and, as one walks
oi of the theatre and down to
th terrace to reminisce and to
ta one last look, the phantas
m oric laughter of the com
pa y crews can be heard as they
ta a break during strike after
th closing of the show! on
Sa rday night for a hamburger
co out at 1:00 a.m. And then,
ba to work for the rest ot the
ea r morning hours, putting up
th< iet for the new show in the
coi ng week. Memories now
on memories are the costumes
be j struck and the new ones
be i started for the next show,
ne lighting designs being
ini lied by lighting crews
wa ng the high beams of the
the re to hang new instruments
an to strike others, and the
[Cont’d on page 2]
Yancey Railroad Gets
Manager, Caboose
The Yancey Railroad, once
in danger of abandonment,
appears here to stay.
The locally-owned twelve
mile Yancey Railroad has a new
general manager effective Au
gust 19, 1974. J. V. Cannon, a
Spartanburg, S.C. native, will
take the helm of the short-line
on that day as a result of the
reorganization and revitalization
brought about when the four
major shippers on the line
bought controlling interest in it
and set out to keep the small
line in operation.
Mr. Cannon, who brings
many years of railroad opera
tions experience with him, said
that there would be many
projects in the immediate future
to upgrade the railroad. The
track will have first priority,
along with new bridge timber
for some of the trestles. He
stated that there would be no
personnel changes and that the
present employees would con
tinue to serve the railroad. At a
later date, some additional help
may be added as the work load
increases and business becomes
better.
Beginning his railroad work
with the Piedmont and Northern
Railway in South Carolina,
Cannon has most recently
vorked in the operating de
partment of the Seaboard Coast
Line Railroad in Spartanburg.
He was once the chief officer of
a short line in South Carolina
which he rebuilt and had on a
sound footing when a flood
destroyed four major bridges
and doomed the line. His
comment about the Yancey
Railroad: “The railroad has a
great potential and a fine future,
given someone who will take an
interest in it and the support of
its shippers. The area needs rail
service, and we intend to see
that the Yancey not only
remains in service but becomes
a major asset to the economy of
Yancey County. A town and
cou.iy without rail service
cannot hope to entice new
industry and have a good basis
for expansion. Yancey County
will have its railroad.”
One of the first acts of the
new general manager toward
improving the operation of the
railroad has been the acquisition
of a new caboose, or rather an
old caboose, which after a
thnrnilnh AlfArkoill ttrill raniA /vm
thorough overhaul, will serve on I m»«ui»uie conuiDuuon.
m uttdm bME
Back By Popular Demand!
A
Don Phillips, Manager of Maxwell Home Furnishings In Banka Family Square Shopping ‘'rtirtrr i
reports that he has been swamped with requests to have the Toe River Valley back for
another rendition of Biuegrass and Country Music which Is their specialty. The group is again
heralding a special sale at Maxwells, this one is the “Annual August Sale” which itmmlsra to be a 1
one. The public is invited to come and listen to the Toe River Valley Boys In front of Mil mill a
Saturday, August 57, from 9:o© a.m. to 12:0© noon and, at the same time, take advantage of the
savings offered on furniture and appliances by Maxwells.
freight trains of the local line.
The history of their caboose over
its long life has been extra
ordinarily varied. Up until 1957
it clattered over the rails of a
short mountain railroad in
northeast Georgia, the Tallulah
Falls Railway. When that road
gave up the ghost and was
abandoned, the caboose was
donated to the Clinton Mills
who, in turn, refurbished it and
placed it on a short stretch of
track on a hilltop for use as a
Boy Scout meeting place.
Over the years since 1961 it
has taken some abuse, and mill
officials decided it had outlived
its usefulness. What to do with
Mayland Tech To
Hold Commencement
Mayland Technical Institute
will hold its second Commence
ment Exercises on Thursday
evening, August 22 at 8:00 p.m.
at Grassy Creek Baptist Church.
Dr. Harold Robinson, Chancel
lor of Western Carolina Univer
sity and a native of Mitchell
County will deliver the address.
Dr. Robinson, popularly
known in the area as “Cotton”,
is a native of Bandana in
Mitchell County, the son of Mrs.
Fred Robinson and the late Mr.
Robinson. He is a graduate of
Bowman High School and has
served in many important
positions through the years
since his graduation. He has
been Provost of Purdue, Vice
Thank You, Ingles
For the 3rd consecutive year, the chickens for the ■pr 1 *!
barbecue dinners sold at the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair were
supplied at cost by Ingles Supermarket in Burasvfle.
According to Grace Banks, Secretary of the Chamber of
Commerce, the chickens were not only priced at wholesale to
the Chamber by Ingles, but Larry Stewart, meat department
manager there, stayed at the store after the 10 p.m.
time and spent the greater part of the night cutting up die
chickens free of charge in time for the barbecue.
A spokesman for The Yancey Journal which sold
on Friday at the Fair, reported that these were also purchased
from Ingles at cost.
The Yancey County Chamber of Commerce and The
Yancey Journal wish to express their appreciation to Bob Ingie
for his donation, and to employees at Ingles Supermarket for
their cooperation in helping to make this year’s Crafts Ffk a
success. Support like this makes an invaluable contrihatioa
it became the query-what does
one do with a derelict caboose?
It would be a shame to destroy
so historical a car.
The new general manager of
the Yancey Railroad, appraised
of the unhappy situation of the
unwanted caboose, opined that
the Tallulah Fails X-5 would be
“just the thing” for the Yancey.
Upon making arrangements to
obtain the car from Clinton
Mills, he set about to overhaul it
and give it a face-lifting, new
paint, and some new timber.
What had been a sad caboose
now became a smiling, happy
caboose, that is if you choose to
[Cont’d on page 2]
Chancellor of the University
System of Georgia, Administra
tive Dean for Research, Director
of the Institute of Biological
Sciences, Assistant Director of
Agricultural Experiment Station
and Professor and Head of the
Department of Genetics at N.C.
State University. He is presently
a member of the planning
committee on World Food,
Health and Population, of the
National Academy of Science-
National Science Foundation.
Dr. 0. M. Blake, Jr.,
President of Mayland Tech and
Bill Wilkins, Chairman of the
Board of Trustees, will present
diplomas and degrees to 67
[Cont’d on page 2]
10 c