Report of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture for the biennium ...

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REPORT
of
The North Carolina
Department of Agriculture
For the Biennium 1936-1938
OWEN G. DUNN
STATE PRINTEE
NEW BERN. N. C.
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
To His Excellency, Clyde R. Hoey,
Governor of North Carolina:
Sir:
In compliance with Chapter 248, Public Laws of 1929, I submit
the following report of the work of the Department of Agricul-ture
for the biennium 1936-1938.
Respectfully,
^rtuA^^
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Raleigh, N. C,
November 1, 1938.
REPORT
OF
The North Carolina
Department of Agriculture
For the Biennium 1936-1938
PERSONNEL
OF THE
STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
W. Kerr Scott, Commissioner, Chairman, Raleigh
Mrs. L. L. Stevens . .Shawboro
C. S. Young Shelby
D. R. Noland.. Clyde
T. G. Currin Oxford
J. H. Poole .....West End
M. L. Aderholdt .....Lexington
Chas. F. Cates Mebane
W. G. Hargett Richlands
Lionel Weil Goldsboro
W. I. Bissette Grifton
Administration
W. Kerr Scott Commissioner
D. S. Coltrane Assistant to the Commissioner
Myrtha Fleming Stenographer Secretary
Mary Knight Purchasing Agent
A. R. Powledge Senior Auditor
Donnie M. Norman. Senior Accounting Clerk
C. P. Deyton .Senior Accounting Clerk
Louis H. Wilson Editor of Publications
Jerrie Wheless .Senior Stenographer Clerk
Chas. Higgs Janitor Glerk
Worth Jeffreys. Janitor Messenger
Robert Harris ...Janitor
Inspection
Martin McCall Inspector
Chas. H. Godwin, Jr Inspector
E. J. Harrington Fertilizer Inspector
C. Grant.. Fertilizer Inspector
Harvey McPhail... Fertilizer Inspector
J. D. Johnson Fertilizer Inspector
John F. Reinhardt Fertilizer Inspector
J. W. Turner ; Fertilizer Inspector
J. E. Greene, Jr .Fertilizer Inspector
Marion Clark .Fertilizer Inspector
Markets
R. B. Etheridge.... Chief
C. W. Sheffield Senior Marketing Specialist
H. T. Westcott ....Associate Specialist
Mabel Haynes ...Senior Stenographer Clerk
W. P. Hedrick Senior Marketing Specialist
A. B. Harless.. Senior Marketing Specialist
Paul L. Fletcher ..Senior Marketing Specialist
Mrs. Frances Harrison. _ Telegraph Operator
Mrs. Sabra Bailey Senior Stenographer Clerk
6 Biennial Report
Credit Union
C. C. Booker Superintendent Credit Union
D. R. Graham ..Junior Auditor
Mary McMillan.. _ Stenographer
Entomology
C. H. Brannon Senior Entomologist
J. A. Harris. Associate Entomologist
C. S. Brimley. Junior Entomologist
D. L. Wray Junior Entomologist
P. G. Craddock Apiary Inspector
Cary Hansell Bean Beetle Inspector
Pauline P. Newsom Senior Stenographer Clerk
Seed Laboratory
J. W. Woodside.... Senior Botanist
S. D. Allen ....Senior Seed Analyst
Elizabeth Eby .Senior Seed Analyst
Mildred Henry Senior Seed Analyst
Elsie W. Earp Junior Seed Analyst
Magdalene Brummitt Junior Stenographer Clerk
Joshua James .Feed Inspector
C. H. Lutterloh .Feed Inspector
T. A. Holcombe ..Feed Inspector
Velva Hudson Junior General Clerk
Analytical
B. W. Kilgore ..._. ....Senior Chemist
L. B. Rhodes Associate Chemist
W. A. Queen Associate Chemist
E. W. Constable Associate Chemist
Pearl Koontz Senior Stenographer Clerk
Sarah G. Allen Principal General Clerk
W. C. Hammond, Jr Food Inpsector
W. E. McNeill Food Inspector
Gordon Powell ....Laboratory Helper
L. M. Nixon... Associate Chemist
Z. B. Bradford Associate Chemist
E. T. Hord... Associate Chemist
H. F. Pickering.. Junior Chemist
J. S. Pittard Junior Chemist
W. P. Matthews..... Junior Chemist
M. S. Birdsong Secretary
Heber B. Hatch Senior Stenographer Clerk
Mose Lord Laboratory Helper
Elvin Rogers.. Laboratory Helper
H. D. Matheson Junior Chemist
Frank H. Brown Junior Chemist
Lewis Terry... ...^ Junior Chemist
J. O. Dunston Junior Chemist
L. W. Purdy Junior Chemist
Carl W. Kelly Junior Chemist
L. V. Amburgy Microscopist
Robert L. Harris = Laboratory Helper
David Edward Buffaloe Assistant Chemist
Crop Statistics
W. H. Rhodes..... Senior Statistician
S. M. Hines. Junior Statistician
T. L. Stuart Junior Statistical Clerk
W. T. Garriss ..Junior Statistical Clerk
Sarah Drake .'. Senior Statistical Clerk
Commissioner of Agriculture 7
E. R. Simpson Senior Statistical Clerk
Bessie Kellogg '. Junior Statistical Clerk
Eva May Lassiter Junior Statistical Clerk
Margaret Taylor Junior Statistical Clerk
Herbert Barnes.... Senior Mail Clerk
Museum
H. T. Davis Senior Curator
H. H. Brimley - —
-
Senior Curator
Roxie Collie .Preparator and Taxidermist
Sophia Green Junior Stenographer Clerk
Veterinary
William Moore. _ Veterinarian
L. J. Faulhaber Associate Veterinarian
H. S. Wilfong Junior Bacteriologist
Grace John.... Junior Stenographer Clerk
Edna Lee Laboratory Aid
John J. Filicky. Junior Bacteriologist
Frank Howard —. ..Laboratory Helper
W. R. Baynes Associate Veterinarian
C. E. Cox Associate Veterinarian
L. J. Fourie Laboratory Aid
Test Farms
F. E. Miller ..Director
Kathleen Harrison .Senior Stenographer Clerk
J. L. Rea, Jr Assistant Director in Charge, Blackland Station, Wenona
F. B. Harris .Herdsman
A. P. Lefever .....Foreman
Lula Holton Stenographer, Clerk
Chas. T. Dearing Assistant Director in Charge, Coastal Plain Station, Willard
C. O. Bollinger. Poultryman
D. P. Southerland Foreman
Bennie L. Williams.... Stenographer, Clerk
Fred Stevens Assistant in Dairying
G. A. Meckstroth Associate Pathologist, U. S. D. A.
S. C. Clapp Assistant Director in Charge, Mountain Station, Swannanoa
Hazel Drake ..Stenographer, Clerk
R. L. Yory ..Assistant in Dairying
W. W. Ross Assistant in Horticulture
W. M. Whisenhunt .Foreman
H. B. Coulter. Dairyman
H. D. Smith.. Poultrxjman
J. W. Hendricks .....Assistant Director in Charge, Piedmont Station, Statesville
Rose Bradford Stenographer, Clerk
Grady Berry .Foreman
R. E. Stitt Assistant Agronomist, U. S. D. A.
E. G. Moss.. Assistant Director in Charge, Tobacco Station, Oxford
Elizabeth Floyd .Stenographer, Clerk
James F. Bullock Assistant Tobacco Investigations, U. S. D. A.
K. J. Shaw.. Assistant Tobacco Investigations, U. S. D. A.
T. E. Smith ..Assistant Tobacco Investigations, U. S. D. A.
A. B. Deans Foreman, U. S. D. A.
Joe L. Rand .Foreman, McCullers Tobacco Station, U. S. D. A.
R. E. Currin, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Upper Coastal Plain Station,
Rocky Mount.
W. C. Allsbrook Foreman
Mary W. Currin Stenographer, Clerk
J. P. Young Assistant Tobacco Investigations, U. S. D. A.
8 Biennial Report
Dairy
C. W. Pegram Dairy Specialist
W. E. Fuller . Junior Dairy Specialist
State Warehouse System
A. B. Fairley - Superintendent
C. R. Reynolds. _ Chief Cotton Classer
J. B. Haywood... .-..Cotton Classer
Robert S. Pou Warehouse Examiner
Mrs. J. N. Mason Senior Stenographer Clerk
Mrs. Hallie K. Morrow Senior Stenographer Clerk
Elizabeth Fleming .Junior General Clerk
E. L. Upchurch .....Senior General Clerk
Fred Johnson.. Gin Expert
Weights and Measures
C. D. Baucom - Superintendent
H. W. Hood _ Inspector
George S. Turner Inspector
John Archibald Cook Inspector
N. C. State Fair
J. S. Dorton... _ ..Manager
Edna Dees Senior Stenographer Clerk
G. C. Ellis Caretaker
BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
By W. Kerr Scott, Commissioner of Agriculture.
North Carolina's Department of Agriculture has been revi-talized
during the biennium.
Work of divisions has been consolidated to eliminate over-lapping
activities and to effect economy. Equipment has been
added to increase efficiency. Changes in personnel and the ad-dition
of needed specialists have made it possible to give greater
inspectional, regulatory and service work. Changes in the laws
affecting the welfare of the farmer have been made with the
deliberation and cooperation of all agencies involved.
Facts point to the progress made by the Department already,
but demands for services are increasing and the Commissioner of
Agriculture and his personnel are aware that there are other
agricultural challenges to be met in the broad program to help
the farmer increase his income.
The Commissioner of Agriculture is not unmindful that he is
the trustee of funds provided by the farmer for the operation of
the Department of Agriculture. Each change of policy and law,
each revision of activity, each addition to the personnel and
equipment has been made as an investment to yield dividends of
service and provide "the greatest good to the greatest number."
Strict enforcement of the regulatory and inspectional laws has
brought definite savings and protection to the farmer who buys
fertilizers, feeds and seeds and equal protection has been given
the honest manufacturer.
A report of the Department is a report of its divisions. Letting
"the record speak for itself," a condensation of division activities
follows
Markets: A federal-state market news service has been
added, providing growers with last-minute information on agri-cultural
price trends and conditions to enable them to more in-telligently
market their commodities. A tobacco marketing
specialist, first employed in the Department's History, is now
promoting proper grading, sorting and tying practices as a means
of increasing the farmer's income. A livestock marketing special-
10 Biennial Report
ist has been employed in an effort to assist livestock men in
climbing above 38th place in farm cash income from livestock.
Egg grading and certification work was inaugurated last year.
Chemistry: Compared with the past biennium, there has
been a 37.3 per cent increase in fertilizers analyzed, 151 per cent
in feeds analyzed, 24.6 per cent in foods or an average of 35.3
per cent increase in work on fertilizers, feeds, foods and all other
materials of a general agricultural nature. Two laboratories have
been added to give growers information as to whether their
fertilizer is acid forming or non-acid forming and the degree to
which it is guaranteed and also to determine the magnesium con-tent
of fertilizer. The Pure Food Division and Fertilizer Analyt-ical
Division were combined in the interest of efficiency and
economy. Sanitary conditions, under which ice cream is made,
have been improved.
Test Farms: Appropriations and federal grants for the six
Test Farms have been the largest in the history of the farms,
permitting an enlarged experimental program in answer to the
increasing demand for new information on farm production
problems. A total of 143 experimental projects dealing with
horticultural and field crops, livestock and poultry are under way.
A total of 407 acres of new land has been bought for experimental
work and nine additional acres leased for peanut disease control
studies. All roads to the farms have been paved or are scheduled
to be paved. An $80,000 federal appropriation for laboratory
buildings and an office at the Tobacco Test Farm (Oxford),
$39,000 from the WPA to build modern dairy barns and secure
equipment for the Coastal Plain Test Farm (Willard) and an
annual appropriation of $7,500 from the Bureau of Dairy Industry
for dairy research at Willard have been secured.
Veterinary: Addition of five veterinarians to the Depart-ment's
staff has made it possible to launch a swine disease con-trol
program with definite progress already reported. Hog
cholera control and eradication is an immediate goal of the di-vision.
Protection of the poultry industry has been increased
with the addition of five inspectors who have doubled the number
of birds tested for the dreaded Pullorum disease. Tests for
Bang's disease, a costly disease of cattle, have been completed in
six counties ; tests are underway in 16 counties and 15 counties
are on the waiting list. The number of cattle tested has been
tripled. A 25 per cent increase in investigations of contagious
livestock disease outbreaks has been achieved.
Dairy: A system of "test supervision" has been set up to
protect dairymen from inaccurate or careless testing, weighing
and sampling of milk and cream sold Dy them. Definite check-
Commissioner of Agriculture 11
test investigations are made rather than test observations as
were made in the past. A total of 21,000 tests have been made
compared with 7,903 during 1934-36.
Warehouse: A gin inspector has been added to the staff to
give ginners mechanical aid and service work with resultant bene-fits
to the growers. A heavy-duty scales testing unit has been
purchased and is now being used in a state-wide gin scales testing
program. Federal funds have been obtained for the erection of a
modern classing and grading building costing $42,000, enabling
the Department to render more prompt and efficient grading and
stapling service.
Credit Unions: With $4,500 obtained from the general fund
to match an equal amount from the Department for organization
and auditing of rural and urban Credit Unions, results are indi-cated
during the past fiscal year by the fact that members have
increased 44.6 per cent; assets, 25.6 per cent; number of loans
45.2 per cent; reserve, 31 per cent and surplus, 27 per cent.
Entomology: A state apiary inspector has been employed for
the first time and is now waging a productive campaign to protect
the state's $1,500,000 honey industry from destruction by the
costly foulbrood disease. An appropriation of $5,000 has been
made to partially match federal funds for the protection of the
white pine trees against white pine blister rust. Publication of
a book by Dr. C. S. Brimley on "Insects of North Carolina" is a
distinct contribution in the field of natural science in the nation.
Statistics: More than 180 original reports on practically all
phases of agriculture have been compiled by the state-federal
crop reporting service. With a slight increase in personnel, in-creased
efficiency has given the division national recognition with
relation to presentation of county farm facts, reports, reliability
of information developed and scope of service.
Accounts: Handling of all accounts, purchases and invento-ries,
heretofore scattered throughout the divisions, has been
centralized in the Division of Accounts, created in the interest of
efficiency and economy. A modernized accounting system, im-proved
methods of handling the sale of fertilizer, feed, and seed
and other tax tags have made it possible to render quicker service
at a minimum overhead.
Weights and Measures: Purchase of new equipment and ad-dition
to the inspection staff have been made possible with an
increase of funds appropriated by the General Assembly. It is
now possible for the Department to test weights and scales from
one-tenth of a grain to ten tons. From January, 1937 to July
12 Biennial Report
1938, a total of 124,440 inspections have been made and 8,098
places of business have been visited.
Seed Laboratory: Once known as the "dumping ground" for
poor quality seed, North Carolina has joined the more progressive
states with the perfection of a seed testing laboratory second
to none in the South. Seed tests for germination and purity were
increased 65 per cent over the previous biennium. A total of
20,714 seed tests were made free of charge for farmers. With
the addition of one analyst, the capacity for work has been
approximately doubled.
State Fair: The Great State Fair, operated under private
lease for many years, was taken over by the Department in 1937,
and operated at a profit for the first time under State manage-ment.
Agriculture, industry and education were paramounted in
exhibits and the fact that the number of individual exhibitors
was doubled attests the people's approval of an exposition pre-sented
as a state institution. While reports on the 1938 Fair
have not been completed, it is definitely known that this exposi-tion
was an educational and financial success.
State Museum: Addition of new exhibits, improvement of
old exhibits with an increase in appropriations have made it
possible to make the museum more attractive and serviceable to
the 200,000 or more annual visitors. The first printed pamphlet
on the activities of the museum was published in 1938.
Publications: A weekly news service of six or seven stories,
covering virtually all phases of the Department's work, has been
furnished for the first time and generally used by the newspapers
and agricultural publications. THE AGRICULTURAL REVIEW,
semi-monthly news organ of the Department, has been materially
improved and furnishes 18,000 farm families up-to-date, accurate
information on the Department's services, program and general
agricultural material. An appreciation of the enlarged activities
of the divisions has been indicated by newspapermen who have
requested and received an increasingly large number of special
stories.
Upon recommendation of the Commissioner, the Board of Agri-culture
was increased from five to ten members so that its mem-bers
would more nearly represent every section and phase of
agriculture in the state. Authority in matters of policy, also
upon request of the Commissioner of Agriculture, was transferred
from the Commissioner to the Board in the interest of democracy.
AGRICULTURAL LAWS:
Changes and Enforcement
By D. S. COLTRANE,
Assistant to the Commissioner.
Changes in the Fertilizer, Feed and Seed laws of North Caro-lina
have been made during the biennium with the view of giving
the farmers, manufacturers and dealers greater protection.
Realizing the inter-dependent relationship between the farmer,
manufacturer and dealer, representatives of all commercial and
non-commercial agricultural agencies affected under laws en-forced
by the Department of Agriculture have gathered at the
conference table and contributed their thought and co-operation
to the end that the present statute changes have yielded inesti-mable
service to the state.
The Department will continue its policy of inviting farmers,
manufacturers, research leaders, farm agencies and others to
give their views and co-operation when the need for changes in
laws is presented. It is realized that the maximum enforcement
of agricultural laws or any other laws cannot be realized without
the support of all parties concerned.
As an inspection, regulatory and service agency, the Depart-ment
realizes that no part of its work is more important than
the strict enforcement of the Feed, Fertilizer and Seed laws,
especially since our farmers annually purchase approximately
$25,000,000 worth of fertilizer, about $10,000,000 worth of feed
and around $5,000,000 worth of seed.
INFORMAL FERTILIZER CONFERENCE
Realizing that the fertilizer law did not include all the desired
guarantees and sufficient penalties for failure to meet some of
the existing guarantees, an informal conference was held in
February, 1937. Representative farmers, manufacturers, farm
organizations and research authorities drafted amendments that
were acceptable to the General Assembly.
Amendments provided: (1) Guarantee as to whether the
fertilizer is acid or non-acid forming; (2) For the guarantee of
minimum per cent magnesium oxide; (3) Optional guarantee as
to the minimum per cent of calcium oxide and (4) Optional
guarantee as to the maximum sulphur in tobacco fertilizer.
14 Biennial Report
Under amendments, penalties were provided for failure of
manufacturers to meet the additional guarantees allowed and for
failure to meet other provisions of the law such as the nitrate
and water insoluble nitrogen guarantees.
FEED CONFERENCE
Discovery that many feeds sold in North Carolina contained
rice hulls, an ingredient prohibited in feeds under the law and
regarded as injurious to livestock, a general conference was
called by the Department in July, 1937. An investigation re-vealed
that some mills had hundreds of bags of rice hulls.
Meeting with Department officials, the North Carolina Feed
Manufacturers, in informal conference, passed a resolution
pledging co-operation in eliminating rice hulls as a feed ingredient
and further pledging to remove all feeds containing rice hulls
that were in the hands of dealers. Strict inspection of the feed
tags was of material aid in keeping feeds containing rice hulls
off the market.
SECOND FEED CONFERENCE
Since the State Feed Law had been regarded as nothing more
or less than a "correct labeling act," the State Board of Agri-culture
exercised its authority to make rules and regulations and
adopt feed standards for various special purpose feeds and
generally provide for regulations commensurate with progressive
agricultural legislation.
Feed manufacturers, farm organization representatives from
the Farm Bureau, Grange, Farmers Federation and others, the
State Dairymen's Association, the State Poultry Association with
feed experts from the Department and State College participated
in the second informal conference in October, 1937. A com-mittee
was appointed by the group to draft feed rules, regu-lations
and standards for approval of the Board of Agriculture
and the board approved the changes January 5, 1938 to become
effective April 1, 1938.
SPECIAL PURPOSE FEEDS
Prior to April 1, 1938 the only standard for feed stipulated
that the minimum protein should be nine per cent. Changes in
regulations now place the minimum protein for dairy feeds at
15 per cent, minimum fat at three per cent and maximum fiber
at 15 per cent; in hog feeds, minimum protein at 14 per cent,
minimum fat at three per cent and maximum fiber at eight per
cent; in most poultry feeds, minimum protein at 15 per cent,
Commissioner of Agriculture 15
minimum fat at four per cent and maximum fiber at seven per
cent.
Registration of all feeds that did not meet the new standards
was cancelled April 1, 1938.
LOW GRADE MATERIALS
A new standard for maximum fiber content for feeds was set
to exclude excess fillers and assure a high percentage of nitrogen
free extract. New regulations prohibit the use of peanut shells, '
peanut hulls, oat hulls, clipped oat by-products, rice hulls, rice
chaff, rice straw, barley hulls, coffee hulls, chaff, sawdust, sand,
dirt, ground soy-bean stems, ground corn cobs, corn stalks, cocoa-nut
shells, wheat straw, or any other substance injurious to the
health of animals or having little or no feeding value.
An experienced microscopist was employed to determine (1)
whether the feed contained the guaranteed ingredients and the
quality of each; (2) whether the feed contained other ingredients
and whether or not they were adulterants ; (3) whether any of the
ingredients were present in quantities too small to affect the
nature of the feed.
SEED LAW AMENDED
Governor Clyde R. Hoey and Commissioner of Agriculture
W. Kerr Scott promised the farmers they would take steps to stop
the sale of poor quality seeds in the state, should they be elected
to office. A study of the Seed Law revealed it did not provide ade-quate
protection to the farmer; amendments were drafted,
presented to the General Assembly and unanimously approved.
Before the amendments were presented to the Legislature, they
were approved by the N. C. Crop Improvement Association and
the N. C. Seed Dealers Association.
RETAIL SEED DEALERS LICENSE REDUCED
The wholesale and retail seed dealer's license had been $25
since 1918, but records revealed that only a small per cent of all *
dealers actually paid a license fee. Believing that if one dealer
paid the license in conformity with the law, all should pay, the
Department began strict enforcement of the seed statute.
Believing the retail license of $25 was too high, one amendment
lowered the tax to $10. Revenue obtained from the sale of
licenses made it possible to make the Seed Laboratory self-sup-porting,
made it possible to give adequate inspection service and
permitted the purchase of equipment to give the state one of the
best seed laboratories in the nation.
16 Biennial Report
FERTILIZER
Adequate fertilizer inspection service has been provided North
Carolina farmers who have continued to lead the Nation for 19
consecutive years in fertilizer purchases.
One sample of fertilizer was taken for approximately each
200 tons sold. An effort was made to secure a reasonable number
of samples from each company. Twelve part-time inspectors
were used during the biennium, regularly taking samples and
making inspections in all sections of the state.
A total of 10,447 samples of fertilizer were collected and
reported during the biennium, representing an aggregate of
108,144 bags officially sampled for analysis.
Improvement in the quality of fertilizer sold in the state is
indicated by the fact that the manufacturers were penalized on
only 2.4 per cent of the samples drawn. Penalties levied on 317
lots of fertilizer amounted to $7,995.29.
Of the 4,854 samples reported in 1937, a total of 4,050 were
equal to or above the guaranteed value ; 688 samples were below
guarantee, but within the tolerance allowed under the law. These
facts substantiate the value of careful enforcement of regulatory
measures and indicate protection given the farmer as well as the
honest manufacturer.
The Department invited farmers to request inspectors to take
special samples wherever desirable. A total of 395 special farm
samples were secured.
FEED INSPECTION SERVICE INCREASED
Feed and Seed inspectors were increased from two to four after
the first eight months in the biennium and one chemist added to
the feed laboratory under the Department's program to render
a greater inspectional and regulatory service. As feed samples
were secured, they were analyzed immediately, whereas in the
past several weeks elapsed before reports were given. By
speeding up the analytical work, the sale of poor quality feed was
stopped before it was all sold.
From all sections of the state, inspectors collected 2,196 official
feed samples, 483 miscellaneous feed samples and 164 cotton seed
meal samples. A reasonable number of samples was sought from
each feed company and extra precaution taken to secure samples
of brands previously found below guarantee.
Penalties amounting to $1,326.50 have been assessed and paid
to cover feed seizures. Six hundred lots of feed were seized and
held for satisfactory adjustment and in most cases the feed was
released after penalties were paid and the product re-tagged to
Commissioner of Agriculture 17
show the correct analysis in conformity with the laboratory
report.
A strict enforcement of the feed law has made it possible for
a feeder of livestock and poultry to buy a brand of feed with
reasonable assurance that it will contain guaranteed ingredients.
The farmer can buy with greater economy if he will study the
chemical analysis and ingredients of feed as guaranteed on the
tag, selecting the feed best suited for his livestock and poultry.
A program designed to reduce the number of grades of ferti-lizer
and increase the plant food content has been initiated by
the Department of Agriculture. The movement has been recog-nized
by fertilizer experts of state and national reputation as
being agronomically and economically sound.
Under present plans, a reduction of the 202 grades of ferti-lizer
is being sought to relieve the farmer of much confusion
when he goes to buy his requirements. Realizing that the average
fertilizer purchased in the state contains an average of only 15.2
units of plant food, while the United States' average is 20 units,
steps are being taken to promote greater use of high analysis
fertilizer. Definite progress has been made.
Comparative Statement showing activities of inspectors in the inspec-tion
OF FERTILIZER, FEED, SEED, LIME, LAND PLASTER AND INSECTICIDES DURING
years ending june 30, 1937 and june 30, 1938.
Fertilizer
Year Ending Year Ending
June 30, 1937 June 30, 193S
Number of Tons sampled 28 , 732 29 , 918
Number of Tons drawn 5,629 4,818
Number of Tons seized... 126 528
Number of Seizures for violation of law 20 82
Number of penalties assessed manufacturers 116 146
Aggregate Amount of Penalties Assessed ...$3 ,760 .91 $4 ,234 .38
Number of bags sampled 50 , 883 52 , 236
Feed
Number of Tons sampled 2,286 3,216
Number of samples drawn 741 1,443
Number of seizures for violation of law 133 467
Number of tons seized 304 616
Aggregate amount of penalties assessed ....$ 465.00 $ 861.00
Cottonseed Meal
Number of samples of cottonseed meal analyzed 98 132
Number of seizures for violation of law 10 29
Seed
Number of samples taken 147 616
Number of seizures No provision 25
Number of samples of lime and land plaster 79
Number of seizures Lime and land plaster (failure to guarantee analysis) 24
Number of Insecticides samples for the biennium 86
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION
Louis H. Wilson
A general increase in the regulatory, inspectional and service
work of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture has
furnished the Publications Division with news that has been
readily accepted and printed by the Newspapers and agricultural
publications of the State.
Information concerning the Department's program and pro-gress
has been furnished virtually every news-gathering agency
in the state. A conscientious effort has been made to place
quality of news stories above quantity.
Constant requests for special stories by newspapers and other
publications attest the interest in the Department's activities and
indicate a growth in the demand of the Publications Division
services.
Netvspapers: A weekly news service of six or seven stories
is being furnished all newspapers of the state for the first time.
Press Associations: Current information on all phases of
the Department activities is furnished promptly to the Associated
Press and the United Press which serve the daily newspapers of
the State. The press associations together with the Bureau of the
North Carolina Association of Afternoon Dailies, have been
furnished advance and current information on agricultural events,
addresses and feature articles.
One of the most acceptable services of this division has been the
weekly farm page article prepared exclusively for the Associated
Press for release in Monday morning newspapers. All news
services have been given special stories upon request.
Agricultural Revieiv: Voluntary requests made by farmers
and other citizens for the Revieiv have resulted in the addition of
approximately 5,000 names to the mailing list within the past
12 months, bringing the total circulation to 18,000.
The Revieiv is a four-page publication, issued twice a month
and sent free to farmers or any other citizen upon request. It is
the official organ of the Department and contains news stories of
particular interest to the farming population. One section of the
publication contains a detailed list of "Low Analysis and In-correctly
Labeled Feeds found in the State," a new service
furnished farmers with the view of giving them more infor-mation
to be used in intelligent buying of feedstuffs.
An increasingly popular feature of the publication is the want-ad
section, restricted to the use of farmers and others having
articles "for sale" or "exchange." Advertisements are printed
Commissioner of Agriculture 19
without charge as a marketing service primarily for farmers
and the policy of the Review does not permit the acceptance of
advertisements from commercial concerns.
Bulletins: Improvements have been made in all regular bul-letins
issued by the Department during the biennium. Appro-priate
illustrations have been used, special folders have been
issued and in all publications greater "reader appeal" has been
obtained with the use of pictures. Explanatory articles by the
various heads of divisions and by agricultural authorities co-operating
with the department have added to the attractiveness
of such regular publications as "Analyses of Commercial Ferti-lizer"
and "Analyses of Mixed Feeds."
Pictures: More and more, newspapers are becoming "picture
conscious." The Publications Division has furnished many news-photos
to the daily press and other publications to be used in
illustrating articles on inspectional, regulatory and service work
of the Department. Special picture assignments made by news-papers
have been promptly completed ; and while the picture
service of the Department is relatively new, it is of distinct value
to the press and adds materially to the attractiveness of most
newspaper articles.
Radio: Special broadcasts on outstanding events and news
have been given through cooperation and courtesy by Radio
Station WPTF in Raleigh. The United Press, which is furnished
all current news concerning the Department, releases news arti-cles
to the major radio stations—thus "radio coverage" is
furnished listeners as frequently as the news-value of the story
permits.
Information: Many requests for information on agriculture
and other subjects have been handled by the division. In cases
where the questions require attention of various agricultural
specialists, the requests are forwarded to the most logical or-ganization
or authority.
State Fair: Publicity for the Great North Carolina State
Fair has been handled by the Publications Division since the
Department took over the operation of the exposition in 1937.
Newspapers and the radio stations have been generous in ac-cepting
articles on the fair, particularly since it has become a
state institution with a management paramounting agriculture,
industry and education.
The revitalization of the Department of Agriculture, and the
aggressiveness and determination of the present Administration
to enlarge the regulatory, inspectional and service work of the
various divisions have made news in North Carolina and brought
sympathetic editorial treatment from the agricultural, daily and
weekly newspaper editors.
DIVISION OF ENTOMOLOGY
C. H. Brannon
This Division submits the following report for the past bien-nium:
DUTIES
The Division of Entomology is engaged in inspections, quaran-tines
and other regulatory and law enforcement work in con-nection
with plant pests, insects affecting man and animals and
bee diseases. Keeping up to date its valuable collection and
records is also a major activity.
NURSERY INSPECTION
The biggest single project of the Division of Entomology is
the annual inspection and certification of all North Carolina nur-series.
This tedious work requires the efforts of two of our
staff, Mr. J. A. Harris and Dr. D. L. Wray, during July, August
and September. Nurseries which are found apparently free
from dangerous plant pests are issued a certificate of inspection
which expires September 30, of the following year. The North
Carolina certificate of nursery inspection is accepted by all states
and the Federal Government. 170 nursery certificates were is-sued
in 1936-37. 190 nursery certificates were issued for 1937-38.
Certificates are not issued until inspection fees are paid.
The nursery fees are as follows:
Three acres or less $ 5.00
Four to ten acres 7.50
Eleven to fifteen acres 10.00
Sixteen acres 12.50
10^ for each additional acre.
NATIVE PLANT COLLECTORS PERMIT
An annual fee of $10.00 is required for a permit to collect and
ship wild native plants including boxwood. Approximately 25
such permits are issued each year.
NURSERY DEALER CERTIFICATE
The annual nursery dealer certificate is $10.00. This applies
to individuals or stores. Approximately twenty such certificates
are issued annually. This number is expected to increase con-siderably
since recent regulations require individual units of chain
organizations to obtain separate certificates. Certified dealers
Commissioner of Agriculture 21
promise to handle only certified nursery stock and are checked
by members of our staff as frequently as funds will permit.
A regulation requiring bond of $5,000 of all dealers or nur-series
who promise later attention to nursery stock sold in North
Carolina was made effective May 19, 1937.
A reciprocal regulation was passed by the Board of Agriculture
requiring nurseries from states which require out-of-state regis-tration
fees to pay the same fee for shipping nursery stock into
North Carolina as that charged North Carolina nurserymen for
shipping into the respective states requiring such fees. This
regulation was effective October 1, 1938.
APIARY INSPECTION
Mr. P. G. Craddock, North Carolina's first full time Apiary
Inspector, was added to the staff July 1, 1937. The Apiary In-spector
is engaged in the enforcement of North Carolina's bee
disease regulations as a protection to the bee keepers of the State.
During the year July 1, 1937 to July 1, 1938, approximately
11,252 colonies of bees were inspected in 48 counties. However,
the greater part of this work was done in the following counties
Beaufort, Bladen, Columbus, Haywood, Hyde, Martin, Pender,
Robeson and Washington. Three and four-tenths per cent of the
colonies inspected were found to be infected with American
Foulbrood, the dreaded scourge of the bee and honey industry.
Several apiaries were inspected for beekeepers who reside out
of the State but who leave their bees in North Carolina perma-nently.
Some of these apiaries were badly infected with disease.
Eleven certificates for queen rearing were granted during the
year. Two permits were issued for bees moving out of the State.
One thousand and forty colonies from New York State were
inspected.
A summer assistant is greatly needed in this work in order to
facilitate eradication of bee diseases. North Carolina is fortunate
in having undertaken this work before the entire state has be-come
heavily infected. If extensive work can be expanded at
once there is a good chance of effective control before it is too
late.
WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST PREVENTION
The following report has been submitted by Mr. H. B. Teague,
of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, who is
State Leader in charge of Blister Rust work in North Carolina.
"Since July 1, 1936 the White Pine Blister Rust prevention
program has been conducted in the state on private, State and
Federal owned lands. The work has been carried out by the
22 Biennial Report
U. S. Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the N. C.
Department of Agriculture. Federal supervision has been fur-nished
by Dr. S. B. Fracker, Chief of the Division of the Plant
Disease Control; Mr. Roy G. Pierce, Pathologist, supervisor of
Eradicating Ribes grossularia in Edge of Field near House. Located
near Craggy, N. C, Buncombe County, (u. s. d. a.)
the Southern Appalachian region ; Mr. H. B. Teague, State Leader
in charge of North Carolina District supervisors are foremen in
the North Carolina Blister Rust Control areas.
Blister rust control work has been done in twenty counties. Of
these fourteen have been completed for first working, two have
been worked the second time, and six have been partially worked
the second time and eight remain yet to be completed. Although
the project was a Federal undertaking with most of the funds
furnished by the Federal Government until July 1, 1937, the State
Department of Agriculture was active in giving supervision to
the work. Effective July 1, 1937 the State gave $5,000 in addition
to other services rendered to supplement the funds allotted by the
Federal Government. This state fund is administered by C. H.
Brannon, State Entomologist.
The object of blister rust control work is to prevent white pines
of the state from becoming infected with a fungus disease called
white pine blister rust which kills the pines. The life cycle of
this disease organism requires for its completion an alternate
Commissioner of Agriculture 23
host plant, either currant or gooseberry. By destroying these
bushes and breaking the blister rust cycle the spread of the
disease to healthy white pines can be prevented. During the past
two years blister rust work has consisted of contacting land
owners in the white pine growing sections, explaining the dan-gers
of this disease, and securing the cooperation of land owners
in preventing the infection of their white pines. In most cases
the owners agree to destroy their currant and gooseberry bushes
or to allow them to be destroyed by the blister rust workers. In
a few cases the owners would not consent to have the bushes de-stroyed.
The names of all such owners and their addresses have
been recorded for future reference.
There are three general classes of currants and gooseberries
found in North Carolina growing near white pine : cultivated,
escaped and wild. Seven different species have been found in
cultivation. Four species have been found near abandoned house
sites and have escaped cultivation. Two species of native wild
bushes have been found growing near white pine. These two
species of native bushes are the smooth, wild gooseberry, Ribes
rotundifolium, and the prickly wild gooseberry, Ribes cynosbati.
Another bush native to the state, but heretofore not found with-in
infection range of white pine, is the skunk currant, Ribes
grandtdossum.
During this biennium, about 60 million board feet of white
pine lumber were cut in the state, worth $1,300,000. There are
approximately 800 thousand acres of white pine in the state with
a seedling value of about seven and one-half million dollars. This
acreage has been on the increase for several years, especially
since chestnut blight killed the chestnut trees and gave white
pine a chance to seed in where seed trees were present. Also in
many sections old fields and pasture land have been retired for
reforestation, and white pine is seeding in wherever seed trees
are present in such sections. Some planting of white pine has
been done in the state and intensive planting programs are being
planned by the Forest Service, by the Soil Conservation Service
and by the T.V.A. Many other divisions are also materially in-creasing
the white pine acreage in the state. A program of
careful fire prevention and control has been an important factor
in the increase of white pine in the state.
A member of the Forest Service has stated that the Southern
Appalachian region has the possibility of becoming one of the
leading white pine producing sections in the country. He pointed
out the advantage of soil and climatic conditions, the rapid growth
and small damage caused by insects as being in favor of white
pine production. He also pointed out the high value of first grade
24 Biennial Report
white pine lumber, and the low cost of producing white pine free
from blister rust. Good forestry practice increases the value of
white pine lumber, and the blister rust organization heartily
endorses such forestry practices. In one instance a land owner
paid $1.50 per thousand board feet in pruning his white pine
trees when they were small, and he received from $40.00 to
$60.00 per thousand instead of about $20.00 per thousand board
feet which was being paid for knotty, low grade lumber. We are
not only interested in the production of white pine free from
blister rust, but are also interested in the land owner getting the
highest possible prices for his trees when cut.
Our organization has worked twenty white pine growing nur-series
in the state, including the Soil Conservation Service nur-sery
at Chapel Hill, and the State Forest Service Nursery near
Hendersonville.
Work has been completed on two divisions of Pisgah National
Forest and is being carried forward on the two other divisions.
Initial work has been completed in the Nantahala National Forest
in Jackson and Macon counties, and 14,000 acres have been worked
in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The following
table summarizes blister rust control activities in North Carolina
for the two years period, ending June 30, 1938
Survey
Number acres of pine 527,331
Number acres control 1,593,903
Number man days used 18,474
Eradication
Number acres pine 527,331
Number acres worked 1,314,375
Number cultivated 269,440
Number wild 434,743
Total 704,183
Number man days 16,608
Costs Federal *$85,182.99
Costs State *$16,884.50
*Add 1938 costs.
JAPANESE BEETLE
Quarantine
The Japanese Beetle Quarantine as included in the last bien-nial
report was amended to include the township of Charlotte,
effective for the shipping season of 1938. Mr. C. J. Hansel of our
staff is located at Greensboro for the purpose of enforcing the
Japanese Beetle Quarantine in cooperation with Mr. H. B. Ward
of the Richmond office of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology and
Plant Quarantine. No nursery, ornamental, or greenhouse stock,
or other plants, plant roots, sand, soil, earth, peat, compost, or
Commissioner of Agriculture 25
manure can be transported in any manner from the quarantined
area without a special Japanese Beetle permit. Rigid inspections
of greenhouses and nurseries are made by State and Federal
inspectors.
Japanese Beetles Covering a Peach, (xj. s. d. a.)
In addition to Charlotte township the other areas within the
quarantined zone are in the vicinity of Winston-Salem, Greens-boro
and Salisbury.
Trapping
Trapping for the Japanese Beetle is a method of determining
the spread of the beetle, and is not intended to reduce the in-festation.
The traps contain a bait which attracts the beetle
from as far as half a mile. In cooperation with the U. S. Bureau
of Entomology and Plant Quarantine these traps have been placed
over the State during the flight periods of the Japanese Beetle.
In order to match much larger Federal funds the State of North
Carolina, at the request of the Federal Government, allocated
$2200 for this work in 1937 and $1338 in 1938 to be administered
by this Division.
During June and July, 1937, 6,600 traps were placed in 13
cities. A total of 1,110 beetles were caught. All but two of the
cities trapped yielded beetles as follows : Asheville 0, Burlington
0, Charlotte 13, Durham 6, East Spencer 194, Elizabeth City 1,
26 Biennial Report
Greensboro 370, High Point 3, Raleigh 4, Rocky Mount 3, Salis-bury
6, Spencer 227, Wilmington 9, Wilson 1, Winston-Salem 273.
During June and July 1938, 5,830 traps were placed in 23 cities.
A total of 152 beetles were caught as follows : Asheville 0, Chad-bourn
0, Concord 0, Durham 15, Elizabeth City 11, Fayetteville
0, Gastonia 0, Greenville 0, Hamlet 5, Henderson 0, High Point
34, Kinston 1, Lexington 2, New Bern 0, Raleigh 20, Reidsville 0,
Rocky Mount 1, Sanford 16, Statesville 1, Thomasville 2, Wash-ington
0, Wilmington 40, Wilson 4.
The relatively small number of beetles caught in 1938 was
due, for the most part, to traps not being placed in the heavily
infested areas now under quarantine.
ORIENTAL PEACH MOTH PARASITE WORK
In cooperation with the U. S. Bureau of Entomology and Plant
Quarantine peach twigs infested with larvae of the Oriental
Peach Moth were collected by Mr. J. A. Harris from various
points in the peach sections and sent to the Federal laboratory
at Moorestown, New Jersey for parasite emergence records. 642
infested twigs were collected in May, 1937. 396 peach moth
larvae emerged from these twigs but only one parasite (Macro-centrus
instabilis) appeared from the material. Due to condi-tions
which are not at present understood, the large number of
parasites previously released in the State have not been able to
establish themselves.
During May 1938, Dr. D. L. Wray collected 859 infested peach
twigs which were forwarded to the Federal laboratory. The
emergence records from this material are not yet available.
NARCISSUS BULB INSPECTION
Careful and tedious inspections are required to protect the
commercial bulb growers from nematode and bulb fly infestations,
which would seriously affect the entire industry if regular in-spections
were not made.
In the fall of 1936 the storage inspection included the careful
examination of 702,000 bulbs on 18 properties. No infestation
was found. 116 bushels of bulbs received the regulation hot
water treatment because of nematode infestation at spring field
inspection. 517 bushels of bulbs found infested with the bulb fly
during the spring field inspection were fumigated.
During the 1937 spring field inspection 16 properties were
inspected which included 78 acres. 6 of these properties were
found infested with nematode and 1 was found infested with the
bulb fly.
Commissioner of Agriculture 27
During the storage inspection in the fall of 1937, 863,600 bulbs
were inspected on 13 properties. No infestation was found.
However, 402 bushels of bulbs found infested during the spring
field inspection were given the standard hot water treatment for
nematode.
Wk^__M
Narcissus Field Inspection: An umbrella is used on bright days to
shade the plants, in order that discoloration may be detected, which
indicates Nematode infestation. Nematodes have killed plants caus-ing
THE OPEN SPACE IN THE FOREGROUND.
In the spring of 1938, 100 acres on 18 properties were given the
tedious field inspection. One property was found infested with
nematode and none found infested with bulb fly.
The bulb inspection fee is $5.00 for three acres or less and
$1.00 for each additional acre inspected. This fee is for field
inspection but also includes the storage inspection if bulbs are
to be shipped.
These inspections which require painstaking effort were made
by Mr. J. A. Harris and Dr. D. L. Wray.
28 Biennial Report
PHONY PEACH AND PEACH MOSAIC DISEASE
ERADICATION
This important work is designed to protect the peach growers
of North Carolina from the ravages of the dreaded phony and
Mosaic peach diseases. The Mosaic disease has not yet been
found in North Carolina. The project is carried out in coopera-tion
with the Federal Government.
During the campaign to eradicate escaped and abandoned
peach trees in the year 1936, between July 1 to December 31,
377,958 peach trees were removed from 1,740 properties. During
1937, when this work was closed out, 107,195 trees were removed
from 2,842 properties.
From July 1 to October 31, 1936 there were 485,846 trees in-spected
on 11,500 properties. 142 phony infected trees were
found on 59 properties. All infected trees were removed.
In June 1937 there was a nursery environs inspection which
included 42,233 trees inspected on 533 properties in the vicinity
of 21 nurseries in 11 counties. No infected trees were found in
the nursery environs inspection which included areas within one
mile of nurseries growing peach stock.
The total inspection for 1937 included 73,399 trees inspected
on 846 properties in 29 counties. 38 phony infected trees were
found on 27 properties. 15 of these infected trees were found in
Anson County and 23 in Robeson County. All infected trees were
destroyed.
During 1938, 45,871 trees were inspected on 880 properties in
the vicinity of 24 nurseries in 11 counties. No infected trees were
found in the inspected zone around nurseries. However, 14 in-fected
trees were found outside of the nursery areas as follows
Anson County 9, Robeson County 4, and Stanly County 1. These
infected trees were promptly destroyed.
Mr. J. A. Harris was appointed State Cooperator in phony
peach and peach mosaic disease work, by the U. S. Bureau of
Entomology and Plant Quarantine. Mr. Harris spent the month
of May 1938 in New Mexico at the expense of the Federal Govern-ment,
studying Peach Mosaic which may appear in North Caro-lina
at any time. Inspections for Peach Mosaic are made during
the regular phony disease survey. Dr. D. L. Wray has spent
much time in this work also. Messrs. T. B. Copeland and J. W.
Coble have been assigned to this work by the Federal Government
and have rendered valuable service to the State.
Mr. C. H. Hearn of the Federal Bureau of Entomology and
Plant Quarantine had charge of the tree removal work during
1936 and 1937 in the State.
Commissioner of Agriculture 29
INSECT. TAXONOMY
Dr. C. S. Brimley has charge of this work and his eminent
position in the field of natural history was recognized by the
University of North Carolina which conferred upon him the de-gree
of Doctor of Laws at its commencement June 7, 1938.
Doctor Brimley has developed one of the finest insect collec-tions
in the United States, consisting of approximately 75,000
specimens representing about 10,000 different species. An ex-cellent
card catalog is also maintained. These records go back to
1900 when Professor Franklin Sherman first started keeping
records of the insects of North Carolina. A list of the "Insects
of North Carolina" by C. S. Brimley, LL.D, a truly monumental
work, was published in 1938, making available for general use the
valuable records of this Division.
Doctor Brimley identifies hundreds of insects and is also a
recognized Herpetologist and Ornithologist. He is also an able
Taxonomic Botanist, identifying many species of plants each
year.
WHITE FRINGED BEETLE
The white-fringed beetle, previously found in Argentina, Chile,
Uraguay and Australia, was found to be doing extensive damage
in the vicinity of Floralla, Alabama in 1937. The pest seemed to
be such a potential threat to the entire South that the State Ento-mologist
attended a meeting of the Southern Plant Board at
DeFuniak Springs, Fla., in July 1937 to look over the infested
area and discuss quarantine measures.
In 1938 twelve infested nurseries were found in New Orleans,
from which about 600 shipments have been made into North
Carolina during the past three years. Shipments had also been
made all over the country. As a result another meeting of the
Southern Plant Board was held in New Orleans, La., in the
summer of 1938 to go more thoroughly into the entire white
fringed beetle problem. Federal Quarantine was called for and a
public quarantine hearing was held by the Federal Government
September 15, 1938, in New Orleans, La.
As the white-fringed beetle attacks corn, cowpeas, cotton,
velvetbeans, peanuts, cabbage, sweet potatoes, collards, tomatoes,
etc., it is considered a very grave threat to Southern agriculture.
The white fringed beetle has not yet been found in North
Carolina, but that is no assurance that it is not already in the
State, or will not soon gain entrance.
30 Biennial Report
DIVISION NEEDS
The Division of Entomology is handicapped by lack of travel
funds for the staff. The $4,000 yearly travel allowance is suffi-cient
only for the most urgent demands of the work. Many
essential duties such as shipping point and transit inspections,
checking on dealers, and other phases of inspection, quarantine
and regulatory work must be greatly diminished or entirely
omitted.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to acknowledge the splendid interest and support of the
Board and the Commissioner. It is also a great pleasure to
commend the entire staff of this Division for their loyalty, in-tegrity
and efficiency at all times.
WAREHOUSE DIVISION
A. B. Fairley
The State Warehouse System submits the following as a report
of the operation of the System for the biennium 1936-1937 and
1937-1938:
The number of warehouses licensed was one hundred and ten
(110), with a licensed storage capacity of 550,000 bales of cotton.
These warehouses handled about sixty per cent of the North
Carolina crop during the past two years, and 456,869 bales were
handled during the year 1937-1938. There is now a licensed
warehouse in practically every cotton-producing county in the
State, and these warehouses are easily accessible to the cotton
producers.
The classing department has classed and supervised the classing
of approximately 80,000 bales yearly. In order for the classing
division to render more prompt and efficient service, contract has
been made for the building of a modern and up-to-date classing
room, which should be completed by January 1, 1939. In con-nection
with the classing of cotton the division has recently
signed a cooperative agreement with the Federal Government
whereby the Federal Government is to send a licensed classer and
helper, whose office will be in our new classing room, and who will
assist our classer in classing cotton raised in North Carolina.
The services of a gin inspector were added September 1, 1937.
All gins in the State were visited, and advice and help were given
the ginners where it was found necessary, the inspector reme-dying
any mechanical defect found, and helping the ginner cor-rect
any faulty or careless ginning. By this service the farmers
were saved thousands of dollars, having a better and smoother
sample turned out by the gin. Through the continuation of this
service it is hoped that as far as possible gin-cut and napped
cotton will be eliminated.
During the past year a truck and set of test weights were
bought in order to test all gin scales, this division working in
cooperation with the Weights and Measures Division in making
tests and seeing that the scales are put in condition to insure
correct weight determination.
The warehouses at Norlina and Benson, which belong to the
State, were again leased, and a good rental obtained.
Warehouses in debt to the State have continued to lower their
indebtedness, and have kept up their interest payments. Below
is a statement of the interest and principal received during the
32 Biennial Report
past two years ; also a statement of the funds of the State Ware-house
System.
Amount Collected During The Past Two Years:
Interest $ 24 , 336 . 83
Principal. ______ 37 , 222 . 30
Total.. $ 61 , 559 . 13
Loans to Warehouses
Sampson Cotton Storage Warehouse Co., Clinton ___ $ 6,000.00
Lincoln Bonded Warehouse, Inc., Lincolnton 3,450.00
Cotton Bonded Warehouse, Lincolnton 6,000.00
Union County Warehouse Co., Monroe 10,000.00
W. W. Holding, Wake Forest 3 , 500 . 00
Beaufort County Storage Warehouse Co., Washington 5,000.00
Total __ ___ $ 33 , 950 . 00
Cash On Hand Cash On Hand Loans—1st Invested In
Principal Fund Supervision Fund Mortgage on Whse. Bonds
1937 __ $ 7,417.10 $ 47,020.11 $261,599.00 $378,000.00
1938. $ 27,391.77 $ 53,990.62 $277,818.98 $333,500.00
Purchase of Bonds During Biennium $ 70,947.48
DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY
Dr. B. W. Kilgore
The Division of Chemistry has the responsibility for the work
with fertilizers, foods for human consumption, commercial feeds
for livestock and poultry, insecticides and fungicides for com-bating
insects and fungus diseases of plants, and the analysis of
a rather large amount of materials of an agricultural nature.
FERTILIZERS
The amount and kind of chemical work performed in the
laboratory on fertilizers, feeds, insecticides, cottonseed meals, and
materials of a general agricultural nature during the past two
years is shown in the following summary
Official fertilizers 10,178
Fertilizers and fertilizer materials for farmers 617
Official feeds 2,196
Miscellaneous feeds 483
Insecticides 85
Cottonseed meals 164
Miscellaneous limes and marls 47
Official limes and land plaster 32
Total 13,802
A considerably larger number of analyses of samples of ferti-lizers
was made during this biennium than during the past similar
period. In addition to the regular determinations made on ferti-lizers
heretofore this season is the first time, in accordance with
the Act of the Legislature of 1937, that determinations have been
made in fertilizers of magnesia and acidity or basicity of the ferti-lizers.
This has required additional help and equipment for the
laboratory and we now have adequate facilities in the new
laboratories and equipment for making these additional exami-nations.
Information about the magnesia content of fertilizers
and the acid or base condition of the fertilizers will prove
valuable to farmers in fertilizing their crops on different kinds
of soils.
The analyses of fertilizers show that the goods put on the
market in this State are what they are claimed to be and are of
good quality.
COMMERCIAL FEEDS
The Feed Laboratory has, during the biennium 1936-38, made
analyses of 2,196 official samples of feeding stuffs and 483 mis-cellaneous
and unofficial samples. This represents a large in-crease
in volume of work over the preceding biennium.
34 Biennial Report
Laboratory facilities have been improved by repairs to old
apparatus, and where necessary, by replacement with new appa-ratus.
Microscopical analysis has been made a part of the regular
work of the Feed Laboratory, and now each sample is examined
as to its ingredients in addition to the regular chemical analysis.
This means that the guarantee of each feed found on sale is
checked in every particular. Samples coming into the laboratory
have been handled promptly.
The feed bulletins have been published as usual. There have
been numbers of samples which failed to comply with their
guarantees, but upon the whole there now appears to be a distinct
and gratifying improvement in the quality of feeds found on
sale.
INSECTICIDES
There has been some increase in the number of samples of
insecticides analyzed. These materials have been found to meet
the guaranteed analyses, as a whole, and are generally up to
standard requirements.
FOODS
The food work concerns sanitation, adulteration, branding and
labeling of food products offered for sale in the State. The work
is done through inspection of places where foods are made or
handled and by examination and analysis of food samples. It
includes cooperative work with city and county health depart-ments
and with Federal food and drug officials.
During the biennium, 1936-1938, the following samples have
been received and analyzed:
Flour 957
Hamburger and sausage 476
Ice cream 1,012
Honey 139
Syrup 63
Coffee 398
Olive oil 46
Mayonnaise 85
Vinegar f? 273
Extracts 174
Spray residue 320
Soft drinks 60
Oleomargarine — 185
Herring roe 71
Canned vegetables 256
Canned fruits 21
Miscellaneous .___ 266
Miscellaneous (unofficial) 335
Total . 5,137
Commissioner of Agriculture 35
CANNED GOODS
A survey has been made of most of the canneries in the State
with the view of helping operators of such industries to bring
the canned products up to U. S. standard grade. Whenever in-sanitary
conditions were found, such facts were pointed out by
the inspectors and recommendations for improvements were
made. When samples examined were found that did not meet the
requirements for U. S. standard grade, reports were sent to the
canners pointing out wherein the sample failed to meet the re-quirements
and advising that such products, unless brought up
to standard grade, must be labeled "Below U. S. Standard Grade."
Inspection of the packs at warehouses was made and samples
tested in the laboratory. In the cases where mislabeling or mis-representation
of the product by the label occurred, the error was
explained and assistance given in proper form of label to comply
with State and Federal regulations on labeling. Whenever
canned foods, that for any reason, were found unfit for marketing
the condition of the pack was pointed out to the canner and the
study of the cause for such losses made.
In testing canned goods for quality and proper labeling, the
standards promulgated by the U. S. Food and Drug Adminis-tration
have been used as guides. However, all forms of canned
foods packed in the State have been examined, for many of which
no specific U. S. standards have been provided.
Observations of the methods from the field to the finished
product have been made in large and small canning establish-ments,
and a record of these is available for supervision of these
outputs.
ICE CREAM
During 1937 considerable time was given to the inspection and
analysis of ice cream and other frozen milk products, efforts in
this connection being directed toward the elimination of sub-standard
products which, either through deliberate intention or
carelessness on the part of the manufacturer, were being made
and offered for sale to the public. More than 650 samples of
such products were examined during the spring and summer of
1937. At the beginning of the investigation nearly half of the
samples examined were below the standard in milk fat, while
near the end of the season samples deficient in milk fat were
seldom found.
In all cases of ice cream and other frozen milk products found
below the standard in milk fat, the manufacturers and sellers of
the products were notified of the findings and warnings to desist
from such practices were issued, and in cases of material de-viation
from the requirements of the standards, notices of
36 Biennial Report
hearings were sent and hearings were given to those responding.
All cases in which responses to notices of hearings were not forth-coming,
and in which warnings were not heeded, the operators
persisting in violating the law through the manufacture or sale
of products deficient in milk fat ; were turned over to the courts
for determination. It was found necessary to cause nine prose-cutions
to be brought, eight of these resulting in convictions.
This work has been continued through that portion of 1938 falling
within the biennium.
Early in 1937, under authority granted by the Ice Cream Plant
Inspection Law, Sanitary Regulations were drawn up which were
intended to give greater direct effect to the broad general pro-visions
of that law. On October 19, 1937, in response to invi-tations
sent to all manufacturers of ice cream and other frozen
milk products, a large number of such manufacturers met in con-ference
with officials of the Department in Raleigh to consider the
provisions of the regulations. At this meeting a Code of Sanitary
Regulations to govern the operation of the large production type
of ice cream plants, and revised Definitions and Standards for
Ice Cream, Other Frozen Milk Products and Water Ices were
agreed upon. The operators of counter type ice cream freezers
requested and were granted an extension of time to prepare for
their conference. On November 16, 1937, a conference was held
with this group of manufacturers and a Code of Regulations
govering the operation of Counter Type Ice Cream Freezers was
agreed upon. The group had previously agreed upon the revised
Definitions and Standards.
Both , Codes of Sanitary Regulations were submitted to, and
adopted by the Board of Agriculture on March 10, 1938, which
action made the Codes a part of the Law, violation of which car-ries
the same penalty as does a violation of the law itself. The
revised Definitions and Standards for Ice Cream, Other
Frozen Milk Products and Water Ice were adopted by the Board
of Agriculture on June 28, 1938, under authority granted by the
North Carolina Pure Food Law.
Under these Regulations, and for the first time since Ice Cream
Plant Inspection was begun, a systematic grading of plants has
been undertaken. Practically all of the plants in the State making
ice cream and other frozen milk products have been inspected
and graded since the adoption of the Regulations. Seven plants
which did not score the required grade and could not be so im-proved
as to make such grade possible were either closed volun-tarily
by the owners or by order from the Department. One
manufacturer whose place was thus closed has remodeled his
building and installed new machinery of approved type and has
Commissioner of Agriculture 37
been permitted to reopen, having received satisfactory rating
upon inspection of the new installations. Nine tub type freezers
using ice and salt as refrigerant have been replaced by freezing
machines of either circulating brine or direct expansion type.
With a few exceptions, the operators of Counter-Type Ice
Cream Freezers have made the installations, or changes in in-stallation,
necessary to bring their machines into conformity
with requirements of law.
OLEOMARGARINE
The Oleomargarine Excise Tax Law provides that an excise
tax of 10 cents per pound shall be levied and collected on all
oleomargarine containing any fats or oil other than "cottonseed
oil, peanut oil, corn oil, soya bean oil, oleo oil from cattle, oleo
stock from cattle, oleo stearin from cattle, neutral lard from hogs
or milk fat."
185 samples of oleomargarine were bought and examined
for total fat and for the presence of "foreign fats"—those not
specifically named in the Oleomargarine Excise Tax Law. Of this
number 20 samples, representing 9 different brands, from 6
different manufacturers, were found to contain cocoanut oil, palm
oil or "Babassu" oil, rendering them subject to the excise tax.
It was found that one manufacturer had shipped slightly more
than 3000 lbs. of such oleomargarine into the State, another had
sold 122 lbs., the other shipments found being so small as to be
almost negligible.
The sum of $311.80 in excise tax has been collected to date
during the year 1938. The investigation is still under way.
The 185 samples examined represent 55 separate brands of
oleomargarine produced, and sold in this State, by 24 different
manufacturers. Inspectors are instructed to take samples of each
and every brand found. Inspection covers all grocery and other
stores where oleomargarine is offered for sale.
SPRAY RESIDUE
Regulations were adopted providing for the testing and regu-lation
of spray residue on fruits. Much useful information on
the amount of spray residue on the fruit being packed for market
has been supplied growers of peaches and apples.
The tolerances adopted are the same as the Federal allowances,
arid are:
Arsenic, as As,03 .01 grains per lb.
Lead, as Pb. .018 grains per lb.
Fluorine, as F. .01 grains per lb.
State inspectors have covered the orchards during the seasons
of maturity of both peaches and apples and samples of brushed
38 Biennial Report
and unbrushed fruit were tested and the growers shown the
efficiency of their method of removal of spray residue.
FLAVORING EXTRACTS
Regulations denning and adopting standards of classification
for all flavoring extracts and flavors have been adopted by the
Board of Agriculture. This action was taken to eliminate from
the market many spurious or worthless flavors which had flooded
the market. These minimum standards have been provided for
"Vanilla and Vanillin Extracts", "Vanilla-Vanillin-Coumarin" or
"Vanilla-Vanillin-Coumarin Extracts," also "Imitation Vanilla
Flavor."
COFFEE AND VINEGAR
As coffee may be mixed with chicory or cereal and be legally
sold, if properly labeled, violations of the food law in the sale of
coffee were largely due to mislabeling. When such violations
were found, the attention of the manufacturer or jobber was
called to the fact, and the product was either taken off the market
by the responsible party or was relabeled to comply with the
law.
There was found offered for sale in the State large quantities
of so-called vinegar, which in fact was not vinegar but dilute
commercial acetic acid, a product not recognized as a food by
either the Federal food law or the State food law. The sale as
vinegar was a misrepresentation and gross fraud. One party
engaged in the manufacture and sale of this product was indicted
and convicted. More than five thousand gallons were withdrawn
from sale and either destroyed or permitted to be used for other
than food purposes. Others guilty of the same violation, upon
agreement to discontinue the practice, were not prosecuted as it
was their first offense.
MISCELLANEOUS WORK
A total of 335 unofficial samples was received, 254 of which
were suspected to contain poison. These samples consisted of
foods and beverages for human consumption, animal and poultry
feeds, viscera and other specimens from animal bodies ; and mis-cellaneous
specimens for the detection of narcotic or other ille-gally
used drugs, and for foreign and harmful ingredients. These
samples were variously submitted by city and county officials,
physicians, county agents, farmers' cooperatives, farmers and
other citizens at large. Poisons and foreign substances were
found in a considerable number of instances and questions re-garding
safety and wholesomeness were cleared up in many cases.
Commissioner of Agriculture 39
There were 41 requests for mineral analysis of water, most of
which were to determine why the water was not satisfactory for
industrial, commercial and domestic purposes, or why sediment
or scum appeared and why pipes rusted unduly. In almost every
instance, the request was made to obtain practical information.
INSPECTIONS
Inspections have been made as follows:
Number of Number of
Plants Inspections
Bakeries 151 1 ,055
Bottling plants .. . 228 1,541
Ice cream plants and creameries 247 1,508
Total . . 626 4,104 4,104
Number of inspections of canneries: seafood and
vegetables 135 135
Oleomargarine Inspections: (Grocery stores, restaurants, etc.)
Places handling or using oleo 4,489
Places not handling or using oleo 7 ,800
Total 12 ,289 12 ,289
Total number of inspections 16,528
Two bakeries were closed on account of insanitary conditions.
One was cleaned up and permitted to reopen after being passed
on by an inspector. The other was not reopened.
SEIZURES, WITHDRAWALS, ETC.
Oleomargarine containing foreign fats offered for sale
in violation of the Oleomargarine Law and on which
excise tax was collected 3,118 lbs.
Commercial acetic acid sold as vinegar, either destroy-ed
or permitted to be used for other than food pur-poses
5,380 gallons.
Herring roe containing worms and other objectionable
substances which rendered the product unfit for
human consumption 120 cases of 24 cans each.
Cut string beans in corroded cans or containing worms,
insects or other foreign and objectionable matter 15 cases of 24 cans each.
Infested peas unfit for human consumption 613 J^ cases.
Assorted cakes, moulded and insect infested 56 lbs.
Fruit preserving powder 20 packages.
Lemon flavor, worthless as a flavoring product 5 doz. bottles (Pint).
LINSEED OIL
Of the 80 linseed oil samples obtained and analyzed, only one
failed to meet the requirements for linseed oil.
Funds for enforcing the food and sanitary inspection laws are
provided by inspection taxes under the following inspection
laws:
40 Biennial Report
Bleached flour 28,335.00
Bakeries 2,865.00
Bottling plants __ 4,822.50
Ice Cream plants, Creameries 4,535.00
Linseed oil 4,692.90
Total.- 45,250.40
The chemists in the laboratories, the inspectors in the field and
the workers in the office have performed most agreeable, satis-factory
and efficient services, for which they have our sincere
appreciation.
SEED LABORATORY
J. W. WOODSIDE
There has been considerable increase in the work of the Seed
Laboratory during the biennium, each year having established
a new high in fhe work done by the Division. The year 1936-
1937 showed an increase of 22% over the previous year, and the
year of 1937-1938 showed an increase of 68% over the year 1936-
1937. During the biennium, July 1, 1936 to June 30, 1938, 20,714
samples of seed were analyzed by the Seed Laboratory, repre-senting
an increase of 65% over the biennium, July 1, 1934 to
July 30, 1936. This increase in volume of work has been accom-plished
by increasing the laboratory personnel of the Division
from six to seven.
Our primary objective during the past two years has been to
see that the seed purchased by the farmer were properly labeled
as to quality. In the past, due to insufficient or improper labeling,
there have been instances in which inferior seed have been sold
in unfair competition with seed of superior quality. Another
condition that has made strict enforcement of our Seed Law im-perative,
is the fact that some of the states bordering on North
Carolina are rigidly enforcing their seed laws, thus creating a
tendency to "dump" in this State the seed of poor quality rejected
by the neighboring states, prevention of which must be a con-stant
aim of this Division.
During 1937, in cooperation with the Extension Service seventy <
meetings were held in all sections of the State. The purpose of
these meetings was to better acquaint both farmers and seed
dealers with the requirements and purposes of the Seed Law.
The Seed Laboratory, for a number of years, has made it a
policy to clean tobacco seed for farmers requesting this service.
During the biennium 645 lbs. of tobacco seed have been cleaned
for farmers in Wake and adjoining counties. This represents
about one-third of the volume of work done when the program
was at its peak. The greater portion of this work is now being
done locally by agricultural teachers and county agents which
accounts for the reduction in volume of this type of work done
by the Division during the past two years.
After a careful study of the equipment and methods used in
the seed laboratories of other states, equipment was purchased
for the North Carolina Laboratory during 1937, installation of
which has made it one of the best equipped seed laboratories in
the South. Seed germinators with automatic temperature con-trol
have been installed to insure the best possible conditions for
42 Biennial Report
germination tests. The installation of a modern automatic seed
counter has greatly increased the capacity of the Laboratory.
Statistical Report
1936-1937 1937-1938
Current tests 7,633 12,368
Inspectors tests:
Agricultural seed 65 180
Vegetable seed 33 435
7,731 12,983
Total for the biennium 20,714 samples
Tobacco seed cleaned 382 lb.4 oz. 263 lb. 6 oz.
Total for the biennium 645 lb. 10 oz.
DIVISION OF MARKETS
Randal B. Etheridge
The Division of Markets is a service organization. It assists
the farmers in marketing products grown on the farm. That is
true in its broadest sense, but in addition to helping farmers
market their products, whether individually or in groups, quite
often it is necessary to show them how to prepare their output
for market. This is particularly true of fruits and vegetables.
Members of the Division also act in a neutral capacity in certi-fying
as to grade the various farm commodities. If, for example,
we certify as to grade a car of Irish potatoes, a car of soybeans,
or a car of lambs, the farmer sells these on the basis of the grade
assigned.
The Division works with farmers in various cooperative pro-jects,
such as cooperative purchasing of supplies and cooperative
marketing. If the farmers desire to work together as a group in
purchasing supplies or marketing their farm output, then they
should protect themselves legally by having their organizations
incorporated.
The problem of selecting markets requires a variety of infor-mation
on supply, demand and prices that individual farmers are
not in position to collect for themselves. The Division maintains
a Market News Service which is designed to fill this need.
During the biennium the work of the Division has been more
varied than in any previous period due largely to the new projects
initiated by the Federal agencies in an attempt to improve the
economic position of the farmers. We have participated and
cooperated as much as our personnel would permit. Also during
the biennium we started other new projects of work which should
prove beneficial to the farmers of North Carolina.
A brief summary of the activities, nature and scope of the
work is as follows
Market News Service
For a number of years we have issued daily mimeographed
reports, in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Eco-nomics,
from our temporary field offices. The reports issued at
Chadbourn dealt with strawberries ; those at Washington with
Irish potatoes ; and the ones from Hamlet with peaches and
watermelons.
Reports issued showed the total U. S. carlot shipments by
states, primary destinations of North Carolina carlot shipments,
Potomac Yards passings of North Carolina shipments, shipping
44 Biennial Report
point prices in North Carolina and competitive states. Tele-graphic
reports were received from wholesale terminal markets,
which included weather conditions, number of cars on track, the
number of cars unloaded and the number of carlot arrivals. The
telegraphic reports also indicated market trends for North Caro-lina
and competitive sections. Arrivals and truck holdings in the
sixteen leading cities were given daily.
From the information referred to in the foregoing, require-ments
of every distributing center can be known along with
existing supplies, and the shipper can ascertain at a glance which
markets have a strong demand and which markets are weak, and
in having this information, he will be in a position to know where
there are dangers of losses and avenues of gain.
Farmers cannot market intelligently unless they know the
market value of their products. With that in mind, we have en-deavored
to make available to the farmers of North Carolina
market information concerning a number of commodities which
is accurate and reliable, and which will facilitate the flow of these
items to markets where they are most needed, and place farmers
on an equal bargaining basis with their customers and com-petitors.
It is our desire to aid producers directly by familiarizing them
with prices being paid for commodities in various markets. While
the quotation of prices is the most emphasized phase of the work,
there is reason to believe that other price-making forces dis-seminated
by the Market News Service is important in regulating
the flow of commodities to market. Supplementary information
is received in our office over leased wire in cooperation with the
U. S. Department of Agriculture and all reports issued are in
cooperation with the Federal Department.
Market information developed during 1938 and made available
to the producers, the press and for radio is as follows
:
660 North Carolina producers receive each week by mail a market report
on poultry and eggs.
63 5 Hog producers receive each week by mail a market report on hogs.
380 Sheep, lamb and wool producers receive each week a market report
on sheep and wool.
190 Weekly and daily newspapers receive each week a weekly summary
of livestock and vegetable prices and trends.
1,500 Words, or Zy2 double-spaced typewritten pages, are prepared each
morning for broadcast over Station WPTF at Raleigh at 12:40 P.M.
These radio releases carry the very latest price information from
shipping points and terminal markets on tobacco, cotton, livestock,
hay, feed and grain, and fruits and vegetables.
For the press each day approximately 5,000 words are written as fol-lows:
1,400 on fruits and vegetables and 700 on livestock for the News
and Observer, Greensboro Daily News, Durham Sun, High Point Enter-prise
and the Journal-Sentinel in. Winston-Salem. 1,500 words are pre-
Commissioner of Agriculture 45
pared for the Raleigh Times and the Associated Press on fruits and vege-tables,
livestock, poultry and eggs.
400 Words on cotton are released daily for the Associated Press and the
Raleigh Times.
450 Words on tobacco trading are assembled daily during the marketing
season for the Associated Press, United Press, News and Observer and
the Raleigh Times.
300 Word reports for the Raleigh Times on Raleigh prices of every day table
needs are released daily.
From time to time special reports on carlot shipments, Potomac
Yards passings, outstanding sales, etc., are issued to the press.
Special reports calculated to be of value in farm management and
marketing problems which confront North Carolina farmers are
given wide publicity through the press and by radio.
Tobacco Standardization
A tobacco marketing specialist was added to the staff in 1937
so that farmers might be taught approved and efficient methods
of preparing tobacco for market. This work has proven very
popular and is in strong demand. In order that all requests for
demonstrations could be taken care of, a cooperative agreement
was made with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics for addi-tional
part-time help. Proper sorting, tying, grading and ar-ranging
of tobacco on warehouse floors are features of the work.
Partial scope of the project is listed below.
A. Sixteen demonstrations attended by 375 farmers were held
in Hoke, Nash, Wayne and Franklin Counties. Between these
meetings individual instruction was done on warehouse floors in
Durham, Farmville, Greenville, Goldsboro, Oxford, Wendell and
Wilson.
B. Special effort was exerted toward teaching proper mar-keting
procedure in the Burley Belt as growers there have
generally less experience in tobacco production than farmers in
most other tobacco-producing areas of the State. Two sorting
and tying demonstrations were held in each of the following
Counties: Alleghany, Avery, Ashe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham,
Jackson, Macon and Mitchell. In the largest producing counties,
which include Buncombe, Haywood, Madison and Yancey, three
demonstrations were held. A total of 2,035 tobacco producers
attended meetings held in this area. These meetings were fol-lowed
up with individual instruction on the Asheville market.
C. The subject of tobacco standardization was discussed with
350 vocational agricultural students in regular class sessions in
the Counties of Franklin, Harnett, Vance and Wake. One adult
evening class, consisting of eighteen farmers, attended one of the
class room sessions.
46 Biennial Report
Livestock Marketing
A livestock grading and marketing program was instituted
July 1, 1937. The most complete project undertaken in livestock
marketing was that of marketing lambs. This program was
carried on in cooperation with the North Carolina Agricultural
Extension Service. During this period 4,681 lambs belonging to
some 450 farmers were officially graded and marketed coopera-tively.
The animals originated in the counties of Alleghany,
Ashe, Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank, Edgecombe, Pitt, Tyrrell,
Washington and Watauga. Some of the cars were sold direct,
whereas others were shipped on consignment. In merchandizing
every shipment, a substantial sum of money was made for the
producer and this would not have been possible without a
knowledge of characteristic seasonal price movements, the in-fluence
of given factors on short-time and a day-price movement,
acquaintanceship with the trade, the ability to choose superior
customers for the time being, as well as the ability to distinguish
price-limit stretches of given customers. The work was not ac-complished
by any one individual or organization. The county
agents, with the aid of an animal husbandry specialist, did the
assembling; the grading was accomplished by members of this
Division with the aid of an extension specialist, and the selling
was done by our marketing specialist. Naturally, he consulted
freely with the men previously mentioned.
Only one livestock auction market was in operation in Eastern
North Carolina during the period being reviewed, this at Kinston.
A local man was trained as a hog grader for this market with the
result that the market operator was able to negotiate sight-unseen
sales with packers. Livestock auctions are also in opera-tion
at Asheville, Charlotte and Greensboro. The Division is in
position to offer experienced advice on most any phase of live-stock
marketing.
Effort was also exerted to keep out-of-state customers aware of
sources from which they might secure livestock needed from
people or markets in North Carolina. Leading cattlemen in Vir-ginia,
West Virginia and Tennessee were circularized with lists
showing feeder cattle for sale in this State. Contact with leading
packers and livestock marketing organizations in the East were
maintained well enough to cause their buyers to be sent to North
Carolina on purchasing errands when volume permitted.
The soft and oily system of hog marketing, which virtually
gives price-fixing privileges to buyers, was called to the attention
of the United States Department of Agriculture, and publicized
Commissioner of Agriculture 47
sufficiently to bring about public consciousness of the problem.
Correction of the injustice demands Federal rather than buyer '
inspection.
Eggs
Certification as to the grade of eggs was inaugurated June 1,
1937. This project of work was executed jointly with the Moun-tain
Egg Producers Cooperative Association, Asheville, the
Farmers Federation, Asheville, N. C, and the Farmers Coopera-tive
Exchange, Raleigh, N. C. One member of the Division was
licensed by the Federal Department as a supervisor, and he, in
turn, trained and licensed employees of the Associations. The
licensed inspectors certified 26,670 dozens of eggs. We have had
a number of inquiries from other sections regarding this type of
work and we feel safe in saying that it will be expanded in the
very near future.
Egg grading and marketing was also done for the Albemarle
FCX Service, Elizabeth City and for the Edgecombe FCX Service,
Tarboro. The work around Elizabeth City and Tarboro was
started primarily for the purpose of relieving the local markets
of their surplus during the spring season. Eggs were candled,
graded and shipped to Richmond, Washington and New York.
The eggs shipped to Richmond were stored and sold during the
autumn months.
Strawberry Standardization
In our inspection work of strawberries during the past ten
years, we have seen the need of some intensive demonstration
work in the preparation of this commodity for market. During
the 1937 season we assigned one member of the Division to the
Chadbourn area for a period of three weeks to teach growers
how to improve their pack. This project was carried on in co-operation
with the assistant county agent of Columbus County.
The increased returns to growers who packed strawberries ac-cording
to our specifications and method of pack was quite notice-able
and was recognized by all on the Chadbourn market. Data
collected show that those growers received from thirty cents to
one dollar per crate more than the other growers. There was a
good active demand for properly packed berries, and it is in-teresting
to note that the wholesale dealers in the terminal mar-kets
instructed their buyers on the Chadbourn market to buy
berries which were packed under our supervision. Beneficial
work of this character can be carried on profitably at all shipping
points marketing perishable commodities.
48 Biennial Report
Shipping Point Inspection Service
The inspection and certification as to grade of fruits and vege-tables
is by far the largest project in the Division. This work is
done in cooperation with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics,
and is given voluntarily by the growers and shippers. We are
required to make the work self-supporting and the fees charged
for the inspection are paid by the growers or shippers for whom
the inspections are made. All men engaged in the work are
licensed by the Federal Department and act in a neutral capacity
in describing the quality and condition and certifying as to grade.
A greater part of the produce shipped from North Carolina is
bought and sold on the basis of grade assigned by the inspectors.
This service aids the growers and shippers materially in mar-keting
their products. The volume of fruits and vegetables in-spected
was as follows:
Cantaloupes of uniform size and attractively packed command the
highest market price.
Commissioner of Agriculture 49
Approximate No. of
Packages
,296,000 (pounds)
,688,281 (100 lb. sacks)
,461,734 (melons)
781,910 (24-qt. crates)
508,391 (bushels)
459,631 (Bu. hampers)
91 ,488 (crates)
79,884 (crates)
72,225 (bushels)
61,201 (bu. hampers)
57,365 (bu. hampers)
27,706 (lugs)
21,718 (bushels)
9,311 (24-qt. crates)
3,873 (24-qt. crates)
2,740 (112-lb. sacks)
1,000 (crates)
481 (bu. hampers)
154 (bu. hampers)
97 (bu. hampers)
5 (bu. crates)
3 (bu. baskets)
540,227 bags
Carlot
Equivalent
304
15,627
1,461
2,659
1,313
766
228
159
120
102
111
50
43
26
15
10
2
1
Commodity
Cabbage 7
Irish potatoes 4
Watermelons 1
Strawberries
Peaches
Snap beans
Cantaloupes
Green corn
Sweet potatoes
Fresh Peas
Cucumbers
Tomatoes..
Apples
Dewberries
Huckleberries
Peanuts (shelled stock)
Radishes
Peppers
Lima beans.
Squash
Onions
Plums
Peanuts (Farmer stock; State
Inspection)
This work required a personnel of 134 licensed inspectors
during the heavy movement of potatoes in June 1937 and 140
during June 1938. To employ that many men on a temporary
piece of work, to see that they are properly trained, equipped and
supervised is a tremendous undertaking and requires careful and
detailed planning months in advance. To give you an idea of the
magnitude of this work, I wish to advise that the number of
licensed inspectors required to do the work by weeks in 1937 was
as follows
2,160
Week ending April 21st 5
Week ending May 1st 32
Week ending May 8th 36
Week ending May 15th 41
Week ending May 22nd 42
Week ending May 29th 32
Week ending June 5th 77
Week ending June 12th 133
Week ending June 19th 134
The foregoing does not includ
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
men Week ending
e typists, clerical assi
June 26th 116 men
July 3rd 60 men
July 10th 32 men
July 17th 41 men
July 24th 43 men
July 31st . .... 41 men
August 7th ... 19 men
August 14th ... 4 men
August 21st .... 3 men
stants and helpers.
A majority of the men employed during April and May were
transferred to other States after the work on strawberries was
completed and many of them did not return for other work during
the entire season. The greater number of men employed during
June constituted a different group of inspectors and many of
these men were transferred to other States when no longer
needed in North Carolina. Most of the men who inspected water-melons
and peaches during July and August represented an en-tirely
different group from that used during any other marketing
period. Attention is called to the fact that three different groups
50 Biennial Report
of men were used, each group being qualified by training and
experience to inspect certain specific commodities.
Temporary offices for cucumbers were maintained at Jackson-ville,
Mt. Olive, Calypso and Wallace ; for strawberries at Chad-bourn,
Tabor City, Wallace, Rose Hill, Burgaw, Mount Olive and
Warsaw; for potatoes at Tabor City, Elizabeth City, Mt. Olive,
Aurora, Bayboro, Columbia, Beaufort, Bethel, New Bern, Pantego,
Washington, Creswell, Griffon and Goldsboro ; for green corn at
Wallace; for tomatoes at Beaufort, Windsor and Laurinburg; for
cantaloupes at Laurinburg, Norlina and Ridgeway; for cabbage
at New Bern, Beaufort, Fayetteville, Rowland, Elizabeth City and
Smithfield; for peaches at Candor, Hamlet, Pinehurst, Sanford,
Gibson and Ellerbee ; for watermelons at Raeford, Beaufort, New
Bern, Mt. Olive, Laurinburg, Hamlet, St. Paul, Rowland and
Faison ; for beans at Tabor City, Mt. Olive, Richlands, Burgaw and
Goldsboro ; for cannery tomatoes at Greensboro ; for fresh peas
at Columbia; and for sweet potatoes at Elizabeth City.
Terminal Market Inspection
Inspections of twenty-five cars of tomatoes, onions, Irish pota-toes,
grapes, beans, oranges and grapefruit were made at the
following terminal points, Asheville, Boone, Charlotte, Durham,
Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Sanford. Inspection and certification
as to grade of fruits and vegetables grown in the State and
shipped to other States are classed as Shipping Point Inspection.
Inspections made on commodities grown in other States and
shipped into this State are referred to as Terminal Inspections.
In Terminal Inspections members of the Division describe the
conditions of the commodity upon arrival. Inspections of this kind
are requested only when the product is of a quality and condition
considerably below that of a recognized standard and adjustments
in the price originally agreed upon are made by the shippers and
receivers.
Soybeans: Inspection of this crop was continued at Elizabeth
City and Washington. During this period 12,675 bushels were
certified as to grade.
Stabilization of the Irish Potato Industry
At the request of the growers and shippers, and representatives
of the different agricultural institutions in the State, Mr. A. E.
Mercker and Saxon D. Clark, of the Agricultural Adjustment
Administration, were assigned to North Carolina in 1937 and
1938, respectively. Messrs. Mercker and Clark worked very
closely with the growers and shippers during the marketing
period and endeavored at all times to keep a uniform price at all
Commissioner of Agriculture 51
shipping points. Mr. Mercker had to leave the State for a short
period in 1937 and one member of the Division carried on the
work during his absence.
Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation
Irish Potatoes: At the beginning of the potato marketing
season in 1937, it was quite apparent that there was a heavy
production of potatoes in all of the early-producing States, and
it was feared that the price would drop to such a low level that it
would be disastrous to the growers. Furthermore, there was
serious doubt as to whether the country could consume the
potential tonnage during the marketing period. Members of the
Division fully realized the gravity of the situation and were very
active in having the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation
buy potatoes in North Carolina. The Corporation paid the pre-vailing
market price and there is no doubt that the price of
potatoes would have reached a much lower level had they not in-stituted
a purchasing program. The Corporation bought 1,631
cars of North Carolina potatoes at shipping points and in the
terminal markets for which they paid $391,440.00. We assigned
one member of the Division to their office in Washington, N. C,
for a period of nearly two weeks to assist them in completing
their records in order that payment to the growers might be
expedited. During the potato marketing season, we had 134
licensed inspectors in the field and the entire personnel acted as
agents for the Corporation in carrying out the program.
Siveet Potatoes: The Jersey type of sweet potatoes is grown
in the Counties of Currituck and Camden. Shortly after the
marketing season started in August 1937, the market became
badly demoralized, and we requested the Federal Surplus Com-modities
Corporation to give the growers in those counties some
relief in buying part of the crop. A representative from the
Corporation started a purchasing program on August 25th. A
purchasing program of this kind removes from the market part
of the surplus and thereby strengthens the market and in most
instances prevents a further demoralization. $19,544.40 was paid
to the growers for the 42,000 bus. of sweet potatoes bought.
Apples: A large crop of apples in 1937 forced the market
price to a low level. The Corporation also came to the rescue of
the growers and bought twelve cars of apples. Purchases made
amounted to $3,600.00.
Cabbage: The price for which cabbage was selling at the
terminal markets in 1938 was insufficient to pay marketing costs.
Again we asked the Corporation to relieve the situation and
pointed out that shipments would scarcely bring the cost of
52 Biennial Report
transportation. They aided the growers through buying 328 cars.
In this, as in other purchasing programs, the cabbage was bought
on the basis of certification as to grade made by our inspectors,
and the inspectors also certified as to the weight of each grower's
lot or load. The value of the cabbage bought amounted to
$35,412.00.
Snap Beans: The market on snap beans also proved unsatis-factory
to growers in 1938. The Corporation bought 15,825
bushels of beans from the sections around Tabor City and Frank-lin,
for which they paid $6,681.00.
Peanut Program—Agricultural Adjustment
Administration
The diversion program in 1937 was put into effect to help
maintain prices and under the program excess supplies were sold
to mills to be converted into oil and by-products. The Agricul-tural
Adjustment Administration made payments to the growers'
cooperative covering the difference between the prices paid by
mills for peanuts crushed into oil and by-products and the es-tablished
prices of $65.00 per ton for Class A; $61.00 per ton for
Class B ; and $57.00 per ton for peanuts which were not marketed
for the edible trade.
Licensed inspectors of the Division certified as to grade the
49,861,578 pounds (24,930 tons) of peanuts that were bought at
a cost of approximately $1,608,256.00. The classification of pea-nuts
bought was as follows : 44,367,768 lbs. as Class A ; 4,847,325
lbs. as Class B ; and 637,485 lbs. as Class C.
Specialists in the Division were closely affiliated with the pro-gram
in all its aspects. One member wrote the articles of in-corporation,
by-laws, and assisted in getting the charter of the
Peanut Stabilization Cooperative, Inc., and helped in other
matters pertaining to a corporate set-up. Other specialists
trained and supervised the twenty-seven inspectors who were
licensed by the Department, and who certified as to grade the
24,930 tons of peanuts received at the forty-eight warehouses in
Colerain, Windsor, Jackson, Whitakers, Tarboro, Plymouth,
Aulander, Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Gates,
Woodland, Edenton, Ahoskie, Weldon, Scotland Neck, Williams-ton,
Robersonville, Seaboard, Everetts and Wilmington.
Fruits and Vegetables
Assistance was given relative to justifying the need of a
marketing agreement for merchandising watermelons. An agree-was
adopted and proved beneficial to North Carolina farmers.
Commissioner of Agriculture 53
Information showing why various cars of potatoes failed to
grade U. S. No. 1 was compiled from 8,000 inspection certificates,
and this information was conveyed to farmers at twelve meetings
Well-graded potatoes bring the farmer premium prices
in the commercial producing areas which were attended by 800
potato producers. Better harvesting and marketing practices
were also emphasized at these meetings.
Food and Drug Act: Just prior to the 1937 Irish potato mar-keting
season, we were advised that the misbranding feature of
the Food and Drug Act would be rigidly enforced. Heretofore,
it had been a common practice in certain producing areas to fill
the bags with potatoes which were branded "100 lbs. net when
packed," and in many instances there were less than 100 pounds
of potatoes in the bag. We held meetings at a number of the
larger shipping points in the potato-producing sections and ad-vised
the growers and shippers of the action which would be
taken by the Federal Department. It was also pointed out that
growers are not required to stamp the grade on any given pack-age
of fruit or vegetables, but if they did so, it would be necessary
for the contents of the package to conform to the grade as
stamped, or there would be a violation of the law. Attention was
called to the fact that a number of seizures had been made in
connection with the misbranding of fruits and vegetables.
Processing : The canning industry in many States is an im-portant
one. We have made an effort during the last five years to
54 Biennial Report
get an industry of this character started in North Carolina, and
are pleased to advise that some results have been achieved. The
Guilford Cooperative Cannery, Greensboro, N. C, has a potential
seasonal output of approximately 25,000 cases of canned goods
which are composed of beans, tomatoes, soup mixture, squash,
huckleberries and tomato juice. In connection with this coopera-tive
cannery one member of the Division devoted considerable
time helping secure a loan from the Bank for Cooperatives,
Columbia, S. C. The Eastern North Carolina Farmers Coopera-tive,
Goldsboro, N. C, was sponsored by the Resettlement Ad-ministration,
and secured their working capital from them. The
Federated Cooperative Exchange, New Bern, N. C, was also
sponsored and financed by the Resettlement Administration. The
T.V.A. recently undertook a cannery development program in
Western North Carolina with the idea of providing a market for
surplus fruits and vegetables produced in that area. A number
of canneries have been established and are reported to be
operating successfully.
Watermelon Rate Case: In March, 1937, the Division was
represented at a hearing before the Interstate Commerce Com-mission
in Atlanta, Ga., at which time a reduction was requested
in the rates on watermelons from the Southeastern States. Con-siderable
data were compiled and presented to the Commission
in support of lower rates on this commodity.
Mutual and Cooperative Organizations
Sixty-two mutual exchanges, cooperative organizations and soil
conservation associations were incorporated. Members of the
Division not only wrote the articles of incorporation and by-laws
for many of the exchanges and associations, but gave them as-sistance
in getting their charters and other matters pertaining
to a corporate set-up.
The law under which the mutual exchanges and cooperative
associations are incorporated requires that they make annual
financial reports to the Division of Markets. One member of the
Division visited and assisted virtually all of the mutual exchanges
and cooperative associations in the State in making these re-ports.
Considerable correspondence has been exchanged between
members of this Division and these organizations to clarify their
status under the Revenue Act of 1937.
One member of this Division spent considerable time with
farmers in the vicinity of Guilford College who own and operate
their own telephone system. It was found that they were in
difficulties in regard to their property and property rights and
charter powers, and it required several meetings to get the
Commissioner of Agriculture 55
matter cleared up. It was learned that their charter had been
lapsed for a period of ten years and that the only way they could
recover possession of their property was to re-incorporate under
the same law and with the same provisions. This organization is
operated on a mutual plan but is incorporated under the general
corporation law.
Acknowledgments
In concluding this report, I wish to acknowledge your interest
in and support of the work of the Division of Markets. It is a
pleasure, too, to refer to the loyal and enthusiastic services of
the personnel of the Division. Grateful acknowledgment is also
made for the hearty cooperation this Division receives from the
project leaders and others of the Bureau of Agricultural Eco-nomics
with whom we have cooperative agreements.
DIVISION OF TEST FARMS
F. E. Miller
The six Test Farms have made considerable progress during
the past biennium, and it is the purpose of this report to present
the program of work with brief statements as to the results
secured from the many projects underway.
Cooperation
The experimental work on the Test Farms, consisting of 142
projects, is handled in cooperation with the North Carolina Agri-cultural
Experiment Station at the North Carolina State College
of the University of North Carolina, and with the United States
Department of Agriculture. This cooperative arrangement al-lows
for an enlarged program of investigational work. The co-operating
agencies also aided in planning, financing, and carrying
forward the experiments. All cooperative investigations receiving
Federal support are covered by formal memorandums of agree-ment,
which are signed by the executive officers of the agencies
contributing to the projects.
The research work on the Test Farms, in the laboratories and
elsewhere, is under the control of the Director of the N. C. Agri-cultural
Experiment Station. The Director of Test Farms also
serves as Assistant Director of the Experiment Station.
General
The appropriation to the Test Farms Division for the past
fiscal year was the largest in the history of the Station Farms.
This allowed for an enlarged experimental program to help meet
the increasing demands for new information on farm production
problems, the purchase of additional land, to take care of needed
repairs and the purchase of new equipment. This improvement
program will be given more in detail under the following reports
by each Station.
In carrying out the provisions of S. B. No. 127, "AN ACT PRO-VIDING
FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXPERIMENT
FARM FOR THE STUDY OF PEANUT GROWING," passed by
the 1937 General Assembly, 248 acres of land adjoining the Upper
Coastal Plain Station were purchased during November, 1937.
For carrying the peanut experimental work further, three or more
acre areas have been leased in Northampton, Halifax, and Per-quimans
Counties. The additional land at the Upper Coastal
Plain Station will be used as the base for peanut investigations,
dealing with lime, fertilizer, breeding, rotations and disease con-
Commissioner of Agriculture 57
trol studies. The outlying leased areas will be used primarily for
the study of the control of peanut diseases, supplemented with
variety and rotation tests. The peanut experiments were started
in the spring of 1938 on the above locations and indications point
to the securing of much needed information.
One of the most valuable improvements from the standpoint
of increasing the usefulness of four of the Station farms is good
roads. The State Highway and Public Works Commission has
further emphasized their willingness to cooperate with agricul-tural
agencies. State Highway No. 401, leading from U. S. 117,
to the Coastal Plain Station, a distance of one mile, was paved the
summer of 1937. The following roads leading to the Experiment
Stations are being paved at this writing, or are approved by the
Highway Commission for pavement within the next few months.
The Cokey road, beginning at State Highway No. 43, and running by
the Upper Coastal Plain Station in Edgecombe County, a distance of
four miles.
The Pike road, beginning at State Highway No. 9 7, and running to
the Blackland Station in Washington County, a distance of nine miles.
The County road, beginning at State Highway No. 90, at the Pied-mont
Station property line in Iredell County and running North through
the Station property, a distance of approximately one-half mile.
With the completion of the pavement of these roads, all of the
six Test Farms will be connected by hard-surfaced highways.
The Stations have continued to hold the Annual Farmers Field
Days. These meetings are attended each year by approximately
22,000 people. Several other meetings are held on the Stations
during the year, such as: "Livestock Day" at the Blackland
Station; "Small Grain Day" at the Piedmont Station; "Swine
Day" at the Coastal Plain Station; and "Tobacco Conference" at
the Tobacco Station. In addition, the County Agents and Teach-ers
of Vocational Agriculture bring groups of farmers to the
Stations to study the various experiments. In all, the number
of visitors to the Stations is increasing each year, a fact which
further emphasizes the popularity of the Station farms.
Research
The following will give the progress report by Stations. In
reporting on the experiments, the name of the specialist leaders
will be given and it is understood that the Assistant Director in
Charge also contributes to each project, in addition to his duties
as the administration officer of the Station farm.
58 Biennial Report
TOBACCO STATION—OXFORD, N. C.
E. G. Moss, Assistant Director in Charge and
Senior Agronomist, U. S. D. A.
Station Established in 1912.
Area of Station, 250 Acres. Soil Type, Durham, and Sandy Loam.
Elevation, 500 feet above sea level.
Climatological Data for 1937
Mean Annual Temperature, 58.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
Annual Rainfall, 49.91 inches. Total Snowfall, 7 inches.
New Federal Laboratory
The 1938 Congress of the United States appropriated $80,000.
for an office and laboratory building, greenhouses, and garage at
the Tobacco Station and plans are now underway for starting
this building project. These buildings will be used by workers
in the Bureau of Plant Industry and Entomology and Plant
Quarantine, as well as by the tobacco specialists in the State
work. Congressman Wm. B. Umstead of Durham, N. C, was
largely responsible for securing this appropriation.
General
The primary object of the work of the Tobacco Station is to
improve the tobacco crop by better cultural methods, better
methods of applying fertilizers, crop rotations, varieties, disease
control and better curing methods.
In addition to the work which is being carried on at the Tobacco
Station, intensive studies of tobacco diseases are made with
particular reference to Granville wilt, root-knot, black shank and
black root rot. In order to carry on these four projects, three
men are employed for this work, namely; Messrs. James F.
Bullock, T. E. Smith, and K. J. Shaw. For this work there has
been leased a plot of land consisting of 4 acres in Forsyth County
for the study of black shank, approximately % acre in Guilford
County for the study of black root rot, two plats of land in the
southern part of Granville County near Creedmoor, one of 4 acres
and another of 8 acres, for the study of Granville wilt, and a plat
of land of about 20 acres in Wake County near McCullers Station
on the Highway between Raleigh and Fuquay Springs for the
study of root-knot.
Progress has been made in the general equipment and buildings
of the Station during the past two years. A small experimental
barn for the purpose of curing tobacco with electric current was
constructed during July of 1937.
Commissioner of Agriculture 59
Research
All tobacco research is handled in cooperation with U. S. De-partment
of Agriculture and the N. C. Agricultural Experiment
Station.
The general leaders in all tobacco experimental work in the
State are Dr. W. W. Garner and E. G. Moss. Dr. R. F. Poole is a
joint leader in the tobacco disease projects.
Sources of Nitrogen for Tobacco: A number of sources of
nitrogen have been used in crop tests and efforts have been made
to measure the relative differences. Soybean meal has been one
of the few organic sources which have shown up reasonably well.
If and when this product can be bought cheaply enough to be
used as a fertilizer, the indications are it will be very satisfactory.
While there may not be such marked differences between sources
of nitrogen, at the same time it certainly seems worth while to
use more than one source of nitrogen for compiling or mixing a
tobacco fertilizer.
Sources and amounts of Potash: Several sources of potash
have been used during the past few years in experimental work
and recently the rate has been more widely varied than hereto-fore.
A series of plats containing from 30 to 300 pounds of K2
per acre has been used. The results very definitely indicate that
considerably more potash could be used than has been done in
the past. Both yield and quality have been progressively im-proved
up to around 250 pounds of K2 per acre with the indi-cation
that the curve of improvement would straighten out above
that point. Apparently there is not so much difference between
the sources of potash provided, however, that too much chlorine
is not available. On some soils above 20 pounds of chlorine per
acre appeared to injure both quality and yield while on stiffer
soils 30 pounds could be used with safety. There are some indi-cations
that where high potash is used the sulphur S03 trioxide
may be increased.
Fertilizer Tests with Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur and
Chlorine: Small amounts of magnesia (20 to 30 lbs. per acre)
appear to benefit both yield and quality on the majority of soils
even on new land which has just been cleared. Little can be said
at present as to the proper amount of sulphur that is necessary
for the best result. There are indications that very heavy
amounts of S03 have a tendency to darken the color of the cured
leaf. Just to what extent and where the point of change is not
definitely determined. In regard to chlorine, apparently there is
no question that large amounts of chlorine influence the burning
quality of the cured leaf, and it does injure the growth where
60 Biennial Report
excessive amounts are used. On the other hand, small amounts
of chlorine, 20 to 30 pounds per acre, seem to give slightly better
texture and larger yields.
Tobacco Bed being sprayed with copper oxide-oil-lethane mixture.
April 26, 1938. Tobacco Station.
Fertilizer Tests in Rotation with Oats, Soybeans and Rye:
These tests consisting of 72 plats, one-half of which has pre-viously
been limed with a total of 3 tons of ground dolomitic
limestone per acre, have been continued since 1911 with changes
being made from time to time in the base application of fertilizer.
On the limed end of these plats, which has encouraged the growth
of wild legumes and other vegetation, plats are beginning to show
that too much nitrogen is available for quality tobacco. The indi-cations
are the base fertilizer, which has been 800 pounds of a
3-8-6 mixture, will have to be changed reducing the nitrogen and
increasing both phosphoric acid and potash. The tobacco on plats
which had 18% potash during the 1936-1937 season produced
very much better tobacco than where only 6% was used.
Studies of Downy Mildew (Blue Mold of Tobacco): Downy
mildew was more severe during the spring of 1937 than any year
since 1922. On account of the severity of this disease, we had
a better opportunity to make extensive studies on control meas-ures
than any time heretofore. A number of sprays and dusts
had previously been used and during the past season a splendid
Commissioner of Agriculture 61
opportunity was offered for testing on a more elaborate scale the
most promising ones of those that had been tried. The copper-oxide
oil lethane spray was tried in a rather extensive way fol-lowing
up the work which had been done in Georgia and South
Carolina. Around 20 plant beds were sprayed with this mixture
in cooperation with the growers this year. The results were very
satisfactory. In either case there was very little killing of the
young plants as compared with a very heavy kill on the un-sprayed
checks. This material in addition to affording consider-able
protection to the plants appeared to stimulate the beds and
the plants lived and grew off better than the unsprayed. The
results obtained in North Carolina were similar to the ones ob-tained
in the Georgia-South Carolina Belt. As a result of these
tests it is believed that growers, if they follow carefully the in-structions,
can secure enough protection to justify the use of this
material on their beds.
Considerable progress has also been made in the use of the gas
treatment in which benzol is used. It is necessary, however, in
General lay-out of tobacco seed beds showing pan, paradichlorobenzene,
and wick methods of fumigation treatments in the control of blue
mold. April 26, 1938. Tobacco Station.
the use of the gas treatment to use a fairly heavy cloth to cover
the beds at night and in cloudy weather. The gas treatment
appears to be more effective than the spray treatment, but it is
more expensive and more cumbersome.
Either of these treatments can be used by the growers and in
the long run would be cheaper than late plantings and hauling
62 Biennial Report
plants all over the country. Detailed methods are available for
the growers.
Tobacco after Soybeans: The object of this experiment is to
see if a proper balance of fertilizer can be used after soybeans
turned under to grow quality tobacco. Varying amounts of
phosphoric acid and potash with and without sulphur have been
used. No commercial nitrogen has been used on a part of these
plats. The results up to the present indicate that such a practice
could not be recommended only in exceptional cases. The indi-cations
also are that it would require three to four times as much
potash as is usually recommended in general farm practices.
Sulphur and Chlorine Studies: This test was designed to
study in more detail the effect of heavy applications of sulphur
trioxide in the form of sulphates on the tobacco. Nothing very
outstanding has been secured from these tests so far.
Plant Bed Fertilizer Studies: Comparatively little work has
been done on the fertilization of tobacco seed beds. For the past
three years different fertilizers have been used in a comparative
study on seed beds. The results obtained by the use of all nitrate
of soda as a source of nitrogen applied at the time of planting
the seed bed have been very satisfactory. The indications are
that the nitrogen has leached out before the plant has been able
to take it up. There may be some other factor which is at present
unknown. Soybean meal has been one of the sources of nitrogen
which has given good results. Chlorine in the mixture is not
advisable.
Tobacco Curing Experiments: For the past 3 or 4 years
limited studies have been made on the methods of curing tobacco.
Temperature and humidity records have been kept. Studies on
air control and different fuels have been carried on. At the Sta-tion
an electrically equipped barn was used for the first time, and
so far as information is available it is the first barn of flue-cured
tobacco to be cured out by the use of electric current to supply
the heat. The indications are that tobacco can be successfully
cured in this manner, and the temperature can be controlled very
efficiently. The major drawback will be the cost of the current.
Fuel oil burners were used in another barn, and in another barn
a stoker has been used for the three past seasons. These have
been compared with the ordinary wood furnaces.
The most efficient in fuel consumption has been the stoker. The
six curings during the past season were finished at an average of
less than 1100 pounds of coal for each curing. Regular stoker
coal was used at a cost of $7.50 per ton delivered at the Station.
This cost can be slightly reduced by buying coal in carload lots.
Commissioner of Agriculture 63
The oil burners were very satisfactory, but the cost so far has
been slightly greater than wood, averaging between $8.00 and
$9.00 per barn. No definite statement so far can be made with
reference to the cost of electric current since there has been no
established rate for this purpose. The stoker barn and the
electrically equipped barn were thermostatically controlled, which,
of course, reduces to a minimum the cost of labor in the curing
process. One definite conclusion which has been reached so far
is that ventilation is one of the important factors in the curing
process. The average wood barn will consume from VA to 2
cords of wood for each curing.
Tobacco Insects: The Bureau of Entomology of the United
States Department of Agriculture established an office and labora-tory
in Oxford to study the control methods of tobacco insects
July 1, 1935. This office works in cooperation with the Tobacco
Station. The Station grew 3i/> acres of tobacco in 1936 and 5
acres during 1937 for experimental purposes for this office. One
of the major problems has been to develop methods of control for
the flea beetles in seed beds and in the field. 1% rotenone dust
has been found to be very effective in the control of the insect.
Comparative tests have been made this year on the effectiveness
of the dust and the spray. Further investigations will be carried
on before definite recommendations will be made. Mr. W. A.
Shands, who is in charge of this office, and his Assistants are
doing a splendid piece of work and as time goes on this office will
be in position to make such recommendations as are found to be
worth while.
Varietal Studies of Flue-Cured Tobacco for Improvement
of Quality and to Develop Disease Resistance
James F. Bullock (U. S. D. A.)
Black Root-Rot (Thielavia) : Experiments were started in
1929 to find or develop flue-cured varieties of tobacco resistant to
black root-rot. These tests are being conducted on the farm of
S. E. Boswell, near Summerfield, North Carolina. Special 400 is
by far the most resistant variety found. Each year selections are
made to maintain resistance. A limited quantity of seed are
grown each year for distribution.
Black Shank (Phytophthora nicotianae) : Breeding experi-ments
started in 1931 were designed to develop a variety of flue-cured
tobacco resistant to black shank. None of the existing
flue-cured varieties were resistant enough to be commercially
important. No. 301, a hybrid cigar wrapper developed by the
North Florida Experiment Station and highly resistant to black
64 Biennial Report
shank, was used in making crosses on five flue-cured varieties.
The back cross method of breeding is being used. From experi-mental
evidence and evidence gather from a number of farmers
four or five year rotations are very effective in reducing the loss
from black shank.
Soil treatment studies are being conducted by Dr. R. F. Poole
of North Carolina State College.
Tobacco Varieties: Tobacco variety tests are conducted to
find and develop the best varieties of flue-cured tobacco for the
different sections of North Carolina. Breeding methods employed
are selection and hybridization. Cash, White Stem Orinoco,
Bonanza, Jamaica and Gold Dollar (a selection of Jamaica) are
best adapted to the Middle and Old Belts. In the New Belt, Gold
Dollar, Virginia Bright Leaf, Bonanza and White Stem Orinoco
are most popular.
Granville Wilt
T. E. Smith (U. S. D. A.)
Extensive experiments designed to develop control measures
for Granville wilt (Bacterium solanacearum E.F.S.) were started
in 1935. Four major lines of work are being followed.
1. Breeding for resistance: Strains of tobacco having mod-erate
resistance have been found, but the search is being con-tinued
for a higher degree of resistance. The backcross method
is being used to introduce the resistance at hand into a standard
flue-cured variety.
2. Host Range Studies: Certain crop and ornamental plants
together with the more common field weeds have been tested for
susceptibility to natural infection by growing them on highly
infested soil in the field. In all, 77 species have been tested.
They varied in susceptibility from to 100%. Four species of
weeds—Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) , Jimson weed
(Datura stramonium), Croton (Croton glandulosus) and Span-ish
needles (Biclens biptinnata)—were as susceptible as tobacco
(100% ) . Eight species of wilt affected weeds were found in and
around cultivated fields of the wilt infested area during the years
they were being rotated to immune crops for wilt control. These
were Horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) , Ragweed (Ambrosia
elatior), Horseweed (Erigeron canadensis), Cocklebur (Xan-thium
Sp.) , Croton (Croton glandulosus) , Jimson weed (Datura
stramonium), Ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa) and Aster sp.
3. Crop rotation: A