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— --Avmm+J %?} A %J*J • THE CLINTON CHRONICLE - Page Elerea FARMS AND FOLKS By J. M. Blearer Clenuon College InformattoH killed me. Like most boys, I hadn’t the slghtest idea whait I panted to take. All agricultural courses were the same for a good while, and I was in that. But eventual ly came the time we had to choose our specialty. I heard some of the older students say, “This agronomy course is a cindh.” Well, JLwas looking for the easiest thing I could get. So I took that, Agronomy. Well did I later see how such a flimsy choice could have result ed in disaste^. But fortunately it didn’t. I have been happy in my work, and now know of no line in which I might have fit better. For me, it was a lucky choice. With the guidance children now get a't school and home, I'm sure a lot of ’em know what they j take advantage of want before they go to, college.' coming their way. t And that’s | all to thy* good, for ‘3n Hiu* t3*i f:ha4 1 i-no thf*n they'oa hue th that line and everything WHEN TO IRRIGATE When to irrigate is a problem that faces one at the very start of this new farm operation. And it can’t be answered in a few words. That is like many other farm operations, we just have to learn by experience and observa tion. Often asked this question, Clemson’s Dr. Barnes down at the truck station near Charleston gives this answer in regard to ir rigating truck crops: , “One of the best rules is to be gin irrigating as soon as the crop begins to show wilt by 10:00 a. m. In planning irrigation, keep in mind that if it takes five days to water all of the crop it may be necessary to start before the time indicated to insure that the last portion can be watered before it has suffered beyond the point of profitable recovery. If no rain falls, repeat aplications will be needed at about weekly inter vals.” * * • MEAT EATING The total consumption of tur key meat has increased over 100 per cent in this country in the past 20 years. Chickens have in creased 75 per cent, beef 40 per cent, l^amb, veal, and pork are .up 31, 17, and 13 per cent respec tively. We are the heaviest eat ers of poultry meat in the world, and Canada is next. No either country comes near us in that. But several eat more other meits than we do, notably Uruguay, New Zealind, and Argentina. Down here in the Southeast we are fast growing from an all* crop area to one in which livestock, dairy, and poultry products are looming larger and larger. In fact, our growth in cattle here in South. Carolina was the greatest in the nation for the past sev eral years, 78 per cent! Clemson and the Progressive Farmer have both long preached “crops plus, livestock.” It was siow commg, But in recent years it has been fast. County agents spearheaded most of this work with livestock, first ’ mostly through 4-H club demonstrations. Folks saw these oh tours and at the local fairs. Many of the boys kept at it when they grew up. Thus the idea developed. In the past most crop areas have been ’ known to , thange around. And they may be expect- . ed to continue doing this. Some of this shifting is slow, while at times it becomes rapid, o • * • FEEDING STEERS OR HEIFERS We used to sell most of our cat tle from grass as feeders, Now more and more of our farmers are fattening them out. Up to now we have had few heifers for."sale, almost of them were being kept as breeders. Note our cattle growth, highest in the nation in recent yearS. About'half of the calves are heifers. So our folks will soon have to start mar keting a lot of fat heifers, too. » Here’s what Wallace’s Farmer says about ’em: “Heifer feeders are usually .cheaper, and when fattened out they don’t usually bring as much . as steers. Heifers fatten at lower weights and earlier age than steers, and it takes a little more feed .to make that unwanted fat . than it does the wanted lean that 1 steers tend to put on. Carry the k growing steer on to the same fin ish of the heifer and it will bring more because it will cut out a bit more of the desired lean cuts. ‘Fed out to the heavier weights, . heifers tend to become ‘cowy’ and bring still lower prices. So, for the longer feeding periods, steers are the better bet. Heifers feed > out bell right from weaning time, and c*n handle some roughage then, but not as well as steers. , Fed the same way, heifer calves , will usually be ready for market 6 to 8 weeks ahead of steers that tend to grow more and fatten less at that age. *' * * MORE PEACH TREES * County Agent Cannon says more peach trees were planted in Laurens county the past winter than on any other year in the past. And I see a lot of them d<Avn- state, \yhere peaches have not been planted in the past. The de velopment of varieties requiring less winter chilling, and budding these on nematode resistanteroot- stocks, accounts for this, Roy Fer- ree tells me. Change, change, the constancy of it! 0*0 4 BOYS ARE THAT WAY Last week I talked of how I happened to stray from the Dutch Fork and go to Clemson instead of Newberry. Arriving at Clemson at night, * after riding 115 miles on three trains, and sitting through two stopovers, it was a long day from home! We walked the two mud dy miles from Cherry’s Crossing in the rainy darkness, and the lights looked good as we ap proached the barracks. I told you last week of standing the entrance exams then and barely passing. And of how later, when homesickness struck with devastating force, I wished I had $ failed them. For, if that had hap pened, I could have then been in heaven,‘that is, home. But alas, only the dismal prospect of four gloomy years lay ahead!, Home would be reached only at Christ mas and June! And, you know, I never quite got over that thing, the whole four years I was in col lege. But, of course, it eased up a bit, or it seems it would have Your Best Bacon buy! PINKY PIG Sliced A Division of ^ — Swift Premium Select Sliced Beef Franks 39‘Liver CLEARFIELD CHEESE FOOD 2 £ 69c S PALM ETC FARM PREPARED FOODS ■ . Orange Peach, Lime Pineapple, Fruit Cocktail, Raspberry Pineapple { Gelatin Salads ‘ £ & 25c ■ Delicious, Ready to Serve .! 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