Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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1 THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C. ( Jan. 15, 1970—7-B Farms and Folks FARM IIFWS FORAGE CHAMP—Shown above is Lucius Bums on the right receiving a plaque from M. L. Outz, County Agent, for having won the county forage contest. This contest is open to any farmer who is interested in entering for the 1970 program. The winner is determined by the total amount of forage produced per acre basis and on the farm. Previous winners in Laurens County were James and Horace Martin, dairymen in the Youngs community. Burns Wins Forage Contest In County BY M. L. OUTZ County Agent Lucius Burns was recognized recently as our county forage production winner in Laurens County. Mr. Burns, however, stated that he didn't feel like a champion with the dry weather he had last year and also some other serious problems that seriously cut his yield. However, I have worked withMr.Burnsforanum- ber of years and I know that he is a splendid agronomist and does everything in his power to produce large quantities of forage per acre, and of course, along with high yields goes high quali ty. Many years now Mr. Burns has grown forage (fl contract basis for Finley's Dairy located nearby. He has grown alfal fa hay, coastal bermuda hay and corn for silage. Mr. Burns tries to use the very latest varieties along with the high rate of fer tilizer and chemicals to control weeks to secure a high yield. Mr. Burns has been growing silage and hay to supply suffi cient ruffage for approximately 100 milk cows. This is a lot of feed when you consider the a- mount Mr. Finely feeds his cows. Throughout the years, Mr. Burns has taken a tremendous amount of tonage of silage and hay from his fields. In addition to this, he also is developing a beef cattle herd to It s Time To Plan Conservation Program BY MARY W. MONROE C'Hinty Executive Director, ASCS With the beginning of the New Year 1970, it is time for farmers to request government cost- share assistance for soil building practices they wish to carry out. Such practices include (but are not limited to) terraces, trees, fescue, sericea, coastal ber muda, fencing, fertilizer, lime stone, subsoiling. Every farmer has the right to request cost-share assistances farmer’s first move should be to file a written request for assis tance at the ASCS office, 207 W. Laurens St., Laurens. After his request is filed, then he may be gin work on the practice. Far mers arts cautioned thst County ASC Committees cannot approve regular ACP cost-sharing for a practice completed before the re quest is filed. A farmer can be assured of cost-sharing only after approval of the request by the County ASC Committee. Even though cost- sharing is approved, the farmer must complete the approved practice according to specifica tions before payment may be made to him. The County Committee is re sponsible for budgeting limited funds available and for planning a conservation program for the year to best serve the interests of farmers and the public. For those reasons, budget periods and initial sign-up periods are es tablished. The first initial sign up period is January 2-16, 1970. The County Committee is also responsible for determining what practices, if any, ’and the extent It will approve for each farm. Purchase Orders may be is sued for certain materials or services (limestone, fertiliser, terraces, construction of dams, etc.) Planning A Garden? take care of his common bermuda fields and the surplus grass. In spite of what Mr. Burns had to say about his bad luck, 1 want to congratulate him on this a- bility to produce high quality forage. One thing I did not mention was his record keeping. I do not know of any farmer in the coun ty who can tell you as much a- bout his business as Mr. Burns. Such as planting dates, va rieties, fertilizer used and etc. Swine producers are asked to mark their calendars for a series of swine meetings beginning Mon day, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. The schools are to be presented over close-circuit television at Clin ton High School I have talked with Mr. Howe, who is principal at Clinton High, and he says that he will arrange for us to use one of the classrooms. The meeting will continue each Monday even ing and extend through Feb. 16. Mr. Carl Ackerman, Extension Livestock Specialist, who is in charge of swine production in the state, is speerheading the drive and certainly is encourage- ing those interested in swine produ:tioo to plan to attend. I hope that we will be able to secure door prizes and maybe serve refreshments sometime during the meeting. So you who are interested plan to attend and be sure to put these dates down. BY HAROLD ROGERS Assistant Extension Editor CLEMSON - Planning a gar den? Want to renovate the lawn? Considering ways to improve crop production, have better pas tures? Better check the soil pH. When it comes to growing things, these two letters and what they stand for can have a powerful impact on results. The term simply expresses the acidity or alkalinity of soil. Mea surement runs in a scale from 1 to Ir. The higher the pH fig ure, the more alkaline the soil. The lower the figure, the more acid the soil. “Another way of putting it,” says Dr. C. L. Parks, Clemson associate Extension specialist in agronomy, “is that soil is con sidered neutral at pH 7.0. It is alkaline above that point and acid below it.” Different crops have different pH requirements. “Gardeners should know,” says Dr. Parks, “that a pH of 6.0 or below is unsuitable for most garden plants. One exception is potatoes, which will do well in the pH range of 5.0 to 6.0.” The pH range for beans, cu cumbers, parsnips, peppers, ra dish and squash should be 6.0 to 6.5. For asparagus, cabbage, car rots, lettuce, peas and spinach, the range should be 6.0 to 7.0. Azaleas, on the other hand, are acid-loving and will do best at pH 5.0 to 5.5. “A common mistake,” says Dr. Parks, “is to think that a pH of 6.0 is just a little more acid than 7.0. This is not the case. The measure of acidity of a soil at pH 6.0 is 10 times more acid than at pH 7.0. At 5.0 it is 100 times more acid, and at pH 4.0, the strength of the acidity is 1,000 times that of pH 7.0.” The key to getting the de sired pH factor is the use of lime, called a real miracle work er with soil. “Lime net only supplies es sential plant nutrients,” says Dr. Parks, “it also helps bind sandy soils and has a granulating effect on heavy clay soils. “It is a miracle worker, but results are best when use is based on recommendations of trained technicians.” This means the first approach to any soil nutritional problem is to test the soil to determine the pH factor and get a recom mendation on the amount of lime needed to change it to the de sired level. “Unless the acidity problem is corrected,” Parks says, “the fer tilizers, both those applied and those native to the soil, will not react properly. Production will be disappointing.” The offseason is the time to get soil samples and have them analyzed. This public service is avail able without charge through coun ty agents and Clemson Uni versity. In planning a liming, fertili zation and planting program, the agronomist suggests that these points be kept in mind! --Lime reacts faster in moist soils than in dry ones. --Gardens and lawns are fre quently watered. This causes the nutrients, calcium, nitrogen, and potassium to be leached out fas ter than on field crops, so they should be replaced for best con tinuous results. --Lime can be applied on fro zen ground. If the area has been spaded or turned in any manner the freezing and thawing action will accelerate the assimila tion of the lime by the soil fas ter than if it is not worked up. -- A good rule of thumb is to soil test every other year and have your lime and fertilizer recommendations made on the basis of the test results. Prevent Paint Odors - Topre- vent paint odors, add one ounce of pure vanilla extract to a gal lon of paint and stir well. The vanilla does not harm the color and can be added to any paint. If Shoe Pinches - If a shoe pinches, a cloth wrung out of very hot water and laid over the spot while the shoe is on the foot will expand the leather and remove the pinch. It is the responsibility of the former to: (1) request cost sharing in writing on the re quired form, (2) request a pur chase order, if applicable; (3) report performance of the prac tice by the applicable closing date. Special rates apply to low- income farmers. It is the res ponsibility of the County Com mittee to determine who is eli gible for these higher cost-share rates. A farmer applying for higher cost-share rates is re quired to furnish certain infor mation to aid the Committee in making the decision. Farmers who think they will qualify for such higher cost-shares are urged to bring this to the atten tion of office personnel when making application for cost- shares. Timely Tips BY COUNTY AGENTS Home Economists Feeder Pig Sale - The next graded feeder pig sale will be held March 2, 1970 at the Salu da County Stockyards. Begin your plans for this sale now. New Crops - Mr. crop pro ducer, the time for planting your new crops Is about 90 to 100 days away. So begin the planning phase now during the slow season. Soil Samples - Now is the time to take soil samples for this years row crops and sum mer pastures for grazing. Save Dress Patterns - To save paper dress patterns, etc., roll them around a cardboard mail ing tube Instead of folding. They will be much easier to use next time. PERFECT RE ST ON THIS ONE fasti ih Oh FREE electric blank et with purchase of Mattress and Box Spring. mms DOOR BUSTERS Famous Homemaker BEDSPREAD ENSEMBLE Full Size — Value** To $56 KING AND QUEEN — 24.88 Values To $75 —Slightly Irregular Special! SEAMLESS PANTY HOSE Seam Free! Garter Free! Girdle Fr*e! 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January Special! Lion Brand Knitting Yarn I J0fe-"V £* re • COMPANY COUIMBU HI-WAY, J0AMM, Reg- 1L9 — Machine Waahai|| Non-piling — Non-AUennc 4f ASSORTED Open Thun. And i