Newspaper Page Text
Not too early
for garden plans
By: Walter H. Rucker
County Agent
GARDEN TIPS
Here It Is the first of the
New Year, right in the dead of
winter, and some people are
thinking about gardening al
ready. That’s all right, for there
are some things good gardeners
can get on with this time of
year.
J.B. Barber, one of our Ex
tension horticulturists, offers
these suggestions:
1. Spread manure, rotted saw
dust and leaves over the garden
and plow them under. (Barber
says you’ll be surprised at
the difference it’ll make in
improved fertility, physical st
ructure and water holding capa
city of the soil.)
2. Take a soil sample (this
really should have been done
back in the fall) and apply the
recommended amounts of lime
and frtilizer.
3. Take an inventory. Maybe
you tiad too much of some
vegetables, not enough of
others. Or maybe there were
unnecessary “skips” in your
supply of vegetables. Perhaps
there were some insect, dis
eases or nematode problems
that got the upperhand last year.
Now’s also the time to make
note of your favorite vegetable
varieties and place your seed
order.
ROTATION
Rotation is a good idea when
it comes to vegetables, whether
they are grown commercially or
in the backyard.
Paul Colditz, Extension hort
iculturist, defines crop rotation
as "the growing of to or more
crops in regular sequence on the
same land.”
Price-Cost Squeezes Hot New
to Georgia Broiler Industry
ATHENS—Price-cost squeez
es are nothing new to the
Georgia broiler industry.
Milton Y. Dendy, poultry
scientist with the Cooperative
Extension Service, says the
industry has gone through
them time after time for the
past 30 years. “And tradition
ally it has adjusted by stepping
up efficiency and cutting pro
duction costs,” he added.
Dendy sees no such way out
of the current situation, how
ever. ‘There is no point in the
production process where
enough improvement in effi
ciency can be made on short
notice to offset the present
cost-price squeeze,” he de
clared.
He believes the alternative is
obvious—work on the price of
the ready-to-cook product and
bring it to a realistic level in
comparison with other protein
foods.
According to Dendy, the
poultry industry has never
been marketing oriented. He
quoted some sources as saying
that the market for ready-to
cook poultry is controlled by
buyers for large food chains.
“How to break through this
situation and increase the price
of the product without result
ing in a rash of over-pro
duction is one of the greatest
challenges the broiler industry
faces today,” he says.
A month ago the dock price
of ready-to-cook broilers was
26tf a pound—about 10' j per
cent higher than a year ago.
But Dendy says this isn’t so
wonderful for the broiler grow-
when you look at the
other side of the coin. Feed
prices are up about sls a ton,
or approximately 20 percent.
Costs of equipment, supplies
and labor are higher than a
year ago, too.
Dendy says it all boils down
to one thing. “Returns are just
not keeping pace with the
increase in production costs.”
WELL
. DRILLING
and BORING
FOWLER
Wsii a
Supply Co
. Canton, Ga. 479-8804
or call local 887-2404
887-5686
Colditz cites several benefits
of rotation.
First, better insect and dis
ease control. He says vege
table crop rotation is especially
helpful in controlling diseases
that cannot survive for long
periods in the soil. One example
is Club Root of cabbage. This
disease can be controlled by a
four-year rotation in which cab
bage are grown only once each
four years on the same land.
Colditz explains that some dis
eases cannot be controlled by
rotation because they live too
long in the soil. Nematode
damage can be reduced, hw
ever, by proper rotation of non
host plants.
A second benefit or rotation
is better soil management. Each
crop has different nutrient re
quirements. A rotation system
prevents one crop from re
moving large amounts of certain
elements. Rotation can be plan
ned so vegetable crops on the
same land will not have the same
nutrient requirements year
after year.
Colditz offered five simple
rules to follow in vegetable
crop rotation.
1. Alternate shallowrooted
crops with deep ones.
2. Follow crops that supply
organic matter with crops that
favor decomposition of organic
matter.
3. Plan for growing soil im
provement crops.
4. On soils that erode, plan
to have a soil improvement
crop on the land when it is not
occupied by a money crop.
5. Try not to follow a hay
crop with small vegetable crops
because o f weed problems.
The National Broiler Council
says the cost of producing a
pound of broiler meat is
higher today than it was a year
ago. This is due in part to a 24
percent increase in com prices
and a 56 percent jump in
soybean meal prices.
Dendy suggested raising the
price of ready-to-cook broilers
to a realistic level in compari
son with other protein foods.
How do they compare? Based
on prices for broilers and other
food products about a year
ago, Dendy came up with the
following data:
A housewife got only 59
percent as much protein for
her milk dollar, 38 percent as
much for her ham dollar, 49
percent as much for her ground
chuck dollar, 26 percent as
much for her sirloin steak
dollar, and 6 percent as much
for her bacon dollar as she did
for a dollar spent for broiler
meat.
According to Dendy, broiler
meat has not sold for its true
value for many years.
ANDEAN MOTOR CO.
Says , “Thanks”
December Soles 120
% * •
Year To Date 1,724
1972 SALES QUOTA 1,000
QUOTA FOR YEAR
REACHED JULY 11
Do Business Where Business Is Being Dons
ATLANTA ROAD IN CUMMING
Agri-Business News
District cooperators of the
Upper Chattahoochee River Soil
and Water Conservation Dis
trict who keep rain gauges have
REAP program
terminated
H. Emmett Reynolds, Pres
ident of the 71,776 member
Georgia Farm Bureau Federa
tion with chapters in 158 coun
ties, has urged tht every effort
be made to reinstate the national
REAP program administered by
the U.S. Department of Agri
culture.
The REAP program (Rural
Environmental Agricultural
Protection) has been terminated
by USDA, reportedly at the
direction of President Nixon.
Congress had approved the pro
gram and funded it with appro
priations at a S2OB million
annual level.
Reynolds in telegrams to
Georgia Senators Herman Tal
inadge and Sam Nunn declared
"Urge you make every effort to
reinstate REAP Program. This
program since its inception has
meant untold dollars to im
proved soil and water conser
vation. Your support in this
effort will mean much t far
mers of Georgia and the
nation.”
President Reynolds noted that
the U.S. Department of Agricul
ture has taken other certain ac
tion adversely affecting far
mers in Georgia including (1)
elimination of low interest mon
ey for disaster loans in disas
ter areas, and (2) a change in
the lease and transfer regula
tions of peanuts limiting the
acreage that can be transferred
to one farm work sheet to not
more than 50 acres.
"We in Farm Bureau feel tht
these actions greatly jeopardize
the future of agriculture, and
urge reinstatement”, Reynolds
said.
KX3
BACKHOES DOZERS
FRONT END LOADERS UNI-LOADERS
CASE & DAVID BROWN
AGRICULTURE TRACTORS
Gainesville, Ga,
(6 Mi. out on the Dawsonville Hwy.)
Rainfall report
By J.T. Coots
Soil Conservation Service
reported rainfall for the month
of December 1972. They are
E. H. Sherrill, 8.9 inches, MJ2.
Reynolds said that under the
REAP program, annual pay
ments have been offered land
owners covering part of the
cost of installing approved con
servation and pollution prac
tices which benefit all people.
The program is cost sharing
and not an income supplement.
PECAN TREE CARE
Many pecan trees were trans
planted in Georgia this fall and
winter. Some will die next
spring and summer because of
poor planting techniques. If
yours survives ’til then, be sure
to water it every week to ten
days if there’s no rain. And if
no fertilizer was applied at
planting time, take care of this
chore in March. Ray Living
ston, Extension horticulturist,
suggests three pounds of
10-10-10, scattered around the
edge of the planting hole.
GARDEN TIP
Rotating vegetable crops is a
good idea. Extension Service
horticulturists offer these tips
on how to do it: (1) Alternate
shallow rooted crops with deep
ones. (2) Follow crops that
supply organic matter with
crops that aid decomposition
of organic matter. (3) Plan for
growing soil improvement
crops. (4) Try not to follow a
grassy hay crop with small
vegetable crops; weed problems
are just too great.
Elliott - Vaugltters
Equipment Co.
Jennings , 8.4; Fred Hawkins,
9.6; C.L. Collett, 10.3; E.W.
McConnell, 10.5; W.E. Holcomb,
8.4; Emory M. Martin, 9.35;
Mrs. C.S. Mathieson, 8.4; C.A.
Bagwell, 9J; S.R. James, 8.8
inches.
The average rainfall for the
month of December is 5.17 in
ches. The average total rainfall
for the year as reported at
the City of Cummlng Water
Works Department is 54.82 in
ches.
Fred Hawkins reported a total
of 71.5 inches of rainfall for
1972. C.L. Collett reported a
total of 76.7; E.W. McConnell
reported 81.00; W.E. Holcomb
reported a total of 72.0; Mrs.
C.S. Mathieson reported 67.3
Inches.
Miles Wolfe reporting for the
rain gauge at the City Water
Works Department reported
7.58 inches of rainfall for the
month of December 1972. Wolfe
reported a totla of 56.04 rain
fall for the year 1972.
ROTATE VEGETABLES
Crop rotation is the growing
of two or more crops in regular
sequence on the same land.
Extension Service specialists
say the practice is a good one
for vegetable growers, and for
two reasons. First, it helps with
insect and disease control.
Second, it aids in soil manage
ment, in that different crops
have different nutrient require
ments, and a rotation system
prevents one crop from re
moving large amounts of cer
tain elements.
YOU’RE OK
WE’RE OK
THANK YOU
FOR A PROSPEROUS YEAR
•» i i
t •
GORDON’S
' i i
On Tha Square In Cumming
Annual Seed Short Course
Coming Up January 22, 23
ATHENS-Seed, those- little,
round and odd-shaped objects
that start Georgia’s big crops,
will come in for a lot of study
here January 22 and 23 at the
annual seed short course.
Conducted by the Cooper
ative Extension Service and the
Georgia Crop Improvement As
sociation, sessions will be held
at the Seed Technology and
Development Center on White
hall Road. Registration begins
at 9 a.m. January 22.
Harvey C. Lowery, Ex
tension agronomist - seed cer
tification at the University of
Georgia, said the course is
designed primarily for seed
processors, but growers are also
invited.
One hundred or more per
sons usually attend the event
and are brought up to date on
varieties and hybrids, seed
cleaning methods, germination
standards, seed laws and other
topics.
Dr. Charles P. Ellington,
Extension director, will wel
come delegates this year, and
William L. Colville, chairman
of the agronomy division,
College of Agriculture, will
make the keynote address. Dr.
Colville will tell “What’s New
in Agronomy.”
A panel discussion on “Pro
ducing Seed Under Contract
and Working with Contract
Growers” is scheduled for
10:30 Monday morning, and at
11:20 Howard C. Potts of the
Seed Technology Laboratory
at Mississippi State College will
take “A Closer Look at
Seed.”
Immediately after lunch
Melvin D. Ethridge, agricultural
economics professor at the
University of Georgia, will talk
on “The Agricultural Seed
THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - JAN. 11, 1973 •
Industry in Georgia.” Other
features Monday afternoon will
cover cotton, weed control and
seed laws, and will include a
report from the president of
the Georgia Seedsmen’s Associ
ation, Frank Wilkinson of
Haralson. A barbecue, courtesy
of GCIA, will climax first-day
activities.
The agenda Tuesday, Jan.
' 23,' will include a review of
Crop Improvement Association
standards, the Plant Variety
Protection Act, and national
trends in seed certification.
Lowery will make this presen
tation at 9 a.m.
A panel discussion on the
Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970 is also on
tap Tuesday. Participants are
Cecil Hammond, engineer with
MATT
SAWMILL
COMPANY
We buy standing timber
and logs.
SEE US for your logs
and lumber needs.
CALL
Bernard Yarbrough
PHONE 887-8661 or
267—3488 Monroe, Ga.
Ask for B.W.Harrison
PAGE 11
the University of Georgia Ex
tension Service, and Bill Daniel
of Gold Kist Inc.
The last item on the pro
gram, at 12 noon, will be the
awarding of certificates to
operators of approved seed
plants in the state. Rhodes
Hardeman of Louisville, pres
ident of GCIA, will make these
presentations.
ESPALIERS
More and more these days,
espaliers are being used effec
tively to beautify the land
scape. Their real value, says
Henry Clay of the Cooperative
Extension Service, is in beauti
fying areas where space is
limited. "When lots are small
and walks and driveways pro
hibit the use of shrubs with
depth, espaliers are a natural.”