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HOME JOURNAL, PERRY, GA., THURSDAY, JULY 19, 1951
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Phone
28 6
for
PERRY CAB
AT YOUR SERVICE
PROMPTLY - SAFELY
COURTEOUSLY
24 Hour Service
HARRY DuBOIS,
Owner
Phone I
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Compliments Os
SHEPHERD HARDWARE CO.
and
SHEPHERD FUNERAL HOME
UNADILLA, GA.
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Serving the People
of Lower Houston and
Upper Dooly Counties
for More Than 40 Years
s
Soil Conservation Replenishes Houston County
BY JACK C. MILLER
Soil Conservationist
Before our land was put to the
I plow, the average depth of top
i soil was about 9 inches. Now it
| averages only 5 inches nearly
I half gone because of improper
! land management. Nature pro-
I tects the land by covering it with
vegetation such as grasses and
trees. Man has destroyed nature’s
I protective covering by cutting
j down forests and plowing up the
I land, exposing it to the full force
of water and wind, in his quest
for shelter, fond and fiber. Re
connaissance surveys of Ameri
ca’s land resources show over 282
million acres severely eroded, ov
er 775 million acres moderately
eroded and 700 million acres
slightly eroded.
Since Congress passed the
“Soil Conservation Act” in 1935,
substantial progress is being
made to check and repair the
damage. The Soil Conservation
Service, the Civilian Conserva
tion Corps and the landowners
made considerable progress.
Georgia Started in 1937
The Georgia Soil Conservation
Districts Law was approved by
the Georgia Legislature March
26, 1937. Today thousands of
Georgia farmers are cooperating
with their local soil conservation
districts, which are organized
and operated by local farm lead
ers elected by the farmers them
selves, in their efforts to con
serve the soil and its resources.
The local Ocmulgee Soil Con
servation district was organized
in 1938, with district headquar
ters in Perry. The district is
comprised of the following coun
ties: Houston, Peach, Crawford,
Bibb, Taylor, Macon, Dooly, Wil
cox and Pulaski. The stated pur
pose of the district is the conser
vation of soil and water resorces,
the improvement of soil produc
tivity, and the prevention of
floods. The district provides a
medium through which farmers,
groups, organizations and agen
cies may coordinate their efforts
in bringing about a sound land
I use program based on using the
land according to its capabilities
and treating each acre according
to its needs.
CCC Camp Here
The first year of the district
operations was devoted largely to
educational work. During the
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JACK C. MILLER
second and third year a CCC
camp was located at Perry to
serve five of the counties of the
district. During this time a lim
ited amount of small equipment
was made available to the district
to assist in establishing soil con
servation practices.
By 1943, district operations
were well underway. Campaigns
for planting winter cover crops
were promoted; efforts made to
coordinate the work of all agen
cies in carrying out the district
program; a million kudzu crowns
planted and a district soil conser
vation calendar printed and dis
tributed to cooperators.
Green Acres Contest
In 1944, one million pounds of
blue lupine seed were harvested
—a cover crop program carried
on in every county and the orig
inal Green Acres Contest launch
ed.
The year 1945 saw the Georgia
Bankers Association sponsor an
important meeting in Perry,
where they awarded certificates
of merit to 54 district cooperators
for doing outstanding jobs of soil
conservation on their farms. Blue*
lupine continued to gain in pop
ularity and importance, and a
Negro conservation contest was
sponsored with the district furn
ishing the winner for the entire
state.
Highlights of 1946 saw a local
district supervisor, A. C. Rich
ardson of Macon county, elected
presidei I of the Georgia Associa
tion of Soil Conservation Dis
tricts; the Macon newspapers
sponsored soil conservation con
tests for farmers and essay con
tests for school children, eight
million pounds of blue lupine
seed harvested; the first blue
lupine festival held in Dooly
county attracting widespread in
terest and the locating of two
paper mills in Macon, giving an
outlet for much undesirable pine
timber as pulpwood.
Tree Planters Busy
The year 1947 saw the con
struction of many types of me
chanical tree planters by local
merchants. These machines great
ly facilitated the planting of pine
seedlings, kudzu crowns, coastal
bermuda stolons and lespedeza
bi-color plants. The paper mills
at Macon furnished thousands of
pine seedlings to farmers in the
district. The newspapers con
tinued to give full support to the
district program.
One of the highlights of 1948
was the establishment of many
trial plantings of Ky-31 fescue
grass, Pensacola Bahia grass and
sod increase plots of coastal ber
muda. Thousands of acres of im
proved pasture was established as
interest in cattle farming reached
a new high. Another highlight
was the r.mquet given in honor
of Miss Susan Myrick of The Ma
con Telegraph, by the district
supervisors of the Macon trade
area, for her untiring efforts in
jehalf of soil conservation. 1948
saw the inauguration of “Con
servation Week” in Georgia. The
week of July 11-18 was declared
by a proclamation of t*ie govern
or.
Contour Orchards Planted
1949-50 witnessed a steady
growth in conservation work in
ihe district. A summary of pro
gress made from the beginning of
he district in 1938 to Jan. 1, 1951,
showed among other things that
.703 farm conservation plans had
iecn developed on 1,163,540 acres,
hat 39,431 acres of improved
pasture had been established:
1,207 acres of water disposal
ireas established; 10,570 acres
)f kudzu, 4,277 acres of lespe
za sericea and 73,750 acres of
ine trees planted.
Peach orchards had been plant
d on the contour on 1,835 acres.
■Viidlife areas had been develop
d on 608 acres. A total of 459
farm ponds had been constructed
and most of them stocked with
fish, while 16,428 acres had been
! drained and 119,540 acres ter*
raced.
Board of Supervisors
The present District Board of
.Supervisors is comprised of S. A.
Nunn, chairman, Houston county:
Houser Davidson, is secretary,
Peach county; Ralph E. Burton,
Dooly county; J. S. Croxton and
A. C. Richardson, Macon county;
J. R. Henderson and C. B. Skip
per, Bibb county; A. S. James,
Taylor county; J. B. McGee, of
Crawford county: J. D. Nelson,
Pulaski; and B. T. Whelchel, of
Wilcox.
Houser Davidson is not only
secretary of the Ocmulgee Dis
trict but is at .present the presi
dent of the State Association of
District Supervisors. Mr. David
son was recently selected as a
“Master Farmer" by the Progres
sive Farmer. He received a simi
lar award from the American
Legion.
Objective of Service
Charles F. Brannan, U. S. Sect,
of Agriculture, announced Feb
ruary 15, 1951, that “the basic
physical objective of soil conser
vation activities by department
agencies shall be the use of each
acre of agricultural land within
its capabilities and the treatment
of each acre of agricultural land
in accordance with its needs for
protection and improvement.”
This has been the objective of the
soil conservation districts.
The realization of this objec
tive will require the fullest co
operation on the part of all our
citizens with the district program
of soil and water conservation.
Bill Harrison
Turned Press
By Hand
They tell some mighty interest
ing stories about “Uncle Bill”
Harrison, a legendary figure
around Perry many years ago.
Bill turned the press for The
Houston Home Journal by his
two strong hands, according to
Henry Powell, who has been a
printer for this newspaper for 41
years. Bill used to take on a
couple of drinks, throw his sus
penders of his shoulders, spit on
his hands and turn the press for
a full run of The Houston Jour
nal. He never stopped until the J
job was finished, Mr. Powell ti
said.
Marion Houser tells a story U
about E l"s trip to t v e West, |l
When Bill got back he showed !
the late Dr. R. L. Cater a hole
through his body where he had.
been shot by a .45 pistol.
“That must have laid you up
for some time.” Dr. Cater told
Bill.
“Yas suh, Boss,” Bill replied, “I
was right sore for three or four
days.”
Flipped Cotton Bales
Bill was quite a man although
he was not very big. He could
back up to a bale of cotton, throw
two hooks over his shoulders and
into the bagging then flip the
bale of cotton over his head. That
feat was recalled by Mr. Houser
too.
Tom Cater says he can remem
ber when Bill would stand on his
head on a wagonload of ice and
drive the team from the depot to
the ice house, still standing on
his head.
iS A. Nunn, who was working
in a local drug store during Bill’s
heyday, says Bill used to pester
■ him and the others in the store
i for Jamaica Ginger day in and
1 day out.
“I just want a little to warm
. my stomach,” Bill would say.
1 Powerful Snort
Mr. Nunn said he got tired of
hearing Bill plead for his Jamai
ca Ginger. He fixed up a new
drink for Bill—half Jamaica j
, Ginger and half red pepper. Bill'
. never sipped a drink. He just
C opened his mouth and threw
down that powerful drink. When
| it hit his stomach his eyes rolled
j around about three times and he
took off for the old town pump
j and drank water for a half hour.
Mr. Nunn said after Bill got his
j mouth cooled off he came back to
the store and asked for “just a
little Jamaica Ginger to warm my
stomach.”
They played another trick on
Bill one time, according to Mr.
Houser. They offered Bill a $5
bill if he would go to a certain
j lot in the cemetery at night. Bill’s
tormentors got up in the trees
" if
Hr.
Hoke Smith, who makes his
headquarters in Perry, is dis
trict conservationist for the Oc
mulgee Soil Conservation Dis
trict.
Ball Field
Memorial To
Hickson
Perry’s baseball field at the
grammar school building was
named for the late S. W. Hickson,
whose enthusiasm for the project
while he was county school su
perintendent, carried it to com
pletion.
Mr. Hickson wanted a place in
Perry—a lighted field for the
youngsters, and oldsters too, if
they liked—to play his favorite
game. The location was within
walking distance from any part
of the city and the field could be
used by the high school, the Jun
ior American Legion team and
with sheets on and when Bill ap
peared they jumped down and
rattled some chains and Bill went
across the creek so fast he hardly
got his feet wet.
Bill was a character, all right.
He furnished plenty of amuse
ment for the folks of the “good
ole days.”
.% ' •
AT HOME
OR
TRAVELING
PEOPLE PREFER
NELL’S RESTAURANT
We Bake Our Own Pies
Delicious Food At
Reasonable Prices
A FREENDLY|PLACE
TO MEET
A FRIENDLY PLACE
TO EAT
Nell’s Restaurant
. I
MR. and MRS. R. E. SMITH
1012 Ball St. Perry, Ga.
the local amateur teams.
He headed a public subscrip,
tion drive for SB,OOO to pay f or
the lighting equipment and its in
stallation. Georgia Power Co
set the poles at no charge and the
contract for putting in the light
ing system was awarded to Wood
row Gilbert of Gilbert Electric
Co.
Moody Motor Co. presented tne
field a scoreboard and the Merch
ants Association ran lights to the
board. A group of merchant?
sponsored ads on the loudspeaker
system to pay for it and Perry
had one of the most modern base
ball fields in Middle Georgia.
Perry’s young men had been
playing in cow pastures and open
fields for many years and there
always seemed to be considerable
interest here in baseball despite
the lack of a good field. A light
ed diamond was a dream of Mr.
Hickson and was realized not
long before his death in 1950.
Mr. Hickson had no idea that
the field was to be named for him
until after a group of citizens
realized the part he played in the
project and had already labeled
it Hickson Field in honor of this
public spirited man who loved
the youth of his day.
The Perry Pirates, the name of
the amateur team here, has
played in the Middle Georgia
League for two and a half years
and is now in the Tri-County
League.
TENNIS—FROM DIRT
TO CONCRETE TO LIGHTS
Perry youth for many years
played tennis on a dirt court in
Armory Grove under the shade
of huge oak trees.
Then Penn-Dixie built a con
crete court back of its former
clubhouse, now the home of Supt.
M. E. Silcox, and that was the
center of net activity for many
years.
More recently the Perry Jun
ior Chamber of Commerce spon
sored the building of a court in
Perry Vista Park in Smoak sub
division and it is lighted for night
play.