Newspaper Page Text
Houston Farmer Says
Soil Conservation Is
Never Ending Project
Conservation is a con
tinuous operation against
forces that seek to tear away
the land left to us. This
thought comes across,
though unspoken, when
talking with Gene Whitfield
and his sons on their farm on
the Dooly-Houston County
line.
Gene Whitfield is now
How does 73 differ from 78"?
It takes 25 percent
more electricity.
Imagine whal that docs to your electric bill. Air
conditioning can use more power than all your other
electric appliances put together. When you set the
thermostat lower than necessary for comfort, the
extra power is needless expense.
Rates went up last year and will be reflected in
cooling costs this summer. But there are ways to use
electricity more efficiently and cut down on your bill.
Set the thermostat on 78 And adjust it 5°
higher while you’re away from home. Keep tillers
clean. Clogged ones will overwork the system.
Keep windows and doors shut, and close drap
eries in sunny rooms. Shade trees help. too. Good
insulation and weather stripping can lower operat
ing costs. Air conditioning is even affected by the
heal from a light bulb. So turn off unnecessary lights.
Starting to save electricity takes a conscious
effort. But it can become a money-saving habit.
Georgia Power Company
A citizen wherever we serve ®
IT TOOK BRAWN TO CONQUER THE LAND-
Pr,< ®
MAff 0m mI <^2Sk
v- / >
Deerwood
Mobile Homes ,
_ , __ *«*... L JBfc . CHECKYOUR FARM HOW
Perry's Most Established Dealer SAFETY HAZARDS!
Ike Bledsoe U.S. 41 So. 987-0183
semi-retired, leaving the
bulk of the farming to his
sons T.C. and Curtis. It is
hard to talk to all three
Whitfield men at once,
simply because something is
always being done.
According to Soil Con
servation Service agent
Drew Bynum, Gene became
a formal co-operator with
•
the Ocmulgee Soil and Water
Conservation District in
March, 1954. “1954 was The
Dry Year for Middle
Georgia," Drew recalls. The
Whitfields use S.C.S. aid in
applying conservation
measures to their land.
looking over at an old
plowstock that has been
brightly painted, Gene
Whitfield, speaking from his
experience, says, “I’ve
plowed behind a mule I don't
know how many times with
plows just like that one.” But
the Whitfields also have
modern equipment.
Asked how many acres
they farm, Gene’s son Curtis
replied, “That depends on
whether you want to know
how many acres we own, or
how many we are farming.
We own 164 acres of land.
But right now we are far
ming over a thousand acres
total, most of which is
rented.’’
Gene Whitfield is a native
to Houston County. He
related, “We're living here
within two miles of where I
was born. And you know, 1
don’t want to go anywhere
else either. Houston County
has been pretty good to me.”
At the present the Whit
fields are cultivating 100
acres of peanuts, 100 acres of
corn, 250 acres of cotton, and
400 acres of soybeans. As of
last week, IKK) of the 400 acres
of soybeans had been
Ihe Whitfield farm constructed this pond several years ago to help their
conservation efforts. From left are Gene Whitfield, Terrence Whitfield, and
Gene's son Curtis with Soil Conservation Service agent Drew Bynum.
planted.
The Whitfields are
believers in soil con
servation. Right now they
are in the process of
reclaiming 20-40 acres of
scrub woodland and putting
it into coastal Bermuda
grass.
Looking at their fish pond,
that had been stocked only
hours ago with bass, Curtis
Whitfield remarked, "We do
have one problem with fish
pond management. Farm
chemicals, if they drain into
lakes, can harm the fish. If a
farmer sprays, and soon
afterwards there comes a
hard rain, the chemicals
sometimes drain off.”
dene Whitfield is realistic
about conservation. “It
takes a long time. You can’t
get it done in one year and
then just quit. But it does
help the land,”
The Whitfields have im
proved their pasture, thus
helping to increase their beef
cattle operation. They now
have about 20 brood cows.
Also to be seen were several
goats. "Goat meat is good
eating,” Gene said. "The
other day we had a barbecue
with a cow and goat meat.
There wasn't any goat left,”
The Whitfields plan to
terrace all their croplands, if
practical. They have a deep
respect for the land and
mean to preserve it.
[ HENDERSON I
LOCAL NEWS
By Doris Thames >
Mr. and Mrs. Doug
Thames, Nancy, Susan and
Gwen visited Mrs. Floyde
Corn in Crawford County
■Saturday, May 26th.
Henderson Baptist Church
will hold its Vacation Bible
School June 18th through the
22nd with preparation day
Friday, June 15th. The time
is 9 a.m. till 12 noon. The
public is cordially invited.
Mr. and Mrs. Wendell
Kersey, Jimmy and Chris,
Mr. and Mrs. Steve
Langston, Rhonda and Pam,
and Mr. and Mrs. leighten
Kersey, Lisa and Leigh
enjoyed a visit to Six Flags
May 20th.
Little Miss Rhonda
Langston, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Steve
and Little Miss Carla
Thompson, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Carl Thompson,
graduated from Humpty
Dumpty Kindergarten
Thursday, May 24th.
Friday night, May 25th,
Soil Stewardship: May 27-June 3
by Drew Bynum
There’s an expression
something about "the South
will come into its own when
its fields are green in win
ter”-that I’ve read about
the G.A.’s and Acteens and
their leaders of Henderson
Baptist Church sponsored a
mother-daughter banquet at
Henderson Baptist Church in
the church’s social hall.
Thirty-four guests enjoyed
the lovely meal of green
beans, potato salad, ham,
rolls, crabapple pickles and
pie served on tables
decorated with rows of ivory
and crystal candle holders
holding yellow candles.
Special guest speaker for
this banquet was Miss Jane
Ellen Gains of Atlanta
serving with the Home
Mission Board but formerly
serving as a foreign
missionary in Nigeria for
three years. Miss Gains
spoke in the sanctuary of the
main church building and
others of the church at
tended, All who were there
enjoyed her most interesting
talk and enjoyed seeing the
many objects she had
collected while serving in
Nigeria.
Miss Jane Ellen Gains of
Atlanta spent Friday night
several years ago.
1 think probably more
fitting as we observe Soil
Stewardship Week this year
would be the expression:
“The South can stand on its
own when its field no longer
washes in winter!”
This year’s Stewardship
theme ‘ ‘ Changing
Challenges” is more directly
The all-new
Club Cab.
Another first
from Dodge.
34 cubic feet of cab storage space keeps
your equipment out of sight, out of reach,
out oUhe weather.
Here's a brand-new idea in pickups that solves the annoying problem
of where to carry packages, equipment, and supplies when you have
three people in the cab. The answer is Dodge's new Club Cab. For
1973, the cab has been extended 18 inches in order to offer the pickup
owner 34 square feet of extra storage space behind the seat. It is
ideally suited to hold such things as grocery bags, golf clubs, chain
saws, or any other type of equipment that you'd prefer to keep inside
the cab rather than in the truck bed. Your valuables are safe from the
elements and the possibility of being stolen. The new Club Cab also
offers optional auxiliary jump seats that fold down from each side of
the storage area. And with the optional 360 V 8 engine and trailer
towing package, it makes an excellent recreation vehicle.
EXTRA CARE IN ENGINEERING MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN DODGE
. . . DEPEND ON IT!
McLendon
Auto Company
987-2955 BOVS
y HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., MAY 31, 1973,
P
) with Mr. and Mrs. Billy
) Kagan and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Pugh
< and Nicole visited relatives
) in Mobile, Ala., over the
) weekend.
g Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth
' Ragan visited Mr. and Mrs.
John L. Knight and family
and Mrs. Hugh Ragan, Sr.,
and Marvin over the
weekend.
(M'KX-WW* Mill■■■■«■■
rfHBIBLE QUIZ 1
♦» ~
Warren
Jerusalem Received Many Unfavorable
Comparisons, But In Your* Opinion Which
Was The Worst Os These?
S. Q., Dallas, Texas
In My Opinion The Worst Was The Unfavor
able Comparison With Sodom.
Reference: Ezekiel 16:46-50
challenging to the landowner
than at any other time in the
history of our country-the
changes are enormous.
Larger tractors, more
chemicals to choose from,
more demands that we
protect our environment,
higher taxes and land
values, and the biggest
demand in our history for
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Ragan,
Jr., of Smyrna visited Mrs.
Hugh Ragan, Sr., and
Marvin over the weekend.
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hamsley
of Henderson, played
‘ Sweetheart Waltz” and
“The Wigwam” in Miss
Willie Ryals music recital at
the Perry Methodist Church
Monday evening, May 28th.
what we can produce.
So, it is a challenge to all of
us to produce this food,
protect our environment,
recognize the dangers in
these chemicals, and last but
not least continue to protect
and improve our soil and
water resources for other
years and other generations.
These are challenging
times!
PAGE 12-B