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Protecting Land And Water
Ocmulgee S & W Conservation
. Dist. Growing With The 70's
By Drew Bynum,
Conservationist
In increased public
awareness of our en
vironment has stimulated
interest in land use laws,
anti-pollution measures,
environmental protection,
and beautification. The
Districts have been
strengthened by the ad
dition of extra supervisors
to these governing bodies.
• Each county in the District
now has one elected and
one appointed supervisor.
This change in the District
law was enacted by the
Georgia legislature in 1973.
Richard A. Johnson was
appointed under this law.
Cohen Walker is the
elected supervisor.
Houston county
supervisors, working with
the others in the District
have been instrumental in
recognizing landowners
who are doing an out
standing job in soil and
water conservation. An
nually the supervisors
select young people to
attend the Natural
Resources Conservation
workshop in Tifton.
Houston county banks
contribute financially to
these projects.
Population increases in
the county have created
land use changes from
agriculture to suburbia.
Lands that were producing
cotton in the 'so's are
houses in the
'7o's. A conservative
1 1
First Headquarters In Perry
Ocmulgee Soil <S Water
Con. Dist. Began In 1938
The Ocmulgee Soil and
Water Conservation
district was organized in
1938 with district
headquarters in Perry. It
was originally called
Middle Western Ocmulgee
River Soil Conservation
District but the name was
changed in March 1949.
The Ocmulgee district
was organized under
provisions of the Georgia
Soil Conservation Districts
Law of 1937. The U.S.
Congress passed the Soil
Conservation Act in 1935.
Comprising the Oc-
District are
Houston, Peach, Macon,
Crawford, Taylor, Dooly,
Bibb, Wilcox, and Pulaski.
This District is one of
nearly 3,000 in fifty states,
Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico.
‘ The first area con
servationist was the late
W. Carl Huggins. The
second area con
servationist was R. Hoke
Smith who came to Perry
» in 1950 to be incharge of the
district which is
located in the central part
of Georgia and includes
estimate would be some
5000 acres have gone
residential in this county
since 1965.
Farm ponds, which
number more than 200,
have in many instances
outgrown their original use
as livestock water and now
provide recreation. In
addition several farmers
are using their ponds to
grow channel catfish; one,
Charles Perfect, is even
trying Rainbow Trout as a
winter "crop!"
Roadside erosion control
has received more at
tention from county
government resulting in
less erosion from this
critical area. As county
roads are paved, the
county is planting per
manent cover of bermuda,
bahia, and clover. An
Houston
Census
In 1925
Th*e farm census of 1925
gave Houston County 1,361
farms containing 134,549
acres valued at $3,153,061.
There were 2,414 mules
and 258 horses in the
county in 1925. There were
1,034 tenant farmers, 42
managers and 285 owners
of farms, the first year
after creation of Peach
County.
approximately 1,871,360
acres of land. Draining is
by the Ocmulgee and Flint
Rivers and their
tributaries.
The District is governed
by a board of Supervisors.
Tne first chairman of this
board was the late S.W.
Hickson, Sr. of Perry. The
second chairman was the
late Sam A, Nunn, Sr., of
Perry.
The conservationist for
Houston County is Drew
Bynum who succeeded the
late Jack Miller in 1967.
Hoke Smith retired
January 15, 1971 after
completing 35 years with
the U.S. Soil Conservation
Service and 20 years with
the Ocmulgee Soil Con
servation District.
The Ocmulgee District
office was moved to
Milledgeville, Ga. in
January 1971 and is now
under the supervision of
Jeff C. Ownes, area con
servationist.
The program of work
includes watershed
projects, such as
Tobesofkee Creek in Bibb
County and Pennahatchee
added by-product will be
the crimson clover
blossoms each spring!
Minimum Tillage
Increased emphasis has
been made on "no-til" or
minimum tillage cropping
systems. This system
allows planting in the past
year's stubble without any
land preparation. Weeds
are controlled with
chemicals. Problem has
been with weeds and
inability to get a good
stand. Our advice has been
to try this method only if
the landowner really is a
good farmer and intends to
follow through. Erosion is
reduced to less than 1 ton
of topsoil per acre.
Average straight, row, up
and down hill farming
results in soil losses per
acre per year of 15 to 25
tons!
Multi-row equipment (6
& 8 row) demands wider
terraces. Heavier than
normal rainfall in 1975 has
created more demand than
ever for terracing and
other water control
measures on cropland.
Livestock numbers have
increased; both cettle and
pork. This has created a
need for waste treatment
considerations. SCS has
been assigned respon
sibility for design and
supervision of construction
of concentrated animal
waste facilities on farms.
Two (2) dairy and four (4)
swine waste treatment
in Dooly County; water
conservation including
remedial action for water
pollution; classification of
land according to
suitability for crops,
pasture, woodland,
wildlife, or recreation;
promotion of conserva
tion practices concerning
soil and water and
beautification of land
through conservation.
The Soil Conservation
Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture
is an agency of highly
trained technicians who
are skilled in the use and
treatment of land and
water resources for con
tinuous and high
production.
Richard Johnson of
Houston County was one of
nine Middle Georgia
farmers who were named
"Man of the Year in Soil
Conservation" in 1970 by
the bankers and super
visors of the Ocmulgee Soil
and Water Conservation
District, 29 banks and the
board of supervisors
sponsor this annual
program.
lagoons are in various
stages of construction and
use. These facilities will
handle wastes from some
450 cattle and 3500 hogs.
Increased livestock
numbers have resulted in
additional lands being
planted to improved
pastures; mostly coastal
bermuda grass. Labor and
fuel problems led to the
development of the round
and wafer hay bales. These
bales weigh from 1000 to
4000 pounds and can be
stored in the field, without
cover, until needed for
feed. Size reduces labor of
handling and outside
Home Economics
Part Os Extension
By Peggy Polk,
Living—that's what it's
all about! It's twenty-four
hours a day! And members
of the family are the most
important people in the
world. These family
members have problems.
Assisting them in finding
solutions is my respon
sibility.
As Houston County
Extension Agent, I am
responsible for the home
economics phase of the
extension program. This
involves taking in
formation to the people
through mass media,
meetings, self-study
courses, demonstrations,
organized groups,
newsletters, and
publications.
The Expanded Foods
and Nutrition Education
program is also a portion
of the extension effort.
EFNEP works with low
income families to im
prove the nutritional
adequacy of their diets.
Providing leadership and
subject matter training for
the nutrition aides is the
responsibility of the county
extension agent.
We also work with the
youth phases of our
program which is 4-H
Clubs. This organization
offers many educational
and leadership op
portunities for youth from
9 to 19. Young people may
select projects from
consumer education to dog
care to clothing. In ad
dition to regular monthly
meetings, we have project
clubs and special interest
classes.
The Houston County
Extension Service is in
terested in fulfilling the
needs of the people. Our
educational programs,
assistance, and materials
are available to all people
without regard to race,
color, or national origin.
The county's first Home
Demonstration Agent was
Miss Lorena Anderson who
served the latter part of
the 19205. The service was
discontinued by the county
during the 1930 s and until
First Ag.
Fair In
Houston
The first annual fair of
the union Agricultural and
Social Club was held in
October, 1885 in the upper
11th Militia District of
Houston County, according
to the Home Journal dated
Oct. 22, 1885.
It was a great success
with excellent exhibits of
farm producfs, poultry
and ladies' handiwork as
well as a horse show and a
barbecue dinner. 400
people attended.
storage reduces cost of hay
barns. Increased acreage
and better management of
these fields helps stop
erosion.
Ocmulgee District
Soil Conservation work
in Houston county is under
the direction of the Oc
mulgee Soil and Water
Conservation District of
Georgia with headquarters
in AAilledgeville. This local
district was organized in
1938 by authority of a state
legislative act approved in
March 1937.
The first year was spent
in educational work. The
March 1, 1945 when Miss
Annie Newton became the
next worker. Others who
have served as Home
Demonstration agents in
Houston are Miss Dora
Clifford, Miss Clancy
McCaleb, Mrs. Joan S.
Moore, Mrs. Helen Sasser,
Miss Glenda Helmly and
Miss Dee Weems. Miss
Peggy Polk came in
November, 1975.
■: - t * ifPl -i
I
As the curtain goes up on the third century of America’s
proud history of freedom, let us recapture the spirit of a
great and courageous handful of people who brought about
the events for which we hold this joyful celebration; and
then let us rededicate ourselves to the preservation of our
freedom for all time, in the Spirit of 1976.
|g o d DSD n.nDg g n I
EDWARDS-HARPER
'FINE CLOTHES FOR MEN AND BOYS" I
DOWNTOWN DERRY I
second and third years a
Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) was located
at Perry to serve five of the
nine counties in the
district.
By 1943 operations were
well underway and
campaigns for planting
winter cover crops were
promoted. In 1944, the
Green Acres contest was
launched.
In the early 19405,
cropping systems included
corn, velvet beans,
austrian winler peas and
cow peas. Terraces were
made with mule-drawn
plows and "slip-scraper".
Waterways were usually
kudza "meadows". Upland
pasture improvement
included Kobe and annual
lespedeza with super
phosphate added. Bottom
land pastures were planted
to Dal lis grass and white
clover.
In the late 19405, tractors
began to replace mutes.
There were better row
crop arrangements and
rotation of crops im
proved. Improved pasture
lands were established as
interest in cattle raising
reached a new high.
Thousands of pine
seedlings were planted in
reforestation programs.
Many farm ponds were
constructed and stocked
with fish.
In the early 19505,
coastal bermuda came to
be the grass not only for
grazing grassed water
ways and hay after it was
found that fescue was not
satisfactory because it
could not stand grazing
during hot summer
months.
In the 19605, some 5,000
acres of improved pasture,
35 farm ponds, 110,000 feet
of parallel terracing, 10,000
feet of drain tile, and 3,000
acres of planted trees have
been established."
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., JULY 1, im,
Prominent Georgians
18 Enshrined In
Ga. Hall of Fame
The idea of creating the Georgia Hall of Fame was
adopted by the Legislative committee of the Georgia
Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy In*
1953. Mrs. Forrest E. Kibler, of Atlanta, chairman of
the committee was the originator of the Hall of Fame'
idea, which was endorsed by the Ga. Division, U.D.C. Vst 0 "’
October, 1954.
In January 1955, the project was presented to th 4
general assembly of Georgia and was approved
February 7.
Other patriotic organizations were eventually
to sponsor busts of prominent Georgians of their [f
epochs. The busts were dedicated and placed in the Hill
of Fame in the rotunda of the State Capitol and In the'
Judicial Building in the following order:
1. Alexander Hamilton Stephens (1812-1883), ViCe
President, Confederate States of America.
2. Button Gwinnett (1732-1777)
3. Lyman Hall, M.D. (1724-1790) m _
4. George Walton (1749-1804) ,e
(The three signers of the Declaration of In
dependence)
5. William Few (1748-1828) '
6. Abraham Baldwin (1754-1807)
(The two signers of the United States Constltutlortj‘
7. William H. Crawford (1772-1834), United Statis‘ ( ',
Senator, United States Minister to France
8. Crawford W. Long, M.D. (1815-1878), Discoverer
Surgical Anesthesia. *rr,C
9. Archibald Bulloch (1730-1777), A leader of «j« A
Revolutionary Movement in Georgia, first presldant'■
and commander in chief of Georgia.
10. John Adam Treutlen (1726-1782), Salzburg
first governor under State Constitution of 1777.
11. George M. Troup (1780-1856), advocate of states
rights, governor, 1823-1827.
12. Benjamin Hawkins (1754-1816), Indian agent,
1827.
13. Peter Early (1773-1817), governor of Georgia
during War of 1812 (1813-1815.
14. Margaret Mitchell Marsh (1900-1949), "Gone With
the Wind": Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 1936.
Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia; .
15. Joseph Henry Lumpkin (1799-1867) ,j ep9
16. James Jackson (1819-1887) rly
17. Logan Edwin Bleckley (1827-1907) fl
18. Richard Brevard Russell (1861-1938) f .