The Wilmington morning star. [volume], February 25, 1946, Page 10, Image 10

About The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990

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Forest Fires Are Called
Real Community Problem
Already destruction of North
Carolina forests by spring fire
started, especially m coa^
region, and in all probabili-j bem. e
the year is over, .these fires iwll
bum an approximately 900,001)
acres of timberland.
The Forest Resource Appraisal
of North Carolina shows that eac.^
year fires burn through an average
of 4 per cent of the forest land of
the state. The average yearly
percentage by regions is 9-4 and 7.6
for the South and North Coas.al
Plains, respectively, but only T3
for the Piedmont and 0.2 for the
Mountains.
Born Eeadlly
The greater bum for the coastal
region, Dr. C. M. Kaufman of the
forestry department in the N. C.
Agricultural Experiment Station
explains by the fact that the
grasses, reeds and brush found in
coastal timber types burn very
readily. And, by the fact that
single fires spread over large areas
because the boggy nature of the
soil in the extensive areas of un
broken forest makes fire suppres
sion difficult and often impossible.
The outstanding reason for the
high percentage of burn, however,
is the attitude of tenants, land
owner.'. and others toward woods
fires.
Many reasons are given for burn
--——
ing the woods or for the attitude
of indifference toward fires. One
of the stock answers is to "bum out
the snaxes. ticks and boll weevils."
Hunters love to see a fire burn
over areas of ’•thick" because re
moval of the dense cover directly
.mproves the chances for taking
deer. .
Some farmers burn the timber
bordering their corn fields to chase
the bears back into the woods.
Otherwise, the bears would stay
near the edge of fhe timber and
cause heavy losses in the com dur
ing their night forays. Actual cases
are known where irresponsible peo
ple set the woods on fire just to
bee it burn. In all cases, no thought
was given to the value of the tim
ber that was destroyed by the fire
Backfiring
Indiscriminate backfiring often
causes more destruction than the
original fire. State law provides
that whenever a man’s property,
his house or his buildings are
threatened by fire, backfires may
be set without a permit. The just’ce
of this provision recognizes no
argument. The fact remains, how
ever, that this liberty too often is
taken as license to set fires. The
result is that what started as a
small fire becomes a blazing terror
because uncalled for backfires at
separated points made suppression
impossible.
The argument that light fires do
no harm is constantly put forth,
especially by those who have no
forest property to burn. Here the
question of what is a “light" fire
always presents itself, Dr. Kauf
man says. Even creeping fires
will damage some types of timber.
The rule can be set down that fire
is harmful in hardwood forests.
Seeding and sapling hardwoods are
easily injured or killed by fire.
Older trees receive injuries to the
bark near the ground line through
which butt rots enter the bole of the
tree and destroy or greatly reduce
the value of the wood.
Some Resistant
Of the pines native to North
i am ■■■ MM MM
Carolina, only longleaf and pond
pine in the Coast and Sandhill reg
ions ani pitch pine in the Moun
tains show any resistance to dam
age from fire.
Even these pines during »ome
period of their development, us
ually as seedlings, are readily kill
ed by fire. Older trees may not be
killed by even moderately hot fires,
but invariably their growth ii set
back three, or more years, and
should fires recur a number of
times the trees are stunted and
never reach the sizes which the
land would ordinarily produce.
No Value
Because of fires and improper
cutting, the forests of North Caro
lina contain 40 million cords of cull
pine and hardwood trees which, in
most cases, have no value, but by
their presence in the stand prevent
vigorous young trees from getting
a start.
Controlled burning has beer, hail
ed as a means of insurance against
wild fire and as a means of promo
ting the growth of pine rather than
hardwoods. Present information is
use of controlled burning or to dis
not sufficient either to support the
prove its value- In any event, it is
a specialized operation which
should be carried out only under
the supervision of a forester train
ed for the work. Controlled burn
ing improperly done can be just
as damaging as wild fire.
Fire Prevention
An increased state appropriation
for fire control can materially help
to reduce North Carolina fire
losses. But a state suppression
program alone cannot solve the
fire problem, Dr. Kaufman says.
The problemi can be solved only af
ter the people living in areas in
which fires frequently occur dis
favor fires sufficiently to give
active help in prevention and sud
pressun. •
Small fires in the woods can
quite readily be put out and a
large burn prevented. People liv
ing in an area of frequent fires are
irt a good position to put out such
fires.
I Carelessness in leaving unattend
Carelessness
ed fire in places where a change
in the wind may cause it to spread
has resulted in high fire losses in
timber.
The need for backfiring around
buildings and homesites can be
completely removed if during days
of low hazard in the .’all and
spring an area around these places
is burned over under the super
vision of the local or county fire
warden. Permits for such burning
can be readily obtained.
Sound Investment
Fire lanes around a forest
property will prove a sound invest
ment. Good lines can be made with
a heavy fire plow and kept open
with a disk, or the timber and
brush can be removed and me line
tilled with a disk. If, where the
forest is grazed, a permanent S^ass
is planted in the fire line, the cat.le
will keen the line open through use.
Grazing cattle in the woods will
reduce the reeds, grasses and
shrubbery in amounts propor 1
to the grazing load. Reducing ihe
burnable material in the o’ _
this manner helps to lower t
9 ger of bad fires.
Carolina Farm Comment
By F. H. JETER
By F. H. JETER
There is a real feed shortage,
especially in poultry feeds, and no
grounds exist for hope that this
shortage may be relieved in the
near future. At the recent meet
ing of the Farm Bureau conven
tion in Winston-Salem; J. B. Hut
son, undersecretary of agriculture,
said that the United States must
send more of its wheat to Europe
to keep those people from starv
ing.
Most of this gram will go to
France where the farmers have
had poor crops for two years and
where practically no grain has
been received from their North
African colonies. Some of our
wheat will go to Holland, Belgium,
Norway, and the other countries
which suffered from the terrible
occupation of the German armies
and secret police.
Many Will Starve
Mr. Hutson saia we would not
feel very good if we sat here in
this country and ate well while
these people starved. Many of
them will starve anyway but we
may be able to help some of them
to remain alive until thie next har
vest. He pointed out that Canada
would send ome grain; so would
Australia and that the Argentine
might be prevailed upon to ship a
little of its surplus.
At any rate, there will be a
shortage of feed because we must
spare this grain and because there
is a shortage of corn. Also we
used up much cf our surplus grain
in feeding cattle during the strike
of the packing house unions. Mr.
Hutson seemed to think that poul
try would suffer more than the
other forms of livestock and that
we might have to sell heavily of
our existing flocks.
Beginners Beware
Roy Dearstyne, head poultry
man, concurs in this and says that
there is an acute shortage of poul
try feed right now. It is a bad
time for beginners to start with
poultry and he urges that all new
comers first contact some reliable
feed dealer who will guarantee suf
ficient feed to see them through,
before they make any heavy in
vestment in poultry buildings and
equipment.
Despite this critical feed situa
tion, many millions of baby chicks
will be started in North Carolina
this spring. To save feed with
these birds, they must be broodc i
with the greatest efficiency be
cause a lack of efficiency will
mean a high death rate and slow
growth. This results in a waste of
badly needed feed.
Balanced Nation
Dearstyne suggests that those
growing broilers feed a liberal
amount of a good balanced ration
consisting of mash, grain and
green feed or its equivalent.* Do
not allow the mash in the feed
hoppers to become musty. Stir it
up each day.
Then he says keep the brooder
at the correct temperature. It is
fatal to successful broiler produc
tion to either chill or overheat the
baby chicks. If one follows the
brooding instructions, he ought to
handle the chicks just about right.
Rigid Sanitation
It is wise also to follow rigid
sanitation at all times. This means
washing the drinking founts each
day; cleaning the brooder house
where the chicks roost each morn
ing; cleaning out the entire house
thoroughly 'or adding litter every
week or more often if necessary.
Dearstyne says there is absolutely
no substitute for cleanliness in
broiler production.
The litter in the brooder house
should be kept dry at all times
and the ventilation of the house
during the brooding period is of
highest importance. More people
neglect to have proper ventilation
than any other one thing, yet it is
easy to know when this exists. The
house is comfortable, it is free
from drafts, there is no moisture,
and little disagreeable odor.
Attention to these seemingly
minor details means faster grow
ing, more profitable chicks and
therefore the better use of such
feed as may be available.
John Gray, assistant forester,
has been traveling in Lenoir,
Pamlico, Carteret, Craven and
Jones counties, and in Lenoir he
ran across a man who is growing
a new home on two acres of land.
This man is James button of the
Buckleberry community who has
two acres of fine loblolly pine tim
ber bordered by a drainage canal.
The timber on this two-acre tract is
now 45 years old and was saved
first by Mr. Sutton’s father and
later by the son.
Thinning Stand
Both men have fought forest fires
to protect it and right now the
younger Sutton is thinning the
stand so as to secure fuel wood
by removing the poorly grown, ill
shaped trees. Mr. Gray says he
saw a number of the better in
dividual pines containing over 600
board feet of sound lumber and
he estimates that Mr. Sutton will
not only have enough timber for
his home but a good: volume left
over for building other structures
about the home. All of it will come
from the small two-acre tract
which has been preserved against
loss from fire.
TOBACCO GROWERS
GET MOLD WARNING
Plant Pathologist Advises
Flue-Cured Planters To
Spray Plants Early
COLLEGE STATION, Raleigh,
Feb 24—Flue-cured tobacco grow
ers throughout the central and
eastern sections of the state today
were, warned by Howard R. Gar
riss, plant pathologist of the State
College Extension Service, to ob
tain spraying equipment and ferm
ate spray in a defensive move
against blue mold, following re
ports from several Georgia to
bacco sections of outbreaks of the
plant disease in that state.
The disease rides the wind, Gar
ris said, explaining that the germs
are blown into North Carolina at
the average velocity of southerly
winds from infected states to the
south. Tobacco plants in this state
are in greatest danger of becom
ing diseased by blue mold when
prevailing temperatures are be
tween 65 and 70 degrees and when
skies are cloudy.
No Infestation
Thus far in the 1946 plant rais
ing season, temperatures here
have been sufficiently low and nc
infestation has been reported it
North Carolina. There is" stil
plenty of danger from the disease
which can strike at any time
Garris said.
In a letter to Garris, reportin?
new discoveries of blue mold h
Georgia, John G. Gaines, associate
pathologist at the Coastal Plaii
Experiment Station, Tifton, Ga.,
wrote:
Plants Smaller
“Plants are much smaller than
usual for this time of the year
and are subject to severe damage.
We had almost continuous cloudy
weather during January and
February, making conditions ideal
for mold. If weather continues
cloudy during the next four weeks,
we are in for plenty of trouble
where beds are not protected.”
Despite mold damage, the letter
said, it is expected that Georgia
will have sufficient plants for this
year’s crop.
Miss Ruth Current, state home
demonstration agent, says that
North Carolina farm women plan
a full program of participation in
National Home Demonstration
Week beginning May 5._
N. C. BROILER MARKET
GLUTTED ACCORDING
TO POULTRY EXPERT
COLLEGE STATION, Raleigh,
Feb. 24—North Carolina broiler
market and cold storage plants are
buried under an avalanche of
chickens for meat which has been
turned loose by poultrymen as a
result of expanded production in
the last quarter of 1945, anticipat
ing shortage of red meats which
did not continue as expected, it
was reported today by H. L. Mea
cham, farm marketign specialist
of the State College Extension
Service.
The intensified shortage of farm
feeds also stimulated the market
ing of poultry in untenable volume,
Meacham declared.
Meacham advanced the opinion
that “the only way to
market glut is for peoB> M
turn loose and eat *-M
have it three or I0 - .
for the next six ,0 ei^t^^1fl
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Contracting . Repairing
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GAS WATER HEATERS
20 gal. — 30 gal.
v WILMINGTON
PLUMBING & HEATING CO.
R. M. KERMON. Jr.. Mgr.
85 N. Third St. Wallace Bldg,
pial 6343
I FUEL OIL ma. 7774
* Standard Oil •‘ESSOHEAT’* (3 Sevens & A Four
| Oil Burner Service The Heat Number) g
P Harriss Fuel Co. David S. Harriss, Mgr. g
TOOL SPECIALS!
Handsaws, 8 pt..$2.25 and $2.50
Hatchets.$1.75 and $2.00
Quicket Vises . $7*95
Carborundum Stones.$1.50 j
Bit Braces.$3.00 and $4.00
Blue Cross Axes.$2.75
David Jacobi Supply Co. 1
17 So. Second St. * Dial 9451 ||
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TAX LISTING
The time for listing taxes has been
extended for a short time. Please
list promptly and save penalties.
J. A. ORRELL
COUNTY AUDITOR
r'
“Why, oh why didn’t I take
this car to my dependable
Dodge dealer — yesterday?’
We’d Rather PREVENT
Breakdowns Than Fix ’Em!
Don’t take chances! Have YOUR
car or truck checked NOW—and
necessary service done by our
expert mechanics using factory
engineered parts. Prompt, de
pendable service—at reasonable
prices! Make an appointment—
NOW!
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AND
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Phones 7554—6212
Remember j
THURSDAY
IS THE DAY!
We’re working mighty hard these days on a
big job we’ve got to deliver—our $300,000,000
expansion program. It’s an all embracing pro
gram that will provide better telephone ser
vice and telephones for all who want them.
The job ahead of us is one that must be
handled with care. The vast sum of money in
volved places a heavy responsibility on both
management and employees. It will be spent
wisely and with the same care that has always
characterized telephone operations.
There is also the responsibility of main
taining adequate earnings so that the funds
needed to build more telephone facilities can
be secured. The money will have to come, as
it has in the past, from thrifty people putting
their hard earned cash in the Telephone Com
pany. But unless they have confidence in the
safety of their investment and feel assured of
a reasonable return on that investment, nev?
funds for expansion will not be forthcoming.
So it is easy to see that telephone earning*
have a direct bearing on the future of tele
phone service in your community.
SOUTHERN BELL TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, Incorporatei