In January 1921 Mount Airy residents H. Burton and Cleve Belton won prizes for their chickens.
Taking nothing away from local or even state fair ribbons, these men had achieved something even more impressive. Their feathered champions had placed at the prestigious 35th Annual Madison Square Garden Poultry Show.
With entries carefully freighted in from not only the United States, but Canada, Australia, across Europe and into Mexico, this was easily the largest such show on the East Coast. A breeder whose animal placed well in this competition would command top dollar.
Burton’s entries, a cockerel and a pullet (rooster and hen less than a year old) were Hamburg variety birds and they each took first place in their classes. Cleve Belton, son of grocer and mountain turkey drover Bob Belton, brought home second and fourth place honors with his Golden Wyandottes.
Surry and the counties around her have always been predominately rural, even when the furniture and textile industries were at their strongest, most people in the county had farming roots.
In the earliest days of America, land ownership equated to wealth and privilege. Only men who owned land could vote or hold elected office. Beyond food, the raw materials for many industries came from the farm, everything from cotton and tobacco to leather and linseed oil.
In the wake of the Civil War, farmers became more organized, coming together in several National Agricultural Congresses. We’ve found no evidence to say whether anyone from Surry County attended but it was reported in the region’s newspapers and followed closely by the farmers of the area.
“Agriculture, being the foundation-stone of our prosperity as a people, the farmers of the county should have proper representation in the councils of the State and Nation, and it is within the province of this Congress to assist in securing such representation,” wrote the editor of the Danbury Reporter 21 Mar 1872.
Farmers of the South struggled to advance as quickly as their Northern and Midwestern cousins where mechanization was more common and, in the case of the plains states, the farmers were larger with more fertile soils.
This region was home to many tobacco farms but also well-established orchards that we’ve discussed in this column before. The Sparger Orchards were winning awards for their apples and peaches at expositions across the country. The Elkin Tribune reported that local JAJ Royal “shipped two solid cars of apples…last week.”
Local farmers were celebrated in the press as when the Elkin Times wrote about 73-year-old Bob Bauguss and his apiary in September 1896. He lived just across the Wilkes County line from Elkin and maintained “nearly a hundred stands of bees.”
During World War I farms and gardens were deployed as surely as any weapon.
“The season is now at hand when the farmers and gardeners will begin preparation for this year’s crops, and if there was ever a time that this should have our closest attention and best work now is that time,” wrote the Mount Airy News in March 1918
The need to increase output on lower manpower and scientific advances in agriculture led to serious and not so serious competitions.
The Mount Airy News reported on one such contest in December 1930 when Lowgap physician Dr. AC Boyles entered into a wager with William Jackson, manager of the Woodruff store. They would each raise several hogs and which ever man had the larger pig at the end would have a new $50 suit from the loser.
Dr. Boyles had his porkers fed a scientifically balanced diet in careful combination with medicinal additives to stimulate growth and health.
Jackson fed his Poland Chinas on chop and pound cake.
Needless to say Mr. Jackson had a new suit that year.
Farming continues to be an important element of life in Surry County where just over 1,000 farms work produced $230 million worth on 152,400 acres of land. Sixty years ago there were 283,864 acres in production, a trend seen nationwide as farming profit margins grow tighter and the American farm produces more with less year after year.
As my dairy-farmer dad says, if you ate today, thank a farmer.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com