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Ag. Secretary Glickman looks atN.C. family farms, tobacco, barbecueU.S. Secretary ofAgriculture Dan Glickman dis cussed family farms and tobac co production during a visit toeastern North Carolina inSeptember. Glickman wasinvited to by CongresswomanEva Clayton (D-Littleton) andCongressman Bob Etheridge(D-Lillington) to hear directlyfrom farmers who face chal lenges due to changes in pricesupports, weather and tobaccolegislation.The Secretary visited thefarm of Pender Sharp in Sims,Wilson County, N.C., for a bar becue lunch sponsored by theNorth Carolina Association ofElectric Cooperatives, alongwith the N.C. Farm Bureau andFirst Citizens Bank.Sharp Farms is a tobacco,row crop and livestock opera tion. Host Pender SharpDan Glickman in Wilson County.thanked Glickman for coming“to witness first-hand tobaccoproduction and to get a feel for the crisis we are experiencing in the tobaccoindustry and in farming as a whole.” Sharp walked Glickman to the tobaccobarns, where workers were barnmg just-harvested leaf.“Eve always supported the tobacco program, even during my 18 years inCongress,” Glickman said. “I recognize that if you look at the country andyou see this tremendous reduction in the number of family farmers in corn,wheat, cotton and rice country, the one place you don’t see this reduction isin tobacco country. Clearly, the program has stabilized that income source so[tobacco farmers] don’t have massive gyrations of income from year to year,as compared to what you see in the Midwest. We need to preserve the pro gram.”Glickman also stated that the Farm Bill of 1996 (the Freedom to FarmAct) has not worked. It has, in effect, taken away many of the safety netsagriculture had in the past to help farmers in times of high supply, lowdemand and low prices. “We need to fix the safety net. The government can’tcome in and micro-manage every aspect of American agriculture.” He addedthat current commodity prices are near World War II levels. “And 1 guaranteethe cost of production hasn’t gone down in the same way. I feel very stronglythat as agriculture goes, so goes the rest of the country.”Gov. James B. Hunt noted that while the state’s agriculture has diversified,tobacco farms still rely heavily on the leaf to support other crops.Etheridge stated that if not for the tobacco and peanut programs, thenumber of farmers in eastern North Carolina would decrease “because thoseare the two commodities that underpin and support the other commoditiesgrown, such as poultry, corn, wheat, potatoes and soybeans,” he said. “Toomany people know in this country that when we have just 2.5 to 3 percentof the people supporting the rest of us in food and fiber, we’ve got to contin ue to fight and sell the agricultural message all across the country.”Clayton added that North Carolina’s representatives in Washington, aswell as the administration, are fighting for all farmers. “We all care about everyfaimer, whether tobacco, cotton, potato or peanut, all farmers."— Renee GannonNCEMC contributes to statewideenvironmental conservationNorth Carolina Electric MembershipCorporation, the electric generation and transmis sion cooperative based in Raleigh, recently endorseda statewide environmental conservation program.With its contribution to the Conservation Trust ofNorth Carolina, NCEMC became a CommunityConservation Partner to help communities andlandowners preserve and enhance the state’s natural,cultural and rural environments.NCEMC joins CTNC in the belief that landtrusts operating within a special locale or homeregion are better able to respond to the needs andinterests of their communities, just as NCEMC sup ports the local operations of electric cooperativesacross North Carolina.“This environmental stewardship initiative pro vides an opportunity for NCEMC’s board to furtherits adopted policy of environmental commitment,”says June M. Small, director of environmental affairsfor NCEMC.Since 1992, the Conservation Trust has assistedNorth Carolina’s local and regional land trusts in avariety of ways, including start-up organizing,preparing inventories, arranging preservation pro jects, raising funds.For more information about the ConservationTrust for North Carolina, contact the office at EO.Box 33333, Raleigh, NC 27636 or by phone at(919) 828-4199.An all-electric hornet homeMy husband and I own a cabin on SheepbackMountain (Jackson County). As we were taking awalk one day, my hus band saw this trans former under whichhornets had built anest. It looks asthough they had builtan all-electric home.Sheri HartzellSavannah, Ga.Haywood EMCAny transformation ofa transformer, such asa bird or bee nest,should be reported toyour electric co-op forsafety reasons.december 1998Caroline country 5

More power to youKeep helping peopleOn Friday, July 12, 1996, Hurricane Bertha hit the NorthCarolina coast. It started to cause problems with the power, andit started to get a whole lot worse outside. Suddenly the powerwent out thanks to a large pine tree and 74 mph wind. It wastough going through all the whirling wind for hours.The next day, Hurricane Bertha was gone, and people werecleaning the debris and repairing houses. Bertha sent a tornadothrough Aurora, tearing down dozens of lines and floodingstreets and piers. It took four days to get power back on, and asusual the Grantsboro EMC (Tideland Electric) was to the rescueand the power was up and running.I really appreciate what you all have done. People havedepended on you. I’m sure everyone appreciates how you workaround the clock. You are the best power company in the area.Don’t stop working. Keep helping people.Mams Jermaine MooreAuroraTidelanddrawing very well) as a 5th grader in Ron Clark’s class at SnowdonElementary School.WHEN BANKS SAY NO . . . WE SAY, YES!!!1ST MORTGAGESServicingNorth Carolina’sMortgage Needs360 Months 180 MonthsAmount*6.5%*6.25% 50,000 316.03 428.71 100,000 632.07 150,000 948.10 » 857.42 1286.13Refinance nowwhile rates are lowLower your monthly paymentCreative programs availableBill consolidation and home improvementsFast/local closingsFEDERATED MORTGAGE, INC,(800) 466-1635 or (800) 854-2336Apply by phonewww.fedmort.com* Rates subject to change and qualification* APR may vary* Credit and collateral subject to qualificationfc aiiini'iiwiBH——oa—— MwcHgumammiB mTaimmumnimi6 Carolina countrydecember 1998Multi-State Mortgage LicenseeFixed Rates

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CommentaryMail:Phone:RO. Box 27306Fax:(919) 878-3970Raleigh, NC 2761 I-7306E-mail:carolina.country@ncemcs.com(800) 662-8835, ext. 3062Website:www.ncemcs.comReaders' commentsThe apple of her eyeProlific plants may notbe terrific plantsAfter reading the letter from the gentleman from MannsHarbor [“Can bamboo help here?”. Commentary, Sept. 1998],I thought some response from the western part of the state wasin order. He got me to thinking:How many years ago was it that one over-zealous andunder-experienced county agent convinced cattle farmers toplant the multiflora rose as a substitute for post and wire fenc ing? It worked, all right, but those who tried it ended up withmore fences than field. This plant is so prolific, it’s not natural!On my place I do battle with it constantly. If I didn’t, I’d findmyself awakened one morning with a kiss from a handsomeyoung prince come to rescue this Snow White-haired ladytrapped in her trailer by some wicked multiflora briars.And honeysuckle: Once it gets started you can’t stop it. Ahoneysuckle vine will climb an obliging weed all summer, andcome fall, when its time for the weed to drop to the ground, itcan’t, because by now the vine is strong enough to hold upitself and the weed as well. Which is what the honeysuckleintended to start with, for now it’s an easy stretch from theweed to the next level, perhaps the lower branches of asapling. A honeysuckle has no mercy. Like a snake it will coilitself around a sapling with a grip of death. In a few years itwill have squeezed the trunk of the sapling into a permanentcorkscrew shape. I have a friend who combs the swamps andwild places for these hapless saplings, from which he makeselegant walking canes. Honeysuckle has been with us so longthat few people realize that it too is an import. The multiflorarose and the honeysuckle share one redeeming virtue: Bothhave a deceptively delightful fragrance.Privet is another import gone wild - literally. As long as aprivet hedge is kept clipped and not allowed to bloom, privetcan more or less be kept under control. If you’ve got one, keepthose flower buds from forming, because once a privet hasflowered and set berries, you’ve lost all authority you ever hadover it. For one thing, birds love the dark blue berries and takethem everywhere. For another thing, privet is sneaky. If youcut it off at the top of the ground and it comes back and youcut it off again and you think this time you got it - think again.Pretty soon you will see brand new baby privet a few feet away.On a straight line between the old cut off stalk and the babyprivet, about two inches under the ground you will find a run ner root from the old stalk. Pnvet will give up, but it will notgive in. I have dug up underground runners four and five feetlong. But alas, you can’t dig ‘em all. Small privets that sproutfrom seed or from along the runners are easy to pull up, so I pullthem up and snag them by the roots in the crotch of a treewhere they will die.continued on next page8 Carolina countrydecember 1998Rebecca Spurlin, age 7, wrote this poem on her own after learningabout apples from her teacher, Mrs. Shelley Allen, and after going on afield trip to an apple farm in Hendersonville. She is a second grader atCliffside School in Rutherford County.ApplesApples start from a seed.Apples are something that we need.Apples have a star inside.Apples are North Carolina’s pride.Kathy Dobbins, volunteerKathy Tuttle, teacher’s assistantCliffsideThe appleof her eyeThis is my son, PaytonBolick. He’s 2 1/2 years old.There are about four appletrees in our front yard, butthis is his favorite.Payton is a true moun tain boy. He sat in this tree foran hour eating that apple andwatching his dad mow.We love North Carolina.Thank you, Blue RidgeElectric, for wonderful serviceall year long. We love yourmagazine.Sharon H. BolickLenoirCorn beadsI am writing for my father, Chester Williams, who still has mygrandmother’s house in Engelhard.We wonder if any readers know about a small, shiny gray seed thatmy grandmother used to grow. She called them corn beads. The seedswere picked and dried and strung to wear as necklaces. They were sup posed to cure goiters.We would like to try and grow some of these seeds and wouldappreciate any information anyone might give.Jan Williams321 Gainsborough Sq.Chesapeake, VA 23320-4992

Prolific plants continuedAnd kudzu - the plant that ate theSouth. The highway department decided thisgiant beanstalk was the very thing to controlerosion along the roadways edge, and so weordered a bunch of them from somewherefar away, hoping they could tolerate the poorsoils and adverse growing conditions foundalong our southern highways. How little weknew! It was like throwing slop to hogs. Thekudzu vines dug in. Hot, cold, wet, dry, acid,alkaline - it was all the same. Not only haskudzu covered the earth, it also coveredhouses, barns, abandoned motor vehicles,and occasionally some slow moving dogsand cats. One has to admit that in summerkudzu hides a multitude of sins, but in win ter not only are the flaws of the landscapeexposed, but the less comely parts of thekudzu as well.And now, someone wants to use bam boo for something besides fishing poles. Forone thing you can’t kill it. Unless some of thenew herbicides will kill it, 1 only know ofone thing that will, and that is salt. Even ourlittle native canes are hard to control, letalone bamboo. Imported bamboo grows fast;it grows were you want it to, and it alsogrows where you don’t want it. Bamboo hasthat kind of an attitude.Marjorie RoseLake ToxawayThank YouThanks for Tri-CountyEMC and cartoonsI would like to commend TriCounty Electric for the swift jobthey did restoring our lights duringHurricane Bonnie. When the lightswent out, I got a sick feeling in thepit of my stomach, remembering the10 days we were without electricityduring Fran. But within about fourhours our power was restored andall was well.Also, I would like to say that Ihave enjoyed reading the CarolinaCountry magazine for many years,and I especially like the cartoons byDonna Hardy. I have cut out severaland sent them to friends. Keep upthe good work, and keep thosecartoons coming.Suzie BakerPink HillLight Linesby Donna HardyHAM HOCKS ANb COLLARb GREENS,"Mmm-mmm*I.3USTLOYE theseNORTH CAROLINA DELIVERIESXOCUVTZyJukeboxes makea comebackDue to the desire of the babyboomers to relive their past, some of ourpreference to things we collect and dis play in our homes is changing. After all,the VW is back.Our latest passion is jukeboxes. Thisis one of eight jukeboxes we have collect ed. We found this one in Franklin, N.C.Prices can range in the thousands forsome of the very rare ones, to a few hun dred for not so rare.In the North this is a big thing. It iscatching on fast in the South. There areplaces to order parts, rebuild amps, any thing you need to restore these beautifulmachines. And, guys, they use electricity.Goldie Ribera879 Jess Cove Rd.Clyde, NC 28721Make your own decaf teaI recently heard the owner of the Tudor Rose Tearoom tell how one can easilydecaffinate their own tea at home.Items needed: a kettle for boiling water, a teapot, tea bags or tea and a teaballFirst, boil the water in an open kettle. (Boiling for five minutes will drive of! much ofthe chlorine in the water.) Place teabags or teaball and tea in the teapot. Cover the teawith boiling water and steep for 10 seconds. Pour off and discard this water. (This alsopreheats the teapot.) Add boiling water to the teapot and steep as normal The teaserved will now be almost completely decaffeinated.Bill SeipleRaleighdecember 1998Carolina country

Nothing could be finerThe Mule at Hardbargain Creek andOther Stories in north Carolina HistoryIt’s interesting that many of you, when submittingsent stones of personal history. So we figured that per sonal and family stories are part of our state’s history asmuch as any stories that get into books or are passedfrom generation to generation.The judges selected the stories on these pages as fineexamples of North Carolina history. We tend to believethe personal stories and hope the others are true.We are looking forward to 12 more months of yourstories and pictures. (See page 12.) Thanks to all of youwho work so hard and passionately on them. We alsoappreciate all the encouragement we get from peoplewho enjoy reading these.—MGThe Mule atHardbargain CreekDid you ever hear of a man gettingkicked in the head and killed by a deadmule? It happened on the hill between theFirst Broad and Hardbargain Creek.The mule died ontop of the hill about whereSouth Mountain IndustrialInstitute was located. Theearth was too hard and dryto bury the mule on thehill, so they decided to move itto the bottomland to bury it where it would be easier to digthe grave. They waited until the next morning, loaded the deadmule on a sled pulled by a team of mules and started down thetrail. The mule, having been dead many hours, was very cold andstiff, and one of its legs caught on a dogwood tree near the trail andwouldn’t pass.One of the men got an ax and chopped off the dogwood limb,but he was on the danger side of the limb, and the stiff leg of thedead mule hit the man in the head and killed him.Three graves are located on the hill now. The one marked with afieldstone is the one kicked and killed by the dead mule.Tom MeltonSubmitted for Tom by Karen D. McCallBosticRutherford EMCHi Carolina countrydecember 1998Alexander Hamilton and the BurrsAlthough neitherAlexander Hamilton norAaron Burr were from NorthCarolina, their lives touchedour states history in veryinteresting ways.Alexander Hamilton wasa young man aboard a shipbound for New York when hisship ran into a terrible stormand caught fire off Hatteras.The captain did not knowwhere they were, nor howclose to the deadly shoals ofNorth Carolina’s coast.Mr. Hamilton swore thatif it should ever be in hispower, he would see a lightbuilt on that dangerous spot.Later, as Secretary of theThe first lighthouse at Hatteras.Treasury in 1794, he was ableto get a bill passed authorizing the construction of the firstHatteras lighthouse. Finally built in 1802, it was over 100 feet talland lit by kerosene. The old foundations are still there.In 1804, former U.S. vice president Aaron Burr was dis credited when he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. In 1812,Theodosia Burr, Aaron Burr’s beloved only child, was believed tohave perished in North Carolina’s coastal waters. Her ship wasalmost within sight of Mr. Hamilton’s lighthouse.Years later, a woman living on the coast of North Carolinagave her doctor an old portrait of a beautiful young lady. Sheclaimed her husband had taken the painting from a sinking shipin the early 1800s. The doctor later had the portrait examinedby North Carolina’s Art Society. They verified that it was gen uine. They were also able to identify the lady in the painting asTheodosia Burr, who disappeared in our coastal waters while onher way to join her father.Betsy JohnsonSanfordCentr

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