Agriculture

Ironton Tribune Submitted by Lorna Marks

Here is how O. D. SMITH started his report of activities as a county agent for the calendar year 1918:

• “The agriculture in Lawrence County as a whole is of secondary importance. Mining and manufacturing rank first. More than three-fourths of the area of the county is rough and rugged. In the large portion of these hilly sections are few, if any, farms. There are scarcely a dozen farmers in three western townships, for example, which comprise one-fourth of the county’s area.
• “The remainder of the hilly townships are more thickly dotted with farms, but few of the farmers in these strict hill farms depend entirely on their income. The farms that bring the owners the most comfortable living are those devoted largely to apple orchards.
• “The hill orchards are confined almost exclusively to the eastern portion of the county, not a great distance from an orchard of a successful pioneer apple grower. The natives say that this man, Nelson Cox, is responsible for Lawrence County ranking first in the production of apples in this state.
• “The fruit growers in the county are the most prosperous and progressive as a class. The movement for County Agent work in Lawrence County started among the apple growers.
• “When the most progressive fruit growers learned the necessary steps for establishing the work, they started a movement to secure a county agent. With the aid of the Chamber of Commerce of Ironton, the number of paid memberships necessary to organize a Farm Bureau was secured. Unfortunately, however, the movement was unpopular in the greater part of the county. The memberships secured represented only a small section of the county along the Ohio River and in the hill section of the county devoted to fruit.
• “It was about two years after the movement started before enough persuasion was brought to bear on the county commissioners to make an appropriation of county funds to aid in carrying on the work of the Farm Bureau. The better citizens required a considerably more organized effort to fulfill the requirements for securing a county agent than they had ever undertaken here. This, however, tended to increase the future possibilities of the organization’s success. Nevertheless, some of the best farmers expected the county agent to be the whole cheese. Their idea of how a county agent would serve the county was very old-fashioned.”
• Suddenly, as one reads this 1918 report, one’s eyes open wider than before, with this statement being discovered in the narrative report:
• “The hog cholera broke out in the incorporation of Ironton in September, and within a few days, 17 owners reported cholera among their hogs. Since over 1,000 hogs are being kept in Ironton and furthermore, since the epidemic of cholera in Ironton would spread to rural sections, the Farm Bureau immediately summoned state veterinarian L. P. Beechy. It began effective measures for getting the disease under control. A hog cholera cleanup demonstration was given to enlighten the sanitary police and owners of swine as to the most approved method of cleaning up cholera. On the suggestion of the state veterinarian, the mayor of Ironton ordered the sanitary police to slaughter and burn all sick and dead hogs and burn and disinfect their quarters.”
• Meanwhile, if memory serves, burning down a pig pen to get rid of germs has a counterpart in driving away germs of human ailments. There wasn’t as much burning of houses as of fumigating candles, of boiling clothing in strong solutions in copper kettles erected out of doors. Much has been learned along these lines since 1918. But one can reflect on acrid odors as they rose from the burning hog pens of Ironton even in the month of September.
• Poor draining of some parts of Lawrence County was a major problem, and correcting this problem was one of the main efforts of county agents of the time.
• No other work in which the county agent has assisted seems to have gained the favor of the farmers as the efforts to get farm help.
• “Publicity was given to the Federal Employment Bureau, and the county agent solicited farmers to register their help needs. Over 100 applications for farmhands were received. Most of these applications helped to save the apple crop in this county. Through the Employment Bureau, 60 men were secured, including 43 conscientious objectors. Arrangements were made with the city (school) superintendents at Ironton and Huntington for high school boys to pick apples. Fifty to 60 boys were secured in this way.”
• One wonders how far away they had to go to find 43 conscientious objectors. The evidence is that they probably had to bring them in from a great distance. This area was famous for its young men who answered the call to the colors in 1917 and 1918, and one has reason to believe one would have had to look for a long time to find 43 conscientious objectors to military service in this area. Again, it would be interesting to know how many Ironton High School and Huntington High School alumni remember their days as apple pickers in the orchards of Lawrence County.
• At this point, it is desired to point out that the boys in the corn and potato clubs listed in last Sunday’s article were perhaps more important than indicated. Truly, they, with a few more to be mentioned later, were the faithful remnant of what originally was a larger group.
• Here is the way the agent told the story:
• “In cooperation with the county and district school superintendents, the county agent conducted a campaign to enroll many boys and girls in club work. The club work was explained at the school, and the boys and girls were allowed to enter. Three hundred seventy-five girls enrolled in food clubs, and one hundred fifty boys joined corn and potato clubs.
• “A series of meetings were held with the various clubs in which the superintendent of schools, the assistant state leader of clubs, and the county agent attempted to inform and inspire the boys and girls in work. Later, a meeting of the local club leaders was held at the county seat to instruct them in carrying on the work. However, this meeting was very poorly attended, and there was a gradual decline in interest both on the part of leaders and members of the club. The agent made another visit to the Boys Potato and Corn Clubs, and they were found very much disorganized. Only about half of the boys were doing their work. The county agent personally visited the ” stickers, ” and their plots were measured. The boys making an effort were rather discouraged by a drought that cut their yields.