FARMERS & CONSUMERS Tommy Irvin, Commissioner Georgia Department of Agriculture Market Bulletin ftr VOL 68, NO. 27 Wednesday, July 7, 1982 ftodte Bwjd Tobacco Sales Face Dolicious Goorgia Poaches Ideal Horse For Beginners Over the years, the Racking Horse has worked its way from farms and plantations and the rounds of the Circuit Riders to become the most sought-after horse of the present day. He's the answer to a beginning rider's prayer, a horse naturally kind to humans, smoothtempered with a gait that makes for a comfortable shock-absorbed ride. The "rack" is often called the "single-foot" because a single foot is on the ground at a time. The Rack ing Horse's natural friendliness and (Our guest columnist this week is Jodie Boyd, President, Georgia Rack ing Horse Exhibitors' Association, 16355 New Bull Pen Road, Alpharetta 30201.) easy disposition is its heritage from generations of performing chores in harness and under saddle. He is an intelligent horse with many superior qualities, being gracefully built, good-looking, with a long sloping neck, full flanks, flat well-boned smooth legs and finely textured hair. Compared with other breeds, the Racking Horse is small to medium in size, averaging 15.2 hands high, weighing about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. Colors are sorrel, chestnut, black, roan, white, bay, brown, grey, yellow and sometimes spotted. In some breeds of horses, the rack is an achieved, artificial gait, but in the Racking Horse, the square four beat rack (showing no animated hock action) comes as naturally as simply walking or striking a bold trot comes to most other horses. It is not the result of special training, but generic to the horse. The Racking Horse is unique in that its gaits do not alter between the show ring and the bridle path. He may be ridden for show today and for pleasure tomorrow. The Georgia Racking Horse Ex hibitors' Association was formed in 1974, and has become one of the largest and most active state (Continued on Page 12) Delayed Opening When the MARKET BULLETIN went to press Friday, July 2, the opening date for Georgia tobacco sales had been postponed until Wednesday, July 21, rather than the previously recommended date of Tuesday, July 13. According to Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin, the delay is due to the Senate's failure to com plete work on tobacco legislation re quired by the 1981 Farm Bill. "If for some reason, the Senate fails to complete work on tobacco legislation, then the Georgia-Florida markets will open anyway on July 21 but operate under last year's marketing laws," Irvin said. In a meeting of the National Flue Cured Tobacco Advisory Committee last week in Raleigh, North Carolina, Georgia-Florida markets were assured of the promised 11 days of accelerated sales, the same as if the markets had opened on July 13. According to the Commissioner, Georgia markets will open for three days of accelerated sales Wednes day, Thursday and Friday, July 21, 22, and 23, followed by four days of accelerated sales each of the next two weeks. Seven of the 16 sets of buyers then will move north, leaving nine sets to continue Georgia-Florida sales. Sleeping Sickness Diagnosed in S. Ga. Seven cases of eastern encephalomyelitis, commonly known as sleeping sickness, have been confirmed in South Georgia horses. No human cases have been reported. The disease is normally carried in wild bird populations. Mosquitoes bite and suck the blood out of in fected birds and then bite horses or humans and transmit the disease. Three cases were confirmed in Cook County, two in Thomas and two in Lowndes. One suspected case in Brooks was not confirmed because tissues were too old by the time they reached the animal disease diagnostic lab in Tifton. Horse owners in South Georgia are being urged to contact their local veterinarian for advice on innoculation against the disease. Remain a State Trademark Peaches have been a trademark of Georgia for a long time. The state was among the first to become involved in the commercial peach industry during the 1800's. Peaches were included in the Trustee's Garden on the coast during Oglethorpe's time in the 1730's. Ear ly settlers continued to grow them successfully throughout Georgia's colonial period. By 1800, there were a few large orchards in Wilkes Coun ty and other ..pcountry areas. Some farmers are said to have had as many as 5000 trees. Because the fruit was highly often hard and bitter. Peaches were usually used to provide food for hogs and make brandy. Due to the increasing interest in cotton, many orchards were neglected or pushed up to make more room for cotton. However with the expansion of the railroad pro viding prospects for outside markets, peaches became more appealing to Georgia farmers. In 1845, an editorial appeared in (This is the second in a series of ar ticles spotlighting important crops in the history of Georgia agriculture.) the Southern Cultivator recommen ding that farmers located near railroads leading to major cities grow peaches on their poor sandy perishable, early orchards were established primarily for home use. Unimproved seedlings planted dur ing this time yielded fruit that was soil to supply those markets. Robert Nelson, a political refugee from Denmark, established Troup Hill Nursery in Macon in 1852. Unlike northern nurserymen who Special Editions grew peaches from seeds, Nelson in sisted that more uniform peaches The fall farm land edition of the Farmers and Con sumers Market Bulletin has been scheduled for an earlier date this year. It will be published September 22. Deadline for this issue is September 8. The special handicraft edi tion will be published August 11. Deadline for this issue will be July 28. could be produced by grafting from parent stock. His skill in fruit pro pagation, along with his encourage ment of commercial peach produc tion in middle Georgia, played a ma jor role in stimulating this industry in antebellum Georgia. The commercial peach industry rapidly expanded in the decade following 1850. In 1851, R. J. Moses shipped a basket of peaches to New York by stage to Macon, rail to (Continued on Page 11) FOUNDATION SEED SALE To protect the state's farmers, the Georgia Department of Agriculture tests grain samples to determine accuracy in moisture meters throughout the state. For more in formation, turn to page 11. The Georgia Seed Development Commission has a few bushels of Foun dation Soybean seed of the following varieties available. These seed are in bushel bags. The price is $14 per bushel. Bragg Cobb Foster Hutton GaSoy 17 Ransom Please contact Georgia Seed Development Com mission, Athens, (404) 543-7676. Page 2 THE MARKET BULLETIN Wednesday, July 7, 1982 we,