March 6, 1930
Neal Barlow, of Warwick, is one of the big farmers and stockmen of Pocahontas County. He has been farming for over forty years, and he has made a success of it. Now here is his unique record. In all the years he has been farming, Mr. Barlow has had but two teams of horses. Occasionally he has had to buy an odd horse when one of the old standbys dropped off, but he has only had two teams. I don’t know of a better sign of a good man than such a record – and that is not taking a backhanded lick either at Mr. Barlow’s brother Asa C., who in that time has owned from five hundred to a thousand head of horses. This means more than twenty years faithful service from each team. To get that means good horses, carefully handled and well treated. Such a record is a sure index of a man’s character. Many good horses have just naturally fretted to death out of years of usefulness by a well meaning nervous man.
As the old copy book of my time used to teach, “ A merciful man is merciful to his beasts.”
Also, the old horseman’s saying that a man is known by the team he drives.
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Principal James Z. Johnson, of the Marlinton Graded school was a guest at the Kiwanis club meeting last Friday night. He spoke of what had been attempted and accomplished in the way of enlarging the school library; of supplying food and clothing to under privileged children; of furnishing opportunities for athletic games and developing a spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in and by the contests…
NATURE NOTES
Game Protector Theodore Moore took three fine deer to the Charles Creek woods on Cranberry last Monday. He traveled by truck to Caesar’s Mountain and from there by wagon. Deep snow drifts were encountered, but by digging and cutting roads around, he got through all right. The deer, two big does and a small buck, were in fine shape. They made off in the woods and seemed perfectly at home. This is a real deer range, but there have been few or no deer there since the timber was cut.
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Residents of the Clover Creek Valley are complaining that their countryside is overrun with a plague of gray foxes. They have wiped out the quail, grouse, rabbits and wild turkeys. It is thought, with reason, that these foxes have come from the Seneca State Forest. This State land is a boundary of eleven thousand acres lying east of the Greenbrier River which has been set aside as a game refuge.
No hunting is allowed on it. As it is heavily stocked with deer, under no circumstances are dogs allowed to chase foxes and other varments there.
Systematic trapping by game protectors have kept the number of wild cats down, but without a doubt the foxes here find a sanctuary as well as the game. It is just another example of where men, with the best intentions in the world, attempt to help out the course of nature and finds things breaking out in a way and place he least expects.
Some time ago I was talking to some sportsmen who lived not far from what had been years ago a good deer country. The plan of the State Game Commissioner of putting some deer in these woods came up for discussion. The suggestion was made by these men that if the State did restock this forest with deer, to be careful to see that the animals were taken miles back from the community. That while there was ideal cover and range close in, every farmer raised chickens, turkeys and other poultry. And in order to have any of these it is necessary for every household to keep a hound to chase the foxes away. And everybody knows what a hound will do to the deer if there are any in the neighborhood.
The greatest sportsman that this part of the country ever saw was Sir Arthur Lawson. All hot sand and ginger.
I cannot think of an outdoor sport dear to the hearts of the English people that he did not introduce here, and the American boys of his age met him gladly. He was a writer, speaker, and could sing and dance after the manner of Harry Lauder. There was a striking resemblance between the two men.
At his farm at Mingo, lying partly in Pocahontas and partly in Randolph County (the old Hevener grazing farm), he had all the grass he needed for fox hunting, steeple chase, cricket, polo, golf, football and all the healthy recreations. He hated whiskey as the devil hates holy water. He had no vice. But he had to be on the go all the time…
DURBIN
Hubert Echols and June McElwee, of Marlinton, were business callers in Durbin Saturday.
Austin Nottingham, who carries the mail from Durbin to Cass, reports the road in a very bad condition.
Miss Hazel Sutton, who is attending high school at Greenbank, was at her home on Back Allegheny over the weekend.
J. W. Goodsell is making some improvements at his garage by putting in a restroom for ladies and one for gentlemen.
W. J. Gregory’s family is on the sick list. All but one were in bed at one time, but all are better now.
ARBOVALE
Last week was a good one for sugar making and those who had opened their trees the first of the week got a lot of water.
About ten thousand mine props have been hauled out of this neighborhood this winter.
Andy Nicholas bought twenty head of sheep from Caswell Keller last week.
Richard Shears was home over the weekend from Covington where he has a job with the Pulp and Paper Company.
Wardell Wilfong is home from camp, and is preparing to do a lot of farming this season.
Not much automobile travel on our side roads as the mud is too deep.
BORN
Born to Mr. and Mrs. William Potter, near Buckeye, a son.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Friel, at Clawson, a son and a daughter.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Levi Irvine, near Marlinton, a daughter.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Kellison, of Marlinton, a son.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. B. O. Dunbrack, of Marlinton, a son.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Hevener Dilley, of Huntersville, a daughter.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Galford, of Williams River, a daughter.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Galford, of Woodrow, a son.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnie L. Galford, of Dunmore, a daughter.
