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Week ending October 27, 1938
SOCIOLOGICAL SERIES
Helen S. Hartley
Identification No. 0149-5147
Federal. Writers' Project Dist. 2
WPA Project #44541 Mobile, Ala.
Mr. Charles A. Sturtevant
Chunchula, Alabama.
A VISIT TO A FARMING DAIRY AT CHUNCHULA, ALA.
Written by Helen S. Hartley.
As I parked my car in front of the delightfully comfortable
cottage of the farming dairy of the Sturtevant brothers, at Chun-
chula, in M obile County, on the Citronelle Road (U. S. Highway 45)
about twenty-one miles north of the city of Mobile. Mr. Charles
Sturtevant, one. of the two brothers who own the dAiry, arose from
his seat on the front porch where he was reading, and came down the
steps to greet me. He did not ask we in, but took a seat in the dar
so that I could interview him, and where a wonderful view of the
whole farm and dairy could be seen. This was my first visit to
their farm and well equipped dairy, which is one of the largest in
Mobile County. I found Mr. Charles Sturtevant to be a most delight-
ful person to talk to and I soon saw why he was so popular with all
his friends, some of which I had talked to previously about getting
this interview. He is a tall, broad shouldered, healthy looking
man, of the blonde type, with a broaa but kindly smile, which assur-
ed me my visit was welcome.
While dairying is Mr. Sturtevant's hobby, hunting fox is the
sport he enjoys and indulges in most. Forty years ago fox were very
numerous, he says, even to catching them two hundred yards from his
front gate; but now, although not so numerous, they are still
plentiful. kr. Sturtevant said that he and his friends hunted
.eek enaing October 27, 1938
SOCIOLOGICAL SERIES
Helen S. Hartley -2-
Identification No. 0149-5147
Federal Writers' Project Dist. 2
WPA Project #4L1541 Mobile, Ala.
Mr. Charles A. Sturtevant,
Chunchula, Alabama.
A VISIT TO A FARMING DAIRY AT CHUNCHULA, ALA.
Written by Helen S. Hartley.
them on horse back on his 1. nds first, then returned to the house
and proceeded to get into their cars, and after turning the hounds
aloose, the hunt was on. Mr. Sturtevant owns: eight hounds which
together with his nei0lbors, make up a good size pack of between t
twenty to twenty-five hounds. He says that hunting in cars is
very thrilling, for they all know the roads well enough that they
easily follow the cry of the hounds ana always arrive in time for
the kill. When asked if the wolves and foxes were imported, his
answer was no, there were plenty of them as it was. There was also
plenty of "coon" (raccoon) and "possum" (opossum) to be had, but
personally, he did not care for the sport of hunting the latter as he
could never forget the last night he was: out in the woods hunting
"Possum" ana iound they had trapped one in a carcass of a dead ani-
mal lying in a mud hole.
Mrs. Charles Sturtevant and daughter are not living on the
farm with Mr. Sturtevant at ',present, but are living in their city
residence in Mobile, on Old Government Street, as his daughter has
a position in Mobile. Ills son finished at the Alabama Polytechnic
Institute at Auburn, and after returning to the farm, decided that
he did not like farming and dairying and could never find any
interest in it, so one day while he and his father were working in
the dairy, he told him father something about his ambition to go out
Week ending October 27, 1938
SOCIOLOGICAL S-JRIES.
Helen S. Hartley
Identification No. 0149-5147
Federal Writers' Project Dist. 2
WPA Project #4454, Mobile, Ala.
Mr. Charles A. Sturtevant
Chunchula, Alabama.
A VISIT TO A FARMING DAIRY AT CHUNCHULA, ALA.
Written by Helen S. Hartley.
-3-
West ana obtain a job. Mr. Sturtevant at once gave his consent and
his son left the farm, but as things have turned out as they have,
the father is confident that his son has made no mistake in his
decision, for his son finally located in Toledo, Ohio, and now has
a very responsible position, and like that part of the country very
much. So Mr. Charles lives on the old place with his brother and
his family and says he also is very contented, as he spends his
spare time in Mobile, but says that the noise of the neighbors radios
and loud voices annoy him and make him feel lost, so his home in
Mobile on Old Government Street selaom sees him.
The dairy ana farm consists of two hundred and sixty-four acres
of land, one hundred of which is under cultivation, forty in pasture
and the balance is covered with oak trees. To the right of the house
stands two silos, next to which are the barns ana the milk house,
and around which are to De seen the most beautiful white Leghorn
chickens. Mr. Sturtevant says that the Leghorns provea to be the
best breed of chickens for his place, because they can fly into the
trees at night, where they are safe from marauders, as there is no
other shelter provided for them.
At the present time they are milking thirty-three head of milk
cows, seventy-five percent of his dairy stock being Jerseys, because
of the high butterfat test of the milk, and the other twenty-
Ii4eek ending October 27, 1938
sOCIOLOICAL SEAIES
Helen S. Hartley -4-
Identification No. 0149-5147
Federal Writerst Project List. 2
NPA 2roject #4454, Mobile, Ala.
Ir. Charles A. Sturtevant
Chunchula, Alabama.
A VISIT TO A FARMING DAIrCY AT CHUNCHULA, ALA.
Written by Helen S. Hartley.
five percent being holsteins. ihe milk is sold in bulk wholesale
now, as it is more convenient than the house to house delivery as
they have been doing in the past. The price they receive is not
nigh, the profit coming from the high production per cow, as each
cow is kept up to an average of three gallons. The farm furnishes
an abundance of rcughage for the dairy herd. In the summer there
is an abundance of pasture, ana as our summers in Alabama are long,
the feed bill is not so high, as it is necessary to give dairy cows
a certain amount of grain feed also with the pasturage.
Mr. Sturtevant explained they had divided the land into two to
three permament pastures, which are planted in iespedeza and carpet
grass and rotates the stock from one to the other, thereby having
fresh pastures always at h-nd. He said that there w, a waste place
across the creek, which they planted in Kudzu, which is a very heavy
vine that grows fast (it is reputed to grow eighteen inches a night
in good weather). Mr. bturtevant said he has found that ii carefully
pastured it makes a wonderful pasture, but on the particular piece
of c:ound he as planted it in, he says, that it has smothered
everything tiLt was growing on it. One can easily understand why
Kudzu stifles the life out of the smaller trees it enfolds, as the
writer saw the trees completely covered with it, anu the vine is so
heavy that it bears them aown with the weight of its heavy stems.
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teek,ending October 27, 1938
SOCIOLOGICAL SERIES
Helen S. Hartley
Identification No. 0149-5147
Federal Writers' Project Dist. 2
WPA Project #44541 Mobile, Ala.
Mr. Charles A. Sturtevant
Chunchula, Alabama.
A VISIT TO A FARMING DAIRY AT CHUNCHULA, ALA.
Written by Helen S. Hartley.
The two silos hola roughage enough for eight months feeding
and is at present filled. He says that all good dairymen devote
their attention to raising feed for their stock, and raise oats
and vetch for hay, which is stored in two barnslene holaing forty
tons, the other twenty tons. Corn is the most important crop
that is raised on the Sturtevant farm. The heifers from their
best cows are ke;..A and raised on the Purina method of feeding, or
feeding milk to the calf sixty days, gradually increasing the
amount of grain mixture.
Mr. Sturtevant also told the writer the stable manure is
saved in a liquid form, by washing down the barn floors after the
mornings milAmg, the water running into vats 1,vhich are hauled
out to the fields.
As twiiight was failing and the air began to get cool, the
writer toek leave of his host bidding him goodbye after a most
pleasant visit.
BIbL OGRAPAY: Interview with Ar. Charies A. Sturtevant
personally by the writer. His address is given
above.