Blantyre Farm Instrumental to Agriculture

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Board of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Station were all established by a legislative act in 1877.  The initial goal was to study crop nutrition and growth, as well as fertilizers.

In 1885 the Board of Agriculture began purchasing property and machinery to establish field testing stations or "test farms" throughout the state.   This allowed for more extensive study of farming practices, including crops, fertilizers, and soil type, as well as livestock and poultry. 

In 1905 the North Carolina Department of Agriculture purchased 290 acres for a test farm on the west side of the French Broad River and north of Fodderstack Mountain in the Blantyre area.  Studies in crop rotation included corn, wheat, red clover, rye and oats.  Fertilizer tests used potash, phosphoric acid, nitrogen and lime.  The Blantyre farm also harvested and sold timber.  In addition, they had a small number of sheep and pigs.

The farm had 16 acres of orchards on Little Fodderstack with a variety of apples, peaches, cherries and plums.  There were 500 apples trees that were particularly productive.  Pruning and spraying trees, curing and preventing disease, and packing and marketing the fruit were all part of the educational component at the farm.

The 1907 Soil Survey of Transylvania County, North Carolina by W. Edward Hearn is a valuable resource for information on soil types and agricultural practices within the county in the early 20^th century.  It also contains a map of soil types and identifies communities and roads from the period.  Both are available online or print copies are available in the North Carolina Room at the Transylvania County Library.

The U.S. Weather Bureau assisted North Carolina in establishing weather stations on test farms, including in Blantyre in 1911.  The purpose was to study thermal belts and the suitability of raising specific fruits.

In 1917 the state sold the property to a private owner.  The Department of Agriculture continued to operate a large test farm in Buncombe County.  They also had test plots on the former Blantyre test farm and other farms throughout Transylvania County.

The large barn at the former state test farm in Blantyre.

The architectural survey conducted in the 1990s includes a file on the former state farm.  It shows a small home and a large barn.  The barn is described as “typical of institutional barns of the period, larger and finer than those found on private farms.  A vented cupola crowns the ridgeline of the front-gable roof.  Weatherboard siding and board-and-batten siding cover the exterior.  Under the eave and tapered, exposed rafters are horizontal slated vents.  There are many windows and doors, and the loft is very large.  A side shed addition behind the block silo has been roughly enclosed with horizontal boards.”

Thank you to Earlene Orr for extensive research on the Blantyre test farm and assistance with this article.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.