The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-01-08
The News and COurier's Prize
Contests For 1895.

T Our offer of prizes to the most sue
cessful hog growers in the State 10 1895
was productive of so good results by
arousing aud promoting interest in en-
important but neglected agricultural in-
dustry aod inducing many farmers to
engage in it again to their own profit
and With large ber6t to the State, that
we have determined to organize arother
competition for the year 1896, and to
extend it 50 as to include variety of
products aud to enlist still larger
number of farmers 10 it
The details Of the contest have not
yet been arranged. but will he an
noonced a, au early day and in good
time for the due information Of all who
may desire to engage in it. We caouot
do more to-day than give very gener.
al idea of its scope, its Limitations in
part, and its objects, with the under
standing that the scheme as here out
lioed is subject to whatever modi6ca-
tions may BE- found to be necessary be-
fore the final announcement Of condi-
tioDs is made.
The competition will be limited to
subscribers to The Weekly Neus aud
Courier.
The prizes will consist of FIVE hun
dred dollars in cash, and one gold
medal and and one silver medal. The
Eve hundred dollars will be divided into
prizes of one hundred dollars and fifty
dollars, to be paid to the winners in the
several contests. The medals will DE
independent of the cash prizes, and
subject to separate competition. so that
no contestant can receive both medal
and cash prize for the same thing.
One Of the contests, will be for hogs
again, but under somewhat different
conditions FROM the contest Of 1895.
We learned last year. when too late to
change the published conditions materi-
ally without affecting some of the con-
testauts unfairly. that the restriction of
the contest to pigs born in 1895 exclud.
ed some that might properly have been
entered, and that would have been en-
tered but for that limitation. We
make the timely aud definite announce
ment DOW. therefore, that the hog con-
test for 1896 will begin on March l;
will close 800 days later; aud will be
open to all pigs not over 4 months old
on March /. These terms, of course,
will permit the entry of pigs boro IN
November and December, 1895, as we'll
as those born in 1896, and We think are
both proper aud liberal for the purposes
Of the competition.
Another contest will be organized for
the best exhibit of hay-usiog the
word in the widest sense, to include all
kinds of ''long feed" or "forage" as
clover, timothy, alfalfa, Bermuda and
other grasses, separate or mixed, corn
fodder, pea vines, pindar vines, etc.. etc
The conditions Of this contest will pro-
bably relatd to the yield per acre, for
stated number Of acres, and to the
quality of the product as determined by
its selling price in the Charleston mar
ket.
The Nevs and Courier has special
regard. of course, for the tobacco crop,
;; which Capt. Dawson vas so largely
Instrumental in re-establishiug in Soath
Carolina, and is desirous of promoting
and extending the cultivation of the
plant as far as practicable. A prize
will be given to the farmer who makes
the most profitable crop on one acre, SO
as to allow both large aud small farmers
to compete for it CD an equal footing.
The quality Of the tobacco will count
heavily ip such a contest, Of course, {,
bat quality alone or yield alone, or
quality and yield together will not in
sure the capture Of the prize. As DOW
proposed the farmer will win it who
..clears" the most money from an acre