Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-02-21

"
Mississippi to organize. corn and crop
| growing contests among the boys in
the public schools, and is DESTROYS of
knowing more OF the success that has
attended the effort SO far and the pros
pect for the future. Hon. Dick Cheat
ham, who is still Mississippian, al
though manager of the Cotton journal
| at Atlanta, Ga, was in Jackson few
days since and asked the writer for q
short article on the movement and its
advantages. The following was sub
| mitted:
''The organization of boys corn
growing contests among the public
school pupils of Mississippi was first
suggested early last year by Supt. w.
FL. Smith of Holmes county. The move
ment had been on foot for number of
years in several of the Northern States
with the very best of results. So soon
as Superintendent Smith made the sug-
gestion the writer at once saw in it the
| opportunity to do great work in Mis-
sissippi, and Immediately took up the
| proposition with the view to extending
| it to other counties in the State. State
| Superintendent Whitfield, the A. & M.
| College officials and the representatives
OF the United States department Of
agriculture stationed in Mississippi,
gave hearty support to the project.
Although very late in making the
start last year eight counties were or
| ganized and the work fairly launched.
OF these eight counties six came
through a successful termination.
Holmes being the first to organize, and
better acquainted with the work, natur-
| ally made the greatest success. The
cut herewith gives an idea of the
Holmes county exhibit at the State fair
| held at Jackson. Out of 120 boys start
| ing in the contest at the beginning of
the year, 81 came up at the general
roundup with an exhibit, and this pic
| ture shows the 500 ears of corn entered
| | y the school boys of Holmes county.
The State fair management offered a
| handsome list of pr re to encourage
the work for exhibits at the fair. These
| exhibits were undoubtedly the most
popular of any in the agricultural
| building. The people evidenced the
| deepest interest in what had been &C
complished by the school boys of the
State, and to this feature can be largely
attributed the increased interest shown
for the present year.
"The writer has calls already to visit
a dozen COUNT IS that will make the
| effort this wear that were not in the
contest last year, and the prospect at
| present is that not less than % of the 10
counties in Mississippi, possibly 80,
will inaugurate this splendid movement
this spring. The county superintend-
ents of public instruction are wide
awake to the Importance of the move
ment and the excellent results that it
offers, and the public is fast coming to
a realization of what its general adop-
ton would mean to Miss ssippi during
the next ten years. The State superin-
| tendent, A. & M. College and United
States workers are also more active
than ever to push the movement to
every county in the State.
"The results shown by first effort
have been highly satisfactory. Where
Superintendent Smith had 120 boys to
make the start last year he has 600 to
do SO this year and other counties in
proportion. AS high as 100 bushels of
corn to the acre was grown by some of
the boys last year, and it is confidently
expected that this mark will be passed
this year. 1t is carrying the develop
ment of our agricultural resources right
into the public schools OF the State,
training the boys and young men to be-
come good farmers, Installing into them
love for the farm that can be done in
almost no other way, teaching them
that there is something better for the
boy who studies his profession and
strives to excel, satisfying them with
Mississippi and what the State offers
for the expenditure of energy and the
use of brains, thereby preventing them
from seeking homes in other States,
| laying the foundation for condition
that will prevail in the future when the
farmer will be as well educated as the
lawyer, the doctor, the preacher or the
memter of any profession.
''If by this system the average pro-
duction of corn in Mississippi can be in
creased one-third of bushel per acre
per year, the increase will be worth
more than one-million dollars to the
State per annum, then the result in this
way alone will be worth striving for,
to say nothing of the benefits to be de-
rived in many other ways. 1t is I'M
| doubtedly one OF the greatest move
ments ever inaugurated in State that
has always been an agricultural one
and always will be. 1t is deserving of
the liberal support and hearty approval
of the people of State, it makes no
difference what may be their business"
The poultry business in Mississippi
is assuming greater proportions day by
day. The fanciers of thoroughbred
chickens are increasing very fast and
the industry will in few years be one
of the most important in the State.
There is money in chickens for the man
who knows how to get it out, and that
number is being augmented as time
goes by. The chicken display at the
State Fair last fall was an evidence of
this fact, and the prospects for bigger
show this fall could not be better. In
vestigate the poultry business while ar
ranging for general diversifcation.
representatives from d IaTSc ssss s;7==-=
OF counties in the State recently met in
Jackson for the annual meeting of the
Mississippi Division of the Southern
Cotton Association. 1t was the old
Duard still daformipod upon tho mr.