The Mena weekly star., 1909-01-07
WILL HAVE CORN
 GROWING CONTESTS
State Officials Launch Plan Whereby Arkansas Boys Will Compete in Farming Benefits in
 Other States.

ference was held in the office of the state superintendent of public instruction yesterday afternoon, as the result of which an active campaign is being launched in this state for the establishment of competitive growing contests" :"
 State Superintendent George B. Cook, Guy B. Tucker, state commissioner of agriculture, and Prof. Martin Nelson, agricultur- ist of the University of Arkansas, have been iu communication with Prof. l. A. Evans, district agent of the U. s. Department of Az riculture, for Arkansas and Lou isiana.
 The United States Agricultural Department will cooperate in the work. The state.agricultural and educational departments, the ag- ricultural department of the state university and the experiment station will together ask the CO., operation of the teachers and the press in establishing an organi- zation in each county of the state.
 It is proposed to offer attrac- tive cash prizes to the boys of every county for raising the greatest number of bushels of corn to the acre and the best grade of corn. Every boy, as soon as his name is received as competitor, will be enrolled by the national department and will receive all circulars, bulletins and other matter issued by the Ma tIonal bureau. He will also be visited by the agricultural agents of the government whenever they come to his vicinity and they will give him all assistance and ad. vice possible.
 The county contests will be held in the fall aud samples of the corn from the field of each contestant will be exhibited, to- gether with the affidavits of the yield. IL is assured that the premiums in each county will no, be less than $50, whereas later developments may place the iig- ures considerably higher.
 After the county awards have been made the prize corn will be assembled for final statewide contest and again cash prizes of still greater amounts will be awarded. The Arkansas Fair Association has indicated that very attractive premiums will be offered for exhibits of such corn.
 The nucleus of the various county organizations will be ef- fected through the teachers and the county examiner. Circulars explaining the plan will be sent to every school in the state and as last as the names of the boys who desire to enter the contest are received by the local teacher they will be sent to the county examiner for the county record and he in turn will forward the names to the state department.
 Ia the several states that have introduced the corn contests the results have been much more beneficial than anticipated. The project has awakened an interest in the farm for boys who had longed for any vocation but agri- culture. It has shown in couclu- sive manner the possibilities of careful, painstaking, instructed cultivation and seed selection.
 This plan, followed out, had much to do with raising the aver age ctop of Wisconsin from less than sixteen bushels of corn to the acre to more than fifty bush- els.
 The same plan has rapidly gained popularity in Mississippi. This year the exhibits of the corn contest were among the features of the Mississippi State Fair.
 The corn contests for Arkansas have been launched by men with not only official backing but earn est purpose, and this fall may see many, If not every county in tue