Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1909-12-24
FAKMERS' COOPERATIVE DEMON
STRATION WORK.
The Secretary of Agricultural HOnOrs
the Boys, Prize Winners in the
BOYS Corn Club Contests.

There was an interesting Occa
sion in the office of the Secretary
of Agriculture December IA, 1909,
at $50 O'Clock. Secretary Will
son presented diplomas to Bas-
comb Unsher of South Carolina,
Dewitt Lundy of Mississippi, Ell
mer Halter of Arkansas, and
Ralph BellwoOd of Virginia.
These boys were among the
$500 in the Boys Demonstra-
tiOn Work in the South who plan
ted one acre of corn apiece and
worked under instructions from
the United States Department of
Agriculture. DR.. S. A. Knapp.
who has charge Of the Farm De
mOnstratiOn Work, offered a trip
to Washington to the boy in
Mississippi who should get the
best results. The State Bankers
Association in Arkansas offered a
similar prize in that State. Cit
liens Of South Caroliana and Vir-
ginia duplicated the offers there.
The above named boys, all un-
der eighteen years of age visited
the Department of Agriculture
and other interesting sights of the
Capital, and were received by the
President.
Thousands of dollars worth of
prizes have been offered this year
to these Boys Clubs in the South
by merchants, Boards of Trade
and public spirited citizens gener-
ally, under regulations furnished
by the United States Department
of Agriculture.
These regulations do not encour-
age freak yields, but are drawn to
encourage profitable farming The
basis of awards rSetS on showing
of profits, written records, eXhi-
bits Of ears and stalks, and yield
per acre. The greatest yield does
not get the prize in every case.
Still there were some fine yields
this year. The prize winner from
South Carolina made 1872 2 bush
els per acre; a boy in Mississippi
made 147 bushels; a boy in North
Carolina made 135 bushels, and
the Virginia winner 122 bushels.
More than fifty boys made over
100 bushels per acre. In several
counties no boy fell below 80
bushels per acre, and the club av-
erage was about 90.
Arrangements are being made
in, oil LA Sn,,tHnnY, 70
the prize winners to Washington
next year.
In Il brief address to the boys
Secretary Wilson declared that
they and the boys engaged in like
work are 'the only hope we have
for the continued greatness and
prosperity Of the county" He
pointed out that the South now,
in agriculture and in manufact-
.uring, was prOSpering as never
before, because the men and wO
men of the South had put into the
wOak their own energy and ability
and in no sense were dependent |
upon the capital or the Industry
of people from other parts of the
country.
'These diplomas" he conclud-
ed, ''are unique. No boys ever
have received similar recOgni-
tion of their merit. Nothing l
have done since l have been Sec
retary of Agriculture has given
me more pleasure than to present
them to you. You have earned
them. You have begun right.
You are now in line to achieve
the highest honors of your res
pective states"
Prof. w. H. Smith, County
Superintendent of Holmes county,
Mississippi, and one of the lead
ers in the Boys Corn Club move
ment of the Farmers Cooperative
Demonstration Work came to
Washington to witness this inter