Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-12-14
BOYS CORN CONTEST.
Committee In Charge Makes Report Of
What Has Been Done.

A. Bascomb Usher, the Marlboro
county boy who produced 1924 bushels
Of corn on one acre Of land, was yes
terday awarded the first prize for South
Carolina in the national boys corn
contest, which is held under the aus
pices of the Federal farm demonstra-
tion office. He will spend next week
in Washington as the guest of the gov
ernment. The crop was sold for 1886.
The state contest has not as yet been
decided, and he will in all probability
win this as there has been no greater
yield reported to the commissioners.
Marlboro county. Farm demonstration
workers are of the opinion that he will
win the first prize in the national con-
test as no greater yield has been re-
ported for the season. The champion
corn producer Of the state is only II
years Of age and the methods he used
IN producing the phenomenal yield
prove very interesting.
At the request of the United States
farm demonstration office a committee
of State Superintendent Of Education
Swearingen, A. G. Smith of the bureau
of plant industry, D. N. Barrow Of
Clemson college, Ira w. Williams, who
has charge Of the farm demonstration
work in this state and Commissioner
Watson examined the records of Ush-
er and awarded him the first prize.
The committee addressed the following
letter to DR.. S. A. Knapp, special agent
of the farm demonstration work In
Washington: This is to certify that
the undersigned, constituting a COM
mittee, as requested by o. B. Martin,
has met and carefully examined all the
records filed by the contestants in the
boys corn growing contests In this
state, that we have found that the con-
test has been won by A. Bascomb Ush-
er Of Marlboro county, who made 1921
bushels on one acre, keeping complete
and detailed sworn records as to plant
ing, cultivation, harvesting and mar
keting; wherefore we hereby award the
first prize in this contest to A. Bas-
comb Usher"
Some time was spent yesterday by
the committee in going over the records
of the boy which were very neatly and
accurately kept All of the papers sub
mitted were characterized by system
and 1t was a very excellent example
of farming on paper. The feat OF the
young boy also shows just what can be
done with land in South Carolina by
intelligent application. From the rec
ords he had evidently planned every
step of the work
The 1921 bushels produced by the
young farmer will be sold to the gov
ernment for seed purposes. The price
to be paid is 50 per bushel. The sum
of s3O5 will be received for the seed
alone. One and one-half tons of fod-
der were produced, which sold at $40
per ton, netting $50, bringing the total
amount received from the acre to S335.
The land on which the corn was pro-
duced is in Brightsville township, In
Marlboro county. and is sandy loam
soil. There was a subsoil Of 10 inches.
The land sloped to the southeast. The
land was first cleared in 1907 and was
planted in corn and peas. The same
crop was planted in 1908 and 65 BUSH
els of corn were produced. Prior to the
large yield cottonseed meal and 100
pounds of nitrate soda were used.
Preparing the Land.
The acre was we'll fertilized this
year. The following being used: 200
pounds of commercial fertilizer, 100
pounds German kainit, 800 pounds sec
ond grade Peruvian guano, 900 pounds
cottonseed meal and 600 pounds nitrate
soda. The land is considered worth SIS
per acre. On March 20 the land was
broke. It was subsoiled with Boy
Dixie plow. There was no barnyard
manure used.
Great care was exercised in the Sc
lection of seed, which Is one Of the
most important points about the con-
test. CARROTS prolific corn seed were
used. This seed was secured from b.
E. Moore, who won the state prize in
1908, by producing 1877 bushels on one