The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-05

folina and Federal Agricultural De-
partments, and farmers who nave
won high place by new and better
methods Of agriculture. In addition,
and better than any of the distin-
guished men speakers. were the pa
pers and addresses of the progressive
omen who are doing as much TO
improve dom site conditions as the
men are to increase the amount or
crops grown to the acre. But the most
distinguished visitor n the most
Master Ernest Starnes, Of Catawba,
the champion boy corn raiser, who
made 146 2-7 bush els Of corn on an
acre last year. He is the sort Of
farmer who is entitled to tell other
farmers-young and old-how to farm
for he has done something to make
him an expert and to enable him to
example has fired the ambition of
youthful farmers all over the State.
Such big crops Of corn as he grew
dissatisfied old and young farmers
with the small crops they had been
making, and the result is that in every
county in North Carolina, where on
ditions are at all favorable, the corn
Unfortunately, the drought in many
places cut off the corn crop very
much, but the better methods, even
in dry counties, will make a larger
yield than if the Did methods had
been employed.
Who is this distinguished visitor to
Raleigh, and why should all honor be
done to Master Ernest Starnes, of Ca
tawba county? Here is the answer, as
DRY Democrat:
In spite of the drought it looks as
if Ernest Starnes, the champion boy
corn club raiser, who made 146 81
bushels on an acre last year, will
make pretty near as good a crop this
The editor of the Democrat,
in company with young Starnes'
father, Mr.. J. W. Starnes, visited the
acre Saturday, and saw the wonderful
patch Of corn.
"Starnes has had to contend with
the drought this year, but during the
long dry spells the boy and his little
mule went through the green rows
every five days, keeping a fine mulch
between them. In one place the corr
has been fired by the intense heat,
but upon the whole it is doing we'll.
It is nearly all eight feet high, and
every stalk has one or two w~ell-devel-
oped ears. The patch is in the creek
bottom, and the place is naturally
adapted to a good yield.
'~Starnes had to replant some of his
corn, and it was this that the drought
hit worst. He has been experimenting
with this. When the ears, usually
small on this replanted corn, began to
silk, he let them get their pollen from
a n~eighboring big stalk and cut off
own tassel. He finds that the
strength that would go into the tassel
all goes n the ear and enlarges it.
'Starnes has an idea which he ex-
poets to write up soon for the agri-
papers. He wants the State
to i a prize for the largest money
value which can lie realized from a
acre. The roughness Of the
acre does not count in the corn club
prize. This item and that of the
clover or peavine hay, Of the after
crop, would swell the total
money value of the acres yield till.
in Starnes' opinion, it would equal
the shallow-plowing farm
er has been getting on a 5O-acre farm.
'Starnes comes honestly by his
farming ability. His father success
fully runs several farms in Caldwell.
in addition to the Catawba farm. and
his mother was intensely ambitious as
a school girl, and used to sweep in
all the prizes offc~Ad by her teach
ers."
Wanted. in North Carolina: More
farmers like Starnes. father and son,