The Penn's Grove record., 1912-10-04
j.. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 4. 1912.
SET PACE IN CORN CULTURE.

SET PACE IN CORN CULTURE.
Boys In Contest for Prizes Show Old
Farmers Points.
Corn stalks nearly twenty feet tail,
giant ears out of reach of a man
standing upon the ground, and enor-
nous yields from more than a hun
bred tracts in different parts of Bur
lington county, plowed, planted, cult
waited and garnered by boys, are fea-
lures of a corn-growing contest that is
making the best of the grown-up farm
ers of this rich agricultural section
open their yes in admiration and sur
prise. South Jersey expects to har-
vest the greatest corn crop Of a gen.
Grafton this fall, yet the corr grown
by the boys is in yield and quality so
far above the general high average
that the importance of modern scien-
tif1c cor culture as urged by state
and national bureaus is being i'm
pressed pom the adult farmer as
before State experts who have
examined the corn fields of many Of
the 100 boys engaged in the contest
say the young farmers of this section
are setting the pace for the similar
contests that are becoming as popular
in the Atlantic seaboard states as in
the great corn belt of the west and
south. The contest in this section
was planned by the county Y. M. C. A.
and the county board of agriculture,
who are cooperating to interest rural
boys In new ideas of scientific farm
ing. Entering the work of growing
fine corn in a spirit partly of play and
competition, the boys have developed
a very earnest enthusiasm in their eff
forts, each to produce the finest crop.
Even the prizes, valued at over 500,
which prominent farmers, societies
and business men have offered the
winners have become second IN con-
sidration to the honor of taking the
biggest stalk and the biggest ear of
corn to the big show to be held at
Burlington It's interest has gripped
the parents of the boys as well and
| II bSfOl al SdoCS HOlO ACl6ADOl
are backing with their encouragement
some young aspirant for the cham
pionship.
! Never Finer C~ranberries.
Cranberries were never finer than
this years yield of the South Jersey
growing districts, and the same thing
can be said of the fruit which is being
harvested in Rhode Island, MaGsachu-
sets and Wisconsin. The crop in this
state, as we'll as those in other Sec
tons of the country, will, however, fall
considerably short of the yield of the
boys last year. This state is n of
the chief producers of the country OF
the tart berries which are put to so
many uses in various delicious forms
by housewives throughout the winter
months, but more especially during
the Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year holiday seasons and as an
Invaluable side dish of sauce with the
indispensable turkey. The local crop
is usually linked with the smaller
yield of Rhode Island when early pre-
casts for the season are made by ex-
pert growers and the representatives
of the American Cranberry Growers
Association, who keep close watch
throughout the veal on conditions.
In his annual report to the associa-
ton during its annual meeting in
Mount Holly, Secretary A. ]. Rider,
of Hammonton. estimated that this
year the New Jersey and Rhode
Island districts would produce about
100000 barrels of cranbeTries, or at
least %. 900 barrels short of the crop
of last year. Massachusetts, he esti-
mated, would harvest from 275, 900 to
300 1000 barrels and Wisconsin would
yield about $4,000 barrels. In a dis
cussio1 of the situation the secretary
expressed the opinion that his fore
cast was a trifle high and that his es-
innate of that time will stand about a
IL per cent. reduction. This would
bring the New Jersey and Rhode
Island districts down to about $50, 900
barrels for their combined yield OF
1912. He added that the fruit here and
elsewhere vas never of finer quality
than is now being harvested. The
berries are of better size, color, favor
and general condition han last year,
and have never been excelled in any
Of those points. Native pickers in the
South Jersey cranberry districts be-
gan the task of gathering the berries
in September and their number was
almost Immediately augmented by a
large force of men, women, boys and
girls from other sections. The reason
for this was the need for rapid work
in harvesting the crops owing to the
early frosts, both actual and indicated
by the general weather conditions.
Land Prices. Raised.
1t was to be expected that the own
ers of land required for the develop
ment Of the local harbor and dock
plans would raise their asking prices,
when they found that the city was Sc
riously considering buying That is
the usual practice-when the public
wants property the price is increased,
even though it may have been on the
market for years with no offer But
the riVer-front lands are tn no pon-