The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-01-03
COTTON CLUBS FOR SOUTHERN BOYS


tical lessons like the lessons in any
system of education must be progress
lsive. Hence we believe that the time
has arrived when a few of the best
of the corn club boys can progress
from corn production to cotton pro-
duction and thus widen their useful
knowledge and at the same time give
them a basis for thorough system
of modern agriculture. The lessons
of preparation, seed selection and in
tensive cultivation will be continued
as applied TO cotton, and in boil boil
weevil sections they will be shown
| the departments method of raising
| cotton under boil weevil conditions.
AS in the case of the corn clubs,
where the work is being organized
| the county superintendent of educa-
ton and teachers can best reach the
boys in all sections of the country
and thus can the teachers best be
able to maintain interest in things
of the farm and the boys acquire val
liable knowledge. The lessons of di-
Versifcation will be made prominent.
1t will thus become an easy matter
to impress the members of the clubs
with practical and economic princi-
pies of farming, such as abandon
ment of the system Of raising all cot
ton and the using of more acres for
food crops, more for soil improving
crops and relatively less for cotton
in each general farm plan. The ad
vent of the bolls weevil makes such
system imperative.
Boys the Hope of the Farm.
No better agency can be found to
teach these great lessons than the
energetic, perseyering southern boys,
who have made such a great success
of the corn clubs. Nor is it proposed
that interest in the corn clubs shall
be allowed to decrease. 1t is suggest
ed that the cotton clubs be organ
lied as an advanced class. The boy
who has made a study of corn for
one, two or three years is far more
competent to take up the more COM
plicated study of cotton 1t is rec
commended therefore that boys enter
ing our clubs for the first time be
urged to join the corn clubs, and that
the cotton clubs be organized, so far
as possible, from among the mem
bership of the corn clubs. 1t will
be all right, especially for the larger'
boys, to continue the corn work and
at the same time take up the cot
ton
The members of the cotton clubs
will be expected to work at least two
acres. Thus practically every boy
will grow enough seed cotton to-
make a bale. The boy is advancing
in this work and is more capable of
handling larger amount of land.
Likewise he must have enough cot
ton so that it can be ginned sepa-
rately and two acres is emphasized
as the basis for the work. This plan
will also have a tendency to classify
the work The boy who has time
and strength to work but one acre
should be a member of the corn club
only.
Cotton Clubs Have Succeeded.
During the past year cotton clubs
| cess by our agents in Oklahoma, and
all over the cotton territory boys
have been enlisted as demonstrators
IN cotton where no cotton clubs have
been in existence Two boys near
Mineola, Texas, have obtained very
encouraging results. They have been
engaged in careful selection of seed
and intensive cultivation of cotton
for the past four years. In the year
1910 they produced five bales of cot
ton on four acres without fertilizer.
They sold the lint for $3.50 and the
seed at ordinary market price would
have brought them $54. The cost
of production and marketing they
figured at $50, leaving them a net
profit of 1921 for the four acres.
However, these boys were very fort
innate in winning cash premiums at
various fairs in Texas on their cot
ton, amounting to $3.50, and their
seed became so we'll known for it's
splendid quality and years of selec-
ton that they were able to sell 1O8
bushels of it for $3.50 per bushel.
Thus their net profit was S634.5O
on the four acres and they retained
II bushels of seed to plant the next
year. This was the result of per
sistent work, good seed, excellent
preparation and intensive cultiva-
ton. Not every boy will be able to
do as well as these boys did, but
their case is simply given as an ex-
ample of what can be accomplished.
Some will be able to do even better
| than this
1t is urged blythe department that
about the same methods of awarding
premiums as those now in vogue in
the boys corn clubs be adopted for
the cotton club work. 1t is advo-
Gated also that the boys be urged
| to prepare their soil well in advance
! so as to get the largest results from