St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-02-03
corn CLUB
!. PR|zE'W|NNER
How Bennie Beeson Became
Of National Interest.
Won Prize by Scientific Man
agement Of Crop.
John Henry Winner for the
State Of Louisiana.
Something Of Both, as Told
by Gulf Coast Farmer.

Master Bennie Beeson, fourteen
year-old lad of Monticello, Lincoln
County, Miss, was the champion Corn
Club boy of the Nation in 1911. rails
ing upon one acre of land q crop OF
|226 lie bushels. a
Mississippi should, and does, feel
proud of this lads wonderful accom-.
plishment. 1t shows to the world and
to thousands of Mississippi's own citi-
zens, the great possibilities of the
State as corn-producing common
wealth. The South little realizes to-
day the far-reaching effect the work
of the Corn Club Boys is to have on
the development and settlement Of
the Southern States.
The interesting part OF Bennie's
record is how he did it. According
to the regular and official blank pro-
vided by the Department of Agricul-
how Bennie made gocd":
enter the Corr Club contests, this is
ture for the reports of the bays who
The amount Of land pla7.ei and
cultivated was one acre.
The soil was dark upland, twelve
inches deep.
The sub-soil was red clay.
Corn grew on the land last year.
The land was first broken in De-
cember, 1910, and again in March,
e land has been farmed eight
3.
1.
Condition of land at tine of plant
ag was good.
Was planted April 18th.
Variety of seed planted New
, Era"
Width of rows three feet.
Plants were twelve inches apart
in drill, usually two stalks to hill.
The only fertilizer used was eleven
loads Of barnyard manure.
The stand Of corn was splendid.
It was given surface cultivation
once week until in silk.
+ Did not work under demonstrate
tion agent and was not visited by one
during the year.
Average yield of land around this
plat, eighteen bushels.
Has carefully selected seed in the
field for next years crop.
The cost of this acre of corn is
estimated as, follows:
Preparation of seed bed 200
Cost OF seed 10
Cost of planting so
Cost of fertilizer. ...s...... 800
Cost OF Manure. ....... 80. .11.O0
Cost of cultivation. -. .2.5O
Cost of gathering. ........ 400
Total ,s1.25
Average cost per bushel. lac
This is pretty fair estimate.
Some Of the items may appear low,
especially the cost CT cultivation, but
tent The corn waE worth 75c per
| it made up elsewhere to great ex
bushel, CIR $17O.25. Deducting- the
cost of production; $31.25, we have
a net profit for the acre of $3.50.
Not so bad for just one acr OF corn,
is it? And still there are some who
do not fully believe that Mississippi
is one of the greatest corn states
in the Unicn. The Corn Club Boys
are going to make them 70. get any
thing of the kind. They are doing 1t
already.
!; This child, who is putting Missi.:
! ssippi ION the map is red-headed
and frecklefaced, and, in the Lam
guage of one of the boys who &C
! companied the party Of distinguished
corn producers to Washington, where
President Taft gave them the glad
hand" and Secretary Wilson present
ed them with diplomas, Bennie "ate
according to his pocFetboOk." These
n,eager side lights concerning this
lad give to the thoughtful some of
the real reasons back OF tle boys
striking success. 1t is to this and
other deserving lads, among them
the Henry brothers, OF Louisiana,
that the South must look in the COM
ling years for record productnon in
all lines of agriculture that will put
this section in the place Nature has
made pessi ible-the top Of the hist.
i The Gulf States Farmer was in
deed proud to give publicity to the
records of the Henry brothers, of
Louisiana. 1t is distinguished
presenting Bennie Beeson's extra
pleasure to have this opportunity OF
extraordinary Accomplishment.
u THE WASHINGTON PRIZE TRIP.
Master john Henry, Dr., Writes of His
Experiences at the Capital.
i Thanks to the bankers Of 4hc State
OF Louisiana, the Corn Club boy who
makes the greatest yield, biggest
profit and sends in the best paper on
corn cu1fuA- winc q .rin ~ Wash.