Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-17

MAKE BEST RECORDS
AMONG THOUSANDS
Work Under Department Of Agricul-
ture Has Grown Greatly
in Popularity.

Fifteen girls. one from each Of fifteen
| southern states, are soon tn be given q
| trip to Washington as a reward for their
| splendid work in connection with the
girls canning clubs which are conducted
under the auspices of the United States
Department of Agriculture. These fifteen
| girls are the state winners in the various
contests that have been carried on. and
are the pick Of about 25.0oO girls who are
enrolled in the canning clubs.
The canning club,work was begun three
or four years ago by the bureau of plant
industry In cooperation with various pri-
vate agencies. Prizes have been given
before, but never have the winners been
sent In a body to Washington, although
the state winners in the boys corn clubs
| have been rewarded in this manner. The
Department of Agriculture considers that
the time is now ripe for the prize girls
| to have a similar trip, and the result Is
| that plans are in progress for the enter
that the states select.
Methods of Selection.
| The selection Of the winner is made Diff
ferently in different states. In Georgia,
| AOI iiiSIdlCc, INC pIlZc Will NC oWdioCo
| by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce at
| the Atlanta corn show. In some cases
| women's club, or an individual, or a
board Of education gives the prize. A
great number of pub.ic-Spirited people
are encouraging the growth Of the can
ming club idea as an educational project,
and the trips will all be paid for through
the generosity of private agencies or in
| dividuals.
While tho D,,,a rtroant of Apricu1tyra
does not supply the funds for the trips
which the young women Will make, it has
arranged that the women agents of the
canning clubs shall be summoned to
| Washington for an official conference at
the same time that the girls are to visit
| the capital. They will, therefore be called
upon to chaperon the. girls from their
respective states, and will be in charge
OF them during their visit. December IL
| is the date on which this conference is
now expected to be called, and on which
! the girls will probably arrive. They will
| come for stay Of four or five days.
Judged by Exhibits.
| In order to determine which girls are to
| be chosen, a choice first is made Of the
best girl in each county. on the basis OF
| notes, reports and exhibits of the COM
petitors. A state contest is then held in
which the winners of the various counties
compete. This is frequently held in con-
nection with a state fair.
| Each girl of the 2J,OO0 girls enrolled In
| the canning clubs is supposed to have
| carried out a definite project in garden
/ ing ON a tenth-acre plot The girls have
! raised tomatoes, principally, but frequent
! ~ they plant string beans. cucumbers,
peppers, okra, ETC. In certain regions figs
are preserved; in others grape juice is
| made. The raising. of the vegetables or
fruits Is out one, feature OF the work.
When the family has been supplied with
fresh products and then the local market
| the girls are expected to can the surplus.
| This is for home use and for the local
market. Peaches, berries and corn are
frequently put up as side lines in the
canning.
Good Results Obtained.
| Miss Bessie Starkey. the Virginia girl
| who had the best record last year of all
| the states, as far as yield goes, obtained
5.92S pounds of tomatoes in one season
| from her tenth-acre plot. Many girls have
made a profit of over $1OO from their
one-tenth of an acre in one season. Some
| of these have even failed to win first
prize, as there might be more than one
| in a single state able to attain this re-
suit. This year even better results are
| expected, as there are many more girls
enrolled and the competition is, there
| fore, keener.
The good results from the girls can
ming clubs have not been restricted to
individual records that have been made
Apart from this thousands Of homes
have had homegrown canned vegetables
through the winter months when they
would otherwise have been without them.
The profits have likewise enabled the
girls to help get an education.
Pays for Education.
A young Mississippi girl has made
enough to start in the state normal
school and has continued working her
way through that institution by growing
and canning tomatoes in her vacation
She is now beginning her second year
She has become a recognized canning
i!expert in that community and has been
put in charge Of club of girls In the
state school who are going into the work
Of canning tomatoes 70 help pay their
expenses This is but one case among
many Of those who have been able to
use the income from their canning work
| to great advantage.
The funds which the Department of
Agriculture expends on the girls canning
| club work goes strictly for instruction
and organization. Even then the depart.
ment does not supply all the funds but
works in cooperation with the various
agencies that happen to be interested In
| the project for their individual districts
Thus the department may cooperate with
| a college of agriculture. with a state de-
partment of agriculture, with a board of
| education. or with a local chamber Of
commerce.
Work Has Extended.
The work was originally first started In
| the southern states. but SO great has been
| it's success that 1t has been extended to
! the northern states as well and similarly