The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-02-05
DIVERSIFIED FARMING
GIVEN IMPETUS
Sumter Banks and Merchants Offered
Prizes for Progressive Farming with
Gratifying Results.

Gratifying Results.
Sumter. Jan. 26.-In the beginning
of 1912 the City National bank, to
stimulate diversified iarming offered
prizes of $500 to be contested for dur
ing the year. The rules for the con
tests were made by officials of the
FARMERS union and the experts of the
various agricultural departments, and
the contests were conducted under
the ausprices of the same. The con
testants met yesterday and mhde
their reports and the prizes were de-
clared and awarded. A condition of
the contest was that accounts should
should be rendered.
Eight hundred and thirty-eight and
one-half bushels of sweet potatoes
was grown on one acre of land by
S. j. White, r. f. ID. No. 1, Sumter.
The City National bang had offered
500 in prizes, 500 to be given to the
farmer in Sumter county who woula
make the greatest average yield on
each. an acre of cotton, an acre of
corn, an acre of peas, and an acre of
sweet potatoes, and 500 to the framer
who would make the most net profit
on these four acres.
S. j. White won the prize for the
greatest net profit. He made 96 $40
buchels of corn, 1851 pounds of seed
cotton. ten and a half bushels Of peas
and 1882 pounds of cured peavine
hay, deducting the cost of fertilizers
use,M Whits made $526.S7 on the
four acres. The most startling fig
ures were the enormous profit made
on one acre of sweet potatoes. Esti-
mating the value of the potatoes at
| the very low price of 46 cents per
bushel, he made more than $500 prof
it on his acre of sweet potatoes alone.
Several Of the potatoes weighed a
round eight pounds each and one
weighed s 1-2 pounds.
II. S. DuBose of Oswego won the
prize of 500 for the largest yield,
making 2,330 pounds of seed cotton,
129 Is bushels of corn, and 400 IL
bushels of sweet potatoes.
M. II. Beck of Sumter made 416
bushels Of sweet potatoes and the ma
jority in the contest made over 800
bushels of sweet potatoes per acre.
j. NJ. Bradham of Sumter made
LOG 1-2 bushels of corn, 2,4O9 pounds
of seed cotton.
j. w. Odom of Sumter made $3.50
pounds of cured peavine hay on one
acre All Of the foregoing records
were certified to by two disnterested
witnesses with anidavits attached.
The City National bank is so we'll
pleased with the past years contest
that it has offered $500 in prizes for
19l3-$50 for the greatest yield of
oats and vetch hay on one acre, $50
for the greatest yield of sweet pota-
toes, SO for the greatest yield of
corn, $25 for the second best, $75 for
the greatest yield OF cotton, and $25
for the second best. The cotton is to
NC pi"hICu dIIcI OdlS anu peas, tne
corn to be planted after cotton, and
the potatoes, oats and vetch to be
planted without restrictions. a cover
crop is to be planted on the acre of
cotton in the fall No one can enter
the contests without planting at least
threee of the above crops.
Beside this contest which is renew
ed for this year, the Bank Of Sum
ter has inagurated another contest
for planters, this. too, under the au-
sprices of the experimental depart
ment Of Clemson college and the de-
partment of agriculture. This bank
has made its offer for three years.
giving 5000 for each of the three
years. The prime feature of the offer
of the Bank of Sumter is to incourage
rotation of crops and the rules that
VIII be formulated by the experts who
will prepare the technical part of the
contest will be formed with this in
view. and the land that is planted one
kind Of crop in 1913 will have to
bear another in 1914, and still a third
in 1915.
The Bank of Sumter, to- expects
soon to offer prizes in a live stock
raising contest.-'The State.