The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-04-29
CONTESTS /.
For Boys Best Acre Should
Have Encouragement
Of MlIlers And Elevator
Operators Over The State
(sy 7. p. Ridd,e)

10y Z. p. Riddle)
Oaks lurk in acorns. The boy of to.
day vii be the man of tomorrow. He
who would reap must first SOW. This
is true Of millers and elevator operat.
ors as well as Of the farmers.
The Boys Best Acre Contest is
movement for the purpose Of securing
more grain and better grain. II Is not
the farmer alone who is benefited.
More grain and better grain means
more business and better business for
the millers and elevator operators.
Two serious problems confront farm.
ing in Ohio. One is soil depletion.
This is marked by the decrease in the
average yield. Wheat is an example.
Fifty years ago our average yield Of
wheat was IS bushels per acre. Today
our average yield of wheat is IA bush.
els per acre.
Demonstrating the possibilities Of re-
demption, England, during the period
Of our decline of 4 bushels per acre,
increased her average yield from IL
to 1s--a gain Of &c bu. What England
has done, We can do.
The other problem is the scarcity of
farm labor. Scarcity of farm labor has
cut Ohio's farm acreage from 1875 acres
in 1850 to SS.6 acres In 1910. The call,
or rather the mlscall of the city. has
lured our boys and girls from the
farm, where they are needed, to the
city, where they are not needed.
These Boys Best Acre Contests have
bearing upon both the soil depletion
and the labor scarcity problem. They
will help solve these problems. There
is physiological as well as an ecoo-
nomical reason for enlisting the farm
boys in these best acre contests.
1t is difiicult to teach an old dog new
tricks. That is homely, yet true
statement. Our fathers are slow to
take up with new methods; they are
inclined to follow the ruts of old ways
So the advocates OF scientific farming
repose their hope In the boys.
There is an element In the blood Of
youth which is keenly responsive to
the spirit Of contest. A contest will
arouse an interest and an endeavor
such as nothing else can accomplish.
Before he has realized 1t, the boy en-
gagged in one of these "best acre" con-
tests has been carried by his enthusi-
asm into channels OF study and labor
which make him a convert to scien.
tifc farming.
What Is scientific farming? In ef-
feet 1t is the making of two kernels of
grain grow where 6ne grew before and
making the quality of those two ker-
nels better and the relative cost OF
production less. The difference be.
tween scientific farming and ordinary
farming Is the difference between full
ears and nubbins, bumper crops and
short crops, plenty and poverty, sue
cess and failure
The American blood will not stand
for mere hum-drum drudgery II we
expect to induce the present day farm
boy to stick to the farm, We will have
to give him an opportunity to mix a
little brain with Drawn. This will
solve the farm labor problem and moth
ing else will.
The 1912 Contest showed that the
boys can more than double the State
average yield of the past Let every
miller and elevator operator do little
figuring. Suppose the yield in the ter.
ritory from which you draw were In.
creased only twenty-five per cent.
What would this mean to your bust.
ness? There would be little or no
more operating expense involved in
the handling Of twenty-five per cent
more bushels. This increase would be
"velvet" to you,
There IL also this point to consider,
II requires q better type and high
class quality to produce increased
quantity. Suppose AZ result OF this
Improved farming campaign you were
to get twelve per cent to nineteen per
cent moisture test corn instead OF
nineteen to twenty-five per cent moist
ure test corn as the bulk Of It has been
running heretofore during the months
OF free movement How great would be
the saving in weight, deterioration and
other considerations: Every live mill
or and elevator operator should boos,
the 1913 Boys Best Acre Contest tt