The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-04-09

There were many of the tomato
club girls Saturday at the Court House
where the meeting was held for the
purpose of organizing the county club.
a number of interesting addresses
wCer made and much interest was
manifested i'm the work which is now
I'm its initial stage in this county
Following the organization OF the
county club the girls were taken to
the Claremont Hotel for dinner. fund
for this purpose having been raised
by Miss Lennon among the mer-
chants of the city.
The meeting was opened by a song
by the girls present after which Mr.. ID.
ID. Noise, president Sumter Cham
Der of Commerce, introduced Senator
f.. ID. Smith. who spoke at consider
able length to the girls and others
present. Senator Smith in his re-
marks told the girls To raise tomatoes
first for their home use, before they
put any on the market. lie describ-
ed the high cost of living as nothing
more nor less than the cost of high
living, saying that he wished that
meat was twenty-five to forty cents
a pound, that flour was twenty dol
lars a barrel, and that other things
were correspondingly high, for then
those who were now consumers only
would be obliged to work and become
producers, az end, he affirmed, which
IL was very desirable to attain.
Miss Lizzie Dickhon, tomato club
organizer for Darlington county,
spoke of her experiences in the work
OF organizing tomato clubs and urged
the girls to stick to their work. Her
talk was a Practical one and will no
doubt prove of much value to the to-
mato club girls.
Mr.. L. L. Baker, district farm dem
onstration agent, spoke on the cul-
ture and fertilization Of the tomato
plant, telling the girls about this
feature of the work and how they
should manage it.
Miss Edith L. Parrott, state organ
izer for South Carolina, spoke at
length Of the preparations which
must be made to can the tomatoes ard
the proper methods Of canning. She
showed how the work would be test
ed and any defective work become
known. The girls therefore must ex-
ercise care, she said, to can the to-
matoes when they were at the right
stage and in the approved way.
The organization Of the local Clubs
into county club devolved upon Miss
Mary Lennon, supervisor of rural
schools and tomato club organizer for
Sumter County. Miss Louise King of
Mayesville Club was elected president
OF the county club; Miss Clelia Terry,
Oswego Club, vicc-prcsidcnt, and Mss
Myrtle Bryd OF the Oswego Club, sec
rotary and treasurer.
Miss Lennon announced that there
would be "a number Of prizes offered
To- the club for the best work in the
club during the year. What the prizes
will he has not yet been decided but
Il fund has been given for prizes in the
work and il lis expected that this fund
will be considerably increased before
the fall.
Among those have already donated
to the fund for prizes for the girls
tomato club are: Tho City National
Pank. $50; The Bank of Sumter. $25;
O'Donnell A. Comptu ny, $500.
Miss Lennon had provided further
entertainment for the girls of the to-
mato club than the business session.
They were taken to the Claremont
Hotel after the meeting and given a
delightful dinner at that place. The
money To pay for this dinner had been
raised among the merchants Of the
city by Miss Lennon for this purpose.
The meeting was pronounced a very
successful one. There were more than
lifty girls present for the meeting and
u great many men and women also to
hear the addresses which were made.
There are one hundred and three
members Of the local clubs and sew
Cral more stated Saturday that they
desired To join. The members of the
local clubs are:
Bethel school.