The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-23
KOLB is OPTIMISTIC
OVER HIS PROSPECTS
IN COMING ELECTION
To Attend Meeting of the
Boys Industrial School
Directors Today
$3.50 AWARDED IN
CORN CLUB PRIZES
Does Not Think That Warm Weather
Will Result in Much Damage to
Fruit : Believes an Extra
Session Is Improbable

I'm as sure of election as am of any
thing in the world" was the remark of
Capt. Reuben F. Kolb, commissioner of
agriculture. and candidate for governor
to succeed Emmett o'Neal when he ar
rived in Birmingham yesterday from
Montgomery. Captain Kolb is here to at
tend the annual meeting of the Alabama
Boys Industrial school at East Lake.
which will take place today. He will leave
probably Friday for Plantersville. Dallas
county, to deliver an address at a farm
ers' union meeting.
Captain Kolb was in the best of health
and spirits greeting his friends at the
Morris hotel yesterday afternoon He
discussed everything from the weather to
his candidacy for the governorship
The larger part of the checks for the
Corn club prizes were mailed from my
office before I left Montgomery yester-
day" he said, "but / have a few with
me- one which l will present to the coun-
ty winner in Dallas county at the Plant
ersville meeting Saturday, the one for
800 for William Atchison of McCalla
Jefferson county, and also s25 check for
W. w. Prater of this county. l wrote the
young man (Atchison) to meet me here
today, but he has not appeared. If l do
not see him | will mail his check"
Corn Club Prizes Amount to $3.50
The amount of the Corn club prizes re-
Gently awarded by the state department
of agriculture. stated Mr.. Kolb, totaIed
1880 OF this there were IS county prizes
of $25 each, awarded and the three special
prizes. $3.50 to Bennie Owens of Gilmore
county, $50 to Issac Martin the Pratt
City negro who raised 200 bushels of ear
corn TO the acre, and the $10O prize TO
Mr.. Atchison. This made 81 awards
totaling 1885, Nine counties did not COM
pete
THE contest aroused a great deal or
interest stated Captain Kolb "and did
an inestimable amount of good 1t gave
new impetus to Alabama's corn raisers
1t was not so much the prize money that
counted, but it was the fact that Ala
hama<farmers proved to themselves that
they could raise larger crops than they
have been raising in the past" Mr. Kolb
stated that the negro Martin from Pratt
City was in Montgomery Tuesda,. and
called for his check. The negro stated
that he was on his way to a big negro
meeting at Tuskegee and that Booker
Washington had asked him to bring his
check as he wished to make an example
out of him as to what the industrious
negro farmer could do. 1T is a significant
fact that of the three prizes in the state
at large, Jefferson county got two of
them,' remarked Captain Kolb. "It seems
you do everything in Jefferson and do
everything we'll"
Changing the subject to the warm
weather of the last few weeks, the COM
missioner of agriculture stated that he
did not believe any damage had been
done TO the fruit crop so far How
ever he added. IT have heard several
remarks made to the effect that the peach
tree buds were beginning to swell and
have seen one or two instances myself
IL the warm weather lasts much longer,
there is going to be much danger for we
are bound TO have some cold weather in
February or the latter part of this month
No harm has been done so far. | am
sure, but there is danger ahead unless
there Is a little cold weather soon to stop
the growth of the swelling buds