The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-12-30
An Appreciation

One of the things that impressed the
visitors at the Boys Corn show, held in
Mount Holly on November 18th, and
especially those who have followed this
work and saw the corn show in Burling-
ton year ago, was the high quality of
the exhibits and the marked improve
ment noticeable as a result of the work
This improvement was shown in the eX-
hibits and in the total yields on the
quarter acre plots, which were very
much higher than last year. This is
gratifying proof of the value to the boys,
not to mention their fathers, of these
first hand experiences in the application
of practical and scientific methods on
the land.
Farmers throughout the county are
getting better acquainted with the work
of the agricultural contest committee
men, who have been conducting the
bows contests, and of the workers in the
county Y. NJ. c. A., who have been the
initiators of the agricultural contests in
this county. Every farmer in the county
and especially if he has boys of his own,
should drop in at the Y. NJ. c. A. Office
when in Mount Holly, and show his APP
probation of the work that the com
mittee is doing, by giving word of
greeting and encouragement to the
county and rural secretary of the Y. M.
C. A. committee, Otis B. Read, and to
his assistant Norman S. Grubbs.
To great many farmers this little
Office and it's occupants stand for the
promotion of all that is best in rural
ideals The work of the committee and
its group leaders in raising the spiritual
and moral standard of the young men
and boys throughout the county is too
well known to need description. But
the agricultural work with the boys, and
the cordial sympathy with all of the
farmers problems, whether they relate to
boys souls or best soils, should be recog-
nized and the opportunity to meet
these men awaited Of by all the farmers
of the county. Our county is fortunate
in having such able and enthusiastic
workers among the young people, and
the UNNECESSARILY beneficial results
should be known in every farm home,
and the leaders known as friends to
every farmer in the county.
Secretary Read has in his Y. NJ. c. A.
Office at Mount Holly one of the best
collections of books in the county, treat
ing of rural life and farm interests. There
is school arithmetic book written for
farm children, and full of problems
familiar to a farmer. There is another
book on soils, and another one on stock
breeding, and others on various other
farm industries, all the latest and best in
their line. Several other books are
about the young folks in the country.
Almost complete sets of State and Ma
tional agricultural bulletins are on file
Such rural library should be at the
free disposition of the farmers, and could
be of great interest and practical benefit
to very many country people, young and
old
There is certain need and should be
ample use for rural library in the
county, which would grow with use.
Not many farmers get bulletins from
other states, and not all farmers have
complete sets of bulletins from the EX-
pertinent station in their own state, and
yet some timely suggestions in one or
another of them might save many dol
lars and much time
Thirty years ago the books on farming
were largely compiled by city men. To
day they are written by farmers and
by government experts, whose know
ledge is the sum total of the experiences
of many men during many years.
Periodicals, however wen edited, do
not take the place of books. While they
give much information in a popular
style, they do not so well train the mind
to do its own thinking, which is so neces-
sary to meet individual problems. The
isolation of many farmers increases the
need of books, while it lessons the OPP
portunity of obtaining them. AS every
body should learn how to use books and
get from them information for them
selves, so should the farmer read books
intelligently, and especially those books
which deal with his business and the
rural life problems.
Some of the good books for the county
dweller can be found at the Y. NJ. c A.
office in Mount Holly, and a use of them
and demand for more would no doubt
be met by a still greater supply.