Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-03-20
ACRE CORN CONTEST
ON HERE
Commercial and Farmers
Clubs Will Try to Inter-
est Boys Of County in
Corn Contest

People who read the Observ-
er each week may not be fully
posted on the Acre Corn Con
test" which is receiving a good
deal of attention just now in
this county and which we hope
will get a good deal more at
tention as the weeks go by.
We will here give a little infor.
nation in regard to these con.
tests, and the rules sent out by
the state.
It has been the practice OF
the department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. c., to give
prizes to the boy or girl either,
who is able to raise the best
acre of corn each year. 1t was
started in the south by a man
named Knapp 1t was the idea
to get the people interested in
growing corn in sections where
corn had not been grown as a
principal crop. One boy in the
south raised something like
200 bushels on an acre of
ground. That seemed pretty
good for a starter, and the idea
developed and the field spread.
Last year and the year before
several Iowa boys were entered
in the contest. One boy in
Greene county raised III BUSH
els to the acre. That was
more than the boys father had
been raising or any Of the
neighbors. The boy wrote a
short history of how the work
was done and this story enter
ed into the competition on
which the prizes were awarded.
The boy didn't DO anything ex.
traordinary, just what any boy
or girl either in Harrison coun-
ty might do. He took pains,
he got good seed, he prepared
the ground we'll, and cultivated
it with care and some knowl-
edge of what was required, and
the result was he raised just
four times as much corn on the
acre of ground as is raised as
an average over this great
state.
The promoters of the corn
contests at Washington and
Ames and locally want the idea
brought right into every neigh
borhood that it is better to get
1000 bushels of corn off of 20
acres than it is to use forty
acres to get that much
c I'm. In other words these
corn contests are designed to
be object lessons from which
all may learn that more corn
may be raised if right methods
are used. The soil here is all
right. What is needed is good
seed, careful preparation of the
ground and intelligent careful
cultivation.
The people who met at Lo-
gan Business Mems banquet
Tuesday night want this work
lone in every township in the
county, and they wish to offer
such prizes that will induce
the boys and girls to work and
work hard to win. If anyone
happens to win the big prize, Q
trip to Washington, D. c., with
all expenses paid, it will be
quite an advertisement for
Harrison county, and We think
of almost inestimable benefit to
the county as a whole.
The letter from the Depart
ment of Agriculture in regard
to the work follows
The acre corn club work this
year will be carried out under
the cooperative arrangements
made by the extension depart
ment of the Iowa State College
of Agriculture with the U. S.
Department of Agriculture.
The Iowa Club members thus
become members of the Nation
al Corn Club and will be entitl.
ed to all the accompanying
privileges.
The following conditions ap.
ply
Age of members-1O to Is
years inclusive.
Acreage-One acre.
Basis Of awards
1.-Yield of corn on acre. 80
Showing of profit in
vestment and work.. 80
3.-Exhibit of Best ten
ears corn at County or State
fair or contest, -. 20
4.-Written History on
"How l grew my Corn Crop" 20
Total score. loo