The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-05-27

elder agriculturists. by raising q pig
weighing 30s pounds at an expense Of
s.s cents per pound. Terry Dill and
his pig have won honors equal to
those attained by Jerry Moore a few
years ago. by his record of 22s 1-2
bushels Of corn from one acre of land
winning, among other distinctions, a
niche In American Magazines Hall
Of Fame-"Interesting People" In.
deed, % far as regards Terry's
achievement, the South Carolina Com
missioner of Agriculture tells me:
This boy. to my mind has done even
more In the way of building for the
future than did Jerry Moore. for he
has demonstrated to the grown farm
or that hog meat can be raised at
home for less than four cents per
pound: something I have been trying
to drill into their brains for the last
six or seven years."
Terry IL sixteen years old; when we
contemplate the daily quotations for
pork chops, ham, bacon, lard and
sausage, We may justly acclaim him
as a bucolic David Staying our fear
some national Goliath-The High
Price Of Living
Terry Dills achievement was DOS
sibie because Of the splendid COM
munity spirit abounding In Greenville
county. where everybody became in
terested In idea of q Boys' Pig Club.
The leading daily paper In the county
offered prize Of $50 to the winner,
and leading mercantile house paid
$50 for the winning pig. The Green
Vile Board Of Trade was the umpire
In the proceedings. printing the rules
and list Of prizes for distribution
throughout the county. It became a
popular method of advertising for
merchants to join In Offering special
prizes-clothes. shoes. pocketknives,
safety rasors. corn planters, and
many otheys.sesmsiodsties-for par.
ticular exesS Ia pig-raisins. 40
y Ii
that neaeSy every boy Of the twenty
contestants with Terry had something
to hope for, II falling the capital
prise. The percentages for determin-
ing the winner embraced four points
gain In weight. 50; cost Of feeding, 30;
general condition Of the pig, 10; and
neatness and completeness Of the rec
ord. 10. Any kind Of pig might he
entered. not over sixty days old, and
the contest extended from April until
October. Every month a report was
iied with the Secretary Of the Board
OF Trade. stating gain In weight,
amount and kind Of food given and
its cost. Grass pasturage was stand
ardized at tw snty-nve cents a month,
cultivated pasturage at seventy-five
cents q month. corn at one dollar q
bushel, buttermilk at five cents q GAL
lon. and the values Of wheat, meal,
rye. etc., were differentiated at q rate
uniform for all contestants. An agent
OF the United States Farm Demonstra-
tion Service. and q professor of the |
State agricultural college acted as
judges and advisers Finally the pig
was weighed by three disinterested
people, and under afiidavit the figures
for the twenty-one pigs were filed with |
the Green"ille Board Of Trade.
The contest was very close. Terry's
was not the heaviest pig. and his av-
erage gain in weight was 14.55 pounds
q week. for the full term, against
17.S6 pounds for the boy raising the |
heaviest. On this point Terry scored
- points. But the heaviest pig cost
b.s cents q pound. while Terry's with !
q cost OF 3.S won the perfect score of
30 points. Another boy was too kind
altogether and spent 90 cents a
pound. Terry scored the perfect 10
points for the general condition" OF
his pig. so 1t would be- unfair to omit
the fact that, so far as he was con-
cerned. the pig was perfect in every
thing. The neatness and complete
ness Of Terry's reports were only one
point short Of the perfect ten. He won
with score Of SO points. The papers
throughout the South proclaimed the
thought Of the Greenville pig club as
an inspiration. and Terry Dill's victory
as the solution Of the "problem Of
homegrown hog and hominy."
Terry Dills personal relations with
his pig should not pass unrecOrded.
Recently Harvard professor has de-
clared that every pig would be a gen.
tleman II he had a chance: but before
this erudite oracle had proclaimed
this truth. Terry had proved 1t. Ho
gave his pig the chance. and he prov
cd marvel Of personal cleanliness
Terry built the pen. himself, south