Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-11-06
CANNING CLUB.
Miss st. Clair Gives Account of Her
Work in Tazewell County.

Work in Tazewell County.
The following is from Sundays
Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Miss Mamie st. Clair, who has
charge of the Girls Canning Club
work in TaZewell county, writes the
Industrial Section as follows:
Tazewell county is young in the
canning club work, not yet one year
old, and allowances will be made for
the lneXperience of youth, but al
ready we defy any one to say we
raise only, "fat cattle"
AT the beginning of the season not
only the county, but the county agent
and all the girls, was new to the work.
AT the close of tho season modesty
forbids our telling how very much
we know.
In March, the appropriation being
secured by our county, superintend-
ent following a visit from Miss Ag-
new, our State agent, we organized
good big clubs in different parts of
the county, and the members entered
into the work with great deal of en-
thusiasm.
Hotbeds and plans were made, but,
unfortunately, the weather conditions
OF the early spring dampened the ar
wv VI huiipSi, anu tHSy uIODppu
out. Some were not successful in Sc
curing plat of ground to cultivate,
and for various reasons the number
grew smaller. These faithful ones
had the determination to see the mat
ter through and find out for them
selves if there might be anything in
it,
The first year girls were supposed
to grow only tomatoes, but on ac-
count of danger from blight in this
section, they were allowed to put Il
part of the plat in string beans.
There were cut worms, tobacco
worms, striped beetles, several vare-
ties of bugs and the drought to con-
tend with. The department helped
when it could. Miss Agnew gave us
the benefit of her experience. and we
tried everything common sense and
anybody told us. We weathered the
drought, killed the worms, outwtted
the bugs and raised an unusual crop.
On account of the scarcity of early
vegetables throughout the county,
most of the club girls had good mar
kets for fresh products, and when
prices dropped they canned what 9TH
crwse would have been lost. One girl
put up lightweight cans of tomatoes
and twenty-eight cans of beans, be-
sides other vegetables and fruits, cat
sups, pickles, preserves and jellies
Another put up lis cans of beans,
fifty cans of tomatoes, five dozen boz
ties OF catsup; also fruits, berries,
etc. A part of this will be disposed
of through the stores and part will
20 to fill private orders. These were
the only Two girls who had Gamers
Still another member, who lives in
Il remote section, and has no market
near, shipped her green beans to Blue
field, w. Va, and made quite nice
little sum. Several of the members
had their plats in the family garden,
and as they had to supply the family
table and pantry, have not been able
to realize so much money, but feel
rich in experience.
Some did remarkably well, others
did as well as their opportunities per.
mitted, and the rest could have done
better, but one of the most telling re-
suits of the seasons work is that each
member of the club is determined to
remain Il member and get an early
start and make Il record next year ii
the county will give her the opportun.
ity.
Each year opens up new fields. TO
thee aiming clubs have been added the
poultry clubs, potato clubs, bread
clubs, clubs for home demonstration
work and perhaps others that we do
not know about.
Several housekeepers have express
cd Il desire to join the canning club
as co-opcrators next year, and will be
invaluable as an inspiration to the
girls.
Our county fair exhibit was very
good indeed, and we sent county eN-
hibit to the State Fair. The work this
year was much in the nature of an
experiment. Now let us have an OPP
portunity to show what we really can
do.