The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-22

up to the standard required. When he
finished this work he would go to school
The teacher was woman who could ap-
rreciate his circumstances and sympa-
thize' with him, and she readily agreed
tor him to reach school when he could
and get as much of the work as pos
sible
| He is a boy S'ho, having responsibility
and realizing that he is depended upon,
is developing into a dependable. reliable
man. Had his father lived he would have
/ had still better chance, for his father
was man who was proud of his boys
and would doubtless have made them
partners in his business
| The point is that the boys deserve an
/ opportunity to do something for them
selves and to learn To assume respon-
/ sibility. If the boy does no planning
has no partnership and feels no pride of
ownership in anything about the farm
/ he will never become the man he might
lie If he We're guided properly In the earl
Ter years OF his life.
The Boys Corn club has this idea as
+, one of its basic PRINCIPLES. 1t is to teach
the boys how to farm and how TO live
| happily and well on their farms. Put
yourself again In the place OF a boy
who has nothing of his own and no
opportunity to develop independence and
to try plans of his own. Then imagine
| that the way has been opened for you
yourself can do Fancy how much this
would mean TO you and then you can
understand what the corn clubs mean
TO the farm boys.
| This is one of the most worthy and
most justly popular features of the school
+, extension which is now so much empha-
sized. The Girls Canning and Poultry
club is a parallel department. Another
enterprise resulting from the corn clubs
is the farm boys work inaugurated by
| the Central of Georgia railway.
Upon the Introduction of the Boys Corn
| clubs in Alabama and Georgia in 1911
the Central of Georgia railway offered
their support to the enterprise. The man.
agement of this railway, in undertaking
this work. said that 1t was to their in
terest to have corn raised In the south
instead of being sent here from the mid
die west; that corn raised here means
money kept here, while corn brought
here means money taken out of the
south. When the farmers cotton money
is kept at home and spent here it makes
| Tor prosperity here, and in that prosper
1ty the railroad shares. They add that
when the farmers along their railway
grow sufficient corn to feed their own
| stock and to fatten all the pork and
beef needed to feed all the people they
will be as prosperous as the farmers Of
the middle west. Tt is to encourage corn
raising that the railway has participated
in the corn clubs activities.
There are various prizes given through
corn club organizations to the boys
making the largest yield in each coun-
ty and in the state. To the winners
of these prizes In the counties traversed
by their line. the Central of Georgia rail-
road offers additional prizes. In 1911 the
prizes were pair of $3.50 mules One
was for the boy making the largest yield
in Alabama and the other for the most
1 1anxF
of Alexander City won the mules given
III Alabama. He made pa bushels of
corn on one acre. at cost of 191h cents
Il bushel. Ben Leath of Lafayette. Ga.
won the other. making 214 bushels at Is
cents a bushei
The Centrars county prizes were s25
In cash for the winner In each of the 21
counties In Alabama and the 81 coun-
ties in Georgia touched by that railroad
More than 40 different boys made over
100 bushels of corn on their acres. The
government crop report shows that the
average yield of corn per acre in Geor-
gia was increased one and a half bushels
in 1911 over the year previous The Boys
Corn clubs should undoubtedly be given
at least part of the credit for this in
crease. The state corn club organizers
reported that as result of the Centraps
prizes the membership of the corn clubs
In these counties increased in 1911 300 per
hama.
In this way the corn clubs made a very
promising beginning in these two states.
They have been fortunate enough to con-
tlnue their fist years success.
In 1912 the Central of Georgia made
even better plans for their part in the
corn clubs. Their contest was open TO
any boy between 10 and IS years who
lived In any one of the IS counties touched
by their line and who could secure an
acre of land for cultivation. To COM
pete for the prizes each boy was re-
quired to report the number of bushels
or corn grown, with the cost and to
submit written account of how his
crop was raised He exhibited 10 ears
of corn from his acre.
The CentraPs state prizes were two high
| grade Percheron horses A Jefferson
county boy, Willie Atei1ison Of McCaila,
won the Alabama horses, making 1Ss
bushels of corn. Byron Bolton OF Screyen
county, Georgia, won the other horse
The county prizes were s5 registered
pigs. one for each boy making the best
| showing In a Central county except the
| two in which the state prizes were won.
Excluding these two. there were 76 coun-
ty prize winners. These boys made S357
bushels of corn on their 70 acres Beside
these there were 50 other boys who made
over 100 bushels each on their acres, Aft
er deducting all cost for labor, seed, fer
t'lizer and rent of land the average net
rrofit was over SIS en- acre. This was
from farm boys many OF whom had
never before undertaken any work Of
their own.
The boys winning the county prizes IN
Georgia had their choice between the pigs
and scholarship to the 10 days short
course given at the Agricultural college
at Athens. Ca, In January, 1918. These
scholarships are valued at $25 and tho
Central added to this the boys railroad
fare to and from Athens and their board
during the 10 days they spent there. Nine
teen boys chose the scholarships.
Those who chose the pigs were asked
to report as to their success in raising
hogs.
! One wrote: II would not like to part
with my hog, Clifton"
Another wrote: II was offered s& for
my pig the day after I got him. Every
ono that sees him wants him. but would
not set shed Of him anyway. There was
good many boys Joined the corn clubs
around here this year and everyone
Joined IN hope Of winning pig like