West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-08-19
>---A...r oepyrIsht by Aa,rIo.n A..oo..a
PATRICK

zone hundred and thirty-nine bush
els" announced Mr.. Burns. "Now for
tho cost"
Every item OF expense and labor con.
nected with the acre was put down
All this was added up and the result
divided by 1870.
"One hundred and thirty-nine bush
els; cost per bushel. IL cents" an
nounced the agent again. "Well. Sam,
you're sure going TO win some OF those
prizes. Several OF the boys are going
TO beat you on production. but tho cost
Is where you come In. Your acre shows
n big profit. Well. gentlemen. let's go
down to the next place. You'll hear
from me later. Sam"
One hundred and thlrty-nino bushels,
and Pagan had made twenty flvo bush
els TO the acre just opposite. Ono al
ways feels relieved when n long. hard
tnsk is finished. This was Sans feel
ing as he watched the men drive of.
lie had done his best and his work had
been fairly measured. He felt more
free now 10 finish up the work on the
farm and turn his attention TO school
and study.
The young farmer removed the husks
from his seed corn. then went through
IL and made n second selection OF the
finest ears. From these ears he re-
moved the defective grains at the ends
and then shelled the rest into stout
| sacks.
In selecting seed cotton he pursued
pretty much the samo plan. After
picking the cotton from the finest
stalks and bolls he had 1t glnned and
saved the seed These seeds he put I'm
n screen that let the small and lIntless
ones pass through.
This method gave Sam the finest seed
from the largest and most perfect
plants, both OF cotton and corn. He
could have sold at high prices much
more than he had to spare OF either
kind One day, just after the seed had
been selected and was stored away,
Miles Pagan came over TO buy.
II want to buy some o. that cotton
and corn seed OF yours" he said.
How much can you spare me and
what'n they be worth?"
I'm selling them at So per bushel
Tor either kind" Sam told him, "and
have only six bushels OF corn and
twenty Of cotton seed TO sell"
My, but that's n high priceg' ex.
claimed Pagan. "Still. reckon they re-
worth It and I'll take the lot"
Cant let you have them ALL" said
the boy farmer. i've promised Bill
Googe half OF them, so you can have
three bushels OF corn and ten of cot
ton seed"
That amt as many as I need, but
I'll take EN-" said Mr.. Pagan.
Sans school chums gathered most OF
his cotton crop. for which he paid them
ut the rate Of co cents per hundred
pounds Ten and sometimes twelve OF
them would come out early Saturday
morning and pick until night, in which
time no less than bale would be
gathered When the last struggling
: locks OF the patch had been gathered
Sam found that his crop had yielded
one bale to the acre The five bales he
sold for $3.50 and stored away $50
bushels OF seed for feed.
The four acre tract OF corn yielded
seventy bushels to the acre, or n total
OF 2S0 bushels, all OF which Sam put
In the barn with that from the one
acre. He didn't intend to sell any OF
this crop. as he could make more by
feeding It to hogs.
Tho crops we're now about all gath
cred. There remained the peas and
the pumpkins that had been sown
among the corn and the turnips. which
wero not yet ready 10 be gathered.
Sam hauled out many loads OF big
golden pumpkins with the one horse
wagon There was not much market
for pumpkins, but he managed to sell
about 100 at cents each, or u total OF
50 worth. And still he had more
pumpkins than he knew what TO do
with He knew. however, that what
the family did not use would DO fine
feed for the hogs and COWS when the
cold weather OF winter came on. So
he carefully stored them away.
With the black eyed pea crop It was
the same. Sam thought that he had
never seen so many peas I'm all his life.
He sold $50 worth. gathered what
would DO needed at home. and then.
the vines still full. he turned I'm the
hogs and cows for a weeks feast
According 20 agreement, Bill Googe
came over when the stock had cleared
out most Of the pea crop and set TO
work with large plow turning under
vines, stalks and all. The cotton stalks
were large. and a great many Of them,
as well as some cornstalks, were left