Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-03-19

Look. ~FioFencel Sam is sure a won
der"
amt arranged yet. though. and It's
kinder b0thering me. I've got a fine
registered SOW. apd shes going to find
II litter OF pigs some OF these days be
fore long I'd sell ner. hut | can't get
nothing like whaf she's worth. and |
can't lind Il place TO leave her."
I'D like to get some berkshire pigs"
Sam remarked What dc you ask for
the SOW
We'll right this minute I'd take
$40 for her The pigs are sure to be
worth twice that much.
THAT'S cheap enough" said Sam.
but | haven't the money How would
it suit you to LET me keep herr Thar lit
tie pasture down there Is hog proof
The creek u n through IL. and there's
plenty of shade and water and no stock
that would bother her.
That's a good place. | hadn't
thought of it. Maybe we can make a
deal. I'll tell you what I'll do. Sam.
You keep the sow and look after her.
and when the pigs are old enough you
ship four of them 10 me and you may
have the SOW and the rest OF the pigs"
"l1i do IT," said Sam. and the bargain
was closed.
About a month later the old SOW was
going about the pasture with ten pretty
black and white faced pigs following.
Under Sans care they grew like weeds
In wei weather. When they were old
enough to wean. which was twelve
weeks. as the young farmer learned
from his reading. he shipped the four
pigs to their owner. or the six pigs
left he picked out three of the finest,
two gifts and a male. TO keep. The
other three he advertised for sale In the
county paper. and. the pigs being OF
good stock. be bad no trouble in selling
them for $40 each. One buyer. coming
after they had been sold. tried to get
Sam to put a price on the three he had
saved. But the boy refused to sell. In
deed. he was SO proud of his pigs that
an offer of many times their worth
would not have induced him to part
with them. And in this he showed that
he was wise.
But. proud as Sam Powell was OF his
thoroughbreds. there was something
else TO which he was giving a lot of
thought and work. That something
was the acre of corn that was to COM
pete for prizes offered to the Boys
Corn club.
Miles Pagan had promised his o n
Bob. that he might join the corn club
and enter an acre In the contest If he
would clear the land of stumps. Bob
did join. but the corn was not planted
this year. For after working with
%grubbing hoe and ak from sunup till
shutdown for many days, clearing the
acre OF the big. deep rooted stnmps,
Mr.. Pagan told him nnconcernedly
that he'd just have TO have that patch
Of ground If Bob still wanted TO plant
some corn he'd have to clear another
acre.
1t was a cruel, mean trick to play on
a boy and enough to discourage any
body, but Bob set to work on another
acre. Ii was too late. however, to
pant Tue cOEu Wueu Qe udu uuISueu IL
and he had TO drop out of the ontest
for this year.
But Miles Pagan was beginning to
learn that he didn't know very much
about growing corn. The patch across
the fence from his was teaching him
something.
Sam planted his contest acre with
the seed furnished by the agent about
the middle of March. The rows were
four feet apart and the stalks In the
rows eighteen inches. BE cultivated
it the first time when the corn was
just beginning to come up by going
over it with a harrow. This did not
hurt the plants. except one here and
there, and it killed all the little weeds
and grass that were just starting. How
that corn did grow. 1t sprang up al
most like mushrooms. 1t seemed to
Sam hat the dark green stalks fairly
laughed in the loose ground that he
had made so rich with manure and
ashes.