Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-07
Ehentttg Ghat

While the attention of the farmers
In Dauphin and some of it's neighbor
counties is just now concentrated on
Wheat raising because of the prospe9
tnat 1t will be among the most profit
able OF crops next year. there are
signs that the youth of the farms in
Dauphln is going to give a lot of time
to corn raising. This is largely due TO
tne zeal with which County School
superintendent Shambaugh has push.
ed his corn contest idea and to the
nearly manner in which the teachers
nave backed him up. The corn con-
test is nothing new and il has become
a matter of State interest in Ohio and
In some of the more Western States,
Whlle our own State Board of Educa-
tion has been calling on teachers 20
lnculcate the Importance of agricul-
ture In the youth of Pennsylvania.
However, this county is so widely
known as manufacturing, mining,
business and governmental center
county that agriculture has never been
pushed to the front as the extent of
the farms in the county merit Lind
ley III. Dennis, the States official
booster of agricultural education who
mas been making a firSt-hand study of
the subject, says that Dauphin county
is deserving of more prominence in
agricultural matters than it receives.
recent governmental publication
gave the number of farms in the coIin-
ty as approximately 1900 and there
are about 160 schools. Now in the
county there is just as much rivalry
to be found among farmer lads and
lassieS over the tallest stalks of corn
| as there used to be among us city
lolks in the days when we were young
and tried to see who could raise a sun
hover with the highest flower in the
| plocH. Not more than two years ago a
man at Steelton made a record pro
ductlon or corn on a two-acre lot i'm
| the lower end of Steelton and we have
| the example of young Mr.. Rimer OF
near Downingtown, who won from n
| National Corn Club the Pennsylvania
| medal and was asked by Governor
| Brumbaugh to tell the rest of the BOYS
! and girls how he did it. EX-Secretary
! OF Agriculture n. B. Critchfield used
| to say that he would go miles to Judge
corn when raised by farmers boys be-
cause he considered it one of the best
| things he could do in the way of MAX
| ing them see that living on the farm
| had it's attractions. Corn contests
| were a pretty interesting feature of
| the recent county institute week IN
this county and from what the county
| superintendent is preaching we can
expect II to be something more next
year Just what 1t would mean to the
advancement of agricultural interests
in this county of iron and steel, coal
mines and railroads to have county
corn contest with exhibits in one of
the numerous halls in this city with
a chance for the boys of Harrisburg,
Steelton and other towns to compete
with the corn raisers of the PaXtonS.
the Hanovers and the other townships
is worth while noting.
|
Years ago, when Harrisburg had 2
fair, which was real agricultural eX-
hibition and a place of interest for
farmers for many miles around there
used to be some spirited contests for
the best products and the corn was
one of the chief matters of interest
! Ten-foot corn with thousand grain
ears used to figure in those exhibits
and there were some very fancy prizes
/ given, some of which are to be found
in homes in Dauphin and Cumberland
| counties, where they excited as much
admiration years ago as do the Hoges-
town Horse and Cattle show prizes to-
day. The late Col. James Young
whose farms about Middletown. were
G widely known was also much inter
e ested in corn raising and often used
I to encourage a friendly rivalry among
his farmers. In fact, there is nothinG
+ that can be relied upon to start al
q argument quicker nowadays among
: farmers than relative merits of grains
and If this could be taken advantage
OF unrOuBn state announcement, in
: tensive farming and local shows II
l would mean much for the quickening
of interest in Dauphin county agricul-
s ture. which has such splendid pos.
! sibilities.
: On the subject of farming it maN
!. be said that this county has probably
more wheat in the ground now thar
= it has had for years. The reports
, made to the State Department oi
: Agriculture indicate a considerable
:, increase in acreage devoted to winter
! wheat in most of the townships and
anyone who takes an automobile ride
: through the farming regions within :
dozen miles of the city cannot fail tc
1 be impressed with the number Of
fields devoted to the greatest OF the
= cereals. Probably a better idea car
be gained of a view from the State
Capitol on a clear day. On every side
: are to be seen patches of bright green
They are on the York hills, up on tn,
farms near Duncannon, over the Sus
: quehanna in Cumberland and dottinl
e the farms of Dauphn. This is goint
to be a big wheat winter and if tn,
4 pesky Hessian fly and the white grul
worm are not too voracious next yeal
the farmers will have more money II
the banks next year than they have