The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-10-29

CCl'Cu lOI ulS pIA1CS III 1910 dhu
1914, pure-bred Percheron mare
making start in breeding fine horses
which it is the ambition of Alabama
to instil in the next generation. AS
an "All Star" performer, Dunson OPP
Grated a tiny farm, last year, in
four-crop contest. He led his state,
and held his place as world champion
boy corn grower, since no one beat
his record of 232 bushels, made the
year before. Carl Graves of $3.50,
Mississippi, had the best record for
1914 with yield of 202 bushels of
corn to the acre.
In the meantime, each year Jerry
Moore had been trying vainly to beat
himself; he made good crop each
year, because he had learned how,
and he was attending the agricultural
college at Clemson, South Carolina,
with a very definite idea of what he
needed to learn. But the power of
his example had been working all
through the south, had been the in
centive to Dunson, and had brought
out the grit" in thousands of others.
The help of the young generation
in the southern states in 1911 was
very real thing. The American boy
showed a wonderful grit. His father
did not have great deal of faith in
him. One Mississippi father scoffed
loudly. WHAT" he said to the fed
eral demonstration, you propose to
teach our boys to farm? I can teach
my boy more farming in day than
you can in a MONTH" That year one
boy in his vicinity raised 125 bushels
on one acre. In the schoolroom
where the annual exhibit was shown
this father asked to be allowed to
speak, and this is what he said:
Boys, have thrown away 40 years
of my life. You have taught me
there is no need to work a whole
county to make hay enough to feed
two mules and make living for
family. If you will just give me
little time, I think l can make on
five acres what I have been making
on 20, and l can turn the balance
of my land into meadows and pas
lures"
DR.. Bradford Knapp, who succeed
ed his late father as head of the farm
demonstration service, tells another
story of a reluctant parent: A freckle-
faced South Carolinian of the young
generation type leased for an acre,
to emulate Jerry Moore. But the
father thought there was some trick
back of Jerry's achievement He at
last consented to allow the boy to
grub an acre near forest, pull the
stumps, remove the stones, and work
it. The boy did it. Then the father
said he'd take that acre himself, and
if the boy was really in earnest he
could grub another one. Then he
was willing to compete with him, old
ways against the new way of the boy
and the United States government.
This was done
When the crop was harvested, the
boys measured 80 bushels, and the
old mans, adjoining, measured only
eight, Ever since then" says Doc
tor Knapp, 1.-The old man has been
going to farmers Institutes with that
boy, sitting on the front seat and say
ing: Look what me and John went
and done But he is growing more
corn, boy showing him how"
There are 100000 grown-up
farmers in the United States, and of
the gainful occupations they form our
greatest army of industrial workers
about SO per cent of the whole
number They are the only industrial
class with an entire department of
the government working for them,
and spending $70,O00,0OO for them
since 1862. They are our dependence
for food and clothing; but we can
not hold them in very great esteem.
In corn alone, in 1918, they let the
fall over seven hundred million
bushels from the preceding year.
Acreage fell, and the nationwide pro-
duction on each acre averaged only
1921 bushels! We cannot say that
the father of this young generation
deserves any praise.
But in this same year of 1913, the
corn crop grew in every southern
state where the boys had been work
ing their amazing leaven of gritty en-
thusiasm-and 1t was not good corn
year. In Georgia, where the boys are
enrolled by the thousands land of
which we shall have something wond-
erful to tell in later article on pig
clubs, the corn production increased
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