The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-11-11
WHAT THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF
AMERICA ARE DOING.

The American Magazine is publishing a ser
les of articles on the boys and girls corn, po~
tato, canning. pig and beef clubs, and the facts
and figures they contain would hardly be cred
tied were they not substantiated by National
and State reports The movement seems to
have started in the south and was brought to
public attention in 1910 when Jerry Moore of
South Carolina raised 228 bushels Of corn from
one acre of land. Within three years after
that the corn crop of South Carolina jumped
from seventeen million bushels to fifty mil
lion and the yield per acre in every one of the
Southern States has increased since. The large
yields do not tell the whole story. Detailed
| reports are made showing the exact cost of
raising the corn. and as an illustration one
boy raised 1871 bushels at cost of III cents
bushel. Walker Lee Duncan of Alexandria,
Alabama, is the champion boy corn raiser of
the world and for his achievement in raising 1872
bushels of corn from acre in 1913 and IT'S
bushels in 1914 he received as a prize pure
bred Percheron mare and will make start in
raising fine horses. Many of the boys who
received money prizes sold their crops to
good advantage have used the money to Sc
| cure an education at agricultural schools and
colleges.
| The first girls canning club was organized in
Aiken. South Carolina. in 1910, at the sugges-
ton of Miss Marie Crpmer, young school
teacher in the county, with membership Of
46. They received canning outfit from
Washington and cash contribution of one
hundred dollars, and that season put up over
5000 cans of tomatoes and many gallons of
ketchup and other products. In 1872 49, $50
! girls were registered in these clubs and the
| General Education Board gave a check for
$4,000 to extend the work all over the South
ern States The writer in the American Maga-
zine says: 1.-The tomato club does not stand
for simply the raising of tomatoes. Through
| it the little girls have come in contact with
the problems of soil, drainage. pests, spraying,
rotation of crops, real money values. 1t
teaches them self-support the farm; it
shows them way to college; it helps them
socially in making life more livable-and, best
of all, in making them want to stay at home
on the farm" The results of their efforts
are quite as remarkable as are those of the
boys clubs and have been rewarded by cash
and other prizes. Helen Durham of Bounti-
full, Utah, canned 10 varieties the first year
and 80 varieties the second year, list of which
is given and which includes vegetables, fruits
meats and fish. When money-mekipg is not
an object variety of food may be canned for
home consumption that will materially reduce
the high cost of living.
The third article of the series in the Ameri-
can Magazine is devoted to the beef and pig
clubs, of which it is said: "American boys
and girls organized into army of thousands
in Pig and Baby Beef Clubs have given as
great stimulus to agricultural regeneration
as has been shown in corn, tomatoes, potatoes
and other crops. They have entered the field
with their elders in competition with
the scientific breeders themseIves-and have
won grand championships, championships,
sweepstakes, prizes, silver cups, blue ribbons
and gold" Texas raises one seventh of the
beef we eat; and at one time, says the writer
in the American Magazine. 100000 calves
were slaughtered that might have been raised
| by few months feeding from 81, 600, 600
value to $35,OOO,0O0 as baby beeves, sal
wage of tremendous significance to the STATE
! Inc DdDy peel CLUBS u DOyS anu girls unQGr
twenty are now doing this. These clubs came
into being in 1912 They now number thou
sands in enrolment and clubs have been form
ed also in Virginia, Georgia and other States.
The latest statistics from the Agricultural De-
partmeut show q gain in beef animals for the
first time in years-an increase of 1912, 900
head since 1914. In 1910 there was one beef
animal to each l.5 of our population and in 1912
one to each rs. The time has come"
The first pig club was started in Louisiana in
1910 with SO members. "Now there are pig
clubs in many States-in all the Southern
States, in the Northern States, in Iowa, the
Dakotas; they should be everywhere, for the
pig is as happy in Maine as he is in Florida"
In this connection the story of what one pig
club boy did is of interest. The boy was
Orange MCGEE Of Louisiana and with two pigs
from the same family he entered into friend
ly rivalry with ne ehboring farmer of ma
ture years between the old root hog or-die"
plan of pork culture and the new way of the
United States Government. The two pigs
were eight weeks old when the contest began.
When they were shown at the State fair in
and the farmers 65 pounds. The Cotton Belt
railroad bought both-the little one for So and
the other for $58. 1t was worth the railroads
time and money to send those pigs all through
the Southern States object lesson. The
boy spent $1554 to raise his pig and he won
the first premium at the fair. His rival
spent S..
Behind these clubs are the National and
State governments the Experiment Stations.
communities, banks and private individuals
bureau in Washington sends out instructors
and instructions. One Southern bank set
apart $500 to be loaned in sums of ten dollars
to boys that they might start in pig raising.
This money is loaned to the boys without
security, on their individual responsibility.
Prizes in cash, cups or stock are freely offered
in all contests. As the articles in the maya
zine from which we have quoted are copyright
ed we have not felt at liberty to use the mat
ter freely and thus may not have made clear
the magnitude and importance of the work in
which our American boys and girls are now en-
gagged. We consider it the most important
movement Of the day, and as assuring q ma
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