Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1915-04-23
worth twice that much "

worth twice that much"
"Thats cheap enough" said Sam.
but | haven't the money How would
| IL suit You TO let me keep herr That lit
| tie pasture down there Is nhg proof
| The creek runs 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 il. Maybe we can make a
| deal. I'll tell you what Ill do. Sam.
! You keep the Sow and look after her.
and when the pigs are old enough you
| ship four of them 10 me ahd you may
have the SOW and the rest OF the pigs"
I'm do it," said Sam, aud 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 wet weather. When they were old
enough TO wean. which was twelve
weeks. as the young farmer learned
| from his reading, be shipped the four
pigs to their owner OF the six pigs
left he picked out three of the finest.
two gifts and male. 10 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 price on the three he had
saved. But the boy refused to sell. In
deed. be 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 be showed that
be was wise.
But. proud as sam Powell was of his
thoroughbreds. there was something
else to which he was giving q lot of
thought and work That something
was the acre of corn that was 10 com
pete for prizes offered to the Boys
Corn club
Miles Pagan had promised his son
Bob. that he might join the corn club
and enter an acre in the contest II he
would clear the land of stumps Boo
did Join. but the corn was not planted
this year. For after working with
grubbiHg hoe and AK from snnup till
sundown for many days. clearing the
acre of the big. deep rooted stnmps,
Mr. Pagan told him nnconeernedly
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
plant the corn when he had finished II.
and he had TO drop out of the contest
for this year.
But Miles Pagan was beginning TO
learn that be 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 middle OF March The rows we're
four feet apart and the stalks In the
rows eighteen inches. He cultivated
ii the first time when the corn was
Just beginning TO come up by going
over it With harrew. This did not
hurt the plants. except one here and
there. and il killed all the little weeds
aud grass that were just starting How
that corn did grow. II sprang up al.
most ike mushrooms II seemed TO
Sam that the dark green stalks fairly
laughed in the loose ground that he
had made so rich with manure and
ashes
The young farmer cultivated the
ground level and never allowed a weed
to take root on that acre. He pulled
the suckers whenever they appea rcd
and went over II once with a hoe, out
most Of the work was done with
pillow. The trst time or two ne piowed
it toleraDiy deep. but as the corn grew
larger and the little roots began to run
out across the middles ne piowed very
shallow to Keep from cutting the roots
and injurine the corn. But there was
another reason for shallow blowing
Deep blowing IN summer causes the
soil 10 lose moisture when the crop
needs 1t most
Sam stirred the top of the ground fill
there was a layer OF dust 10 mold the
moisture below lie wanted 10 Keep
all the water he could rui tire growing
corn. and ne gnpw that The sun can
draw wafer up through crust IN .
hurry. but cant draw II through a
layer of dust or mulch as il Is called
He kept the soil TINS way He never
plowed when II WIS too wet. for thar
makes ciodS But after rains. az soon
as il was dry enough or when weeds
begau 70 appear be went over the patch
with plow OF barrow and stirred the
surface till it was all broken up ana
loose
Bill Googe and Miles Pagan had quiz
laughing al sam fhey ana others ID
the nelghb0rhood often stopped 10
passing and looked at the corn and
wondered
II reckon it's jes' an accident" Bill
remarked TO Mr. Pagan oQe day. "bnt
that boys kinder got one on rs. Miles
| told i'm before De come out here that
he couldn't grow peas on that ground
But. dog my cats. II that sin't a. line