Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-03-12

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gold watch and an automobile.
Sam went home happy that day and
more firmly resolved than ever to win
some of the prizes. All the week he
worked after school hour loading and
hauling from the stable to the
farm. He was so busy that he had no
time to talk even to his mother and
sister about his work. But at the sup
per table on Saturday Mrs. Powell in
quired how he was getting along with
the work.
Doing fine" said Sam. I've got
the field and the fence rows cleaned
up and the fences made pig tight and
two acres fertilized and ready to be
plowed. The next thing I'm going to
do is to have the land broke, cross
broke and narrowed"
Going to do all the field that way?"
asked Florence Powell.
"Oh, no." Sam replied. 81 can't
prepare all the land as I did the two
acres. / haven't time this year; but
I'll put some fertilizer on all Of 1t and
have 1t broke once"
What are you going to raise on the
two acres?" his sister inquired, be-
coming interested.
lone acre is going to be In corn.
It's going to be m contest acre, and
I'm going to try to win some of the
prizes of the Boys Corn club. On the
other acre I'm going to plant Irish po-
tatoes at first. then maybe June corn
and black eyed peas"
my, but that'll be three crops on
the same ground in one year," ex-
claimed Florence. Can you do that,
SAM"
Yes, and that's not ALL" said Sam.
After l gather the corn and peas I'll
put in a crop of turnips or rye"
us one acre all you're going to have
in corn" asked Mrs. Powell.
NO. mother" Sam explained. I'm
all I'm going to plant five acres in
corn. Then I'm going to plant five
in Irish potatoes, and n in cane.
That takes up all the land except the
orchard and the acre that we're going
to use for a garden and watermelon
patch.
II want to try to raise everything
we'll need and a lot to sell besides.
The corn and cane are for the stock
and the Kaffir corn for the chickens.
If we don't raise such stuff we'll have
it to buy, and that's expensive. Be-
sides, most of these crops I speak of
will be gathered in pretty early, and I
can get a crop or two more on the
land. When I cut the cane I'm going
to plant sweet potatoes on that patch"
II know where you a get some
seed Irish potatoes" suggested his
mother.
Sam smiled. Did you ever stop to
think, mother" he asked, that what
you call seed potatoes are just the lit
tie dwarfy culls and not really fit for
anything"
why. no." said Mrs. Powell. 81
never had thought about it, but 1t
seems like there Is something in it."
o course there isl said Sam. "A
bulletin the department sent me says
they've tried all the different ways,
and the best way Is to use good sized
potatoes and cut them in halves TO
plant"
THE agricultural department must
be a pretty good thing" observed
Mrs. Powell.
1T is a good thing" said Sam. 1T
works all the time to help the farmer,
but lots Of farmers won't let 1t help
them. AS for me, I'm not going
against anything when I know 1t
wants to help me and can help me II
I let it. The department of agricul-
ture keeps men travelling all the time
all over the world collecting new
plants and flowers and fruits and
grains suited to our different climates
and soils. 1t experiments and finds
out which varieties are best suited to
certain soils and the best way to cul-
tivate and how to fight insect pests.
1t does all this and lots more hat 1t
would take m hours to tell you about.
/ wouldn't want to farm If there
wasn't any agricultural department to
help me. 1t would be too slow finding
out things by myself. we got a whole
lot Of bulletins on farming. and I'm
going to use the money I get for haul
ing manure to buy some books that I
want to read and to subscribe for a
good farm paper. A good farm paper
IS the next best thing to the agricul-
tural department"
Have you selected the corn and
cotton seed that you're going to plant"
asked Mrs. Powell when Sam had fin
ished his glowing account Of the de-
partment.
"No, haven't yet" he replied. But
that's one thing I must look after next
week. I'll see the agent and ask him
about it, but 7 expect our state exper-
iment station car tell me more about
the best seed to use in this part Of the
country"
Hello, Mr.. Burns," greeted Sam,
coming up to the government agent on
the street. I've been wanting to speak
to you about seed corn and cotton.
What varieties you'd o advise me
to get and where can I get them?"
We'll, as for the corn Seed" replied
l Mr.. Purns, I'll order that for you, as
l want all the boys to have the same
kind of seed. After this year you must
select your own seed, both cotton and
"Orn. Don't depend on sending off for
seed. If you do you'll surely be badly
disappointed sometimes. Get good va
rieties to start with and you can build
them up by selecting seed from the
finest and most productive plants.
Speaking about cottonseed," the
agent continued, las good a plan as
my is to get seed from somebody In
your neighborhood. You always find
at least one kind of cotton in every
community that is far ahead of all
other kinds. Everything SENS to suit