The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-04-15
YOUTH GOOD CORN GROWER.
Sumter County Proud of 13-iear-Old
Boy Farmer.

dent of the Sumter County Corn
club. it has corn club member of
whom it Justly feels proud and whose
example in corn club work might be
followed with great profit by every
farmers boy in South Carolina, for
Richard has proved himself a prac-
tical farmer and able financer.
On March 81 Richard was chosen
to the highest honor which the club
can bestow on one Of their number,
the office of president, and the honor
was a merited one, showing that the
members of the corn club recognize
and appreciate merit. Richard has
been a member of the Sumter County
Corn club for five years and each
year he has come first or second in
average. He is now only IA wears.
months of age and has three more
years as a member of the club before
he leaves for Clemson college to
study scientific methods Of farming.
Richard is the son of Mr.. w. R.
Wells, Sumter, R. F. D. No. ), an en-
ergetic and industrious farmer, who
has learned how to partially protect
himself against low price of cotton
by diversification and by raising
grain, hay and other crops. This fact
indicates where Richard got at least
part of the practically which
makes his record SO remarkable.
Record As Corn Grower.
Richard was born on October H.,
1900. He entered the corn club
work in 1910 and has been a men,
Der ever since. In his first year he
started off we'll by winning second on
yield. In 1910 he raised 1864 BUSH
els, this being his largest yield at
any time, and came first on profits
on his acre. In 1911, a bad year.
Richard came first on yield with
61.25 bushels. and second on selec-
tion of seed corn. in 1912 he made
second highest yield, SS.S bushels,
and the highest average on points.
judged by yield, exhibit of ten ears
of corn, history of crop. showing OF
profit on investment based on COM
mercial prices. for which he received
a ten-day free trip to the National
Corn exposition, at Columbia. In
1913 he again made the second great
est yield with S6.5 bushels on his
acre. secured first on history Of crop
and had the best paper on How I
selected my seed corn in the field"
In 1914 Richard raised 1925 bushels
on his acre, coming second in yield.
second on history of crop and third
on paper How / selected my seed
corn in the field" securing free
trip to Clemson college in attendance
upon the 40-day agricultural course.
Won Many Prizes.
Besides his trip TO the National
Corn exposition and his trip to Glenn
son college, which he will take next
summer. Richard has won in prizes:
1910, cash $40 and suit of clothes;
1911, $3.50 in cash; 1912, SO in
cash; 1913, suit of clothes, corn she'll
er, S. stick pin and SIS in cash;
1914, $40 deposit in the savings de-
partment of a local bank and cul-
tivator. making total of $50 in cash,
besides the other prizes.
But Richard is not only farmer
and student of the soil. He is a
good financier, as shown by the fact
that he has saved up s2S5 from the
prizes won and the profits accruing
from his acre of corn, which he has
lent out at eight per cent. interest.
From the income he is carrying an
insurance policy OF $1,000. Besides
these investments he has s25 in the
savings departments of local banks.
He will use part of this money later
on in paying his expenses at Glenn
son college, which he expects to at
tend when he has finished the course
at the Sumter high school. He is
now attending the Wells school and
is in the eighth grade. He is we'll de-
veloped physically, and manages to
make enough by his own labor to buy
his own clothes and to keep some
pocket change with him. He also
aids his father on the farm. applying
his hand to whatever task needs to
be done.
This is the record of Richard Wells
and, as stated before, it is one of
which he may we'll be proud, and he
is a member of whom the club is
proud. He has followed out the
methods of corn raising advocated by
the department of agriculture
through their extension work agents
and he has each year consistently
stuck to his acre in good or bad sea-
sons and has made his report of the