The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-07-24
AN INTERESTING DEMONSTRA-
TION.
j. Frank Williams Writes of Canning
Club Work and How to Care for
Tomato Plants--McntiOns Cheap
Fruit Trees from Clemson.

On Friday of last week, l attended
a canning demonstration given by
Miss Mary Lennon, our Tomato Club
Agent, or agent in charge of Girls
Club Work in Sumter county. at the
home of Mr.. w. G. Pierson, and l
was very much Impressed with the
interest that is being taken in that
work. A number of the girls par
ents and friends were present and
took part in the exercises. A chick
en- was cooked in a fireless cooker and
along with numerous other good
things was served on long table un-
der a large oak tree, said to be a hun
dred years old. Your humble scribe
had been spectator most Of the
morning, but when it came to dis
posing of those good things to eat, he
was very much in evidence.
In the afternoon we visited several
of the girls plots of tomatoes be-
longing to the members of the club,
and all of them showed that q great
deal of work and care had been spent
upon them. Nearly all of the girls of
this club talked like they were going
to mulch their vines when they finish
ed working them, with leaf mould
This will furnish some mild plant
food and retain the moisture so that
these same vines that are bearing
now, will be kept alive and bearing
all summer. What impressed me most
about this meeting, was the fact that
every member except one turned
out to attend 1t. l must say that the
girls are more interested in their club
work than the boys. ".
On this trip / visited an orchard on
which the owner said that he had
spent $500 and did not get more
than Is trees. Four or five of these
were dead and there was not single
tree in the orchard that had put on
more than six inches of growth. Three
OF the trees consisted of pecans, four
or five were apple trees and the re-
mainder were peach trees. This gen.
tleman told me that the agent who
sold him the trees charged $1.0O
each for peach trees. If this gentle
man had placed his order through
Clemson College the trees would not
have cost him more than three dol
lars and he would have had fourteen
or fifteen dollars to purchase a spray
pump, or l suspect that he could find
a number of uses for the fifteen dol
lars this year. If farmer In Sumter
county pays these high prices to
agents this fall for peach trees, it
Will be because he does not read the
newspapers, for you have been kind
enough to publish two or three articles
in which I offered to transmit orders
Tor peach trees at cents each, and
other trees much cheaper than an
agent could sell them. Some may say
that they know these trees couldn't
be good trees that they are too
cheap. Agents will certainly tell you
this. l do not blame you from being
from Missouri either for you have
been bit so much. 1 do not ask YOU
to take my word, but visit Mr.. f. c..
Hanysworth's orchard; Mr.. Fl. c.
Haynsworth's, Mr. S. F.. Moore's at
Dalzell, or my own. i set out hun
dred Of these cheap trees and l have
a hundred living. The growth on
each tree will average 80 inches at
the present time. Mr.. E.. c. Hayns-
worth purchased 400 Of these cheap
peach trees and about two hundred
grape vines. and with the difference
between the price the agent charged
on h. l. TindaIs and what he did
pay he could have paid for a Ford
automobile.
j. Frank Williams.