News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-03-24

DEAL I'll tell you what III do. sam
You keep the SOW and look after ner
and when the pigs are old enough you
ship four OF them to me and you may
have the SOW and the rest of the pigs.
"I'll dc it," said Sam. and the bargain
was closed
About 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. he shipped the four
pigs to their owner. Or 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 he showed that
| he was wise.
But. proud as Sam Powell was of his
thorongbbredS. there was something
else to which he was giving lot OF
thought and work. That something
was the acre OF corn that was to 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 Stnmps, Bob
did join. but the corn was not planted
this year. For after working with
grubbing hoe and AK from sunup till
shutdown for many days. clearing the
acre Of the big, deep rooted stumps,
Mr.. Pagan told him nncOncerEedly
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. 1t was too late. however, to
plant the corn when he had finished it.
and he had to drop out of the contest
for this year.
Bat Miles Pagan was beginning to
learn that be didn't know verv much
about growing corn. The patch across
the fence from his was teaching him
something
Sam planted his contest acre with
the seed furnished by the agent about
the middle of March. The rows were
four feet apart and the stalks In the
rows eighteen inches. He cultivated
it the first time when the corn was
just beginning to come mp by going
over it with harrow. This did not
hurt the plants. except one here and
there. and it killed all the little weeds
and grass that were just starting. How
that corn did grow. 1t sprang up al
most like mushrooms. 1t 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 weed |
to take root on that acre. He pulled !
the suckers whenever they appeared
and went over ii once with a hoe. but
most of the work was done with
n ha
1t toerabIy deep. but as the corn grew
larger and the little roots began to run
out across the middles be plowed very
shallow to keep from cutting the roots
and injurine the corn. But there was
another reason for shallow blowing
soil TO lose moisture when the crop
needs it most
Sam stirred the top of the ground till
there was layer OF dust to hold the
moisture below. He wanted to keep
all the water he could for the growing
corn. and he knew that the sun can
draw water up through crust in
hurry. but can't draw it through
layer of duSt-Or mulch az il il called
He kept the soil this way lie never
plowed when it was too wet. for that
makes clodS. But after rains, as soon
as it was dry enough. or when weeds
began to appear be went over the patch
with pillow or harrow and stirred the
surface till it was all broken up and
loose
Bill Googe and Miles Pagan had quit