Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1915-05-06

The young farmer removed the huska
from his seed corn. then went through
Il and made Q second selection Of the
finest ears. From these ears he re'
moved the defective grains at the ends
and then shelled the rest into stout
sacks.
In selecting seed cotton be pursued
pretty much the same plan. After
picking the cotton from the finest
stalks and boIls he Had II ginned and
saved the seed. These seeds he put in
q screen that let the small and intless
ones pass through.
This method gave Sam the finest seed
from the largest and most perfect
plants. both Of cotton and corn. he
could have sold at high prices much
more than he had to spare Of either
kind. One day. just after the seed had
been selected and was stored away.
Miles Pagan came over TO buy.
81 want TO buy some o. that cotton
and corn seed Of yours" be said.
"How much can you spare me and
what'll they be w0rthr'
I'm selling them at 81 per bushel
for either kind" Sam told him, '-and
I have only six bushels OF corn and
twenty Of cotton seed to SELL"
my, but that's q high pricer' ex.
claimed Pagan. ''Still. reckon they're
worth 1t and I'll take the lot"
Cant let you have them all" said
the boy farmer. 1--WE promised Bill
uOoge half OF them. 90 you can have
lhree bushels of corn and ten Of cot
ton seed"
THAT amt as many as need. but
I'll take EN-" said Mr.. Pagan.
Sans school chums gathered most Of
his cotton crop. for which he paid them
at the rate Of 60 cents per hundred
pounds. Ten and sometimes twelve OF
them would come out early Saturday
morning and pick until night, in which
time no less than a bale would be
gathered. When the last struggling
locks of the patch had been gathered
Sam found that his crop had yielded
one bale to the acre. The FIVE bales he
sold for $3.50 and stored away 100
bushels of seed for feed.
The four acre tract Of corn yielded
seventy bushels to the acre. or total
of $50 bushels. all Of which Sam put
In the barn with that from the one
acre. He didn't intend to sell any OF
this crop. as he could make more by
feeding 1t TO hogs.
The crops were now about all gath
cred. There remained the peas and
the pumpkins that mad been sown
among the corn and the turnips. which
were not yet ready to be gathered.
! Sam hauled out many loads OF Dig
golden pumpkins with the one horse
WMgUn. Tuere wzrS uUl rz1Gn in1rKet
Tor pumpkins. but he managed to sell
about 100 at s cents each, or a total or
SIS worth. And still he had more
pumpkins than he knew what to 90
with. He knew. however, that what
the family did not use would % nne
feed for the hogs and cows when the
cold weather Of winter came on. SO
be carefully stored them away.
with the black eyed pea crop It was
the same. Sam thought that he had
never seen so many peas In all. MS NE.
He sold $40 worth. gathered what
would be needed at home. and then.
the vines still full. he turned In tine
hogs and cows for weeks feast.
According to agreement. Bill Googe
came over when the stock had cleared
out most OF the pea crop and set to
work with large pillow turning under
vines, stalks and all. The GOTTEN stalks
were large. and great many OF them
as well as some cUrnstAikS. were left
above ground Hut when Sam sowed
the ground with winter oats and rye
and had GoOge follow him With disk
It cut the stalks to pieces and left the
coil smooth and uhbroken.
Soon after they finished sowing q
gentle rain began falling. lasting for a
day. 1t sank into the soft soil and
seemed to touch the planted grain with
magic. In a very short time the aeld
from end to end was one long carpet
Of green.
The year was growing old. and the
great bulk OF the work was done. Sam
now had more leisure than he had had
4 at any time during the year. OF morn.
ings there was sometimes hint OF
frost in the air. but the days were yet
hot and sultry. Sans friends. Fred
Martin. Joe Watson and Andrew
White. had visited him several times
that summer in addition to the days
that they had worked. But be bad
something that he thought would make
a pleasant surprise for the boys, 50 DC
invited his neighbor. Bob Pagan. and
those three from town to visit him on
Saturday. Sans surprise was soms
large watermelons, the last OF the sea
son, that he had covered up with grass
and kept fresh and sound. The melon
crop had been gone for long time
and this would be treat worth Civ
ing on what would probably be theiI
last visit this year. Even Bob Fagau