The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-12-30

Products.
County Farm Demonstration Agent
J. Frank Williams delivered the fol-
address at the annual ban
quet Of the Chamber Of Commerce at
Claremont Hotel on the evening
Of December 18th:
In my opinion the Chamber of
has been a great deal of
benefit to the farmers Of Sumter
county in the past and the united eff
fort Of all of the business men OF
Sumter in cooperation with the farm
ers Of the county for the next three
or four years will be essential to keep
the prosperity Of the county and the
business Of Sumter from undergoing
a very serious depression.
Since the Chamber Of Commerce
has moved It's offices to It's present
location, l have found it more con-
venient fer meeting farmers and
using 1t as a medium to get in touch
with officials n experts from the
department Of agriculture and Glenn
Sol college. Mr.. Reardon has been
very active in keeping on hand and
cooperating with me in distributing a
number Of useful bulletins.
Last winter our late lamented friend
Mr.. W.. b. Boyle met me and insisted
upon my going with him to a meeting
Of the directors of the Chamber Of
Commerce. / was called upon to
make a statement about the organi-
zation Of pig clubs and corr clubs
in the county. When I took my seat
Mr.. Phelps arose and stated that
Hardy & Co., would loan to the boys
Of Sumter county a thousand dollars
until January LIST, 1917. without in
~terest. for the purpose Of purchasing
pure bred pigs and that they would
give $500 in prizes in the boys and
girls club work. Of the county.
I invited Mr.. Reardon. DR.. Hayns-
worth and Miss Lennon to join me
In visiting the schools of the county
and assist me In arousing some en-
thusiasm In the club work. We made
out q schedule of three schools per
day and Mr.. Reardon wrote letters to
the teachers and trustees informing
than Of the time Of our visits We
lhsad .pesfipen At a. to .xS-schools and
there were present at all OF the meet
ings large numbers of the patrons OF
the districts. In Mr.. R~eardon's talks
at these. meetings he stated that the
Chamber Of Commerce was an organ
ization directly for the business men
OF Sumter and indirectly for tho ben
eft OF all of the farmers In the coun-
ty, that anything that helped to build
up the prosperity Of the farmers in
creased tho business of the principal
market center Of the county. A great
deal of interest was aroused in the
club work. Twelve registered high
bred gifts and five. registered pigs
were purchased by the live stock
experts of Clemson college for the
boys. AS a result Of placing these
bred gifts with the boys. we now have
sixty more pure bred pigs in the coun-
ty than We likely would have had.
Out Of the necessity for having O.
i've stock show. and corn club show
Tor the boys and a show for the club
girls to award the $500 in premiums
given by Hardy & Co.. grew the
county fair in 1917 in the tobacco
warehouse, and the inspiration for a
county fair in 1917 that will be the
equal OF am county fair held in the
state. In the beginning of the agi-
tation for a county fair last fall Mr..
Reardon was requested to invite all
who might be interested in a county
fair to attend a meeting at the Cham
Der Of Commerce and it was the late
Mr.. w. b. Boyle who was most en-.
thusiastic for organizing a county
fair.
Inc secretary Of the Chamber Of
commerce Is responsible for securing
the government expert cotton grader
whom we had with us for a few
weeks his fall. and who 1 think &C
complished a great deal of good, es-
pecially in teaching the small farm
er the necessity Of taking pains in
picking his cotton, in order to obtain
the highest grading. One of my
share troopers after visiting the gov
eminent grader, used such care in
picking his cotton that all of his
crop graded good middling. The large
farmer III hires his cotton picked by
the hundred cannot have it gathered