The Ronan pioneer., 1917-03-09
CORN GROWN
BY CUSTER BOYS
WORK OF YOUTHS in CLUBS
HELPING TO MAKE MON lana
GREAT CORN STATE.
Rural Teachers, County Superinten-
dent of Schools and County Agrl-
culturalist Cooperating With La
bors of Ambitious Young Experi-
menters; Prize-Winner Tells How.

Down in Custer county, which is
right in the midst of Montana's pros
porous corn belt, they are teaching
the boys and girls how to grow the
corn that wins prizes.
Some day, perhaps, Montana, II IL
doesn't acquire an even greater rep
utation as wheat-producing state,
will come to be known as "the corn
state.' Much of the credit for
achievement along this line is bound
to be given to the experimental work
done by the boys and girls clubs,
in cooperation with the rural teach
ers, the county superintendent OF
schools and j. G. Taylor, the Custer
county agriculturist. In these agrl-
cultural clubs 147 boys and girls
were enrolled last year, and of this
number IS per cent conducted active
work through the season.
At the Montana Stat Corn show
held in December, Custer county
boys won all the places in the yellow
dent and yellow flint classes and
achieved second places in the white
dents and northwestern dent classes.
Prize-Winner Tells How.
The earnestness displayed by the
youthful growers in their work is
revealed by the following account
written by Ralph Spring of Hillcrest,
one of the prize winners:
Last spring the county agent
came out to our schoolhouse and sug-
gested to our teacher that he should
try to get enough boys to form a
corn club. / made one attempt the
previous year, but was hailed out so
did not get any corn. I think it is
very helpful thing for every boy
to know how to raise corn.
"I rented one-half acre of land,
which I disked and had we'll pre-
pared before planting. l then got a
hand planter and planted it. AS
soon as the corn was two inches
high I managed to keep the weeds
out by hoeing. When it was three
feet high I removed the suckers and
left only three stalks in each hill
After going through this process it
withered and looked as if it were
dead. A few days later I cultivated
it and it then began to revive I
did not test my seed corn as i had
already been tested.
"The soil should pe we'll cultivated
before planting the corn, and after
ward. 1t should be planted in rows
SO inches each way, so as to culti-
vate both ways. AS soon as the corn
is fully matured it is best to husk
it and put it in a crib so that the
air can get to it, as corn must have
air so as to dry thoroughly.
Seed Corn Dried Thoroughly.
"My seed corn I hung on strings
so it would dry thoroughly.
II took ten of my best ears and
entered at the Hillcrest fair where L
won first. This l sent to the Custer
county fair and again won first. 1t
was then sent to Helena and received
fourth place, there being l5O other
entries besides mine.
Corn can be used in many DIT
ferent ways when person has STOCK,
such as feeding swine, poultry, cattle,
horses and other animals. 1t is very
fattening, especially for swine. Corn
stalks make a very good feed TOR
cattle and horses, so there is prac-
tically no waste at all in the raising
of corn.
"From my half acre / got 1888
pounds of corn which makes 70
bushels of dry corn, figuring 80
pounds to the bushel I used 19 1-2
bushels at home for feeding and sold
none. My profit on my half acre
was $29.15, figuring my seed corn at
SO per bushel and the feed corn at
80 cents. My total expense was
1890.
81 have learned that cultivation is
one of the most important things in
growing good corn"