Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1917-02-07

have been obtained by the boys
and girls engaged in the four club
activities which have lately oc-
cupied the attention of youthful
farm folks in New Castle County.
In the fall of 1915, nineteen boys
and girls undertook to see what
profit they could make in one
wear, from six hens; in the spring
of 1916, twenty-seven boys and
girls joined the big club to see
what each could do with a young
pig before winter; eleven joined
the potato club, to try their skill
with a quarter acre of potatoes,
and eight Joined the corn club to
see how much corn they could
produce on one acre of land. Ac-
curate account of all expenditures
for feed, fertilizer, rent of land,
etc., were required, and a state
ment of their time with potatoes
and corn) figured up at the rate
of lOc per hour. The interest and
farmers were sustained by occas-
ional visits by the County Agent
who gave suggestions or encour-
agement when needed. The work
of the boys and girls engaged in
these club activities was close
watched by the parents and by
the farmers in the various COM
munities where the club members
lived, creating favorable interest
and rivalry among them as "
as among the club members then
selves.
AS in all boy and girl activities,
there were few who dropped out
in each of these four clubs. Some
gave up the work because OF pro-
longed illness; some because of
removal to other counties or
states; some lost their pigs; few
received such scant encourage
ment from their parents that they
simply "quit"; three lost their
fowls in heavy storms and four
went away from home in order to
attend better schools. But Of the
sixty-fve boys and girls who &C
tually began work, forty carried
it through to a satisfactory con-
clusion, twenty-one in the pig
club, four in the corn club, seven
in the potato club and eight in thu
poultry club.
Money For Prizes
In order to add stimulus to the
work, prizes of pure-bred pigs AM
cash prizes were offered, the mum
Der of prizes being determined b.
the amount of money subscribed
for the purpose by friends of the
boy and girl club movement. Tt
this end the County Agent solicit
ed financial assistance and receiv
ed the following amounts O
money; State Board of Agricult
ure. $500, The New Castle Coun
ty National Bank, Odessa, $500
Pomona Grange $1,000, Peacl
Blossom Grange, Middletown
$500, Newark Trust and Safe De
post Company, $500 and the E
|. du Point de Nemours & Com
pany, Wilmington, $4,000. Part o
this money was used for casl
premiums at the county cor
shows of 1915 and 1916 and Pr
to buy pigs as prizes for the pi,
club that completed its work il
March 1916. The remainder ha
been divided for prizes and givel
to the members of the four club
above mentioned.
The Pig Club
In the pig club, three prize
were awarded, each being a pure
bred registered Berkshire SOW pig
purchased from the Delaware Elk
pertinent Farm. These pigs wen
to Paul Severson, Townsend
Fieldsboro school, who made hi
pig gain 277 pounds at a cost Q
S4.9S for feed bought. Second
Edward Hart, Jr., Townsend
Townsend school, whose pig mad
a gain of 247 pounds at a fee
cost of 1886. Third, Howar
Eall Robinson, Townsend, Blacl
bird school, whose pig gained %
pounds at a cost for feed Of S7.2
Two of the boys produced heavie
hogs, but it cost them much mo,
to secure the increased weigh
because their pigs were kept
pens and fed largely on expensiv
grain. The idea was to see WI
could grow the most port for tt
least money. The pigs that mac
the greatest gains for the mon.
paid for feed, were run on gra
large part of the summer al