The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-12

are III tne state or AlaDama fUUO nlen- bers and the results have justified the most optimistic hopes of the founders of the movement.
 To the development of the pig club movement many suggestions have been contributed Of course to establish pig club it is necessary to have, first boys, and second pigs, and to bring these necessary elements in conjunction many good ideas have contributed. In the sim plest form. the boy provided his own pig or had it provided for him by, say, his father, but as soon as the movement Was we'll under way it was found that a great many boys who were eligible and promising pig club members were for one reason or another unable to get pigs. At this point well disposed citizens, l anliers, etc, began to step in and sup ply pigs on more or less of business basis. In some instances the pig would be pure gift, in others, the pig would be given to the boy by a bank which desired to promote the movement, the bank taking in payment for the pig the boys note payable, say, in year and in dored by the boys father In other cases the donor would give the pig on what has been called two for one plan, that is, the boy would sign a contract to return to the donor two pigs from the first litter raised by him. Rather than give a boy a pig outright 1t is considered generally much better to have him get it under some form of obligation for payment, because that fosters the boys sense of responsibility and helps to make a business man of him. All these methods resulted In the entrance Of many hundred and soon many thousand boys in the pig raising business, and the progress of swine raising in the south has received great big boost therepy
 BELL COMPANY GETS BUSY
 Among other institutions promoting pig clubs was the Bell Telephone company which began with a pig club in Cobb county, Ga, promoted on the two for one plan. This club started off with Z! boys provided with pigs by the telephone company and in addition about 40 more boys provided their own pigs or had them provided by friends or parents, so that the club started off in April, l9l7 with some 65 members. This was so successful that the company began to consider starting other clubs and among them one in Alabama. It appeared, how ever that the time had gone by when a pig club on the usual basis could pc started The pig club rules generally require that the boy shall have been en- rolled and have owned and fed his pig from April or May and this time was considerably past when it was decided to start the Alabama pig club, conseduent- ly new plan was submitted py the company to Mr.- Ford state pig clup agent at the Alabama Polytechnic lhsti ute. According to this plan instead or the company giving to 10 or 2o poys young pigs, it devoted the same amount of money to the purchase Of SIX ruii grown bred gflts on contract Wlth eau boy that he should return two guhts from the first litter and three from the second, it being figured that the value of the pigs returned to the company would be just about the equivalent or the value of the hog given to the boy.
 The plan having been determined on, the company turned over 10 NIT. foiu and MT. Newman, his assistant the >se
 lection of the county in when 10 staIt' They chose Tallapoosa county ana M, Newman was authorized to buy .he hogs. This he did, securing them rom the West Dallas Farms of Orviiie, Wnlch in consideration of the public purpose to which they were to be devoted very liherallv made substantial concession in the price, When the hogs arrived q. Dadeville they created something or a sensation on account or tneir uiiuoua. ~ quality. They were revelation to i'ians
 people as to what pure-preo i'os
 could be.
 CLUB OPENED IN NOVEMBER
 On November 24 last. the club was opened. the members who had been sa- lected by MT. Newman coming into Dade- vile from their homes to receive their pigs. MT. Newman, who had formerly
 been county farm agent of Tallapoosa county, had thorough acquaintance
 among the, farmers and consequently
 was well able to select boys who were
 qualified to handle thv pigs intelllgently
 and subsequent results have proved that
 he made no mistake in his selection.
 There was something of gala occasion
 at Dadeville on that date, there pelnS
 present MT. Ford, MT. Newman and MT
 Chauncy Smith, special agent Of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph
 company, who had come over from At lanta to be present at the opening. IL
 was bitter cold day, SO cold that 10
 keen comfortable 1t was necessary 70
 stand on the sunny side and to leewara
 of the courthouse, but the poys anu
 also many spectators stuck 1t out, there
 being great interest displayed in the
 practical talks given by MT. foro' NIT.
 Newman and MT Smith and general ap
 nrohation by thee itizens of the public
 snirit exhibited by the telephone com
 many in promoting the club. There was also much admiration expressed Tor the
 character of the hogs which were oh
 exhibition in charge of their new owh-
 ers in an improyised enclosure by the
 courthouse.
 Now as to the results of the TaHa-
 noosa County Pig club. 1t IS pleas
 ure to note that so far they nave peeii
 extremely satisfactory. The piss were
 given out in November and ny Apru
 and May the boys were pesinhlns .o
 taka in money as we'll as liquidate
 tba;r Indebtedness to, the company. The
 comnany. through the county agents,
 MT. Binford and MT. Newman, was dls-
 tributingt the young pigs among otner
 members of the pig club on the two
 for one plan in accordance With the
 original understanding that these pigs would be used when returned Tor de-
 yelopment of the pig club work in the county. By May and June some or the boys had secured most satislac- tory results. For instance, Ramsey Brown had on hand his original SOW and seven pigs, all in such flne conal- tion that they look like most promis-
 ing candidates for prize at the state fair. On moderate estimate. Ram sey Brown has made well over $l0o. with more in sight. Olin Ware had se- cured five gilts and two boars, two or the gilts being delivered to new mem bers of the club and the remaining pigs being in fine shape and ready to sell. H. F. Ponder had hard luck, having lost his litter something that will happen now and then to any pig raiser. R. C. Dunn had secured two gilts and four boars. had lost one boar and given two gilts in accordance with his contract to new members of tha club selected by MT. Binford. Joe Bun- van Thompson had had five boar pigs and two gilts on January 2S. and had