The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-07-15
CHAMPION CORN GROWER.
William Campbell, of York, Makes
Corn for 26c Per Bushel.

at IlrZa0, mere udIilleI III vi SotAA
ty. South Carolina, whose name is
William Campbell, and who is hard
ly big enough to stand between the
plow handles and feel comforta Die.
Yet he is the champion boys corn
club grower of South Carolina for
1919, according to the report of Prof.
L. L. Baker, of Clemson college, SD
pervising agent of boys corn club
work in the state. William campbell
produced on single acre OF York
county soil last year 81 $40 bushels
of good corn at cost of 70 cents a
,bushel. Twenty-six cents, bushel!
Think of it. 1t was not the number
of bushels that young William Camp
bell produced on single acre that
won for him an honor that hundreds
of boys over the state of South Car
olina strived for and an honor which
which William Campbells children
and grand children will talk about
with a feeling of pride; but it was
the economical cost of producing that
corn that brought. him first place. He
was able to produce that corn at such
a low price per bushel because of the
fact that he did the work on that
acre himself as required by the rules
and regulations governing the con-
test among the boys over York coun-
ty and South Carolina and because
he worked every minute while he was
supposed to be working and he work
ed intelligently.
But suppose let William Camp
bell tell just how he did it; and then
I'll tell something about the smiling,
energetic youngster.
ttLast year was my first year as a
member of one of the boys corn
clubs of the state,' the lad said. my
prize acre was the same patch OF
ground that an elder brother of mine
had worked in previous corn club
contests. It was in mighty good
shape to start with, I will have to
admit, since a good cover crop of
clover and vetch had been turned
under for the past six years.
ssMy acre of corn was affected very
materially by the dry weather last
summer and I believe that I would
have increased my yield over 100
bushels without any additional cost
of production if I had planted the
acre about two weeks earlier.
81 got a good stand as it was and
I worked the crop very fast. In fact
I pushed it all that I possibly could
after it was planted On June II. My
fodder was never pulled and this
would add several bushels to my
yield. I used no stable manure and,
in fact, the only fertilizer I did use
was 500 pounds of acid and one sack
of nitrate of soda and little mixed
fertilizer. But l worked it mighty
hard and cultivated it pretty careful
ly, although my father says that an
other acre patch which he helped my
brother fix for a prize acre was pre-
pared more carefully and much more
laboriously than l prepared mine.
But I won the prize, you know. I
reckon that is about all that [ know
to tell you about it, except to say that
of course, I am mighty glad and proud
Of the fact that won first place in
the corn club contest in the county
and in the state. ] have received
quite a number of letters from boys
and grown-ups over the state con-
graduating me on my record. I rec
kon I have received too many of
these to answer the mail, and wish
that you would tell them for me that
I appreciate their interest very much
and thank them each and every one
for their kind words of encourage
ment. I am going into the corn club
again this year if there is a corn
club. Of course, reckon there will
be; and I am going to work just as
long and just as hard as did the last
year. I don't know that I can pro-
duce corn cheaper than 26 cents a
bushel this year or not; but am
going to try it. I am just little
boy, you know, and, of course, I have
n'te had much experience, but spent
all my eleven years on my fathers
farm here, and it strikes me that
there is good money in growing corn
in this section. In fact, believe that
our farmers in the Carolinas would
be better off if they gave at least half
as much attention to the production
. of corn as they do to cotton.
''If I can produce corn at 26 cents
a bushel-me, just a little boy, now
mind Won sir-why can't grOwn-unS