The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-02-01
PASQUOTANK'S.
CHAMPION CORN
GROWER A BOY.
Fourteen Year Old jesse John
son of Weeksvillc Leads
State With $50 Bushels
Per Acre

On a farm down at Wceksflie.
i'm Pasquotank County. lives a
small, red-hcaded, freckled face
boy Ii years old. The ordinary
observer would take him for just
another farm boy. But when one
talks to this red-headed freckled
face boy he will at once recognize
an up-and- coming farmer.
The boy is Jesse Johnson. son OF
Mr.. and Mrs. w. L. Johnson, and
he won the State championship for
corn growing among all the club
members of North Carolina in 1923
by growing $50 bushels of corn on
one acre of land.
I'm going to beat that this year
says jesse" who talks Of his PROV
ess as a farmer as if it were just
an ordinary event in his life.
And if early stirring and prepara-
ton has anything to do with it he
will. for he already has been at
work on that acre with which he
expects to break his 1928 record.
Jesse not only won the State
championship, but he siso won s75
dollars in cash money and probably
free trip thru Louisiana. Texas
and Mexico. But Jesse thinks this
is too far away from home for a
fourteen year old boy to go by him
self without any of his people along.
Jesse is a member of the WeeEsville
All Club and has only been III CLUB
work two years. He is an eighth
grade student in the Weeksville high
school.
The $50 bushels of corn were
grown at total cost of s40.2o, or
cost of 26.8 cents a buShel. accord
ing to Jesse, who went at his corn
raising in busineSSlike way and
kept a record of the work spent on
the acre of land and of the fertilizer
and seed costs. Corn raising seems
to run in the family. Jesse'S
brother raised 168 bushels on an
acre of ground two years ago, but
Jesse expects to best his brothers
record this year by seven bushels.
He is going to try mighty hard for
IT'S bushels on that acre of ground
this year.
What has been done by this IA
year-old Weeksville boy can we'll be
taken as an example by old and ex-
perienced farmers, who by the selec-
ton of good seed and fertilizer can
get a yield from few acres equal
to that of many acres which are
planted without studying the con-
ditionS OF the soil, what kind and
how much fertilizers to use or the
careful selection of seeds and correct
cultivation. If the farmer would
give more thought to such matters
he would have more acreage for
other crops which are so essential
to farming. Older heads would do
well to watch the results of the ex-
periments of these youngsters who
look at farming as a business and
not lust as an occupation with
which to make both ends meet and
then not have anything left over for
the rainy day. or the rainy year
when seasons are unfavorable for
farming.
Pasquotank county has some
mighty good and successful farmers
but the younger generation OF farm
boys who are taking advantage OF
he learning and experience that
club work afford them are going to !
eclipse even the more successful
farmers when they grow up ana
farm for themselves. The case OF |!
Jesse Johnson is typical of hun !
ireds of farm boys and girls VINO
are in club work with a view to I'M
proving farm conditions and farm
living and these boys and girls are
going to farm as a business and not !
IS a hit-or-miss proposition. Watch
hem.