Prize Pig a Practical Demonstration 



How one teacher of sixty pupils in a one-room schoolhouse, 

 situated in the forests of North Carolina, succeeded in getting her 

 pupils interested in practical agriculture with a pig and less than 

 an acre of uncultivated land, is told in a report of one of the field 

 workers of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



A farm paper offered a pure-bred pig as a prize for securing a 

 certain number of subscriptions. This energetic school teacher 

 set out among the parents of her pupils and succeeded in selling 

 enough subscriptions to win the pig. When the pig arrived the 

 pen was already built by the school children on the school grounds 

 for its reception. The parents were invited and talks on pig 

 raising were made. The rest of the day was spent in driving around 

 to some of the best pig farms in the county where various kinds of 

 live stock were scored and discussed. 



The pupils learned that a pig could not thrive entirely on scraps 

 from lunches and occasional ears of corn. An interested member 

 of the school committee offered the use of his team and implements 

 and the pupils started to work clearing the forest land to use as a 

 forage pasture. They then planted crops of rye, wheat, rape, and 

 grass to afford the pig grazing plots of green forage. A cold frame 

 was also put in and cabbage plants were grown for sale, the money 

 thus realized being turned over to buy whatever additional feed 

 was needed to keep the pig. 



As a result of the interest aroused, taxpayers and members of the 

 school board have given their support to the establishment of a 

 small demonstration farm. More land is to be purchased and the 

 county agent is to visit the school each week. Since the pig was 

 brought into the school less than a year ago, the membership of the 

 county pig club has more than trebled. 



Of Interest to Bird-lovers 



The Massachusetts Fish & Game Protection Association, 

 Room 748, Tremont Bldg., Boston, has issued a most interesting 

 and instructive booklet on "Conservation of our Wild Birds." It 

 contains notes on nesting-boxes, bird baths, winter feeding, berry 

 and seed bearing trees and shrubs, enemies of birds, etc. Every 

 bird lover should have a copy. Price 50 cts. postpaid. 



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