The Bulletin 51 



cultivate for the same amount of corn, 3 acres or 25? In 1912 five of the 

 boys averaged over 150 bushels. This is 750 bushels of corn from a five-acre 

 field. Two of them averaged over 175 bushels. Two acres of land — 350 

 bushels of corn. A woman can cultivate that much land. This is great en- 

 couragement to the small farmer with only a few acres of land. These 

 yields show that it is possible for "him to make more corn on his few acres 

 than the large farmer is making on his many, and with much less labor. 



In this connection let it be noted that the largest corn grower among the 

 boys in all this Boys' Corn Club movement, judged by the number of bushels 

 grown on his acre, is a North Carolina boy. He is not receiving in the 

 current agricultural literature credit for this, but he raised the corn just 

 the same. In 1910 Jerry Moore, of Winona, S. C, raised 228.75 bushels of 

 corn on one acre of land, and became the champion boy corn-grower of the 

 whole country. His glory was of short duration. In 19li Chas. J. Parker, Jr., 

 of Menola, N. C, raised 235.5 bushels on one acre. This yield has not yet 

 been exceeded. In 1913 Walker Lee Dunson, of Alexander City, Ala., raised 

 232.7 bushels; but this lacks 2.8 bushels of equaling Parker's yield. All these 

 boys grew their corn under the direction of the Boys' Corn Club manage- 

 ment; and all the corn was measured by the same rules and under the same 

 restrictions. 



These regulations require that the measuring be done by disinterested wit- 

 nesses of no kinship. When Charles Parker sent in his report, the yield was 

 so large those in charge feared a mistake had been made. So by precon- 

 certed arrangements Mr. O. B. Martin, in charge of the Boys' Corn Club work 

 in the South; Mr. I. O. Schaub, in charge of the boys work in North Carolina; 

 T. Prank Parker and T. J. W. Broome, of the North Carolina Department of 

 Agriculture; T. E. Browne, district farm demonstration agent, and E. N. 

 Clark, land and industrial agent of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway, met at 

 the home of young Parker, remeasured his land, gathered up all the scrap 

 corn on the acre, reweighed the whole pile, and found he had 235.5 bushels. 

 None of the other boys' corn was weighed by so competent disinterested 

 witnesses. 



Why is young Parker not given the credit of the championship? Samples 

 of his corn were taken to the laboratory of the State Chemist and dried to 

 12.21 per cent of moisture, the moisture content of crib dry corn. By this 

 test young Parker had 195.87 bushels. This test was not applied to the corn 

 of any of the other boys. By it Parker lost 16.82 per cent of his corn. This 

 much was only water. Assuming the moisture content of the other boys' 

 corn was the same as that of Chas. Parker's, then by this test Jerry Moore 

 had only 190.28 bushels instead of 228.75. Dunson had only 193.56 instead of 

 232.7. Because of this extra test doubtless explains why Chas. J. Parker, Jr., 

 has never been accorded the honor so justly due him of being the champion 

 boy corn grower of the South. In the popular mind his yield was 195.87, 

 and not the 235.5 that he must be credited with to put him on an equal foot- 

 ing with the other boys. 



Parker grew his corn at a cost of 24 cents a bushel; Jerry Moore at a cost 

 of 42 cents; Dunson at a cost of 20 cents (19.9). Dunson has the champion- 

 ship for low cost of production; Parker for number of bushels grown on one 

 acre. Jerry Moore lost the championship in 1911. 



Another thing brought out in this work of the boys is the great productive 

 power of North Carolina land when properly manipulated. Young Parker the 

 first year made only 67.5 bushels on his acre of land. The next year his 

 brother made 126.5 bushels on the same acre. The third year he made his 

 wonderful yield on that same acre. In 1913 Geo. West, Jr., of Lenoir County, 

 made 184 bushels on one acre of land, at a cost of only 19 cents, and won the 

 State-wide prize. He had been improving this land just three years. At the 

 beginning, in his judgment, it would not have produced over 25 bushels. 



The State's improved lands do not suffer in comparison with the naturally 

 richer lands of other States. Iowa is the greatest corn-growing State in the 

 Union. In her Boys' Corn Club contest in 1912 the highest yield was 141 

 bushels; the second 131; the third 128; the fourth 123. In North Carolina 

 that year the highest yield was 188; the second 184; the third 173; the fourth 

 162. A difference between the two highest yields of 47 bushels in favor of 



