Rural School Leaflet 



1017 



GROUP II. CONTESTS FOR BOYS SIXTEEN TO TWENTY- 

 ONE YEARS OF AGE * 



A Letter to the Boys 

 Dear Friends: 



You are hearing much these days about modern agriculture and scien- 

 tific farming. You read in the state and federal bulletins of the investi- 

 gations being conducted by the experiment stations of our country. You 

 are told that there are excellent opportunities to-day for the boy who 

 knows how to conduct the business of farming. 



In the following pages an attempt has been made to explain, in simple, 

 straightforward manner, the best practice in growing certain crops as 

 that practice has been developed by investigators in the laboratory and on 

 the farm. An opportunity is given to you to raise a single crop on limited 

 area in accordance with the best known methods. While this is not by 

 any means all that there is to successful farming, it is one of the essentials. 

 Moreover, if you are the boy who expects to know, you will profit by the 

 successes and failures of the other boys; if you do not have the prize 

 crop, you will find out who does and why that crop is better than yours. 



* In all contests in this group, it is essential that there be a uniform standard of labor and equipment 

 costs for the entire district. The State College has not felt it wise to establish such standards for the 

 entire State because they vary from place to place and from year to year. It will be possible, however, 

 to arbitrarilv establish average standards which shall hold for the particular contest. 



In regard to the selling price of the product there are two alternatives: 1 The prevailing market price 

 may be taken as the basis of all computations. 2. The prevailing market price may be taken as the mini- 

 mum value, but any amount over and above the market price which the boy may secure through hi 

 initiative shall be recognized and credited to him accordingly. This plan adds one feature to the contest, 

 namely, skill in the marketing of the crop, which always counts in good farm practice. 



