1912. 
THIS RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
lOOT 
A FARM BOYS’ STOCK-JUDGING CONTEST. 
There are many ways for developing clean, inter¬ 
esting, educational features in connection with our 
fairs. Encouraging farm boys to take part in con¬ 
tests in which judgment and skill are required is 
one of them. Once we can get the farm boy inter¬ 
ested we will have little difficulty in interesting the 
parents. Competitive contests, such as stock judging, 
poultry judging, apple packing, corn and grain judg¬ 
ing, etc., among the farm boys cannot 
but help to stimulate a great deal of 
local interest and rivalry. It is pot as 
difficult a task to organize one of these 
contests as at first may seem. With 
the good will and some cooperation on 
the part of the officers of the agricul¬ 
tural societies, anyone, so minded, and 
who has an interest in farm boys, may 
organize one of these contests. 
The county fair held by the Jeffer¬ 
son County (N. Y.) Agricultural So¬ 
ciety is but an example of the ordinary 
county fairs many of which are in 
decadence. For the past 20 years 
scarcely a new feature of educational, 
oi in any way permanent value has been 
introduced. The natural result of this 
is that instead of its advancing along 
lines that are useful, interesting, and at¬ 
tractive to the people it has been slowly 
losing its grasp on the people. Many 
of the present type of attractions, so 
called, are of the kind that repel rather 
than attract many of the clean, pros¬ 
perous farmers and business men and 
their families, who under more favor¬ 
able circumstances would attend the 
fair. They consider that their time 
would be more profitably spent at home, 
and so it would. In this particular 
instance the officers of the Society were 
induced to make a feature of a farm 
boys’ stock judging contest. Once the 
idea and details were explained to them, 
at one of their meetings, they looked 
upon the scheme with more favor and 
interest than the promoter had antici¬ 
pated, and to help on in the movement 
they at once donated $20 in cash to¬ 
ward prizes for the contestants. Previ¬ 
ous to this, the promoter had discussed 
the possibilities of such a feature with 
some of the prominent stock breeders 
in the county. So interested were they 
in the venture that they at once offered 
two purebred bull calves, one a Holstein 
and the other a Jersey, as prizes. This 
was a good start. With $20 in cash and 
two bull calves in view the promoter 
then went before the members of the 
local produce exchange and explained 
the proposed contest. This organization 
at once fell in with the plan and sub¬ 
scribed $10. In this way was raised, 
with comparatively little effort or 
trouble, $30 in cash and two purebred 
calves, worth anywhere from $25 to 
$50 apiece. With these attractive prizes 
as an incentive notices were distributed 
through the local press, county Granges, 
and other sources. The contest was 
open to any farm boy in the county be¬ 
tween 14 and 20 years of age provided 
they had not had instructions in an 
agricultural school. Eighteen farm boys, 
the average of whose ages was 17 years, 
requested to be registered for the con¬ 
test. This large registration was very 
gratifying to the promoter, and served 
to awaken a general interest in the 
event. 
On the specified day and hour the 
boys gathered at an appointed place on 
the county fair grounds. They were 
ready for the contest. The contest con¬ 
sisted of the task of judging and placing a ring of 
In this contest the regularly hired society stock 
judges of cattle and horses were also the judges of 
the contestants. They decided how the animals in 
the different rings should have been placed. Before 
beginning to judge the different rings, the contestants 
were taken aside and the judges instructed them 
briefly in regard to what good dairy form and good 
types of farm horses consisted. The boys then began 
the work of judging and were allowed 20 minutes 
BOY JUDGES WORKING OUT REASONS. Fig. 439 
BOYS JUDGING THE HORSE. Fig. 440. 
six full aged Holstein cows, a ring of four Ayrshire 
cows, and a ring of farm horses. The boys were 
instructed to place the animals in first, second, third 
and fourth positions according to their judgment 
of the merits of the several animals in each ring. 
Not only were they required to judge and place the 
animals, but they were also required, with each ring, 
to write their reasons for placing them as they did. 
The latter part of the task they found most difficult. 
It was one thing to pick out the best cows and horses; 
but it was another matter to tell why the cow that 
took first place was better than the next one. 
SPOTTED COLT: REVERSION TO HIS ARABIAN ANCESTORS. 
Fig. 441. (See page 1081.) 
for this work. At the expiration of this time they 
were led out to one side and seated on the grass 
wrote their reasons for placing the animals as they 
did. They were allowed 15 minutes for writing 
reasons. Meanwhile the judge of the day was judg¬ 
ing the animals in order to decide just how they 
should have been placed. At the expiration of this 
period the boys were led back to the ring and the 
judge explained how the animals should have been 
placed and why. In this way the boys received in¬ 
structions before and after judging, and were able to 
see wherein their judgment was in error. This 
operation was repeated in the case of each ring. It 
took just 45 minutes for the boys to receive their 
instructions, judge the rings, write their reasons, 
and be corrected by the judge and to have a few 
minutes to talk before the other ring was brought in. 
In grading the contestants 60 per cent, was allowed 
for correct placing, and 40 per cent, for most convinc¬ 
ing reasons. The relative standing of each boy was 
determined in each ring and in all of the rings in 
order to get his average. For the contestant who 
made the highest average score in all 
the rings was given the choice of either 
the Holstein or Jersey Bull calf. The 
contestant standing second took the 
other calf. In addition to these two 
sweepstakes prizes the $30 in cash was 
awarded in the following manner: 
There were, besides the sweepstakes 
prizes, four possible prizes to be dis¬ 
tributed among four boys standing 
highest in each ring. These 12 cash 
prizes were distributed among 11 boys, 
one boy winning a place in two rings. 
The cash prizes consisted of a copy of 
Plumb’s Types and Breeds of Farm 
Animals, or its equivalent in cash. The 
stock were judged out in an open space 
near the stock sheds. So interested 
were the farmers in the event, that it 
was with much difficulty that they could 
be kept back far enough so that the 
boys might have room to work. A rope 
enclosed judging ring would have been 
better. It was gratifying to see how 
earnestly these farm boys went to work. 
There was no embarrassment, no 
nervousness, simply a keen determina¬ 
tion to make good and win a calf. 
So pleased were the farmers with this 
event that some of the stock breeders 
on the grounds at once offered three 
purebred calves if a similar contest 
would be held next year. We hope to 
have a bigger contest another year, in 
which the farm boys will not only have 
a chance to judge horses and cattle, but 
sheep, swine, poultry, fruit and grain 
as well. The inauguration of such fea¬ 
tures as these at our local fairs will 
tend very materially toward making 
them more useful and attractive. 
F. E. ROBERTSON. 
MARKET AT TYRONE, PA. 
We are not personally acquainted 
with John II. Grazier, the Burgess of 
Tyrone, Pa., but we give him as favora¬ 
ble place in print as we can. He has an 
agricultural name and a farmer’s heart. 
The borough council of Tyrone under¬ 
took to prohibit farmers from selling 
their product on the public streets ex¬ 
cept on a specified market place or after 
certain hours. It was a clear infringe¬ 
ment of a farmer’s common rights, and 
Mr. Grazier vetoed the ordinance in the 
most square-toed manner. This is what 
he said: 
“It means that no farmer or truck 
raiser shall be permitted to sell, or offer 
for sale, his produce on any of our 
streets on Mondays, Wednesdays and 
Fridays, and on other days of the week 
only after 10 o’clock. The provisions of 
this section cannot be enforced. Fruits 
and vegetables are perishable and must 
be marketed when ready. A farmer has 
the right to sell his produce when and 
where he pleases. 
“Tyrone is surrounded by splendid 
farming communities. This ordinance 
if it becomes a law, will have a tendency 
to drive the farmers who bring their 
produce to Tyrone into other markets. 
I refuse to sanction any legislation that 
will deprive our citizens of any of their 
rights and privileges or that will restrict our farmers 
from their right to market their produce when and 
where and how or to whom they please.” 
Nurserymen and others who wish to import nursery 
stock should write to the Secretary of Agriculture, Wash¬ 
ington, D. C.. for Public Document No. 275, H. R. 24119, 
which explains the requirements of the new quarantine 
law. 
Here is a bad economic waste. Quantities of very in¬ 
ferior butter are made in Western Canada. It is sent to 
Montreal and thence to New York to be “renovated.” 
3ood butter is sent back to Western Canada in place of 
this poor stuff—making two needless railroad freights and 
useless handling. 
