American Agriculturist, December 6, 1924 
The Making of Good Farmers 
These Boys Tell How They Worked for the A. A. Scholarship 
E ach year Henry Morgenthau, Jr., offers 
through the American Agriculturist a 
$200 scholarship in the winter course at 
the New York State College of Agriculture 
to the farm boy who has the best crop or animal 
project during the preceding year. Last year the 
winner was Leonard J. Strang of Akron, Erie 
County. This year Harold Winsor of Guilford, 
Chenango County, won the prize with his dairy 
project. The second in line was James Richmond 
of Phelps, Ontario County, who raised an acre of 
potatoes. The third was Kent Stoodley of Adams 
Center, Jefferson County, who raised a calf as his 
project. 
One of the conditions of the contest for the 
scholarship required that each boy write an article 
describing just how he conducted it. We take 
pleasure in publishing these three articles on this 
page and we ask you to take particular note of 
what these boys have written. They show in a strik¬ 
ing way what junior project work is doing to train 
our young farm people to meet the problems of 
the f uture and in giving them true ideas and ideals 
of the great business of agriculture. American 
Agriculturist congratulates these boys, their parents 
and their teachers on this worthy and tvorthwhile 
work. Read in their articles given below what they 
accomplished. There is much in these achievements 
for all of us. 
* * * 
The Story of My Dairy Project 
Harold Winsor 
I T was in March 1923 that I first started my 
calf club work. On March 29, 1923, I bought 
a purebred Guernsey heifer calf of Mr. Homer 
H. Higley, Norwich, N. Y., on a promissory 
note of one hundred dollars. During the summer 
I took a great deal of care of my calf. I also 
raised some chickens which I hoped to sell to 
help pay for my calf. 
At the county fair of 1923 I won two second 
Harold Winsor and his embryo herd 
prizes, one in the free-for-all and the other in 
the calf club. 
Then the first of October came and my note 
was due. I had earned enough prize money on 
my calf and chickens together with the money 
from the surplus chickens that I sold, to more 
than pay the note. 
After the note was paid I had fifteen dollars 
left over and so I bought a grade Guernsey 
heifer calf to have in the club work this year. 
In February 1924 I wanted another heifer 
that would be a junior calf at the fairs, so I 
bought a purebred Guernsey heifer calf of E. V. 
Salisbury, Oxford, N. Y., with what money I 
had earned during the winter and also the money 
received from eggs sold from my little flock of 
hens. Now I had three head of Guernsey to have 
in the club work during the year 1924. 
In April I had a chance to buy a splendid 
purebred Guernsey heifer that was seven months 
old for a low price, which was special to a club 
worker. So I borrowed the money, $150 from the 
National Bank of Norwich on a promissory note. 
I This year at the county fair I won first and 
third prizes on my two yearlings, first on my 
senior calf and first and champion of the breed 
n my junior calf. 
This fall I went to the State Fair and there I 
won first and second on my yearlings and first 
on my junior calf. I did not show my senior calf 
at the State Fair because she was a grade and 
there was no class for grades. At the two fairs 
I won enough money to pay the note of $150 
and had $30 left over which I used to buy an¬ 
other purebred Guernsey heifer calf to have in 
the club work for the year 1925. 
I think the club work is very interesting and 
like it very much, especially as I have an aim 
for which to work. I aim to build up a herd in 
a few years and so that inspires me to do the best 
I can. 
* * * 
My Experience in Raising an Acre 
of Potatoes 
James Richmond 
T HE first work that I did in preparation for 
my crop of potatoes was to draw eight loads 
of well rotted straw manure and spread it on 
the plot of ground which I had selected—a level. 
James Richmond digging his spuds 
clean piece where the clover grew unusually 
rank the year before. 
The spring was very rainy and cold but as 
the potato ground is all tile-drained, I was able 
to plow it in May. I did this with two horses 
and a walking plow, taking care to turn a good 
even furrow at all times. The last week in May 
I double-disced the ground and dragged it 
twice. This left the ground in a very loose and 
very fine condition, there being no quack grass 
and very little foul stuff on top of the ground. 
On the fourth of June I set about preparing 
the seed potatoes. Our home stock was certified 
four years ago by experts from Cornell and 
every year since then the seed, which is of the 
Heavyweight variety, has been carefully se¬ 
lected at planting time. The potatoes had been 
stored all winter in the cellar and kept very well. 
I used only good firm medium-sized tubers, re¬ 
jecting all that had any scab or sign of disease. 
I cut sixteen bushels of this seed and after 
dragging the ground again, planted it on the 
sixth of June. I dropped the pieces twelve 
inches apart in rows three feet apart using a 
“Star” two-man planter. Directly after planting 
I rolled the piece to pack the ground firmly 
around the seed. 
After this, nothing was done on the potatoes 
until the sixteenth of June when I went over 
them with a peg-tooth harrow to destroy the 
small weeds appearing in the row. This did not 
harm the potatoes but it “fixed” the grass and 
weeds. A few days after this I cultivated them 
with an “International” two-horse cultivator 
using the discs to throw the dirt upon the row. 
This covered the potatoes and weeds but in a 
few days the potatoes came through without the 
weeds. I cultivated them twice more at inter¬ 
vals of from ten days to two weeks, the last time 
just barely loosening the surface for the roots 
were then fairly well developed and very near 
the surface. 
I sprayed my potatoes only once, using a 
5-5-50 solution of Bordeaux mixture which I 
made myself, adding a pound of Paris green to 
kill the bugs. I would have sprayed more if I 
had had the time but as it is I believe my 
potatoes are as good as though they had been 
sprayed three or four times for as it happened 
the season has been unusually good for the 
growth of potatoes. 
The vines did not blight but died of their own 
accord and are now ready to be dug. Scarcely 
a weed is to be seen in the piece. I have dug 
into a few hills and find four or five—sometimes 
more—good, large, smooth, potatoes in a hill. 
From my experience in raising this acre of 
potatoes I concluded that there are at least 
four things necessary for a good crop; First, good 
ground. By this I mean that the ground must 
have had good care and management for the past 
three years and must be in a good state of fer¬ 
tility and tilth. Second, good seed. It is a good 
plan to buy some certified seed, if one’s own seed 
has become infected with disease, for in this way 
the percentage of diseased hills is greatly reduced 
and the yield increased. 
Third, thorough cultivation. The ground must 
be plowed well and worked in good 6hape. After 
the potatoes arc planted the harrow should be 
used to prevent the growth of weeds before the 
potatoes get started. After this the small weeds 
in the row can be kept covered by the use of the 
discs or wings. 
Fourth, efficient control of disease and insect 
pests. This includes disinfecting the seed and 
spraying _the vines throughout the growing 
season. 
* * * 
How I Raised My Calf 
Kent Stoodley 
I SELECTED my calf from my Uncle Clay¬ 
ton’s dairy farm of purebred Holsteins. I 
selected one that I thought would make a good 
producer and had good show points. I bought 
her with money I had in the bank and when I 
took her home she was a week old and weighed 
ninety-seven pounds, 
The pen that I put her in was one that had 
good ventilation and lots of sunlight. I cleaned 
it all out and disinfected it before I stabled her 
there. I always kept her stall clean and fresh 
bedding in it so she would be warm, clean and 
dry because these were very essential regarding 
her fiealth. 
I fed her from a galvanized pail which I 
washed every day and kept so clean that I 
Kent Stoodley grooming his pure bred Holstein 
would just as soon drink from it myself. I also 
weighed and took the temperature of the milk 
before feeding and found that I got results 
from doing so. I gave her a little salt every now 
and then and was very careful not to overfeed. 
_ When she -was about five weeks old I began 
giving her grain ration that I found in the 
bulletin No. 73 sent out by'the State College of 
Agriculture. I also weighed this before feeding 
every time. Clover and alfalfa are the best hay 
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