Mercer County, Illinois - Chapter 10: Agriculture, 1914 (part 2 of 2)

After the fair there were several important public sales of fullblood animals. Nesbitt sold fifty-four large type Poland Chinas at Warnock's Pavilion at Aledo; Frick & Wickett sold at Keithsburg sixty of the large type Poland Chinas, and Jordan & Son sold 350 head of grade cattle at a farm one mile south of Spaulding. E. M. Castle & Son sold at public sale forty head of full-blood Jersey hogs; W. A. Huffman had a sale of pure-bred Chester Whites, and H. E. Robbins sold twenty-five full-blood Clydesdales. H. Bigelow & Son also had a public sale of pure-bred Duroc Jerseys that averaged about forty-seven dollars per head. The poultry plant of T. D.

Winders at Aledo had grown so in size and business as to attract general attention in recent years. At one time in 191 3 he was feeding 12,000 chickens. He enlarged his building and his facilities greatly. Late in 191 3 he packed from one thousand to twelve hundred chickens daily and had a weekly payroll of over three hundred and fifty dollars. At this time he had 8,000 chickens on feed. They consumed three tons of cornmeal, and large quantities of oatmeal every week; also large quantities of chopped alfalfa, meat scraps and other articles to balance their rations.

In December, 1913, the sixth annual poultry and corn show was held at Aledo. Buff Plymouth Rocks were shown by W. E. Nesbitt, W. W. Warnock, D. A. Brown and Ira Dodson; Barred Plymouth Rocks were shown by William Denen, Howard Dunn, C. F. Schinter, B. F. Cullison and Mrs. E. Durston; White Plymouth Rocks by E. B. Dodson; White Wyandottes by E. M. Dixon and Bower Brothers; Silver Laced Wyandottes, Frank Jones; Partridge Wyandottes, H. R. Morgan; Rose Combed Rhode Islands by S. Pinkerton, Thomson Sisters and Emma Reaber; Single Combed Rhode Island Reds by Thomson Sisters; Buff Orpingtons by Jones Brothers; White Orpingtons by C. C. Abercrombie, Mrs. Charles Welsh and Judd Britton; Black Minorcas by J. H. Harney and O. M. Simpson; Golden Crested Polish by Earl M. Dixon; Silver Spangled Hamburgs by Earl M. Dixon; Cecilian Buttercups by Harry Simpson; Campines by W. W. Warnock.

The corn show at the same time was equally interesting and important. Jones Brothers, of Seaton, took the first prize of $10 for the best fifty ears in Class A; S. S. Lane, of Alexis, showed the best fifty ears in Class B; E. Jones, of Aledo, showed the best single ears in Class C; E. B. Dodson, of Joy, exhibited the best ten ears of any color, Class D; S. S. Lane, of Alexis, showed the best ten ears, Class E; W. E. Stancliffe, of Viola, showed the best ten ears of Class H; E. Johnson, Aledo, showed the best ten ears, Class I; J. G. Miller showed the best five ears of any color.

The annual Farmers' Institute was held in December at Aledo and was presided over by A. L. Duncan, president. Among the proceedings were the following: A lecture on ''Alfalfa and Its Relation to Live Stock Farming, " bv A. M. Abbott, of Morrison; "The County Agricultural Adviser, " by G. R. Bliss. During his address the latter offered to bet $100 that if a pig at weaning time was given the double serum treatment it would not die of cholera. Prof. W. A. Hook spoke on "Crop Rotation," and C. A. Campbell, of the local experiment station, spoke generally on the results of his management of the experiment station.