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Georgia 4-H
Georgia 4-H was founded in 1904 by G.C. Adams in Newton County, Georgia, United States, as the Girls Canning, and Boys Corn Clubs.
The Georgia 4-H Program is a branch of Georgia Cooperative Extension, which is part of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and is funded by the University System of Georgia and private partners.
Georgia 4-H began with the start of the special Boys Corn Club contest that was first organized by Superintendent of Schools, G. C. Adams. Like the corn club he organized 100 years ago, G. C. Adams was unique. He ranked high as an educator. He taught at Pine Grove School in Newton County, he was principal of Palmer Institute at Oxford, he served as county school commissioner, and he was the president of the Fifth District Agriculture School at Monroe. Yet, Mr. Adams never attended high school or college, and he did not go to school more than a year in his entire life. While writing about Mr. Adams in the Atlanta Constitution after he had been elected Georgia commissioner of agriculture in 1932, Stiles A. Martin called him "one of the best educated, best read and most learned men in the state."
Perhaps Mr. Adams' greatest accomplishment was organizing the corn club, and he is best known for that; but he was a pioneer in other fields, too. He also single-handedly developed a plan for transporting school children, which probably resulted in our school buses of today. In the same year he organized an oratorical association, the first in the South. The plan was for pupils of the various schools of the county to meet and put on a program, with awards being made to schools making the best showing. Out of this grew the field days which are held in many places today, featuring musical contests, debating and other events. Mr. Adams also served in the state legislature. He was elected to represent Newton County in 1926, and served two years.
W. L. Weber was Mr. Adams' good friend. He was head of the English Department for Emory-at-Oxford College. Mr. Adams and Mr. Weber shared many walks from Oxford to Covington. It was during one of the walks in 1903 that Mr. Weber, who was from Illinois, told Mr. Adams about the success of the first known boys' corn-growing contest, held in Winnebago County, Illinois, during 1900. This idea was spreading very rapidly to other states. "Prof. W.L. Weber, of Emory College, who always manifests great interest in our public school, deserves credit for inaugurating this unique contest in Newton" – G.C. Adams.
From this conversation was the motivation that sparked Mr. Adams to begin making plans, which he would announce during the fall of 1904, for the first Newton County Boys Corn Club, which developed into the present day 4-H club.
The plans for the contest were announced in a small article in the Covington Enterprise Newspaper on December 23, 1904. Later, Mr. Adams published the rules for the contest on February 3, 1905, but this time he had a large article that was on the front page. He established a deadline for March 15. The contest was open to any boy 6 to 18 years old, who was enrolled in any of the county's public schools. Each boy would do all work raising his corn crop. There was no limit to variety of corn planted or extent of field. The contestant was not allowed to have any assistance. The boy selected any ten ears of corn out of his entire patch. The boy should nail them in a rat-proof box, delivered it to the Newton County Courthouse by October 7, and it would be weighed on October 16 and the weight will be recorded on the box.
Of the 101 boys entering the contest, only 32 boys exhibited their corn. The first-place winner was George Plunkett with 29.9 lb (13.6 kg). The second-place winner was Tom Greer with 27.8 lb (12.6 kg). The third-place winners were brothers Paul and Walter Cowan, with 25.4 lb (11.5 kg). Other details of this contest are given in the Congressional Record of the 84th Congress, First Session on January 10, 1955.
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Georgia 4-H
Georgia 4-H was founded in 1904 by G.C. Adams in Newton County, Georgia, United States, as the Girls Canning, and Boys Corn Clubs.
The Georgia 4-H Program is a branch of Georgia Cooperative Extension, which is part of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and is funded by the University System of Georgia and private partners.
Georgia 4-H began with the start of the special Boys Corn Club contest that was first organized by Superintendent of Schools, G. C. Adams. Like the corn club he organized 100 years ago, G. C. Adams was unique. He ranked high as an educator. He taught at Pine Grove School in Newton County, he was principal of Palmer Institute at Oxford, he served as county school commissioner, and he was the president of the Fifth District Agriculture School at Monroe. Yet, Mr. Adams never attended high school or college, and he did not go to school more than a year in his entire life. While writing about Mr. Adams in the Atlanta Constitution after he had been elected Georgia commissioner of agriculture in 1932, Stiles A. Martin called him "one of the best educated, best read and most learned men in the state."
Perhaps Mr. Adams' greatest accomplishment was organizing the corn club, and he is best known for that; but he was a pioneer in other fields, too. He also single-handedly developed a plan for transporting school children, which probably resulted in our school buses of today. In the same year he organized an oratorical association, the first in the South. The plan was for pupils of the various schools of the county to meet and put on a program, with awards being made to schools making the best showing. Out of this grew the field days which are held in many places today, featuring musical contests, debating and other events. Mr. Adams also served in the state legislature. He was elected to represent Newton County in 1926, and served two years.
W. L. Weber was Mr. Adams' good friend. He was head of the English Department for Emory-at-Oxford College. Mr. Adams and Mr. Weber shared many walks from Oxford to Covington. It was during one of the walks in 1903 that Mr. Weber, who was from Illinois, told Mr. Adams about the success of the first known boys' corn-growing contest, held in Winnebago County, Illinois, during 1900. This idea was spreading very rapidly to other states. "Prof. W.L. Weber, of Emory College, who always manifests great interest in our public school, deserves credit for inaugurating this unique contest in Newton" – G.C. Adams.
From this conversation was the motivation that sparked Mr. Adams to begin making plans, which he would announce during the fall of 1904, for the first Newton County Boys Corn Club, which developed into the present day 4-H club.
The plans for the contest were announced in a small article in the Covington Enterprise Newspaper on December 23, 1904. Later, Mr. Adams published the rules for the contest on February 3, 1905, but this time he had a large article that was on the front page. He established a deadline for March 15. The contest was open to any boy 6 to 18 years old, who was enrolled in any of the county's public schools. Each boy would do all work raising his corn crop. There was no limit to variety of corn planted or extent of field. The contestant was not allowed to have any assistance. The boy selected any ten ears of corn out of his entire patch. The boy should nail them in a rat-proof box, delivered it to the Newton County Courthouse by October 7, and it would be weighed on October 16 and the weight will be recorded on the box.
Of the 101 boys entering the contest, only 32 boys exhibited their corn. The first-place winner was George Plunkett with 29.9 lb (13.6 kg). The second-place winner was Tom Greer with 27.8 lb (12.6 kg). The third-place winners were brothers Paul and Walter Cowan, with 25.4 lb (11.5 kg). Other details of this contest are given in the Congressional Record of the 84th Congress, First Session on January 10, 1955.