82 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



run the long way of the fields, that he 

 might save time in turning around when 

 cultivating. This might seem like a small 

 matter, but when a man cultivates al- 

 most continuously from the time the 

 potatoes show in the rows, until the vines 

 are ready to cover the ground, it be- 

 comes an important factor. The potatoes 

 are picked up into bushel crates, hauled 

 to market or stored in the cellar in the 

 same crates — never handled singly but 

 once. A three-horse team was used to 

 haul them to market, because a larger 

 load in proportion to the team-power 

 could thus be hauled — only one wagon to 

 haul, yet one-half could be added to the 

 load. Great oains were taken by crop 

 rotation and tillage to put the soil in the 

 best possible condition, and a potato 

 planter and other improved machinery 

 employed. All branches of farming were 

 dropped except as they had a bearing 

 upon the potato business. Not a hen, 

 nor hog, nor cow were kept. Consider- 

 able attention was paid to supply the 

 early markets when prices were high. 

 Usually a load was contracted for in 

 advance, by means of the telephone, thus 

 no time was wasted in driving aimlessly 

 about the city. 



All this is brought to my mind by read- 

 ing an article in a recent issue of the 

 Farmer, of St. Paul, Minn., in which is 

 described the success of a Mr. Gilbert- 

 son in making a specialty of growing 

 onions. For ten years his average in- 

 come, from 40 acres, has been over 

 $15,000 a year. Years ago, when he 

 first began to grov/ onions, they cost him, 

 35 cts. per bushel; specialty and im- 

 proved methods have enabled him to re- 

 duce the cost to only nine centsl To 

 illustrate: Seed was a large item of 

 cost, and all seeders sowed too much 

 seed, necessitating thinning by hand at a 

 cost of from $25.00 to $40.00 per acre. 

 Mr. Gilbertson invented and patented a 

 seeder that would drop only one seed at 

 a time, and place the seeds any desired 

 distance apart, thus eliminating entirely 

 the cost of thinning. By selection, a strain 



of onions was bred up that possessed 

 unusual keeping qualities. 



There is not room here to mention all 

 of the methods whereby specialty and 

 science enabled this man to attain such 

 astonishing results, but we all know that 

 no such profits could ever be secured by 

 the old fashioned mixed farming. 



In the face of such examples as this it 

 seems strange to me that any one can 

 be found trying to discourage specialty, 

 let it be bee keeping, or whatever it may. 



Encourage the Boys to Make Money 

 Trapping. 



Some of the happiest days of my life 

 were when, as a boy, I trapped for rr.ink, 

 muskrats, foxes, coon, and other fur- 

 bearing snimals. The country was new, 

 and game plentiful. There was a good 

 sized stream, the Butternut creek, that 

 flowed near our house, and, in the fall 

 I had a "line" of traps for miles up and 

 down this creek, and on the millponds 

 made by darning the stream. I began 

 making "deadfalls"' when only 1 1 years 

 old, and I remember that I trapped a 

 whole month before I caught anything. 

 My traps were sprung repeatedly, and 

 the baits taken, but, for soma reason, the 

 animals eluded capture. Finally, one 

 morning, I found a muskrat caught by 

 the tail. If ever in my whole life there 

 was a moment of wild, exultant joy, it 

 was when I saw that rat in my trap. 1 

 ran every step of the way home; and, as 

 I approached the house, 1 held up the 

 trap by tne tail and shouted: "I've got a 

 rati" "I've got a rat." 



The manner of this rat's capture 

 showed me my mistake. My "deadfalls" 

 were too large. The rat went clear 

 inside the trap, away beyond the deadly 

 "fall," hence was not caught. He got 

 the bait and then turned around and 

 went out. I went at it and rebuilt all of 

 my traps, and was soon bringing home 

 game every few days. 



1 continued trapping each fall for 

 several years, and usually was quite 

 successful. 1 remember, the fall when I 



