1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



371 



were, I believe, foxes and wild-cats at one 

 time on the island; but Mr. S. cleaned them 

 all out when he commenced with poultry. * 



Well, I have told you at considerable length 

 the wonderful advantage of this region for 

 poultry; but to be fair we must take up the 

 other side. The one great obstacle is the 

 high price here of Northern grain that must 

 be purchased. Wheat costs here at the 

 country store from $1.35 to $1.40 per bushel; 

 corn, about 90 cents. Mr. Shumard says if 

 poultry-men would unite and get a carload, 

 or, better still, a cargo by boat from New 

 Orleans or some grain- growing point on the 

 other side of the Gulf, they might get grain 

 down near Northern prices. Eggs, broilers, 

 and full-grown chickens are worth as much 

 here (sometimes more) as in the North. 



Now comes the other great point: Do hens 

 lay as many eggs here as in the North? A 

 year ago Mr. S. did well with nearly the 

 same size of flock; but when I got here in 

 December he was getting only 15 or 20 eggs 

 a day from 140 hens and pullets, mostly the 

 latter, eight or ten months old. He was 

 then feeding only corn. I urged him to try 

 wheat, even if it did cost so much more. 

 The number of eggs doubled in a very few 

 days. This paid for the grain and a little 

 more. Then I suggested that their craze 

 for all green stuff indicated they needed 

 cabbage, lettuce, grass, etc. A trial of 

 pumpkins, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc., 

 which they ate raw with avidity, gave still 

 more eggs; and when we got over 50 a day 

 the flock was paying very well, even though 

 eggs were down to 20 cents in February. 

 This, of course, was owing largely to the 

 unusual warm weather in the North. t I 

 sent home for some seeds of Dwarf Essex 

 rape, seven- top turnip, borage, spinach, etc., 

 to see how they will flourish on our pecuHar 

 soil. I presume such crops will have to be 

 fenced off until they get at the proper stage 

 of maturity, and then the fowls can be per- 

 mitted to do their own harvesting. By se- 

 lecting a place where the key (or island) is 

 only a narrow strip, a very little fencing will 

 include a big piece of ground. So far as I 

 can learn, there are thousands of unoccupied 

 islands, but many of them would be rather 

 remote from a market or supplies. 



In closing let me get back to my subject a 

 little — "what to do, " etc. There are quite 

 a few people and several periodicals con- 

 stantly harping about the "great army of 

 unemployed, " people who can't find work. 

 Some one said recently in some paper that 

 every man. woman, and child who could 

 wash dishes could find plenty of employment 

 anywhere in the United States. Come to 

 think of it, I believe this is true in every 

 place where I have traveled. Even girls 

 who "nick " and break the dighes, and don't 



* In California and in much of Florida, on the main- 

 land, all poultry must be shut up in good tight houses 

 at night, and let out in the morning, which is a big job, 

 as all you who have tried it know. An island is almost 

 the only cheap and safe remedy. 



t A poultry-man in Braidentown with a choice flock of 

 75 or 80 is said to get on an average 50 eggs a day. 



wash them clean, continue to get a job^any- 

 where. If they get turned off for their in- 

 eflSciency they don't care, for another place 

 is always open to them. Well, besides the 

 dishwashing there is always a call for poul- 

 try and eggs. Down here there is plenty of 

 land that nobody wants. You don't need any 

 capital to put up buildings and fixtures, for 

 the chickens can live outdoors the year 

 round, and, I can almost add, so can you. 

 A good many people do get on very well 

 with only a tent. If you get hungry, go over 

 to the beach and get " donax," and in fifteen 

 minutes you can have a delicious oyster sup- 

 per just as we do. You can live in the open 

 air, and get along without doctors. Now, if 

 you are so helpless that you can not do this, 

 nor wash dishes either, I shall not feel sorry 

 for you if you have to go to the county in- 

 firmary where you live, and let people who 

 know how to work take care of you. 



I said a few months ago that I felt God 

 wanted me down here, that he had called me 

 to this" Robinson Crusoe " island, although I 

 did not know just what he had called me to do. 

 I think now he wished me to see and tell you 

 all what wondrous gifts he has for those 

 who love him and try to keep his command- 

 ments. 



I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not 

 seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 



HIGH-PRESSURE GARDENING IN WEST FLOR- 

 IDA — CONTINUED. 



Reasoner Brothers, Oneco, Fla., only about 

 twenty miles from our home, grow all kinds 

 of tropical nursery stuff, and I greatly en- 

 joyed a visit at their place, and took home 

 a few things that grow nicely on our island. 

 I am not going to try to tell you all I saw 

 there, more than to describe their method of 

 selling tropical fruit-trees and shrubs, as 

 "potted plants," grown in the open air. 



One of the first things that caught my eye 

 was a little shed full of flower-pots, like 

 those used in greenhouses in the North. I 

 wondered what they could be doing with them 

 when every thing was "all outdoors;" but I 

 soon found out. A very pretty little garden 

 again ' ' caught my eye, ' ' but I began criti- 

 cising it because the various little trees were 

 Slanted so closely together. When I saw, 

 owever, that each one was in a three or 

 four inch pot I understood it. In my order 

 was a half-dozen assorted guavas. My at- 

 tendant just picked up the little trees, pots 

 and all, carried them into the packing-house, 

 knocked off the pots, dipped the ball of roots 

 into a tub of water, tied them in a bundle, 

 and when I got home every one grew right 



