"Sorted, washed, and packed 12 crates tomatoes (1,200), 3 barrels corn (650 ears), 1 crate corn 

 (72 ears), 1 basket summer squash (36), 1 basket of cucumbers (60). 



"John finished making crates. Ted cleared out the barn and stacked empty crates over the shower 

 bath-room. 



"John and Mike picked and packed the corn in 2 hours; ^brought in 2 bushels and 1 wheelbarrow 

 load of squash in 40 minutes." 



I might insert here the "crate incident." On July 17th a half carload of packages in "knock down" 

 shape arrived, they were stacked up by the barn and everyone except Mike exclaimed : 



"Where do you intend to store them all winter; they will last a couple of years." 



"0 no, Mr. Fuller', you need more than him this year," Mike said, "I know you wait till cabbage 

 and Bruss' sprout' ready." 



"Why, Mike, we'll never fill those in the world," I said. 



"You wait see, Mes Fuller'." 



He was right, many a message has gone forth this summer "for goodness sake rush packages as 

 much as you can, crops are spoiling for want of them." But many barrels alas, are lying empty! 



Kale had been shipped 2 days previously, the plot 31 by 39 feet, yielded 355 heads, the last shipment 

 filling 3 barrels. The kohl-rabi, from seed from North China, yielded 144 roots and the space occupied 

 by them after being set out was 31 by 14 feet. These "rabis" differed in no way from the kind usually 

 raised here as far as we could see. 



l The night of the 22d it stormed, so the Italians were sent over the cabbage, cauliflower, and sprouts 

 again the next day. In fact it seemed that a spraying day was invariably followed by rain. There were 

 times when "Fullerton luck" did not hold good. 



Endive was tied up when thoroughly dry, this must never be done when the plants are damp for it is 

 intensely susceptible to rot. The field was the quaintest "Dutchest" thing imaginable when the men 

 were through. 



"Fullerton luck" brought a thunder storm the next night so there was nothing to do but spray 

 again the following day. We w ent to the field in the early morning as was our habit and the sight that 

 met us was enough to make the heart sick, leaves turned black and yellow with blight insects so thick they 

 positively looked crowded. ■/ 



"What shall we do?" we exclaimed, "the pride of our hearts and the portion to bring in the greatest 

 returns going before our eyes! It surely cannot be our fault, or from any neglect." 



"Mes Fuller'," said Mike, "about every 5 year, the cauliflower he go so, you can't save him, I know, 

 I grow him many year." 



"Should we have sprayed more Mike?" I asked. 



"Mah gah, Mes Fuller' we pass this field about 8 times already and 2 times be enough. This year, 

 you can't help him," he replied. 



"Well, if this is the year we have him for fair," said the Senior Partner. "Mike, tell Tony to go 

 over again, this time dust on tobacco dust and slug shot mixed half and half. Then let Martin and Pedro 

 pick all infected leaves and the entire plant, where they are bad, and bring them up to the barn to be 

 burned. We'll save the balance of them if we can." 



The plants and leaves were taken to the barn plot, but we could not burn them green and considered 

 them too dangerous to leave imtil dry. 



"Mike, tell the Italians to dig a hole here and bury that stuff," said the farmer. He watched opera- 

 tions closely and when they had tossed in a good layer of leaves he had them spread it thick with lime, 

 another layer of leaves, again hme, until all were safely interred. I have no doubt that will be a rich 

 spot next year. 



Eleven times those fields were "passed" and there is nothing to show for it. Not a cauliflower 

 and but few perfect cabbages and it is doubtful if we get any sprouts. The latter are set and hard and 

 the plants are laden, but the louse has discolored them so badly they would not pay for the picking. 

 The plants average 1 quart of sprouts each and as there were 5,211 plants set out, the loss can be safely 

 estimated at 5,000 quarts. During mid-winter these bring from 12 to 30 cents a quart. I guess I 

 won't figure what we might have made for there is no use crying over spilled milk and we have not trusted 

 all the eggs to one basket; a diversity of crops is deep wisdom for those who deal with Dame Nature at 

 first hand. Man as yet cannot foretell the season's wet or dry characteristics, therefore it is most unwise 

 to rely on one species alone, a season fatal to one vegetable assures a phenomenal yield of another. Our 

 only consolation, if consolation it can be called, is that all experts and old farmers have suffered the same 

 loss this season. 



"What is the cause?" I asked one visitor from the east end of the Island, who always has a large 

 acreage of these special crops. 



"Why that damp warm weather started the rot," he replied, "and then I think last winter was so 

 warm and open all the bugs lived through and we have a particularly choice assortment this season." 



"Well, it's thoroughly discouraging," I said, "to work so hard and have the crop come almost 

 to maturity and then die before your very eyes, while you are powerless to save it." 



"Yes! Yes! It certainly is," was his rejoinder, but he said it in a way that showed it was not 

 the first time he had met such defeat. 



The spinach was given a good dose of liquid manure as a tonic at this trying season of the year 

 and it later amply repaid the labor. 



The tomatoes had received their last cultivation July 10th and crimson clover was broadcasted 

 and harrow-ed in. It came up in 4 days and by mid-August the field was a mat of green, while the 

 four-leaved ones among it were Hope's delight. Many a day she has come in with 16 fours, a goodly 

 number of fives and sometimes a six-leaf. 



Clover was now sowed wherever a crop came out, the early cabbage patch received it August 27th, 

 while early September showed many other patches covered with either this or vetch or sainfoin, or 

 alsike. Manure, lime, and ashes were spread and cultivated in before these nitrogen gatherers were 



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