being I have ever met. Being an anarchist he was, of course, an atheist, therefore there was no "meum 

 and teum" to him. The same lawlessness was instilled into the children, but as little ones are quick 

 to "follow the leader" they became tractable and lovable while we were at the farm. As soon as we 

 left they reverted. 



Many times we asked Henry if we should let Trappier go, and each time he wished to give him 

 another trial. Finally rank mutiny and worse made it necessary to dismiss him peremptorily the last 

 of September. His place was instantly filled by a high class Russian from the south of Russia. 



"Is he all right?" I asked the Senior Partner. "I am so tired of these people who have come 

 to us from charitable organizations and industry settlements, that I am skeptical about anyone now." 



"His eyes are fine and he has a good bearing. He is quiet and industrious and half starved. He 

 has been working for a man who paid him almost nothing and fed him less. Before that he came out 

 from the city with a contractor who owes him $200.00, but as the contractor puts all his property in his 

 wife's name it is no use to sue him." 



"My, what hardship, and there seems no redress. Modern business methods sound much like the 

 fall of Rome. I wonder what we are coming to!" 



My story has outrun me. We will have to go back to farm operations. 



Raspberries came in by the crate, 60 pints to the crate. They were shipped to private customers 

 were put in hampers and went to commission merchants, restaurants, hotels, and clubs. The smallest 

 sum we ever received was four cents a pint. We paid one cent a pint for picking, and two cents a quart 

 for gooseberries and currants. We picked 797 quarts of raspberries this season from three-quarters of 

 an acre of bushes. This is their first heavy yield, and, as potatoes had been planted in the rows the 

 berries received no cultivation. 



The English gooseberries had been sprayed very early in the season with bordeaux and later with 

 sulphide of potassium (or liver of sulphur) a pint to 30 gallons of water. There was a big crop of the 

 most gorgeous fruit. The bushes averaged a quart each and these sold at wholesale for 12 cents a 

 quart. There was absolutely no mildew upon them, so we have fought our fight and won. American 

 gooseberries were way over average, currants also and we could have sold bushels more than we raised 

 to those who want them for preserving. 



The bushes had been so robbed of their feed by the intercropping and also by the fact that George 

 had not placed the manure about them that he had been instructed to, that they were losing all their 

 leaves. We took out the intercrops just as soon as we could, and in the meantime gave each bush a 

 strong mulch of manure well forked in. This fall they have sent out new leaves, and are looking ex- 

 tremely well again. 



The onion patch showed signs of thrip in June; this is a minute, I might say microscopic insect, 

 which attacks the leaves. It unfortunately comes with our seed now, another inheritance from in- 

 breeding and raising the same crop on the same land years in succession. Rain or moisture is their 

 cure, so we determined to try irrigation upon them. 



A line of Skinner irrigation pipe was run down the middle of the patch. This clever system con- 

 sists of a line of galvanized pipe starting from our main one inch in diameter and reduced in about two 

 lengths to three-fourths of an inch. Every four feet a hole is drilled with Mr. Skinner's ingenious hand 

 drill which is fitted with a spirit level in order that holes will be in perfect alignment. A tiny brass nozzle 

 is screwed into these holes with an outlet hole about the size of the point of a hat pin. 



Where the line of pipe joins the standard intake pipe, is a movable joint. This permits of the 

 turning of the entire line of pipe (208 feet) so that the water spraying from the tiny nozzles may be made 

 to fall at any desired angle. By turning the pipe so that the nozzles lie from nearly horizontal to per- 

 pendicular, the entire surface of from 25 to 50 feet, according to the pressure of water, will be covered 

 with a fine rain. Then by turning the pipe over to the opposite side another strip is watered in the 

 same way. In order to see what the sprayings would do we u.sed it only on one side of the line of pipe. 

 The first spraying lasted two and one-half hours, two days later one and one-half hours. Then we had 

 onions bulbing with tops turned green, while the unirrigated side produced only young bunch onions with 

 yellowing tops. Whether the seed was mixed or George dreadfully or maliciously careless in planting 

 we will never know; suffice to say we harvested five varieties of onions among the leeks. 



Another irrigation pipe in the alfalfa field made it jump so in two days we could begin cutting over 

 again. One would expect the sprayings to improve the crop, but the rapidity with which it grew fairly 

 took our breath away. A short line in a little patch of rhubarb made it possible for us to send this 

 delicious fruit in our hampers nearly all summer. 



Another line at the east of the orchard gave us lettuce and spring radishes all summer. We hope 

 to have at least 5 acres at each farm covered with irrigation pipes next year. 



Among the new vegetables produced at Xo. 2 this year are superb Pe-tsai (Chinese cabbage). 

 The heads were as solid as rocks and weighed 10 pounds. It is a new strain and the credit is due to Prof. 

 Myers who has been Agricultural Explorer in North China for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



There is a glorious bed of sea kale ready to produce next spring early, for use in the hampers. 

 This is a delicate blanched stalk which can be used the same as asparagus, and is delicious; it is ready 

 much before asparagus and is a great addition to our food supply. 



"Second crop potatoes" are also a new stunt, and to Mr. Wm. Bodly, president of the Double 

 Sunlight Glass Sash Co., we are indebted for them. It is a Kentucky trick; they hold the seed potatoes 

 dormant in cold storage until late summer. When planted they make extra rapid growth, and our 

 crop of "New Queen" and "Cobbler" planted July 29th yielded 70 bushels to the acre of Bermuda 

 potatoes on September 29th, just two months. 



Mr. Andre Bustanoby, of the famous Cafe and Chateau des Beaux Arts, says in a letter: "All the 

 vegetables were up to the L. I. R. R. Experimental Stations .standard, which means the best there are, 

 but those Bermuda potatoes were particularly excellent." Higher praise than this, there is none! 



And so we add a new industry to our Island farmers' list. 



Let me say here, that the neighbors and others who first scoffed at us, who thought we were "book 



