31-4 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[August, 
gone forth, catch them, in early winter when they are 
fat—if you can, but catch them at any time. For the cap¬ 
ture of these enemies I brought into use all the boxes 
that I could find, that were large enough to hold my prey 
and not too large to carry to the rabbit bank near the 
orchard. Saleratus and scap boxes were the first choice. 
I then prepared a number of “ figure fours,” which I will 
take it for granted you have both seen, and know how to 
make and set. If you don’t know, ask your big brother, 
and if he doesn’t know—well 1 he ought to. 
I was not the only boy in our neighborhood that had 
made up his mind to go into the rabbit business—such 
things are catching. Harry Culver, our next neighbor’s 
boy, had prepared for trapping in much the same way as 
myself, and located his traps (as our orchards joined, 
with only a fence between) but a short distance from the 
place where mine were set. Young Culver did not in¬ 
herit the best disposition in the world, and in the 
opinion of some was said to have a bad eye. I visited 
my traps every morning regularly, with no success. The 
Fig. 1.—“ BEAUTY.” 
rabbits had evidently been about, as I could see their 
tracks. Harry would frequently have game for his trouble, 
as he would boastingly tell me when I would meet him 
on the way to town—but not a hair (hare) for me. Things 
did not look just right, and, if I must confess it, I began 
to grow suspicious. Harry always visited his traps the 
first thing in the morning, while I was driving in the 
cows, and doing the other chores, leaving the private en¬ 
terprise until after breakfast, and while I was taking the 
cows to the back pasture. I had often been told tliat “ the 
early bird catches the worm,” and I began to think the 
early boy’s trap catches the rabbit, so I concluded to 
make an early call upon my soap boxes and “ figure- 
fours,” and if not “ healthier and wealthier,” I might be, 
perhaps, “ wiser ” than in the past. That I did not herald 
my coming with shouts may be presumed. Proceeding 
quietly and cautiously, and taking advantage of every 
clump of bushes or other shelter, I approached and made 
a brief survey of the field. I was certain that young Cul¬ 
ver was ahead of me, that he was kneeling before one of 
my traps, and was in the very act of removing a real live 
rabbit 1 You may imagine how I felt. He was a much 
larger boy than I, and to rush upon him would be only 
throwing myself into his hands for a sound thrashing. I 
felt in my pockets, as every boy will in cases of emerg¬ 
ency, and found there, among a multitude of weighty and 
important things, a small but very stout cord which had 
been used in tying up a calf. I could see that Master 
Harry was entirely absorbed in his business, and besides 
his legs were astride a young tree, and free from the 
ground, as he was resting on his knees and tip-toes. “I’ll 
have him,” I said to myself, and quietly made the most 
of the precious moments. The artist has given you per¬ 
haps the most absorbing scene in this drama of “ Catch¬ 
ing and Getting Caught”—but as it was not taken by a 
photographer on the spot, there are certain minor points 
that are not as life-like as they might have been. For 
example, justice is not done to Culver’s nose; it was 
even sharper than represented. Whatever I say of that 
boy, I must give him credit for being sharp—some called 
him a sharper. Well! you may ask what didido with 
the young thief. Nothing rash, I assure you. There was 
too much of.a joke to it for Harry to get mad, and as for 
my part, I had no great desire to punish the poor fellow 
farther. He not only acknowledged that he was caught, 
and according to the trappers’ laws, was at my disposal; 
but before releasing him I put several questions to the 
culprit, which bore upon my previous poor success in 
securing rabbits, which resulted in his telling me that 
two-thirds of all the rabbit skins he had belonged by 
right of capture to mo. If I would say nothing about his 
dishonesty and detection he would bring me my proper 
share of the month’s returns. To this I consented, pro¬ 
vided he would just return with the skins, the steel traps 
which I lost the year before. The whole matter was ar¬ 
ranged in a manner satisfactory to me. I gained a warm 
and trusty friend instead of making an enemy, and until 
this day no other person has known the experience of 
that early morning call—not even the folks at home, who 
wondered why I was gone so long—except those who 
were the chief and the only actors in a drama which 
might be entitled “How the Trapper was Caught at his 
Own Game.” But it was not at his own game altogether; 
it was my rabbit, and I took it home as my first “ catch.” 
I give this story to the boys and girls of the American 
Agricu.ltui'ist only with the consent of Mr. Harry Culver, 
who is now a wholesale hide dealer near— Uncle Hal. 
Hats for our Horses. 
Probably every, or nearly every, one of you boys and 
girls, who live upon the farm, has seen a hat upon a 
horse. Perhaps you who read this have put your own 
hat upon old Dobbin’s head, just for the fun of seeing 
how queer the old horse would look; or it may be that 
your sister has placed her bonnet on the head of a fa¬ 
vorite colt, and witnessed a comical sight, and, at last, 
perhaps, the colt wishing to have his share of the fun, 
her charming and much prized bonnet has been the 
worse for the trial. In the accompanying engravings we 
show the heads of two city horses provided with hats; 
these are very different in every way, but appropriate to 
their respective wearers. What a fine head the first one 
is, we only wish we could have given space to show the 
whole animal. How pleasantness and pride mingle in 
every part of the face and neck 1 How well the light 
airy hat becomes its wearer. If you were used to city 
ways you would know that this horse is one of the sleek, 
well kept and well groomed animals belonging either to 
one of the express companies, or to the dray-man of 
| some large business house, as it is among these—aside 
from the carriage horses of the wealthy—that we find the 
best cared for animals. The driver is proud of his 
horses, and decorates them in various ways, while the 
horses appear to enjoy it, and proudly look down upon 
j the poor drudges engaged in common work. 
In the second picture we see a good old worker, who 
has seen many days of hard service—a horse to be hon¬ 
ored for the work he has done; if we cannot admire him 
for a smooth coat, agile limbs, and a display of high life 
and style, which his counterpart possesses. His hat be¬ 
comes him also, and he probably thinks as much of it as 
if it was made of the gayest colors, and in the latest 
fashion. Suppose that, in imagination, you just change 
the hats, and slip the old weather-beaten straw hat on 
“ Beauty's ” head, and fasten the elaborate red, white, 
and blue head-gear over “ Old John’s” ears, and see how 
you like the change. There is a “ fitness of things ” 
even in hats for horses, and we think our artist made 
very good selections from the thousands of forms to be 
seen every day in the large city of New York. Old John 
may be seen every day at the markets, and is not the only 
cart-horse that is provided with a hat. Beauty is one of 
the many gay horses which look so proud and step so 
high as they dash along on Broadway with the gaily 
painted and gilded express wagons and grocers’ vehicles. 
We have a purpose in giving these illustrations to our 
family of boys and girls. You know how much more 
comfortable it is to have a good broad-brimmed hat on 
your own head, on a hot sunny day in August, than it is 
to stand bare-headed in the burning sun. Horses are 
creatures of feeling, much like ourselves, and deserve 
anything which will add to their comfort while doing our 
hard work. It is a very humane act to provide horses 
with some sort of a sun-shade for their heads, and every 
boy or girl old enough to know the blessings of shade in 
summer, should see to it that neither “Fred,” “Fan,” 
“ Charley,” nor other horse of theirs goes to work in the 
hot, shadeless field without some sort of a hat to wear. 
It is now known that many of the troubles of horses 
Fig. 2.— “old john.” 
come from the beating of the hot sun directly upon their 
heads, and some go so far as to provide, besides the 
shade, a wet sponge upon the head to keep it cool. But 
a simple shade will answer; a piece of strong paper will 
serve as long as it lasts, but it is better to make a more 
durable one of cotton cloth. The girls may make them 
as fanciful and elaborate as they please, but provide 
something; the horse deserves it; and all hands will 
profit by this thoughtful consideration of the comforts 
and health of the most useful and appreciative of animals. 
