EARLY INCOME YIELDERS 
In order to practically demonstrate the advisability of something besides “out 
go” in the Spring of the year we decided to add Fall planted spinach to our 
other Spring money makers, asparagus and rhubarb. We used seed said to be 
Victoria, as this we found to be the very best variety of spinach. It received 
stiictly normal attention by way of cultivation and light mulching. It came 
through the Winter in fine shape although it showed temporary ill effects 
caused by the sudden change from a warm Winter to a few weeks of cold in 
February. One light cultivation with a Planet Jr. hand wheel hoe counteracted 
any injury it may have received and we found on close examination %lx*.t instead 
of a clean strain of Victoria we had some Victoria and a job lot of assorted 
strains known and unknown. Judging as far as we could estimate, t.t'e y.iel'd 
was fully 20 per cent, under normal yield of Victoria. We cut 458 bushels to 
the acre. We sold it at an average price of 04 cents a bushel, ptit net returns 
being $215.12 to the acre. As this spinach was raised in our orchard, inter¬ 
cropped by gooseberries, (which of course reduced to a considerable extent the 
ground occupied by the crop! we were mightily pleased with the returns, hav¬ 
ing found spinach a mighty good Winter cover crop to follow our Summer 
cover of soy beans. 
Rhubarb, set out in the Fall of 1911, up to May 12tli this year, has given us 
a net return of $207.89 per acre. 7864 bunches, containing four stalks each, have 
been cut and the plants at the time of writing promise a further crop of 
fifteen to twenty per cent., the price running from 6 cent a bunch to 2 1-4 cents. 
Asparagus, which we frankly confess we have not learned how to handle to 
obtain the very best results, has of course, because of erratic weather and practi¬ 
cally universally cold nights, not yet reached anywhere near the maximum 
yield, but has given us for the acre $68.90, yielding 186 bunches selling from 25 cts. 
a bunch down to 15 cts., with five or six weeks of cutting still to be credited. 
Here then are most assuredly worth-while early income yielders which have 
been handled on the limited acres at Experimental Station Number Two, 
Medford, Long Island, in time that could be spared from planting a market 
garden with a very complete line of vegetables, the planting of corn for our 
little dairy herd silo, care of a mixed fruit orchard, a very extensivbytest of grapes, 
bush and vine fruits, an acre of sugar beets, a test for comparison of various 
fertilizing materials, with the constant interruption of all hands because of the fact 
that visitors are of daily occurence and the office work, with its many incidentals, 
occupy a very considerable portion of our waking hours. 
OIR BIRDS 
From Long Island’s best posted bird lover, Neighbor Roy Latham of Orient, 
we have received a wonderfully complete record of those birds which wintered 
with us. Neighbor Latham’s records for twelve years show that 125 species of 
birds have been with us in the Winter time, while during the four seasons,’ 257 
species have made the Blessed Island their happy home. Here follows neighbor 
Latham’s list with explanatory paragraphs. 
The first list following is a record of the birds that have been personalty 
observed on Long Island during the Winter 1912-13, between December 20 and 
February 20. The season being exceptionally mild prior to February there has 
resulted a marked absence of far Northern species that usually abide with us 
regularly. 
In this list “Resident” denotes birds that live on Long Island throughout 
the year, and except in rare instances breed here. “Visitant” signifies Northern 
breeding species that are Wintering here. The dates given are the earliest and 
latest date for their departure Northward. In the second list below rare and 
irregular species are omitted. 
“Summer resident” is a bird that arrives from the South in Spring, spends 
the Summer with us and returns South in Autumn. Earliest and latest dates for 
first ones seen are given. “Transient” is a species observed en route bet ween 
its Winter home in Southern climes and its nesting ground in the North. 
Earliest and latest dates for first ones recorded are given, and in various cases, 
earliest and latest dates of last one seen are stated. Names given in brackets 
are local names commonly applied. On various sections of the Island observations 
will differ, particularly is this true of ducks, geese and waders. 
List of birds observed on Long Island, 1912-13: 
Horned Grebe—(Dipper) (Hell Diver), Visitant, May 1 to 15. 
Loon—Visitant, June 1 to 20. 
Red-throated Loon—Visitant. 
Great Black-backed Gull—Visitant March, 18 to 31. 
