Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-09
oswEGATCHIE's roAD-HuNTER.
How Gen. Newton Martin Curtis Res
cued His Onion Patch from Grubs.


From the Nep York. World.
ALBANY, March 1.-They tell good
story OF the dainty reformer, Newton
Martin Curtis, upin st. Lawrence county,
where he has always lived. Curtis made
an excellent record as a soldier during
the war, and as everybody who knows
him knows, had an eye shot ont at Fort
Fisher, where he was the first man into
the Confederate works. After the war he
returned to the wild Businesses OF st. Law
renee county and started on new career
which paralyZed his neighbOrs. He be-
gan to show his experienced and ex-
pert farmer neighbors how to farm. 1t
is true that up to that time he could not
distinguish the difference between a bar
row and a furrOw, but his war expe-
rience had made him great man, and
his rank Of Major-Generai by brevet had
placed him in position where to receive
advice would be not only ridiculous but
positively notifying. He bought farm
OF some 100 acres aud plOwed into it on
his own hook ana in his own way. One
season heraised nothing but corn, another
nothing but wheat. Then came year
when there was an onion famine. Here
was the Generals opportunity. He turn
ed his farm of several hundred acres into
one enormous onion patch. Some Of his
neighbors shook their heads. Others ex-
pOstulated with him. Many tried to adj
wise him to change his plan.
"The worms will ruin you and the grubs
destroy the crop" they said. In vain.
The obdurate hero OF Fort Fisher knew 1t
all. Had he come from the command OF
thousands of men to be told his business
by illiterate and obscure St. Lawrence
county farmers? The onions began TO
sprOut. So did the weeds. The General
took OFF his coat and energetically began
on the weeds crusade of determination.
1t was then that he made a fresh discOv-
cry. Grubs nearly half foot in length,
In myriads, were chewing up his precious
food. Discouraged? NOthei He merely
scratched his head and pOndered. He
gazed refectively at his neighbors' fields
laughing with plenty. He ransacked his
library for an antIdOte tor gru0s. If the
question had been one of thanking a victO-
rious army or Of charging an enemy's
works, he would not have hesitated for a
moment what was the proper and most
decisive thing to do, hut as IL was the mo-
mentOus issue OF grubs he was utterly at
sea, and in the end had to give it up,
Finally neighbOr came to his relief-a
systematic and kind-hearted neighbor who
knew nothing of war but a great deal
about farms.
1.-THE only way to kill them 'ere grubs,' y
he said, sis to give 'em tOads." SO the
general advertised for tOads at ten cents
dozen delivered on his farm.
"Plagues of EgyptV he cried, when be
saw procession a quarter of a mile lone
marching up to his place with from a
dozen to ten dozen toads. Every day
regular as the sun arose, the procession
appeared, received its ten cents a dozen
for the Datrachans aud left, and no doubt
would have continued till the present
time had not the General made the shock
ing discovery that while the toads were
delivered in the morning, they were CO
verify collected at night and resold to hin
the following morning, hence his name
''the tOad-hunter of the Oswegatchie, OF
the disappointed farmer"