Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-07-14
TIE osWE6ATCHlE T0AO.HUNTER

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How Tho General Rescued His Onio'
Patch From Grub.
They tell good story of tho dainty
reformcr, Newton Martin Curtis, NJ
in st. Lawrence County. New York,
whcro he has always lived.
Curtis made an excellent record as
a soldier during the war, and 6s every.
body who knows him knows, had an
eye shot out at Fort Fisher, where
he was the first man into the Con.
federate works.
After the war he returned to the wild
Businesses of st. Lawrence County and
started on new career which par.
alyzed his neighbors. He began to
show his experienced and expert farmer
neighbors how to farm.
1t is true that up to that time he
could not distinguish the, difference
between q harrow and furrow, but
his war experience had made him q
great man, and his rank of major
general 10y brevet had placed him in
position where to receive advice
would be not only ridiculous but
positively Notifying.
He bought q farm of some hundred
acres and ploughed into it on his
own hook and in his own way. One
season he raised nothing but corn,
another nothing but wheat. Then
came a year when there was an onion
famine.
Hero was the Generals opportunity.
Ho turned his farm of several hun.
bred acres into one enormous onion
patch Some of his neighbors shook
their heads. Others expostulated with
him. Many tried to advise him to
change his plan.
"The weeds will ruin you and the
grubs destroy the crops" they said.
In vain. The obdurate hero OF
Fort Fisher knew it all. Had he
come from the command of thous-
ands 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 of
his coat and theoretically began on the
weeds q crusade of determination.
1t was then that he made fresh
discovery. Grubs nearly half foot
in length, in myriads, were chewing
up his precious food. Discouragedg
Not he! He merely scratched his head
and pondered. H gazed rehectively
at his neighbors' fields laughing with
plenty, Ho ransacked his library for
an antidote for grubs.
If the question had been one Of flank,
ing victorious army or of charging
an enemy's works, he would not have
hesitated for q moment what was the
proper and most decisive thing to do,
but as it was the momentous issue OF
grubs he was utterly at sea, and il the
end had to give it up.
Finally a neighbor came to his re
lief-a s. sympathetic and kind hearted
ncighbor who knew nothing Of war but
great deal about farms.
1.-THE only way to kill them ere
grubs," he said, ." is to give EN- toads.
SO the General advertised for toads al
ten cents a do7e. delivered on his
PLAQUES of Egypt" he cried, wher
he saw procession a quarter of mile
long marching up to his place will
rom a dozen to ten dozen toads.
Every day, regular as the sun arose,
the procession appeared, received its
ten cents a dozen for the batrachians
and left, and no doubt would have con-
tinued till the present time had not
the General made ahe shocking dis
covery that while the toads were de.
livered in the morning, they were
covertly collected at night and resold to
ilim the following morning. Hence his
name--the "toad. hunter of the Oswe-
satchie, or the disappointed farmer. "
IN. Y. World.
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