The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-11
CIDER BAIT FOR BEARS.
[From the New York SUM

20 per cent OF the Sapl1ng trees IN the
woods between Holden and Dedham are
marred and scrR tched by the claws OF
cubs and old bears who have reached
far aIoft to test their toe nails and show
other bears how tai and strong they
are
This scratching of the bark on trees
is bears way Of giving a challenge to
a fight He stands on tiptOe and
can, digging his claws deeply into the
fresh bark, as much as to say that he IS
the ta1lest and strongest bear in that
vicinity, and II there is any other bear
in the neighborh0od who doubts the as
sertion here is the cartel of defiance
written by claws that can scratch bears
flesh as well as trees Another bear
sees one of these challenges and at
tempts to reach as high as his prede-
cessnr If ne can do SO and has a quar-
reIsome disposition, he hunts for his foe
The result of these conflicts is gen.
orally discouraging TO bears who have
a short reach, and they are reluctant to
place their marks on trees after one or
two conflicts. This fall, however, the
food has been so plentiful and the young
bears have become so rat that not a rev
cubs have signed their names to cha1-
lenges that have proved disastrous
It was the knowledge of this practice
among bears that induced Reuel Hart
to quit making cider and go 10 bear
hunting Hart had been grinding cider
apples all the week, putting the pressed
pomace into big tubs and filing them
made from soaking out the contents OF
molasses hogsheads- Hart VIII not
make cider for anybody on the SabDath,
but If the pOmace IS roaming ana SHOWS
signs of spelling before Monday he viii
press vinegar all through Sunday while
his family is away at church Last sat
urday night he had twenty TUBS OF me
monaco which We're as good as 500 gal
Ions of vinegar If he could press them
out in season On Sunday morning ne
found every tub fr0thfng and running
over from the fermentation that the not
weather had fastened Inc 1aullly
walked to meeting while the old white
horse was taken inside the cider house
and worked on the press sweep all day
Hart noticed that every time the sweep
went past the window the horse snort
ed and refused to go on until persuaded
to do so with whip As ne was IN d
hurry and needed some excuse Tor Wn1p-
ping the animal Hart DID not resrSt Us
new evidence of shynesS- Ten 1ull TUBS
had been ground out before he took
rest As the horse was white Win
Iatber Hart opened the window. allow
ing fresh air to blow in NO sooner dla
the horse get a Whit than he reared
snorted and made a strong pun at ms
tugs which broke the lever ana stop1So
the making of vinegar that Gay ue
horse escaped TO the field, where ne
fOuud plenty of fresh grass 10 conSole
him for his punishment
As Hart was going to the stable ne
passed the large tank whlcn hela III III
monaco cider and saw a black animal
rolling about on the grass, apparently
| in an advanced stage of lntoXlcaIlOl-
| Closer inspection showed that the AM
/ NAL was a small bear VINO nad 11le1S
| himself drunk upon the frothy nuld,
which was flowing from the press HarL
killed the bear with a club 1nen ne
argued that If one bear was fool enough
to get drunk on sWeetened water anu
stale apple juice there were oJner Dear
| in the woods equally foolish. who coulo
/ he lured to destruction me AO4eStS
| we're fun of bears, who had come out
| for the apples in nearby orchards II ne
| could make cider and eaten pears a
| the same time there would be more
rroft from the two occupations imam
| he could hope to get from cider making
alone Therefore he resolved 10 tOrn
| bear hunter. Hart made circuit OF nlS
! cider house, strewing his path with
handfuls of SWeetened ponace- Ihen ne
went to the woods to look Tor pear
| signs He found them everywhere, Dig
| o1aS 1itrle ones and all the way De-
| tT.-aar, He had lived on his place as boy
and man for more than forty years, puL
| had never seen 50 many scars on the
| trees ~, ..-,,-.
| If hears He saw the scratches that hitu
| bean made by the yearlings, and turthsf
| ~, he found spots of blood on the leaves
and tufts of hair to Inqleate tnae e s.ll,T
of the smart young bears had 1ouno
what they had been seeking On MS
way home Hart laughed to hImseiL- II
/ was wicked to be merry on the Saooath,
/ 81 funny that ne couldn't help II
/ on a shelf in his tool house ne foun9
1 five pronged instrument OF steel Inc
| and of each prong was sharp and crook
cd in a shane to do the most scratching
| with the least labor It was calleo a gar
| den weeder. but Hart was going TO put
| it to other uses Armed with the Weeuer
| he went TO the woods and appled II 10
| the trunks Of many trees, using II near
the ground so as to give the impression
| that the scratches were made oy very
| small bears Later Hart skinned the
bear which he had killed and dragged
! the fresh and bleeding peIt along tne
paths where he had marked the trees.
There by Jirul~ cried Hart When
| the old bears see that thicket they'll lay
I II All to the sassy cubs and go huntin'
for EN- like mad. Now III drag this mere
! skin right up to the cider press Inat II
| fool 'arn sure 'nough, or III turn Turk
/ ana marry four wives, which is more
I puuishrnent than one man had ought TO
/ stand, no matter how big a sinner ne
is"
| on Monday morning there were two
| drunken and irresponsible bears lying by
the side of Harris tank on
/ Tuesday there were two more
! On Wednesday there was only
/ one bear, hut the neIghborS had learned
/ of the new way Of catching bears. and
were on hand in large numbers, drink
| ing the seething ponace juice and nav
/ bofv Before noon there were four men
( and six boys lying around in a beastly
I state of intoxicatiou. Hart was 50
angry at this exhibition Of depravity
| that when he vent along with an ak
I to XIII the bears he had half a mind to
I1se his weapon on the men, who were
no more sensible than the animals
Later he wished he had yielded to the
impulse when it came to him. for as
| soon as the visitors had been able to
get ID and walk they went and svvore
/ out warrants against Hart for keeping
! intoxicating liquors The justice fined
( him 800 and costs for maintaining a
nuisance, with SO additional for making
1 vinegar on the SABBATH day.
Every two or three days an angry old
hear comes to the back side Of Harris
/ cider house and falls a victim TO Ape
tita hut Hart takes little interest in
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