The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
HUCKLEDERRY FARMING.
It ID Easy Enough. but 1t Sometimes Leads
to Unexpected Results.

to Unexpected Results.
CHESTER, N. Y, Sept 10 kin huckle-
berries be cultivated" said native Of tho
Shawang,lnk Mountain barrens district,
where the huckleberry is the principal prod
uct, and where the last run Of the seasons
black cracker" crop is just being gathered
in. why, there amt nothin' 80 easy to
cultivate as huckleberries.
THE huckleberry farmer don't need to
own an inch o. land, but if he kin git title
to one surego brimstun match he kin put
thousand acres under cultivation to huckle-
berries quicker'n you kin spade up an onion
bed
How? Well, I'll tell you. He takes
his match and goes out on the hills some
nice day, either early in the spring or late
in the fall, He strikes his match on the
leg OF his trousers. tetches it to the dry
leaves on the ground, and whizz! away
goes the cultivator
If some unconsiderin' Teller citizens
that happens to have cord-wood, hop
poles. railroad ties, bark, timber. and setch
stuff layin in the woods don't turn to and
NEEDLE with it, the cultivator II sweep
over miles o. kentry, and besides fittin'
it for the huckleberry crop II make tarna-
ton pooty sight fer folks TO look at nights.
, They call il fire in the woods, but shucks!
it's Jest the huckeberry farmer cultivatif3
the sile.
A big stretch O. woods and setch things
as mentioned as mowt be layin' in 'em
ia liable to be sweep away and I've knowed
barns and mills and houses that stood in
the way O. this branch O. agricultur' to hs
.r4n cnrt l,.yt ,, ll;,,'
but they hadn't orto been where the huckle-
berry farmer was workin.'
After the cultivator has run through
a patch the farms looks like heaps o ashes.
but after while up comes a thick bed o
nothin' else much but huckleberry bushes.
no matter what growed there before, and
by and by the farmer gethers his crop.
There's a law agin this sort o cult
vatin', I've heerd, and I've heerd, too that
some folks IL talkin ruther strong about
| j'inin' together to enforce it. II setch
ia the case. I'm Altered that either the
| cultivatin o. huckleberries III be apt to
! cit a little setback, or that they'll have
| to add considerable to the Jail to commo-
date the huckleberry farmers that stands
| up fer their rights.
There's somethin else besides hucke-
berries that's particular interestin and
pronisin' crop on them farms, specially
on the black cracker plantations, Tho
black crackers is the huckeberry that
comes late and stays with us till way in
the fall. and if they had as much flavor
| to EN- as they have seeds they'd make
pineapple think there wasn't no, more
taste to it than there is to hook-neck
| gourd.
"H hey're blacker than the inside OF
tar barl and when you bite into EN- they
crack like whip lash, 20 the folks that
| a.. y. ,l> roht hnv
do no better than to call EN- black crackers
and they did.
4The somethin' else that grows to be an
interestin' and promisin' crop on these
plant atoms is them two lively, Ercdrds
Of the Aile, rattlesnakes and blue racer
lions is main fertyle in them, and don't
know why, nuther. They don't eat huckIe-
berries, and never heerd o. none of EN-
eatin any berry pickers., 80.
! "The blue racer is glib insect. ard KIN
| kiver more distance in little tine than
anythin' shor of a streak o lghtnin' that
! l ever see or heerd on kin, COZ sekrIty
| never made many of 'em bite the dust
But as for ratters, I've beer henyir up
yonder on the barrens more times than
few when il could a. got as much quar-
| fer rattlesnake rattles as | could ,frr
! huckeberries, I'd "a made more arickn
rattles than could apickin berries ~,
| ~ YOU nLloult hhEfNIl " w
through the Shawangunk deestricts any
time fer month yt you'll get, acS
! crackers with milk sot out to you, hul aCni
, cordin' to my idee, you nout jet as ven
pitch in and gobble sasser o gla's heaoS.
But there's one thing about the hack
favoryte with me, and that is il draws
bears. 1t draws bears, and il fatters 'ea,s.
and it makes their pelts shine like RooSny
iron sto vepipe in the sun.
"Yes, yes! And there's somethln nv
seven thousan' acres o. huckcl cry Ias-
tur' for bear layin' easy TO reach W tt'fH
| on the barrens, and when the weather
gifts leetle cooler, and bear fur gifts p'
tie thicker, I have It sort o in ny mrdf,aD
! know where there's goin' TO y" s'me l,lh
'twixt me and my dog and bear or wv
and it amt goin' to be more'n a hundred
miled from where you kin see that ois
hilriTlock h'inku' its back to n! he"Nh"S
up yonder in the nor east, nuher'