The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-12-01
"What is the state Of your mind this

"What is the state Of your mind this
morning?"
"Serene."
"Have you got any ideas in stock?'
mo. Nothing special
doesn't the season suggest some
things"
Thanksgiving this week."
"Did you observe the day.
Eyes, of course
"Have people here very much to be
thankful for?'
"Most of them have. Those who have
lost crops ought to try to feel thankful
if only to try to keep back the bitterness
Of disappointment
"What do you think of the business
outlook? Is it very bad?"
mot very. Only few farmers have
lost all their crops, some have lost moth
ing and many harvested less than usual,
but are getting better prices than
usual"
"How about the farmer who mort
gagged his beet crop to get money to pay
for hand labor and then didn't harvest
any beets?',
1T is severe loss to him, but he will
renew the obligation and give some other
security. Next year he will try again
and may raise big crop that will put
him out of debt, and he will feel that
satisfaction which comes to any man
when he has faced hard problem and
fought it through successfully
"You speak Of the loss of crops. What
is the cause of this?"
"On the borders of the desert where
the great expanse of sage brush is infes-
ted with million rabbits, the crops
have been eaten up by rabbits, and
"You don't say so?"
"Yes do.
"So?"
"Yes."
II am surprised
$50 were the settlers
"Dont the dogs keep them away"
"Dogs!'
Say, hold on
Talk fast
Il have noticed wagon loads of poultry
netting and hog netting hauled into the
country to fence against rabbits. Doesn't
that keep them ou.?'
"Yes, and it also keeps them in. Little
rabbits get through and in week they
are too big to get out. Some rabbits
dig under the fence and some jump over.
When the beets or other crops are small
they destroy. large tracts every night,
and hide under bushes during the day.
Once beet is cut off it is done. Wheat
or oats will stand cutting down till it |
begins to joint, and then it is ruined.
Potatoes are the only crop | know of
that they leave alone till late in the sea
son, and they dig into the hills to gnaw
the tubers after they begin to develop"
"Why don't the people on this rabbit
belt raise potatoes?'
''Some of them are too far from ship
ping point. The Others may raise them
next year
"a rabbit is a dainty thing. viii
they cross water?"
Water
"Wait minute, am not joshing! l
have understood that a wide ditch would
keep them from crossing so long as it
1ad water in it,
"West Of Moreland is the Peoples
Canal thirty feet wide, and the seventy
DOT ditch of the American Falls Canal
md Power company, side by side, and
he rabbits come along in droves in the
afternoon. They take to the water just
ike flock of ducks, swimming in aV
shaped body, and after they get across
10Th canals everything that is green and
uicy has to 60
"Ratsr
"Rabbits!'
81 wou ldnt have believed it,
"You don't need to"
'It's remarkable
''Ihe settlers out there tell more than
hat
II am feeling pretty strong. Let's
ave it,
"They built fence of poultry netting |
own the center of the canal, so the net
ing reached about foot under the wa S
or and some distance above. When the
abbits got to the netting they climbed
long the wire till one old he-one fell and
'ent under the bottom of the netting,
oming up on the other side. The others
aw him and began to duck and go I'M
er like a lot of boys. Out on the bank
hey would flop their ears and look wise j