Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-05-08

which heads, as you know, all winter
long. On small place, or, for that
matter, on a place of any size, it
only pays to raise the best and to
give most careful attention to what
ever you are raising. For example,
my two cows, one a Jersey and one
a Guernsey, cost no more to keep
than scrub cows would, and yet they
are gentle to handle, give large
amount of rich milk and have the
satisfaction that comes from han
ding thoroughbred stock"
From the house we walked over
his place and l could better under
stand how he was able to put in
the bank an average of almost $100
a month from his small tract. The
loganberries, raspberries and other
berries were carefully tended and
trained, all deadwood being removed.
The trees were properly pruned and
sprayed, the COWS had a clean sani-
tary stable with every convenience
to make their easy handling. The
chickens were well cared for in dry,
warm houses, so that with careful
feeding they lay when eggs are most
in demand.
II usually keep about so laying
hens" said Mr.. Ashcraft, keeping
two breeds, the Minorcas and Barred
Plymouth Rocks, the Minorcas being
the best layers and the Plymouth
Rocks being very good layers. but
particularly good for meat.
Source of Meat Supply.
"The butchers would starve if
everyone were like us. With plenty
of eggs and fried chicken we do not
particularly feel the need of meat,
but because we do not patroniZe the
butchers very much does not neces-
sarily mean that we do not have any
meat. Each fall we go out in the
hills and kill few deer. This fall
Elmer and 1 went out. / got two
fine bucks, one of them with splen-
did head of horns, and Elmer got a
couple of good ones. We went II
miles up Ashland canyon to gel
them. Last year l got a particularly
fine buck four miles from town
Whenever | feel little out of sorts
instead of going to a doctor l take
few days off and go out in the
hills fishing or hunting, and l come
back feeling as good as new
We went to the smokehouse, ant
Mr.. Ashcraft showed me his winter
store of jerked venison. You see
the method is very SIMPLE" said Mr.
Ashcraft. I'VE cut the deer mea
into strips and dip it in an iron ket
tie of boiling brine until the mea
turns white. We then put it on these
wires, and under it kindle SLOW
fire of vine maple or laurel chips
letting it remain in the smoke 70
IlVeg or SIX nOurS.
Here, try a piece" taking hi
jackknife and cutting one of tn
large pieces of venison in two. TIL
meat was sweet and tender, and ha'
the wild, gamey taste that is so de
licious. Going to the barn, Mr.. Ash
craft showed me a large number o
well-cured deer hides and some splen
did heads and sets of horns.
while / have seven sons, tn
women folks are the most importan
part of the family. My wife and m.
two daughters have been largely in
strumental in our being able to do S,
well on this small tract. If you wen
down in the cellar. and saw the row
upon rows of jelly and preserves ant
canned fruit you would realize tha
we live pretty well in winter as wei
as in summer when the fruit ant
berries are abundant. One thin
that adds largely to the pleasure o
our winter evenings is that row o
almond trees. There are seven o
them. They are about Is years old
and this year I took seven or eigh
bushels of clean almonds from thos
trees.
with our rich Jersey milk, goo,
homemade bread and spring CHECKER
and eggs, vegetables and fruit, o
vension and almonds, we manage t.
get along pretty comfortably, and il
addition we are saving money all tn
time. For example, l could readil
sell this place any time l wanted t.
for $1,000, and yet l figure tha
since it is bringing us in comforta
BILE living and earning an average o
from $1,000 to $1,000 year,
would be very foolish to sell it. 1t i
always mystery to me why maj
will oocu,o, tba oJoIool- h 90 N ~,