El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-08


] then on the side
went TO see Billy's farms in CON-
/ pany with him and DR.. g. NJ Faulkner
! the acting United States consul al
: Dawson Dr. Faulkner has a dairy
farm of 200 acres on the opposite side
of the river from where the klOndIke
flows in He has Jerseys and HOlsteins
and supplies most of the milk and
cream for Dawson, charging $3.50 a
gallon for his milk and selling cream
at 81 a quart He IS posted on farming
conditions, having some land on the
islands. as we'll
Up the Yukon in Gasoline Boat.
Leaving Dawson. we started up the
Yukon in gasoline boat about three
feet in width and 40 feet long The boat
had a big paddle wheel at the end and
this was attached by a long iron shaft
TO the engine. We rad gone only two
miles Up the river when the shaft broke
and we had to row ourselves to the
nearest island and walk.
The island was devoted to farming
and we found the farms the best go
ing We left the beach and made our
way through the potato rows from one
little patch TO another. The first farm
we visited was owned by a Swede
named Nelson He has II acres under
cultivation, One-half in potatoes and
the other half in oats The oats IS
grown for hay and II is now being cut
Some of il stood IN shocks as high as
my head The remainder was uncut
and the grain reached half way TO my
waist AS we looked I asked Billy the
price the oats-hay would bring His
reply was Sixty dollars a tom
Potato Vines in Blossom
The potato vines were in blossom.
They were in long rows OF beautiful
green spotted with flowers OF a deli
cate white. I asked Mr.. Nelson what
he expected to get for his crop He
fixed the price I $50 a ton. saying
that it might go as high as 800. There
upon Billy told me that Nelson was a
good business mar and gave me the
details OF one crol from three acres
that had yielded i'm $500 in cash
That was when the ,Suggenheim syndi-
cate began TO dredge out the gold OF
the Klondike' They were employing
large numbers Of men and potatoes
were scarce Nelson. who had just
harvested crop Of - tons, got Is Il
cents a pound or $40 per ton for the
whole. Since then he has raised moth
ing but potatoes and oats
As we left Mr.. Nelson II was after 9
O. clock in the evening" but the sun was
still high in the heavens and I was
ing in front of his cabin Like Chicken (,
Billy. he is unmarried
The next farm we passed through T.
was devoted to potatoes and carrots. I
There was a woman in charge. She I
told me that the carrots paid as well 4
as the potatoes, and said that she and 4
her husband enjoyed their summer I
home on the Yukon They live IN Daw-
son in winter.
BiIIy'E Farmer.
Leaving this farm. We found our
selves at the end OF the island. but
there was another island upstream
about a half mile away Billy put his
hands around his mouth and shouted.
man came out of the
bushes of the second island and waved 3
his hands at US tt was Billy's farmer. I
He was told TO bring . canoe and carry
US over the water from one place 10
another. As soon as we landed Billy
ordered him 10 start getting supper
and 70 have the meal ready by the
time We had taken look At the stock
and the farm He went with the man
to the dollhouse and picked a half dozen
Big cucumbers 10 cut up for salad. and
hen sent him on to the memories 10
gather some eggs.
Cucumbers 81 n Dozen
In the meantime Chicken Billy. Or.
Faulkner and I took a look at the hot.
house. where cucumberS and tomatoes
are raised for the markets OF Dawson. I
fhis is one Of the most Interesting fea-
lures Of farming in the far north There
ire more than % big hothOuses in Daw-
son itself, and they are all doing we'll
Billy SAYS his farm makes
more than any two of the others. Up
o July OF this year he has sold over
100 cUcumbers. and by the end of the {
eaSOn he viii have sold twice that
many more. His first cucumbers
'rouEht him more than 81 dozen. (
he next dropped 10 $3.50 a dozen. and
n the average the crop Of the year
viii net about 20 cents for each and !
very cucumber sold If his figures
re right. his cucumber receipts from I
he dollhouse this year will be over $500.
ie picked III this week. and the vines
re still loaded.
The prices Of tomatoes are equally
Ugh. and he has a good crop under
lass
This dollhouse is about so feet wide
nd 80 feet long II consists Of
reat pit walled with logs to the sur
ace of the ground and above that a
framework covered with glass. forming
lass walls and a glass roof The house
kept warm by wood fires, a hundred
allOn gasoline tank having been made
ITO stove for the purpose The plants
re set out in beds upon low tables
-hich are connected with a network OF
Tres The vines Of the Cucumbers and
hey run IN the walls and hang down |
rom the roof. Many Of the cucumbers
re over ten inches in length and the
lrgest tomatoes are bigger than the
eads Of some babies
Stoves Keep Hogs Warm.
Leaving the hOthOuses. We took a
]ok at the hogs. During the summer
hey are kept in Enclosures out in the
pen, although they have sleeping pens
r covered platforms on which they
rawl at night In the winter they live I
4 the log memories which have been
1rned into pig pens. The buildings are
ARMED with good stoves and the fires
ave 10 be on day and night. There