Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-09

we found the farms the best going. We
left the beach and made our way
through the potato rows from one lit
tie patch to another. The first farm
we visited was owned by a Swede
named Nelson. 1io has eleven acres
under cultivation. one-half in potatoes
and the other half In oats. The oats
Is grown for hay. and 1t is now being
cut. Some OF 1t stood In shocks as
high as my head. The remainder was
to my waist. AS we looked. 1 asked
Billy the price the oats-hay would
bring. His reply was: sixty dollars n
ton
The potato vines were in blossom.
They were III long rows OF a beautiful
green spotted with flowers OF a deli
cate white. l asked Mr.. Nelson what
he expected to get for his crop. He
fixed the price at 500 a ton. saying that
1t might go rs high as 500. There
upon. Billy told me that Nelson was Il
good business man and gave me the
details Of one crop from three acres
that had yielded him $1,000 in cash.
That was when the ~Guggenheim syn
dictate began to drcdge out the gold of
the klondike. They were employing
large numbers of men and potatoes
were scarce. Nelson, who had just
harvested IA crop Of thirteen tons. got
1912 cents Il pound, or s270 per ton
for the whole. Since then he has raised
nothing but potatoes and oats.
AS we left Mr.. Nelson IT was after 8
o'clock in the evening, but tho sun was
still high in the heavens. and ] was
able to take n snapshot Of him stand
ing in front of his cabin. Like Chicken
Billy, he is unmarried.
The next farm we passed through
was devoted to potatoes and carrots.
There was Il woman i'm charge. She
told me that the carrots paid as well
as the potatoes. and said that she and
her husband enjoyed their summer
home on the Yukon. They live In Daw-
son In winter.
GO INTO HENNERY
TO GATHER SO,IE: EGGS
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,
whereupon Il man came out of tho
bushes of the second island and waved
his hands 1T us. 1t was billy's farmer.
lie was told to bring n canoe and carry
us over tho water from one place to
another. As soon as we landed Billy
ordered him to start getting supper.
ana TO have the meal ready by time we
had taken u look at the stock and tho
farm. lie went with the man TO the
dollhouse and picked a h~alf-doZen big
to cut up for salad, and
then sent him on to the henrer;.s 20
gather some eggs.
In the meantime. Chicken Billy. DR..
faulkner and 1 took a look at the hot
house. where cucumbers and tomatoes
are raised for the markets of Ioa wson.
rms is one of the most interesting
features OF farming in the far north
There are moro than twenty-five bir
hothouses In Dawson itself, and they
are ali doing we'll, although Billy saws
ms iarm makes more than any two Of
sne o,hers. Up to July of this year he
| IA SOLD nNrnr n
tho end of the season he will hsvn sn,S
twice That many more. His first on
cunbers brought him more than 81
a dozen. the next dropped to $500 a
aozen' and on the average crop Of tho
year Will net about 20 cents for each
and every cucumber sold. II his fir1,rcs
are right. his receipts from
INC hothouse this year will he over
500. 10 picked Ill this week. and
the vines are still loaded.
Inc prices Of tomatoes arc eouo,lv
glass. Twp uhuer
This dollhouse Is about thir,y Foo.
wide and fifty feet long. II consiste -,
Il great Pit walled with logs to tho
surface Of the ground and above that
q iraH,ework covered with glass, form.
ing glass walls and n glass roof Tive
house Is kept warm BIZ wood eras
hundrcd-gallon gasoline tank ba,i,.
oeen made Into a stove for the purnose
Inc plants are Set out In beds ,non
lo" tables, which are connected with
a Of wires. The vines of the
cucunpers and tomatoes are trained
on the wires. They run UP the walls
and hang down from the roof. Nav
or the cucumbers arc over ten inchea
IN length and tho largest tomatoes
are bigger than the heads of some
babies. ''"e
leaving the hothouscs. we took a
look at the hogs. During the summer
they are kept in Enclosures out In
the open. although they have sleeninr
pens or covered platforms on which
they crawl at night. In the winter
they live In the log henncries which
nave been turned Into pigpens. The
nulidinGs are warmed with good stoves
hHu the nres nave 10 be on day and
night. There are thirteen log build
ihss on the farm and most OF them
are devoted to pigs.
chicken Billy started into the hog
business with fourteen sucking nirs
the most OF which had taken prizes at
the agricultural fair at Vancouver. He
bought them there and shipped them
into tho Klondiks and they cost him
$50 apiece. or 1870 In all. They ar
rived In good shape and are now FULL
grown hogs. They are Duroc-J erseys,
Bcrkshircs and Yorkshires.
lie keeps them for breeding only.
iiS lLtS already fau n number OF NJ
ters and sold them at a great profit.
He gets from SIS to s25 for each pig
when 1t is six weegs OF aee--that is,
ready for weaving. He sold 100 ,ast
year.
! BILLY FITTED TO
SPR0UT WINGS
went with Billy from pen to pen to
examine the stock. 1t IL said that a
man may be known by the way ami.
mails act In his presence. II they like
, him he is to be trusted. il not he Is
, Il good man to watch. II his is so
, Chicken Billy is fitted to sprout angels
:, wings. His hogs seem to love him.
/, lie talks to them ms though they were
o human. He speaks and they will II,
, down and turn over just like pct dogs
I. ono OF his biggest boars docs tricks
. 7 was especially Interested in tn,
r babies OF tho hog pons. The young
r are OF all ages from little red piggice
q ms big as n kitten to lusty black
g R~erkshires OF the size OF n fox tor.