and fertilizers. Each plant
bears a fruitful crop of cards, giving a summary of results and
conclusions. Each one of these cards may contain, in skeleton form, the
subject matter of a brief essay, brimful of valuable suggestions and
interesting statements. Sooner or later, these essays, signed
'Experimenter,' are liable to find their way into the contribution box
at the door of the Press Club.

"Gilbert's collection of birds and insects, forms another interesting
feature of his industrial museum. These collections were made, arranged
and classified, in order to afford opportunities for making a careful
study of the insect enemies of his plants, and also to discover what
birds were most destructive to the different insects. The birds he kept
in cages; the insects in glass-covered boxes.

"The care of these things, and the time and labor necessary to collect,
classify and arrange them, would to most people, prove a grievous
burden. To Gilbert, it was simply another mode of recreation and
amusement. On the live insects, he tried the effects of such chemicals
as might destroy them without injury to the growing plants. To his caged
birds, Gilbert fed his bugs, worms and moths, carefully noting the kinds
they most eagerly swallowed. His conclusions were always briefly written
out. They proved a perfect mine of valuable information, to be used in
perfecting better methods for farm culture.

"Aside from this kind of work; in the departments of his shop devoted to
experiments with clays, mica, soils, minerals and the various powers,
attractions and affinities of electricity, his constructive ideation and
inspired mentality, always gave him an excellent crop of good results.
Altogether, such superior work, carried forward in his own unique way,
has added many hundreds of dollars to the annual income of the farm. In
the department of experimental farming, as I have before stated, his
work has proved most brilliant and helpful; generally leading to the
adoption of many improved methods for successfully selecting, planting
and growing these new crops.

"Considered as a whole, such a variety of valuable contributions have
convinced our people, that physically speaking, one of the farm's
weakest units, under the fostering development of co-operative
organization, is capable of becoming one of its most valued productive
workers. The wonder of it all, is, that Gilbert is able to accomplish
such important results, while following a