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California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



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fiJonrspontlrnft. 



Letter from a Lady-Canvasser. 



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Fldmk Camp, Santa Cruz, 

 Sept. 7th, 1875. 



Deae Heekino: — Bright and early yester- 

 day nioruiug Pony and I left Santa Cruz with 

 a roll of the ' ' Agriculturists, ' ' for a canvass- 

 ing trip up in the vicinity of Felton. The 

 new railroad was met, or rather first came iu 

 sight at a point some ninety feet above tho 

 road on the left, immediately opposite Mr. 

 Peyton's fine residence which is in process of 

 completion, above the powder works crown- 

 ing the hill on the right. So gradual is the 

 rise on this delightful road, that it seems al- 

 most incredible that the level so indispensa- 

 ble for railway travel can be maintained with 

 the road at first so far up on the mountain 

 side, and then crossing the road several times 

 on trestle work, finally on a level, then grad- 

 ually winding far below, following the bank 

 of a stream till several times lost amid the 

 growth of foliage, which seems like under- 

 brush ; then approaching nearer in view, pass- 

 ing through a short tunnel and coming into 

 Felton side by side with us. 



Here, leaving the well-watered road, with 

 its cool shade of lofty trees which made the 

 ride so enjoyable, we passed on through tho 

 dust toward Flume Camp. Ujiou leaving the 

 terminus of the railroad, tho flume became 

 the chief feature of the landscape, with its 

 high scaffolding lifting it at times above 90 

 feet from the surface of the land or stream, 

 and again coming down to level ground and 

 laid in cuts to the depth of ten or fifteen feet. 

 It is a wonderful enterprise and the project- 

 ors deserve much credit, and will doubtless 

 reap a rich reward. Flume Mill is located 

 fifteeu miles away, from whence .lumbej is 

 floated, as fast as sawn, for completing the 

 structure. 



A mile out of Feton I found the camp 

 where the employees were fed and sheltered, 

 and near by rose the white tent of our friend. 

 He was busy on the Flume, but his delicate 

 wife and sunny-haired May (a child of nine 

 years) were revelling in the sunshine of their 

 novel home, gaining health and strength ev- 

 ery day, by the natural appetite and resting 

 sleep resulting from a life iu the open air. 



Anxious to explore still farther before the 

 heat of the day, we followed on over tho dusty 

 road till Lorenzo was reached. This was the 

 town which sprang into existence, mushroom- 

 like; when the Flume enterprise was first un- 

 dertaken. A blacksmith's shop, store and 

 post-office, hotel and saloon form the nucleus 

 of a town in these parts, and by the noise of 

 saw and hammer resounding on every side, 

 one is impressed with tho idea of growth and 

 prosperity for this new settlement, to super- 

 sede the already well-establishi^d town of 

 Boulder Creek, a few miles beyond. 



Just at "The Forks" stands the Temper- 

 ance House, kept by a former San Francisco 

 merchant who, preferring tho wild mountain 

 life, has built himself a home in the wilder- 

 ness. 



It was here I partook of an excellent din- 

 ner and formed the aci|uaintance or one of 

 your former patrons, who willingly renewed 

 his subscriptiou and paid the Califoknia Ati- 



EiouLTUHisT a compliment most gratifying to 

 hear. The list of new subrcribers accompany- 

 ing this letter is largely to be credited to as- 

 sistance of its staunch friends. 



Wondering what there might be to attract 

 custom to a Temperance House in a locality 

 where stimulating drinks are considered so es- 

 sential to happiness, I ventured to suggest to 

 the proprietor that thei)re8ence of good books 

 and papers, pictures and the hke might aid iu 

 rendering his house more attractive to all. 

 He r^i)lied that there was no need of anything 

 of the kind to call custom to his place, for 

 even the drinking sort preferred a quiet place 

 to get a comfortable meal and undisturbed 

 rest at night. 



Here, then, is encouragement to inn-keep- 

 ers whose consciences are alive to the harm 

 done by spirituous liquors. Temperance is 

 defined as the moderate indulgence; but among 

 a people who cannot discriminate between 

 Buificient and over-indulgence, prohibition be- 

 comes necessary. Hence, the word Temper- 

 ance is made to mean Prohibition, since it is 

 better to restrict the appetite for anything 

 *hich acts Uke poison to the living orguu- 

 ism. 



Coming back to camp and partaking of a 

 sumptuous meal in the open-air dining-hall, 

 which was adorned on every side with the 

 most inviting landscapes, we wondered at our 

 former in-door contentment, when here all 

 nature was so calm and peaceful, with noth- 

 ing to disturb the perfect harmony which pre- 

 vailed. The moon shone calmly down upon us 

 as we sat about the camp-fire, relating experi- 

 ences and exchanging views on various sub- 

 jects, till the feeling of drowsiness warned us 

 it was time for sleep. 



And thus ended the first day's exploits at 

 Flume Camp. E. R. Van V, 



Weeds as Water Purifiers. 



Mr. J. J. Mechi writes as follows to the 

 London Ai/ricaltiiral Gazette : Into my pond 

 runs a stream of twenty-five gallons per min- 

 ute of pure water from a dram which I cut 

 twelve feet deej) some thirty odd years ago. 

 Weeds will grow and thrive in this pond, and 

 we have annually to take ont large quantities 

 of them. They look verj' beautiful as they 

 grow in the pellucid water, whii'h is used for 

 household purposes. Said a visitor to me 

 one day : "If you had a jiair of swans, your 

 pond would be free of weeds ;" so a kind 

 friend presented me with a pair, and very 

 soou they cleared the pond, pulling the weeds 

 up by the roots and feeding on them. My 

 family were delighted with the graceful swans 

 and the removal of tho weedy obstructions to 

 boating ; but although the pond was free of 

 weeds, the water was no longer pure and 

 pellucid, but most decidedly muddy in taste, 

 and when the steam issued from the kettle, 

 the smell of mud was unmistakable. Well, 

 no one thought it could be the swans, but at 

 last I came to the conclusion, and, despite 

 family and other remonstrances, returned 

 them to their original owner. After a short 

 j)eriod the w'ceds reappeared, and as they in- 

 creased in bulk, the water gradually assmued 

 its pellucidity and purity, and " Richard was 

 himself again." What the weeds do for the 

 water aud its occupants the land vegetation 

 does for the air ; men, animals and other liv- 

 ing creatures poison it, while vegetation ab- 

 sorbs the injinious gases, itnd reconverts them 

 into wholesoiue food and fuel for man aud 

 beast, lilliug the atmosphere wfth that pre- 

 ci(jus oxygen without which meu and aniu>ids 

 and other living creatures could no longer ex- 

 ist. So it is iu the vast ocean, whose living 

 occupants aud vegetation probably exceed in 

 quantity that which is on land. We owe to 

 the river vegetation much of the purity of 

 water. It is the excess of impurities from 

 our towns which are beyond its powers of ap- 

 propriation. 



Leverrior has discovered another planet, 

 which is his sixth. 



ffi^ditciitional 



Coin^ ^o School. 



l^i^H, the going to school m my girlhood, 

 In tlie little red HcboulbMuee ko low I 

 By the llower-Hiirinkk-d ixithwuy in summer, 



Iu winter o'er crisit-iJriUt-d himiw. 

 Oh. the freedoui from care and from trouble I 



There's to h;arninK no royal road. 

 Yet the old-fanhioned country children 

 I'heir way right royally trode. 



How brimful of fun and frolic, 



A8 well an of study were we I 

 MyHchuohuateB—blaek-haired, brown and golden 



Mem"ry faithfully pictures to me, 

 Hnw we played on the grass 'ueath the maples. 



In the noonings, or down the green lane 

 Went in search of sui'h berries delicious 



As we never shall gather again I 



How we doubted the wisdom of teachers. 



Nor grtw quite as wise as we might, 

 Our eyes from the page playing truant, 



To the elnver-tifld blossoming bright. 

 When four o'clock came— Oh, how welcome I— 



Farewell then to lessen and book. 

 How often we lingered home-going 



To lave our brown feet in the brook I 



Oh, how well-rcHicmbered the school-room. 



The desks and the benches so high I 

 The wiuduws, all guiltless of shutters. 



Ah well ! but those days have gone by. 

 Yts. e'en the red Bchoolhouse has vaaished ; 



At the new one ueath sheltering trees 

 There is teaching, with " modern improvemeDtB." 



Were the former times better than these ? 



And my schoolmates, likeautumn leaves scattered. 



And fioiue of them— lying as low, 

 Beneath costly tribute of marble ; 



Ovi'T some, the forget-me-nots grow. 

 Aud the living— the lub'riug, the loving, 



The hands and the huarts that are full— 

 We arc learning full many a lesson — 



We are scholars still going to school. 



And when the long school day is finished, 



" Life's sun sinking low in the west," 

 Glad children, with hope undiminished, 



May we seek our home joys and home rest. 

 If we linger awhile by the wayside, 



We'll still keep sweet home'in fair sight 

 At the gate, with " we'll meet in the morning," 



Sweetly bid our companions " Good night.*' 



Educational Notes. 



In the great work of educating the youth of 

 this nation, there is no teaching so badly 

 needed as the teaching of the teachers them- 

 selves. Not that the teachers as a class are 

 not a very intelligent portion of community ; 

 not that they would not couiparo favorably 

 with any other class, whether considered 

 morally, socially, or intellectually ; but that 

 as a rule, they do not reach the standard their 

 vocation demands and implies — thut they as 

 a class, need more intellectual capacit}', au<i 

 greater moral and social excellence. 



In order to understand the capabilities of 

 the teacher — to understand what he should 

 himself be, it is necessar}- to know, what he 

 has to do. The question may be easily and 

 flippantly answered— ^satisfactorily too, to 

 those who do not care to look into the depths 

 of the argument — that the business of the 

 teacher is to educate — to editcate the rising 

 generation. But those who would go below 

 the surface might ask what is education ? 

 what is it to educate tho yonth ? And having 

 answered those questions, they should next 

 ask whether the teachers as a rule are equal 

 to the task. 



Education is development. And a proper 

 education is the harmonious development of 

 faculties. The farmer who plants and tills 

 his fields, educates so to speak, his growing 

 crops. The stalk of indian corn has been 

 educated through the ages, from a i)laut much 

 inferior to that whose harvests now load our 



