California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



' fail to consider how great is the need of 

 lielp for those in charge of the house- 

 h^'ki. The wearied, worn wife and moth- 

 • would be glad to have some one help 

 ! . if but to do some of the lighter 

 V- rkjbutshe too often finds the help 

 hired more annoying and troublesome 

 than would be the doing the work her- 

 self. The cry comes up continually for 

 help, good, reliable, willing workers, who 

 are ready and willing to take hold and 

 work, and to learn to do what they do 

 not now understand how to do. This 

 cry comes from the country as well as 

 from the towns and cities. It is not the 

 cry of distress, coming from those sink- 

 ing amid the waves of the surging sea; 

 but it is the cry for help from those who 

 are worn down with labor, weariea with 

 engrossing cares and anxious waiting for 

 a change in troublous times. It is a 

 constant working, watching, waiting 

 strain between no help and poor help, 

 that is killing many a fond mother work- 

 ing to keep the family agoing. Will not 

 the boys and girls, and the father too, 

 open they eyes to these things, and turn 

 a helping hand to lift the weight that is 

 slowly, but all too surely, wearing away 

 the life of her whose only object now is 

 to sustain her husband and children? 



UP-COUNTRY LETTERS— NO. 6 



BY EACH EL A, ELY. 



Imagine me — yes, it is myself, truly — 

 able to be nurse to one more unfortunate 

 and ailing than I am. Even so. My 

 hostess, out of Christian kindness 

 (though she smilingly disavows being a 

 Christian, but I'd like to know what it is 

 then) undertook to help the sick woman, 

 and finding her no worse the day follow- 

 ing her first treatment, she again went 

 to work, giving head and sits baths, hot 

 packs, tepid injections to the bowels, co- 

 pious water drinking, and, best of all, 

 hope and rest. (You see I talk quite 

 learned already, and I intend to be more 

 learned some day.) But as it is impos- 

 sible for her to be here and see that her 

 orders are obeyed, and there is no other 

 woman to be had for miles around, I 

 have offered to give my little mite to- 

 wards Christian aid. So my good friend 

 comes over after her own work is done, 

 and baby asleep for the children to 

 watch, and gives what treatment is need- 

 ed and leaves orders for what is to be 

 done, and I can see they are executed by 

 her oldest girl, who is a very capable 

 child, and, like her mother, a worker. 

 The husband, too, gives as much of his 

 time as he can from the harvest field, 

 doing most of the cooking (I wonder 

 how he likes "three meals a day"). 



So here I sit, watching the half-uncon- 

 scious life on the bed, and think and 

 wonder if it indeed is I, who only six 

 short months ago was "waiting, only 

 waiting" for death to relieve me of all 

 aches and pains and set my spirit free. 

 How long the time seemed then, while 

 now how swift the days go by, when 

 looking ahead to coming strength and 

 health. You of robust body and sound 

 head cannot understand nor sympathize 

 with us invalids who have almost felt 

 the icy breath and unloosed so many 

 earth ties that life itself had lost all but 

 the dim and far off hope that to live 

 meant to help to make the world and its 

 people better, if possible. Right, for 

 right's sake, not from fear of doing 

 wrong. And above all, have I felt how 

 untruthful and faithless are the lives of 

 the masses. Welladay! Let me endeav- 

 or, Oh! Wise, All Father, to be true to 

 others and myself, if indeed my life is to 

 ' blossom into flower on this earth. May 

 the fruit thereof be worthy the deep soul 



pruning and heart culture received and 

 endured. 



If this sick woman gets well — and it 

 may be so — I wonder what the doctor 

 will saj-- and also whether the husband 

 will be quite as generous as he thinks he 

 will be. Half his farm is the price he 

 declares he will give to save her. I do 

 hope he will have the opportunity of 

 helping these poorer neighbors, or at 

 least speak in kindness of them and 

 their odd ways. We will watch and wait. 



AN "INCLEWOOD" SENTIMENT. 



Mr. Editor: As "Aunt Mary" and 

 friend "Inglewood" have been publish- 

 ing their love letters in your interesting 

 journal, as I suppose, for the benefit of 

 your readers, I will ask permission to 

 suggest a few friendly criticisms. 



In "Grandfather's Letters, No. 9," the 

 "trio" seem to be sufficiently satisfied 

 with friend Inglewood's sentiments, as 

 expressed in his letters, to invite him to 

 call aud make a closer acquaintance, and 

 if, on further acquaintance, they find 

 nothing more objectionable than what 

 has already been shown, his prospects 

 will be encouraging^ Now, I wish to 

 suggest to "Angio" that I am afraid she 

 has overlooked one sentiment expressed 

 in Inglewood's letter No. 8, where he 

 explains himself on the "masculine su- 

 premacy" that he has been asked about. 

 He says, "it is to the husband's home 

 and business, style and mode of life the 

 wife always comes, hence he only is com- 

 petent to judge how far he may deviate 

 from that course." Now, my dear sister, 

 what are to infer from this sentiment? 

 So far as I understand it, he will expect 

 you to look upon the home, with all its 

 appurtenances, as belonging to him, and 

 that you will accept the situation in that 

 home as his wife and governess to con- 

 duct the institution according to his will 

 and pleasure, whether it suits you or not; 

 for, mark you, he says "to the husband's 

 home," etc., and "he only is competent 

 to judge" if there shall be any change. 



Now, lest I seem wearisome, I will 

 close for the present by asking to be ex- 

 cused for medding.with other people's 

 love letters. Girls' Eights. 



Soquel, June, 1876. 



A (DO)-NUT TO CRACK. 



Mr. Editor: I wish to ask, through 

 your columns, a little more information 

 from "Snip." In the last (June) Agri- 

 rULTUhisT she gave some receipts for 

 cake that would lead anyone to think 

 that she had reached the hight aud depth 

 of economical art. In my housekeeping 

 I wish, and try to be as economical as 

 possible; but I must confess that I don't 

 see how anyone can make doughnuts 

 without flour, and have them good 

 enough for the fastidious "Mary Moun- 

 tain" to praise. My eft'ort to make any 

 eatable of them was a decided failure, but 

 did not discourage me from trying the 

 receipt for cookies, but with no better 

 success. My experiment led me to con- 

 clude that she must understand a trick 

 of the black art that none of the most 

 learned professors has yet conquered. I 

 hope the art is no great secret, because a 

 knowledge of it will be hailed with joy, 

 and she who can tell how to cook with- 

 eggs and flour will confer a lasting bene- 

 fit on impecunious humanit}'. 



San Jose, June, 187G. Axsie. 



What can bo more disastrous to the 

 farmer, than to invest all his money and 

 strength in one crop, which, may fail in 

 a bad season, or if the price is low it \\'ill 

 scarcely pay for the cultivation. 



Dandelion Clock. 



clock, white clock, that prowg on the lea, 

 Tell the hoar of the day to tue; 

 Puff, puff, puff— onel two! three! 

 Dear, how lato for school I shall be! 

 Clock, you've lu&de a mutakc you know; 

 Vou did not strike an hour ag'i! 

 Time flies fust on a morn in May; 

 Faster even than holiday. 

 But puff, puff, puff — one. two, three — 

 Surely so late it cannot be. 



Clock, white clock, that grows ou the lea, 



When comes one to marry me? 



A fairy prince with a crown of gold, 



As he came to Cinderella of old; 



Hie cloak of the violet's purple bloom 



And in his hat a fair white plume? 



Puff, puff, puff; puff and blow; 



Silly clock will you never go? 



Such a long weary time will it be 



Ere my fairy prince shall come for me? 



Clock, white clock, that grows on the lea, 



Tell me what shall my dr>wer be? 



How many guineas of shiuing gold 



Shall I couut in my lap to have and to hold? 



Enough to bay castles and acres fair. 



And costly silks aud jewels to wear? 



Piiff I What, all gone in one breath! Ah! mo 



For my jewels and castles aud ships at sea! 



Clock, white clock t!i;it grows on the lea, 



You've no pleasant tididgs to-day for me. 



— [Mrs. Broderik. 



"OUR CORNER." 



f:^ RIVER AND MOUNTAIN LES,S0N. 



* E'V'EN little boys and girls have sent 

 in lists of rivers and mountains, 

 competing for the premiums. First 

 comes our little niece Olive Boulino 

 of Saratoga, Cul., with 2G mount- 

 ains and 79 rivers. Olive, you did not 

 give your age, but you deserve credit for 

 making out your list very neatly. This 

 is what Olive writes; 



Aunl Polbj: I like the little folk's cor- 

 ner so well that I thought I would write 

 you a few lines, though I am afraid my 

 letter \\nll not bo very interesting. I 

 found 26 mountains and 79 rivers west 

 of the Rocky Mountains. Good by. 



Olive. 

 Well, Olive, the only way to WTite is 

 to try, and you have done pretty well. 



Next comes our little Laura, and this 

 is how she writes : 



Dear Aunt Polly: I am 11 years old, 

 and I have made a list of the rivers and 

 mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. 

 I have found 54 mountains and 146 riv- 

 ers. Y"ours, truly, Lacka Eubdeck. 



Pomona, Los Angeles Co., Cal. 



Your list is very well gotten up, Lau- 

 ra. You write a very plain hand, and 

 have numbered each one in rotation very 

 nicely. 



And next comes Master Alther, right 

 into the Aghicclturist office with his 

 list. The printer told him he should 

 write a letter to Aunt Polly, and with a 

 pencil at the table he wrote the following 

 in less than five minutes, without a sin- 

 gle mistake: 



Dear Aunt Polly: I saw the puzzles and 

 geography lesson, but as I am not a good 

 hand in guessing puzzles, I tried to see 

 how many rivers and mountains west of 

 the Rocky Mountains I could get. I got 



177 rivers and 71 mountains. Next time 

 I hope I will do better, if there is any- 

 thing like this. Y'ours, respectfully, 

 Alther Fkldman, San Jose. 



Thank you, Alther. It is a very good 

 ambition to have, to want to do better. 

 That is why you have done so well now. 



Now comes a little niece from as far 

 away as Michigan. Hear what she says: 



Dear Aunt Polly: My uncle takes the 

 Agbiccltcrist. He got home from Cal- 

 ifornia the 2l8t of April. I read the 

 Agbicultcbist, so I thought I would try 

 and see how many rivers and mountains 



I could find west of the Rocky Mount- 

 ains. Here is my list of 78 mountains 

 and 132 rivers. I was 10 years old last 

 February. My uncle likes California 

 real well, and when we sell our place 

 here we are going out there to live. 



Good by. Lucy Ford. 



Strickland, Isabella Co., Mich. 



Very good, Lucy, for a girl of 10. Yon 

 are the only one who classified your riv- 

 ers and mountains by Territoriea and 

 States, but you mixed the names together 

 too much on the page. Aunt Polly 

 thinks yon are ahead of any of your age 

 in the class. 



Out little niece in Salinas comes next. 

 Hear her. 



Aunl Polly: I tried to see how many 

 rivers and mountains I could get. I 

 found 100 mountains and 149 rivers. I 

 am 12 years old. I shall have to stop. 



Yours, truly, Gertie Smith. 



SaUnas City, May, 1876. 



Now, Gertie, if you had not said "I 

 shall have to stop," your letter would 

 have been just us good. Your list is 

 very neatly gotten up, not mixed at all, 

 but every one plain. You deserve a 

 credit anyway. 



From Plymouth, Amador Co., comes 

 our little niece with more mountains 

 than anybody. Here what she says: 



Dear Aunt Polly: I was fourteen years 

 old last January. I have got 309 rivers 

 and mountains and peaks. I did not 

 know whether you would count peaks or 

 not. Good by. Your niece, 



SARAh Sat.t.e. 



Aunt Polly finds that Sarah has 118 

 mountains and 191 rivers, which is a 

 very good list indeed. If you had taken 

 a little more pains in arranging your 

 lists, it would be much easier for your 

 .•luntie to examine them and for the 

 printer to set them in type. Your list of 

 mountains will be found below. But, 

 first, we will introduce you to Walter 

 King, of Mountain View, who brings in 

 the largest list of rivers, 274, and 101 

 mountains. Well done, Walter. Walter 

 writes a very short letter: 



Aunl Folly: 1 have done the best I can 

 for mountains and rivers. I am 13 years 

 old. Walter Kisg. 



We shall give Walter's list of rivers: 

 but, first, one word. Aunt Polly offered 

 the one under 10 years old who sent the 

 most names of rivers and mountains a 

 pair of chromos, also to the one under 

 12, and to the one under 15 years, who 

 would send the most names of mount- 

 ains and river a pair of chromos. Olive 

 Bouline and Laura Burdeck have not 

 told how old they are. So Aunt Polly 

 will have to do this : send a pair of chro- 

 mos to Lucy Ford, 10 years old, for riv- 

 ers and mountains; one chromo to Sarah 

 Salle, for most mountains; one to Walter 

 King, for most rivers; Alther Feldman, 



II years, one chromo, for rivers, and 

 Gertie Smith, 12 years, for mountains, 

 one. This makes the three pairs of 

 chromos, and distributes them as evenly, 

 according to merit, as .\unt Polly knows 

 how. 



