California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



must rise at four o'clock and prepare 

 breakfast, so that her husband and the 

 "hands" can be in the field by five. Ev- 

 ery other day, however, one of the hired 

 men remains to do the churning for her; 

 but this favor was not allowed her until 

 she had threatened to call in the doctor 

 to declare to her husband her inability to 

 do such work. Then it was reluctantly 

 conceded, although two forty-pound fir- 

 kins of butter were packed each week; 

 for our farmer prides himself on his 

 herd of cows— pure blood Alderneys— 

 and sells his butter at the highest rates, 

 carefully depositing its proceeds in the 

 bank and rarely giving his wife so much 

 as a five-dollar bill of it. His last in- 

 junction to the -'hand" is, "John, conic 

 just as quick as you can. Don't let 

 Mrs. M. keep you for anything else. 

 Hay can't wait for woman's work." 

 There are dishes to wash, milk to skim, 

 pans to scald, beds to make, children to 

 dreas, baby to nurse, rooms to sweep, 

 and dinner to cook over the boihng hot 

 stove; and one woman to do it all!" 



!0tiiun. 



Classification in Botany. 



^ 



11 rangements in a systematic classi- 

 fication in botany was made by 



'11,; Ca?salpinas, a Roman physicion. 



il? Though artificial, the same may be 

 affirmed of the systems of Gerner, Morri- 

 son, Eivinus, etc. These have been 

 displaced by the attractive scheme of 

 Linn;eus, who must be looked upon as 

 the great promulgator of the artificial 

 method of classification. John Ray, an 

 English botanist, in the year 1C82, made 

 the first attempt at arranging plants ac- 

 cording to their affinities. Ray's scheme 

 was very imperfect, for the number of 

 plants then known was comparatively 

 small, yet it has really formed the foun- 

 dation of every later system. It was 

 long neglected, and did not receive the 

 attention it deserved until -Jussien en- 

 tered the field and developed Kay's 

 views of the natural affinities in the veg- 

 etable kingdom. 



Jussien's method was first made known 

 in the year 1789, just eleven years after 

 the death of Linna>us; since that time, 

 the natural method has been advanced 

 by the labors of De Candole, Brown, 

 Endieher, Lindley and others. 



Geographical botany treats of the 

 manner in which plants are afi'ected by 

 climate and station, and endeavors to 

 determine the conditions under which 

 diftereut families or species of plants are 

 confined to certain zones of latitude and 

 altitude. It is a study of great interest, 

 and one which cannot be successfullj' 

 prosecuted without an ultimate acquaint- 

 ance with most of the sciences. Of 

 course, so long as there are vast tracts of 

 continents unexplored by botanical trav- 

 elers, the knowledge upon which this 

 department is founded must be imper- 

 fect. 



Fossil botany investigates the nature 

 of the plants found in a fossil state in 

 the various geological formations; it is, 

 therefore, a branch of botany and geo- 

 logy- 



The practical bearings of botany are 

 most important,S and are sometimes 

 treated separately in manuals of the sci- 

 ence, under the head of Economic Bot- 

 any. All the principal plants aftbrdiug 

 food, timber, medicine, fibre, dye-stufl's 

 and other useful products, are noticed 

 under the names of the genera which in- 

 clude them, and for further details of 



structure and classifioation of plants, 

 those wi-shing to become perfect in bot- 

 any, may study such works as "Lind- 

 ley's Introduction to Botany," "Ele- 

 ments of Botany and the Vegetable King- 

 dom, " and the works of Balfour, Henfrey, 

 Henslow, Oliver and Gray. 



Women. 



[Original.] 



SISTER RETT A. 



TO 



Oh, siHtur, have faith and bo cheerful, 



Dwell not ou tho dark side of life; 

 There's miiBic, and Buushiue, aud Kladuess, 



Aa well as tears, Kornnv, and strife. 

 Auil, thouyh the dark side of life's picture 



May greet your ead viKion to-day, 

 You know that the Bun is still shining; 



Bo patient— have faith— hope and pray. 

 How oft, in the beautiful summer, 



Dark clouds veil the blue arch above, 

 Aud the weeping sky the earth drenches 



With tears— tears of pity and love. 



The voice of nature of grief eecras full— 



Her countenance betokens woo 

 When rages the tempest and the Btorm, 



Not knowing that 'tis better ho. 

 But, when the clouds have cleared away, 



How beautiful and bright she seems! 

 Her loviug robes, with pearly drops 



Bedecked, reflecting Sol's bright beamsl 

 And so it is with human hearts: 



They seem more loveable aud true. 

 Having withstood temptation's pow'r. 



Than if such fate they never knew. 



If bright the sun shone every clay 



Upon the path wo mortals tread. 

 How soon would wither and decay, [fled I 



The heart's sweet flow'rs— their fragrance 

 But sun, and rain, and wind, and dew, 



Kach nave a mission to fultiU — 

 Each their appointed work to do, 



Directed by the Higher will. 



How often, in the days gone by 



Have bitter tears bedimmed our eyes; 

 How often found those trials but, 



To us, real blessings in disguise. 

 The trials of an adverse fate 



New strength and beauty will impart 

 Unto the virtues of the true, 



Uprooting evil from the heart. 



IVoman. 



No star in yonder sky that shines 

 Can light like woman'f eye impart; 



The earth holds not in aljl its mines 

 A gem so rich as woman's hoart. 



Her voice is like the music sweet. 

 Poured out from airy harp alone; 



Like that, when storms more loudly beat, 

 it yields a clearer, richer tone. 



And woman's love's a holy light. 



That brighter, briiihter burns for aye; 



Years cannot dim its radiance brigbt, 

 Nor even falsehood quench its ray, 



Bat, like the star of Bethlehem 

 Of old, to Israel's shepherds given, 



It uinrshals with its steady Hame 

 The erring soul of man to heaven. 



WOMEN AND THE CENTENNIAL 

 LEAP YEAR. 



BY A. O. S. 



EAP year is woman's year, by 

 long custom and usage; which fact j 

 gives special interest to our grand 

 National Centenni.al. 'Wcmeu by 



^ a sort of natural courtesy, are in- j 



vested with certain social privileges dur- [ 

 iug this year, not recognized in the law | 

 books, which, in these revolutionary and i 

 progressive days, may be made a mighty | 

 driving wedge for a complete victory of j 



perfect social equality and independence. 

 Eeighteen hundred and seventy-six, then, 

 should prove the best leap year of the 

 whole century. Beloved sisters, improve 

 your opportunities before too late. Make 

 yourselves quite happy in this young, 

 vigorous and promising country. Leap 

 year, courtship and matrimony come 

 under one head, and the ladies now have 

 it all their own way. Gentlemen! take a 

 back seat, and wait for an iuWtatiou. 

 Ladies! become the floor managers for 

 all the world to dance. 



In a hundred years the scope of wom- 

 an's sphere aud influence has widened 

 marvelously. The relation of sex is bet- 

 ter understood. Woman knows herself, 

 and man ajipreciates; and, without as- 

 sumption or violence, but as natural as 

 the rosebud develops, woman becomes 

 the accepted and coronated queen of the 

 realm. 



The distinction of sex is universal,and 

 runs through all nature — in the human, 

 animal, bird, fish, insect, and vegetable 

 kingdoms — and each is propagated, pre- 

 served, beautified and perfected by sexu- 

 al elimination. Plants bloom, and fill 

 the whole house with their fragrant 

 charms. So woman is the flower of hu- 

 manity, aud, to the dreary, hum-drum, 

 tread-mill world, she is like a mighty 

 green-house with its millions of sweetest 

 blossoms. 



The reputed progenitors of mankind 

 may, or may not, be mythical; but the 

 real Adam aud Eve are living actualities, 

 being every man aud woman; and the 

 true paradise of earth is ei'O'y luipjyij luime! 

 Heaven is no monopoly, but is accessible 

 to all, love beiug its delightful element. 

 Every woman is a real Eve — the embodi- 

 meu of love; and true marriage, the real 

 Eden. So, under such a happy defiu.ug, 

 every human being is born into a perfect 

 Eden, to tend, dress aud beautify it — 

 though so few are aware of it. But, who 

 should ask or desire anything better? 

 There is no higher bliss. 



Thus, the sphere of woman becomes 

 exceedingly broad, and hereafter she will 

 not skip or leap over, but reign right 

 along. The domestic circle is her proud 

 domain — the true Grange, council and 

 fountain-head of formative character, for 

 temjierance, peace and all moral virtue — 

 which extends through all society and 

 over all nations. Her most perfect sway 

 is in the Caucasian race. Yet, even the 

 Mongolian, Malayan, African and Indian 

 tribes yield something to her at the fire- 

 side, culinary board aud nursery — prov- 

 ing HOMK to be the natural and quiet 

 avenue of her ultimate triumph and con- 

 trol. She kneads and moulds the savory 

 bread, makes up the soft and downy 

 couch, and spreads the rich and inviting 

 table. And, if "the hand that holds the 

 bread" is the power that makes the law, 

 certainly woman's faithful hand, every- 

 where, that molds and bakes, boils and 

 stews, and feeds the hungry multitude, 

 will force its highest claim ou the na- 

 tion's statute books. 



Man's boasted record is on the gory 

 battlefield, whose dark and dreadful 

 pages blacken all history. To build 

 forts and arsenals, gunboats and navy 

 ships, march invading armies, confiscate 

 and destroy property and life, and chat- 

 telize and beastialize his fellowbeings, 

 filling the world with widows and orph- 

 ans, poverty, sufl'ering, misery aud death, 

 man may esteem as his peculiar pride 

 and glory — always claiming the high and 

 solemn sanction aud approbation of God 

 and the Bible, church aud religion. But 

 women and angels, in earth aud heaven, 

 flee and hide, weeping, at the horrid and 

 sickening spectacle. 



Well may woman rejoice in her wom- 

 anhood, aud be glad she is not a man. 



For, though she is made the heljiless 

 victim of his pride or baseness in count- 

 less wa3's, while he is called "her gallant N^jj 

 protector," yet, through wise and mys- ' L' 

 terious processes, in the patient course a^ 

 of ages, she will become his full re. 

 deemer. 



It may be said that women share with 

 men in all things; and, so far as they are 

 mixed up and compromised, they bear 

 the blame without complaint. Yet, wo 

 contend that the distinctive woman ele- 

 ment of love and afl'ecliou that softens, 

 wins, persuades aud charms, is a true re- 

 demptive power of humanity. This 

 Messed iirinciple, or moral leaven, is 

 gaining in magnitude aud strength, and 

 is destined to become the world-conquer- 

 or. Then will come the millennium. A 

 thousand j-ears, or four, or one — that is 

 the perfected leap year. All hail to that 

 coming time — woman's era of love! 



Affection binds society together by 

 hcart'ties; and, while man works and 

 rules by force and violence, woman's 

 better way is through smiles and tears, 

 whispers and music, kisses, caresses and 

 children. 



"Honored be woman! Sbe beamrt on the sight, 



Gruc<.-ful aud fair, liiic a hi-ing uf li^lit; 



Scattf Tf^ ar«.'ninl Ult. wbtrri-vt-r thf Blraye, 



Kostrs of bliKrt o'er our Ihoni-eoverfd ways — 



KoBcs of panidihe', n*^ui Imm alcove. 



To be gathered and twiucd in a garland of love." 



Champliu, Minn., Sept., 187G. 



GiELs! listen to this, and with virtuous 

 resolve demand, as your right, a pure 

 love: 



Young men of bad habits and fast ten- 

 dencies never like to marry a girl of their 

 own sort, but demand a wife above sus- 

 picion. So pure, sweet women, kept 

 from the touch of evil through girldhood, 

 give themselves with all their costly 

 dower of womanhood, into the keeping 

 of men who, in base associations, have 

 learned to undervalue all that belongs to 

 them, and then find no repentance in 

 the sad after years. 



There is but one way ont of this, and 

 that is for you to require in associations 

 and marriage, purity for jiurity, sobriety 

 for sobriety, honor for honor. 



There is no reason why the young men 

 of this Christian land should not be just 

 as virtuous as its young women, and if 

 the loss of your society be the price they 

 are forced to pay for vice, they will not 

 pay it. 



This is plain, sensible talk, and just 

 such as ought to be heeded by all our 

 boys aud girls, till the much needed re- 

 formation is fully established. Too much 

 of the happiness or misery of our child- 

 ren depends ou this for it to pass without 

 producing deep reflection aud action in 

 the right direction. — Ex. 



Don't, Girls. — Don't think that yards 

 and yards of ribbons, mflles and laces 

 will add one particle to your real value. 

 Don't make a walking milliner's shop, or 

 a jeweler's store of yourselves, covering 

 all that is of real merit within you with 

 that which will attract only the shallow- 

 brained. 



Don't think sensible people are to be 

 deceived by vain show: they look for the 

 beauty of heart and mind. Don't flatter 

 yourselves it is smart to affect ignorance 

 of manual labor or to be ignorant of it. 

 Don't give the subject of matrimony a 

 thought while you are in your teens, ex- 

 cept to qualify yourself for the responsi- 

 ble position it places you in ; you need all 

 that time of your life to fit yourself for 

 it. Y'ou need to study books, the laws 

 of life and health ; to be skilled in the 

 culinary art, as perhaps the happiness 

 and health of hundreds are depending on 

 your knowledge of this. 



Don't give your time and talents to 



