California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



187 



dollar a roll. Trees were planted, old 

 ones gi'afted; tons of red apples com- 

 mand two cents a pound at the door. 

 Poultry receives some attention, at re- 

 munerati%'e prices. Strawberries bring 

 twenty cents a pound at home. These 

 and several other small (of themselves) 

 resources m.ike the money. The porches 

 have vines; the windows that most beau- 

 tiful drapery, gi-owing plauts. Fuchias 

 and geraniums and heliotrope adorn tbo 

 walks. A perfect wilderness of blossom- 

 ing beauty and fragrance where onco 

 was only a dishwater mudhole! 



Hundredsof worked-out mining claims 

 are awaiting the dilligent hands of 



HOME BUILDERS. 



Even the crevices, where neither plow 

 nor cultivator can go, will receive and 

 perfect a peach tree or a grapevine. 

 Peaches of a pound each are not unusual. 

 The raisin grape yields bountifully. We 

 have a cluster of Flame Tokay of three 

 pounds weight. Bartlett pears, as fine 

 as ever grew, by wagon-loads have rotted; 

 not for lack of market, but of the co- 

 operative industry to properlj' put into 

 market. 



Hoping all your readers may find 

 blessed companionship, and thus be able 

 to make hapjiy homes, we send Meeey 



CHRIST.MAS AND HaPPY NeW YeAR 



Greetings. 



Showing the influence of 



elevation on climate, 

 While fig trees all around on the flat 

 lands were cut by frost, one tree planted 

 on a sand ridge only five feet higher, 

 stands untouched, and no ice bus been 

 there, though a thin scale has been 

 formed on lower land on every side. As 

 so many set out 



live posts 

 Late in the Spring, and fail to make 

 them grow, I will take this opportunity 

 to suggest if they will cut the posts in 

 this month, even if they have to lay on 

 the ground until Spring before they are 

 planted, they will probalily do better 

 than such as are cut after the sap begins 

 to start on warm days in February. Let 

 any one try it, and I think they will 

 plant their posts in the Fall instead of 

 Spring after this. Adieu for the present. 

 Yours, Isaac B. Romford. 



November 13th, 187G. 



([jducationul 



that every boy and girl should be learn- 

 ing some practical trade or branch of 

 manual labor while attending school. 

 Let the years of schooling be more, and 



Some of the people leave their children 

 floating, ready to take any direction 

 chance may happen to give. It is cer- 

 tainly a very important matter to con- 



include the skillful use of tools, and in- ' sider these questions, so as to act exactlj 

 struction by actual experience in some right from a reahzmg sense of respousi- 

 useful calling. Here ai-e a few ideas ! bility, and with an enlightened forecast 

 which we quote from a report of one of : In regard to one of the many avocaliojis 

 the public school superintendents of 

 Santa Clara County. It has the right 

 ring to it 



What we shall teach in our public 

 schools seems to be a debatable ques- 

 tion. The answer is plain. We should 

 teach those branches actually necessary 

 to fit our boys and girls for the voca- 

 tions of life. That reading, writing, 

 spelling, grammar, arithmetic, geog: 



in a late discussion an intelligent farmer 

 gave his views as to the importance of 

 improving the estimate and outlook of 

 farming, so as to make it more attractive 

 and interesting to boys and young men; 

 and we think there is much weight in 

 what ho says: 



' ' I consider this the most interesting 

 subject that can be discussed; interest- 

 ing to us as individuals, and interesting 



I 



LETTER FROM KERN COUNTY. 



the frost 

 Has caught us rather early this Fall, 

 coming about the first of November, cut- 

 ting down potatoes, squashes and corn 

 which we expected would have two or 

 three more weeks to perfect in, judging 

 from last year's experience, as then 

 crops of the kind kept growing until well 

 into December. We have had A of an 

 inch of rain, but do not depend upon 

 rain for a crop. We shall plow and sow 

 when ready, 



depending upon irrigation 

 If it is needed. Some of our land pro- 

 duced fine crops of corn and potatoes 

 this season from the seepage that came 

 from irrigated farms above. There is a 

 great change taking place on this island 

 in this respect. Since new ditches have 

 been made, on some of the farms where 

 they had to dig twelve feet deep before 

 coming to water, it now stands within 

 three feet of the surface, and some think 

 they will have to underdrain. Still there 

 were many crops lost this season. The 

 water supply was not reliable, because 

 the ditches were new and unsettled. 

 Such has been the trouble up about the 

 middle of the island. 



BIRDS, RATS AND RABBITS. 



Down nearer the lake, where so much 

 irrigation was not needed, the blackbirds 

 on the corn and tule rats on the wheat 

 crop discouraged some. Then another 

 trouble that we all have felt is the rabbit 

 pest. They not only destroy trees and 

 vegetables, using up melons and pump- 

 kins at a rapid rate, but barley and 

 alfalfa falls in no small quantity before 

 them. Their natural enemy, the Coyote, 

 having passed away before the advance 

 of civilization, the rabbits are left to in- 

 crease and multiply and devour the pro- 

 ducts of the soil. But I think their day 

 will soon be over, for 



A MANIA FOR HOUNDS 



Has spread among the farmers, and a 

 half dozen of them on each section of 

 land would soon "absorb" the rabbit 

 supply, and, from what I have heard and 

 seen, I have no doubt it will pay a farmer 

 well to buy them at f 5 each. Who can 

 supply them at that price? How would 

 it pay to raise them? 



The Smack in School. 



BY WILLIAM PITT PALMER. 



A district school, not far away. 



'Mid BertBhire hill, one wiuter'B day 



Was humming with its woutcd noise 



With three-score mingled ijirls and boys; 



Some few upon their task intent. 



But more on furtive mischief bent: 



The while the master's downward look 



Was fastened on a copy book; 



When suddenly, behind his back. 



Rose sharp and clear a rousing smack! 



As 'twere a battery of bliss 



Let off in one tremendous kiss! 



•' What's that?" the startled master cries; 



" That, thir," a little imp replies, 



" Wath William Willith, if you pleathe— 



I saw bim kith Thuthannah Peatho!" 



With frown to make a statue thrill, 



The master thundered, "Hither, Will !" 



Like wretch o'ertaken in his track, 



With stolen chattels on his back, 



Will hung his head in fear and shame, 



And to the awful presence came— 



A great, green, bashful simpleton, 



The butt of all good-natured tun— 



With smile suppressed, and birch upraised. 



The threatner faltered—" I'm amazed 



That you, my biggest pupil, should 



Be guilty of an act so rude! 



Before the whole set school to boot— 



What evil genius put you to't?" 



" 'Twas she, herself, sir," sobbed the lad, 



" I didn't mean to be so bad — 



But when Susannah shook her curls, 



And whispered I was 'fraid of girls. 



And dursu't kiss a baby's doll, 



I couldn't stand it, sir, at all. 



But up and kissed her on the spot! 



I know— boo boo— I ought to not. 



But, somehow, from her looks— boo hoc— 



I thought she kind o' wished me to*?" 



phy ami history shouUi be taught is con- [ to"us as a community. The society of 

 ceded by all. As the importance of a our town depends upon the action of our 

 thorough training in these studies and j yuung men — whether they are taught to 

 the best methods for accomplishing the i joye the farm. From whence has come 

 same are to be presented to the Institute the stability of our whole couutrj-? From 

 by competent instructors, I shall devote | the young men who are raised in the 

 what few' remarks I make to the consitl- ; country. How are we to interest the 

 eration of other subjects that I consider j boys? How are they to be held upon 

 equally important in a practical educa- the farm? One step in that direction is 

 tiou. ' Ovir manufactories are becoming j (or the farmer to honor and have a great- 

 very important, and they demand trained er respect himself for the business in 

 help from industrial art schools. We | ^n-hjch ho is engaged. Every one be- 

 must furnish it, or it M'ill come from Eu- j ijeves his business is the worst, and it is 



SELF-SUPPORTINC EDUCATION. 



^,NE of our lady correspondents, call- 

 ing our attention to the great 

 amount of suflering among our 

 young men and women out of em- 

 ployment, asks the following ques- 

 tions: 



Is our educational system doing any- 

 thing to enable our young people to grow 

 into self-supporting citizens? Surely 

 something beside Normal schools should 

 be necessary to receive all our youths of 

 both sexes who have a right to clamor 

 for the privilege of becoming a success- 

 ful artisan. The land is swarming with 

 teachers, and we are still adding more to 

 the supply. Let us have workshops and 

 teach our boys trades, or make them fa- 

 miliar with the use of tools, so that upon 

 leaving school, or during vacations, they 

 can step into a shop and earn something 

 toward their own support, thereby pre- 

 venting much suflering. A Mother. 



The above is full of importance to our 

 educators, and especially to all of us who 

 have children to educate. We are sure 



rope and crowd our own illy prepared 

 artisans to the wall. The competition 

 that our mechanics are meeting is be- 

 coming more marked and decided every 

 day. To meet their opponents success- 

 fully they must have a thorough techni- 

 cal training. The gi'eat conflict of the 

 age is an industrial conflict. The time 

 is past when armies will decide the su- 

 periority of nations. We must look for 

 some other arbiter, and we find it in the 

 industrial arts. The great contest of 

 future ages will be fought and won at 

 International Expositions. The dif- 

 ferent nations of the earth are preparing 

 for the contest. Reports show that there 

 is but one opinion on the subject of the 

 necessity of an industrial training. All 

 Europe "has begun to move in the mat- 

 ter. Even now we are far behind in 

 this pai'ticular, and it behooves us to 

 act, and that quickly, too,' in our own 

 defense. The reasons for such an edii- 

 cation are many and important. Our 

 present system does not meet the wants 

 of the times. The proof of this state- 

 ment is the large number of young men 

 and women that are growing up among 

 us without any aim in life. This con- 

 dition of aflairs arises from many pa- 

 rents being prevented by their silly pride 

 from gi^-ing their children any industrial 

 training whatever, and from there being 

 no means provided for a technical educa- 

 tion even when desired. If our children 

 are failures in life we have no one to 

 blame but ourselves. Their education 

 unfits them for any calling; hence they 

 follow none. Children must be taught 

 to work. Labor is their ouly salvation! 

 The boy who becomes a merchant, a me- 

 chanic or a farmer, fills just as honora- 

 ble a position in life as he who turns his 

 attention to medicine, to law, to letters, 

 or to theology. All labor is equally 

 honorable! And the sooner we realize 

 this fact in the education of our children 

 the fewer tears will we have to shed over 

 their failures and disgraces. The ques- 

 tion, "what shall we do with our boys? ' 

 need not trouble the public mind. If we 

 give them the proper education they wiU 

 take care of themselves." 



Keeping Boys on the Farm. 



Among the many questions for parents 

 to ponder now are : How shall we train 

 oiir children? What vocation shall they 

 be educated to follow? 'VMiat is best for 

 them and us, and society generally? 



seldom that children follow the business 

 of their parents because they hear it 

 spoken so disparagingly of. So, if the 

 farmer is talking of poverty, etc., will 

 the boy be likely to follow the farm? No; 

 then speak respectfully of the occupa- 

 tion and teach the boy to honor it. The 

 position that farming occupies in rela- 

 tion to other professions with regard to 

 making money, prevents young men 

 from desiring to follow farming. They 

 look upon the city clerks and see them 

 well dressed and apparently in the en- 

 joyment of ease, and when they contrast 

 this with the patched, soiled clothes 

 which they are obUged to wear, perfumed 

 as they are from the cow stable, with a 

 scarcity of spending money, notwith- 

 standing hard labor, it renders them dis- 

 contented and encourages desires to flee 

 from the farm to more congenial pur- 

 suits. There is one advantage in farm- 

 ing, that in that occupation the man is 

 comparatively independent. Seed time, 

 harvest and the increase follow each 

 other in due course, and the uncertain- 

 ties of trade and liabilities of loss do 

 not disturb his slumbers, and so long as 

 the soil is productive, he is sure of his 

 daily bread. Boys should not be over- 

 worked, for in that they get the impres- 

 sion that farming is a sort of perpetual 

 slavery." 



Says Dr. J. G. Holland: 



" If the American farmer wishes to 

 keep his children near him, he must 

 learn the difference between hving and 

 getting a living; and we mistake him and 

 his grade of culture altogether if he does 

 not stop over this statement and wonder 

 what we mean by it. To get a living, to 

 m.ake money, to become 'fore-handed' — 

 this is the whole of life to agricultural 

 multitudes, discouraging in their num- 

 ber to contemplate. To them there is 

 no difference between living and getting 

 a living. Their whole lives consist in 

 getting a living: and when their families 

 come back to them from their schooling, 

 and find that really this is the only pur- 

 suit that has any recognition under the 

 paternal roof, they must go away. The 

 boys push to the centres or the cities, 

 and the girls follow them if they can. 

 A young man or a young woman, raised 

 to where either can apprehend the differ- 

 ence berween li^-ing and getting a living, 

 can never be satisfied with the latter 

 alone. Either the farmer's children 

 must be kept ignorant, or provision must 



