California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



^ou their confidence. One of the great- 

 est burdens will be lifted, and home 

 made far happier than if poor, tired 

 uoTHEK was drudging her life away that 

 her children might have white bauds 

 and begin life ignorant of how to make 

 their homes truly happy and charming. 



FAMILIAR TALKS— NO. 2. 



(New Series.) 



SOME MORE "MASCULINE SUPKEMACT. 



I cannot quite agree with all the senti- 

 ments expressed in luglewood'a last let- 

 ter. Towards the close he says he is 

 |"seekiug a helpmeet in all the depart- 

 ments of our natures; the physical and 

 intellectual; the moral and spiritual. 

 Concerning the last two the supremacy 

 ever rests with the feminine. The for- 

 mer with the masculine." I admit the 

 superiority of the masculine physical 

 strength, but that the husband must be, 

 lor is always more intellectual than the 

 wife, I do not think. Were it so, the 

 mutual counsel and advice would be rath- 

 er a onesided argument generally. The 

 husband would express his opinions, and 

 act in accordance with them. Why 

 should a man require a greater degree of 

 moral strength in his wife than he him- 

 self possesses? I hold that one should 

 be just as moral as the other. How can 

 there be mutual confidence otherwise? 

 Still, I think Grandpa did not attach this 

 meaning to the word confidence here. 

 Why should not a man be just as spirit- 

 ual as his wife? But I am not quite sure 

 I understand just what is meant hy the 

 word "spiritual" in its connection with 

 this subject. 



After the report of the seeds obtained 

 at the Agriculturist office had been 

 sent, I saw in "Washburn's Cultivator's 

 Guide" a statement to the effect that 

 watermelon seeds should be two years 

 old before being planted. Is there any 

 truth in this? 



Mrs. Wood writes of Ijaff Fieur de Lis. 

 I have the blue and the white, which is 

 I purely white; could not by any stretch 

 of imagination be called bufi'. But if 

 1 there is a purely huff variety I would 

 like to get some. AVill Mrs. W. i)lease 

 inform me where I can procure them? 



In the December number of the Agri- 

 culturist, a call was made for a report 

 of the sumach seed sent out from that 

 office. We planted seed at two diii'ereut 

 times, but not a plant put in an appear- 

 ance. A neighbor was furnished with 

 some of the seed, but makes the same 

 report. Is there any special treatment 

 of the seed uec<>ssary? It is a little dis- 

 couraging to send so many reports of 

 such ill success, but "what can't be cured 

 must be endured." 



^op and o^ivb* 



The SAinuet. 



BY MRa. MARY MAPES DODGE. 



Grandma told me all about it, 

 Told uie so I couldu't dtpubt it. 

 How she dauced — my gniudma danced ! 



How she held lier pr. tty head. 

 Huw her diiiut.v ekirt r-lie spread. 

 How fche turued her liitle toes — 

 Sujiliiig little human rose ! — 

 Long ago. 



Grandma's hair was bright and sunny; 

 iJimpled cheeks, too— iih, how fuuuy! 

 Really quite a prulty girl, 

 Liiu;4 ago. 

 Bless her! why. she wears a cap, 

 Graiulmu doc^. bnd tabes a nap 

 Every siugle day; and yet 

 Grandma danced the minuet 

 Long ago. 



Now she sits therp, rocking, rocking, 

 Always knitting Grandpan Ktockiiig— 

 {Every girl was taught tu knit, 



Long ago ) 

 Yet her figure is so iiciit. 

 Ancl h'-r way so staid and sweet, 

 I can aliaoht me h»r nnw 

 Bending to her partner's bow. 



Long ago. 



Grandma says our modern jumping, 

 Hopping, rushing, whirling, bnuiping, 

 Would have stiocki-d the goutio folk 



Lonu ago. 

 No— they moved with stutely (jrace, 

 Everything in proper plai'e. 

 Gliding slowly l<irward, then 

 Slowly courtseying bat-k again. 



Long ago. 



Modern ways are quite alarming. 

 Grandma says; but boyH were charming- 

 Girls and boys, I mean, of course — 



Long iigo. 

 Bravely modest, grandly shy — 

 ■What if all of UK should try 

 Just to fi-el like those who met 

 In the graceful minuet. 



Long ago. 



With the minuet in fashion, 

 WJjo could fly into a pasnliui? 



All would wear the calm tliey wore 



Long ago. 

 In time to come, if I, perchance. 

 Should tell my grau'lchild of our dance, 

 I shall really like to say, 

 '•We did it, dear. In 8(»mo such way, 



Long ago." 

 — [St. Nicholas for January. 



garden of your own. Papa and Mamma, 

 or your bigf^er brothers or sisters will as- 

 sist you, and you can see how the beau- 

 tiful plants will love to grow from your 

 hands. It is joy to watch the seeds 

 si)rout uj) through the soil and grow into 

 plants, ami blossom, or bear fruit. 



Auut Polly will not weary you with a 



The Boy That laughs, 



BY GKOROE COOPEB. 



I know a funny little boy, 



The happiest ever born; 

 His face is like a beam of joy. 



Although his clothes are torn. 



I saw him tumble on his nose, 



And waite I fur a groan; 

 But how he laughed! Do you suppose 



He struck hits funny bone ? 



There's sunshine in each word he speaks. 



His langh is something grand; 

 Its ripples overrun his cheeks. 



Like waves on snowy sand. 



He Innghs the moment he awakes. 



And till the d'ly is di^ne: 

 The sehool-rooni for a joke he takes. 



His lessons arc* but fun. 



No matter how the day may go, 



Yi'u c:iuuot make him cry; 

 He's worth a dozen boys I know. 



Who pout, and mope, and sigh. 



EBKUARY is Spring, 

 in California, and par- 

 ticularly so this year. 

 Tho late beautiful rains 

 and warm days, have 

 made the grass and grain 

 spring forth in tender 

 green, covering the val- 

 ley and distant hills with 

 loveliness. The early- 

 blossoniing flowers now 

 grace the garden beds, the sweet violets 

 and most delicate lillies and tube roses 

 fill the air with delicious perfumes. We 

 must expect some cold, windy, eleerless 

 days yet, but really, our Spring is come. 

 Now, dear Neices and Nephews, plant 

 the little seeds, and set the cuttings of 

 plants, and plant out such flowers and 

 shrubs as you can get, and make a little 



to them were: "Herring," and "Mar- 

 tha's Vineyiird." If you think they are 

 able to get the Premium, my choice 

 would be Romeo and Juliet. 



Your Neice, Tillie. 



The chronio has been sent to Tillie, 

 and Aunt Polly hopes she will write 

 i i- 1 li ■ .1 ,1-^ - ,,"7 T again, and send more hard puzzles, that 



onp article tliisoionth. ^Ve are all glad i „obody can guess. ^ 



tr.nr,.n,..r „„,i «,ii try to eujoy this glo- 



togethcr, and will 



rious Spring, and make the most of our 



opportunities. 



And now for our letters, several of 

 which are from new contributors: 



San Benito, Jan. 28, 1877. 

 Dear Adnt Polly: — I have never writ- 

 ten to you, or thought much about it un- 

 til the January No. came. Whi-n I saw 

 your picture, I afked uiy mother if I 

 might write and ti 11 you that I hid no 

 idea that you were so pretty, I thought 

 you wer« old and wrinkled, and wore a 

 wide cap border and spectacles; uud I 

 love you ever so much now, (although I 

 know that we ought to love old ladies 

 too, for we will all get old if we livelong 

 enough); But I do not think much of 

 the editor if he looks like that picture, j q^^ ("amily 

 Why, he has the hiij kead. He was wise 

 to take his umbrella, for he would nei-d 

 it before this time. Please publish this 

 yourself, so he will not see it. But, 

 mother says she thinks his artist is not 

 so good as yours. Papa has taken the 

 A<iHic(jLTUBisi for a short time, and we 

 all like to read it so well that we are go- 

 ing to take it another year, and, I hope, 

 always. I feel so sorry for little Amy, 

 in the Christmas story. How lonely she 

 must have been, so long away from her 

 kind friends! I should have cried 

 self to death, I believe. 

 W'ltsonville two weeks last Summer, and 

 I tell you I was glad to get home again 

 to see my mother and papa and little sii- 

 year-old Zena, and darling three-year- 

 old brother, Walter. I am eleven years 

 old, and go to school, and I could tell 

 you a long story about our singing school 

 and concert and Christmas tree; but I 

 am afraid if I make this letter too long 

 that you would not publish it, and I 

 would like to have you do so, for I want 

 to be One of Your Loving Neices, 

 E.MiLV W. Page. 



P. S. — The answer to Fannie B.'s 

 puzzle is, "Bread." 



Here is a puzzle, which I have just 

 composed: 



My 1 is in ride but not in walk. 



My 2 is in tongue, also in talk. 



My 3 is in give but not in lend. 



My -1 is in sew but not in mend. 



My .5 is in river but not in lake. " 



My f> is in ti_>ad, also in snake. 



My 7 is in their but not in hour. 



My 8 is in minute but not in hour. 



My 1' is in fish but not in trout. 



My 10 is in in but not in out. 



My 1 1 is in sing but not in shout. 



My whole is a great blessing, for which 

 we should be thankful. E. w. p. 



Emily's letter is rather long, but then 

 it is so interesting that we give it all. 

 Write often, Em. 



Santa Cbpz, Jan. 29, 1877. 

 Deab ArsT Polly:— I thought I would 

 accept your kind invitation, and write 

 you a letter. I see by your paper that 

 you give cbromos to all those who send 

 puzzles that are not answered, and I 

 thought that I would see what I could do. 

 I am thirteen years old. My puzzle is 

 original. Yours Truly, 



Jack. 



PtJZZLE. 



I am composed of six letters. 



My 4 you will liud in will. 



My ;i and G you will find in every. 



My second you will Ijnd in cousin. 



My fifth you will find in welcome. 



My first you will find iu Jack. 



My whole is the first name of one of 



Jack. 



We think that Jack's puzzle will be a 

 hard one to gness, and we expect he will 

 get a cbromo, sure. 



San Felipe, Jan. 21, 1H77. 

 Dear Kvht Polly:— This is the first 

 time that I have written to you. I am 

 only ten years old, and my sister Jennie 

 is eight years old, and my brother Willie 

 is six years old. I had a nice time 

 Christmas; we had a Christmas tree at 

 ^ our school house. Mamma takes the 

 I was away to ••^<'"JcCLTuriiKT, and I always read Our 

 Corner, and think it is very nice. We 

 have got a little dog, and we coll her Pet. 

 If you think this worth puUishiqg, I 

 will write again, and try and do better. 

 Good bye, from Your Neice, 



Blancbk McLeod. 

 Well done, Blanch; hope you will let 

 the cousins hear from you again. 



MiLPiT.4s, Jan. 17, 1877, 

 Dear Aunt Polly: — Wishing you a 

 happy new year, I thought I would try 

 and write to the AoBicrLTCBisT this 

 tncmth. We have been so busy for 

 Christmas and New Y'ears, that I did 

 not have time to write. 



The answer to Fannie B.'s puzzle is 

 "Bread." I made out the answers to 

 the others, but was too late in sending 

 them. I received a great many Christ- 

 mas presents, and I hope Aunt Polly 

 did too. There were too of my puzzles 

 not made out. They appeared in the 

 Agkiccltcrist last June. The answers 



San Benito, Dee. 29, '7C. 

 Dear .^itnt Polly:— I always like to 

 read Our Corner, so I thought I would 

 try to contribute something. I live in 

 Hernandez valley, on the Sao Benito 

 river. I will send two puzzles, which 1 

 composed : 



PCZZLES. 



Take B from a city in Europe, and 

 leave what a tired man loves to do. 



Take S from a country iu Europe, and 

 leave what we all dread. 



Take .4 from a city in Califomia, and 

 leave what we often do. 



Take L from a river in the Western 

 States, and leave a fruit. 



Take O from a river in the Western 

 States, and leave an herb. 



Take K from from an island, and leave 

 a young animal. x. a. 8. 



WORD PrZZLE. 



My first is in tree but not in leaf. 



My second is in hay but not in grass. 



Jly third is in ray but not in shine. 



My fourth is iu new but not in old. 



My fifth is in rake but not in mow. 



My sixth is in lose but not iu find. 



My seventh is in go but not iu stay. 



My eighth is in bird but not in bill. 



My ninth is in verb but not in nonn. 



My tenth is iu sit but not in stand. 



My eleventh is in near but not in far. 



My twelfth is in good but not in bad. 



My whole is something we all owe to 

 God. Minnie A.. Short. 



Minnie has .\unt Polly's thanks for 

 her nice letter and pnzzles. 



% 



Dear Atrxr Polly :^I thought I ought 

 to write a letter to you this month. I 



