THE NEW AGRICULTURE. 33 



year, such fruits, flowers and profuse vegetation as scarcely 

 anywhere else seen on the face of the earth. Dipping down, at the 

 depth of twenty-two feet, there was found a sunken river three or 

 four feet deep, and a mile or two broad. This concealed river, one 

 of crystal waters, was what begat the oasis. To see for himself, Mr. 

 Greeley assured us, so became a passion, and that there were days to- 

 gether, when he felt he could not return home without looking 

 in upon this wonderful valley. He returned, bringing with him 

 the evidence of those he deemed credible witnesses and having in his 

 mind no doubt about its existence, and furthermore that all along 

 this wonderful subterranean river the roots of trees, and even of 

 the wild clover and other productions of Southern California, reach- 

 ed the waters in their dippings down. 



These conversations with our most trusted counsellor and friend, 

 had great influence, and the subject of subsurface, subterranean 

 or underground flow of the waters as a means of irrigation, became 

 more and more a constant study. That a deep covering of earth 

 would shield the waters from solar evaporation was evident. The 

 law of gravity inclining the waters to sink into the earth, and 

 another law, that of capillary attraction, quite as mysterious, magi- 

 cal, powerful and all-pervading, became at once a source of con- 

 stant study and observation. 



While according to Mr. Greeley the credit and honor of being a 

 continual prompter, intensifying our lines of thought, not to him, 

 however, or to any other one man, but to individuals, here and 

 there met with, in a majority of instances, comparatively speaking, 

 unlearned, or rather, unlettered men, we gained most of knowl- 

 edge. It was during our residence in Brooklyn that from an ex-slave 

 black as Othello, at blackest painted, we learned how lands were 

 reclaimed in the neighborhood of the Dismal Swamp. From the 

 Hollander we found out how clvkes were constructed, and from an 



