62 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb, 



same year, yielded fruit in the autumn of 18.55." 

 He says, in the same letter to Col. Wilder, "I wish 

 you could take a look at our peach orchard, loaded 

 with fruit. You could hardly believe that the 

 trees had made all their growth, and were most of 

 them raised from seed since I came to California, 

 (Feb. 8, 1854.) The crop from this orchard is now 

 (July IS, 1856,) going to market, and we expect 

 it will amount to between ten and twenty thousand 

 dollars." 



But intelligent farmers in California do not sup- 

 pose that the fertility of the soil is inexhaustible. 

 We find in a late number of the California Far- 

 mer timely cautions against the "skinning" process 

 that has so greatly im^poverished the soil in other 

 sections of our country. The writer argues that, 

 in consequence of the peculiarities of the climate 

 on the Pacific coast, a somewhat different course 

 must be adopted to preserve the fertility of the land 

 from that pursued in other agricultural sections. 

 He says : — 



"In other States and countries, where agricul- 

 ture has been studied and practised, both as a Sci- 

 ence and an Art, rain falls at short intervals dur- 

 ing the warmest summers, and in consequence, as 

 a general rule, the warmer the weather the greater 

 the luxuriance of vegetation. There the grass is 

 ever green, and a regular rotation of crops, admit- 

 ting of an agreeable change, such as Nature de- 

 lights in, from one species to another, may be 

 adopted with ease, and the profits of such a sensi- 

 ble rule calculated on with certainty. Here the 

 long-continued drought of summer, in most cases, 

 entirely precludes the possibility of having clover 

 and the usual grasses, so essentially beneficial in 

 other States, admitted into any course of crops 

 which may be adopted. 



"Turnips, also, form a crop which in many coun- 

 tries have conferred upon northern latitudes the 

 advantages in some respects of the tropical, by af- 

 fording to the farmer, at seasons when 'the hills 

 are covered with snow,' the luxury of green and 

 juicy food for his stock. But turnips could not be 

 raised in this State, to be of any benefit when we 



the green carpet which covers our hills and dales, 

 and which the eye never tires in gazing upon, even 

 for the bright flowers and mammoth vegetables 

 which manifest the wonderful fertility of the soil 

 of this land of gold. 



Wonderful in gold, wonderful in fruits and vege- 

 tables, California is still more wonderful in itself. 

 To her how strictly applicable are the exclama- 

 tions of the poet-prophet, — 



"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? 

 Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day ? 

 Or shall a nation be born at once "' 



But to us, as an Editor, the California Farmer is 

 the most wonderful of all. As large as our own 

 weekly sheet, this paper has already advanced far 

 into the sixth year of a vigorous existence. It is 

 well edited, has able correspondents, is one of the 

 most spirited of our agricultural exchanges, and 

 appears to be well supported. And all this, on a 

 portion of the earth's surface, of which a dozen 

 years ago the civilized world knew little more than 

 they did of the territories of the moon, — a por- 

 tion, too, that has been settled by people who went 

 there, — as Cortez scornfully told Montezuma he 

 and his followers came to Mexico,— not to till the 

 soil like peasants, but to gather gold. 



For the Hew England Farmer. 



THE YOUNG MORRILL HORSE. 



Mr. Editor: — Some weeks since I spoke of the 

 Morrill Horse, raised by "French Morrill," of 

 Danville, Vt., and kept in that town till last Sep- 

 tember. I wish now to say something of the Young 

 Morrill Horse ; one of his colts. There are sev- 

 eral by that name, which by the way is in bad taste. 

 One may well be so named ; every other should 

 be called something else, so that no one shall be 

 deceived. 



The horse of which I wish to speak was the first 

 colt named Young Morrill, and I think him fairly 

 entitled to that name. But that I may not be mis- 

 understood, I will say that the Y'oung Morrill 



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