&l)c .farmer's iHontljto faisitor. 



187 



two days, with an average of fifty Indians (wash- 

 ers) and that their gross product was 273 pounds 

 of gold. His share, (one seventh,) after paying 

 nil expenses, is about 37 pounds, which he 

 brought with liin> and exhibited in Monterey. 1 

 sen no laboring man from the mines who does 

 not show his two, three, or tour pounds of gold. 

 A soldier of the artillery company returned here 

 a few da\s affO from tin' (nines, having been ab- 

 sent on furlough twenty days. He made by 

 Hading and working during that lime, $1,500. 

 During these twenty days he was travelling ten 

 or eleven days, leaving but a week, in which he 

 made a sum of money greater than he recieves 

 in pay. clothes and rations during a w hole enlist- 

 ment of five years. These statements appear in- 

 credible, hut they are true. 



Gold is believed to exist on the eastern slope 

 of the Sierra Nevada; and when at the mines, I 

 was informed by an intelligent Mormon that it 

 had been found near the Great Halt Lake by 

 some of his fraternity. Nearly all the Mormons 

 are leaving California^ to go to the Salt Lake ; 

 and this they surely would not do, unless they 

 were sure of finding gold there in the same 

 abundance as they now do on the Sacramento. 



Before leaving the subjects of mines 1 will 

 mention, that on my return from the Sacramento 

 I touched at New A I model', the quicksilver mine 

 of Mr. Alexander Forbes, consul of her Britannic 

 .Majesty at Tepic. This mine is in a spur of 

 mountains, one thousand feet above the level of 

 the bay of San Francisco, and is distant in a 

 southern direction from the Puebla de San Jose 

 abuut twelve miles. The ore (cinnabar) occurs 

 in a large vein dipping at a strong angle to the 

 horizon. Mexican miners are employed in 

 working it, by driving shafts and galleries about 

 six feet by seven, following the vein. 



The fragments of rock and ore are removed 

 on the backs of Indians, in raw-hide sacks. The 

 ore is then hauled in an ox wagon, from the 

 mouth of the mine down to a valley well sup- 

 plied with wood and water, in which the furna- 

 ces are situated. The furnaces are of the sim- 

 plest construction — exactly like a common hake- 

 oven, in the crown of which is inserted a whal- 

 er's trying-kettle ; another inverted kettle forms 

 the lid. From a hole in the lid a small brick 

 channel leads to an apartment, or chamber, in 

 the bottom of which is inserted a small iron ket- 

 tle. This chamber has a chimney. 



In the morning of each day the kettles are 

 filled with the mineral (broken in small pieces) 

 mixed with lime ; lire is then applied ami kept 

 up all day. Tin; mercury is volatilized, passes 

 into the chandier, is condensed on the sides and 

 bottom of the chamber, and Hows into the pot 

 prepared for it. No water is used to condense 

 the men ury. 



During a visit I made last spring, four such 

 ovens were in operation, and yielded in the two 

 days 1 was there 656 pounds of, quicksilver, 

 worth at Mazatlan $1 80 cents per pound. Mr. 

 Wnlkingshaw, the gentleman now in charge of 

 this mine, tells me that the vein is improving, 

 and that he can afford to keep his people em- 

 ployed even in these extraordinary times. This 

 mine is very valuable of itself, and becomes the 

 more so as mercury is extensively used in ob- 

 taining gold. It is is not at present used in Cal- 

 ifornia for that purpose, but will be at some fu- 

 ture time. When I was at this mine hist spring, 

 other parties wore engaged in searching for 

 veins; hut none hnve been discovered that are 

 worth following up, although the earth in that 

 whole range of hills is highly discolored, indi- 

 cating the presence of this ore. I semi several 

 beautiful specimens, properly labeled. The 

 amount of quicksilver in Mr. Forbes' vats on the 

 15th of Julv was about 2,500 pounds. 



It. B. MASON, 

 Col. 1st Dragoons, Commanding. 

 Brig. Hen. R. Jonj u . 



' Adjutant Gen. I.'. S. A.. Washington, 1). C. 



two acres— though only half of the trees bore. 

 John McKibhet), of the same place, it is said, 

 picked in 1846, live hundred and forty barrels of 

 apples from six acres of land ; and George Brun- 

 dage is said to have sold, this year, over oik: 

 hundred barrels of plums. The whole amount 

 of plums sent from the town this year, is said to 

 be upwards of twelve hundred barrels — yielding 

 a profit of S(i,00O to £• 10,000. 



Fruit in Orange Coumtt, N. Y.—3.3. Monell, 



Esq., in bis address before the Agricultural So- 

 ciety of Ins county, states thai Mr. Dubois and 

 his sons, of Cornwall, have sold in one yenr, 

 fifteen hundred dollars worth of plums which 

 grew on trees planted by the sides of their fen- 

 ces. It is also stated that they sold last year five 

 hundred baskets of peaches from an orchard of 



a?" 



For the Fanner's Monthly Visitor. 

 Winter Birds at the North. 



Happy, songsters, stop awhile, 



Rest your weari'd wings with nic — 

 You can my dull care beguile j 



Safe and cherish'd you shall be. 

 Your music seemclh more sweet 



Than the robin's in the spring, 

 When at my quiet, still retreat, 



Near my window you're chirping. 



Seek a mild and balmy clime — 



But if here you choose to stay, 

 On the silver fir recline, 



Rest upon the sweetest spray : 

 You arc free from ev'ry care, 



And cv'ry piercing sorrow, 

 Though your fortune seems severe, 



You do not dread the morrow. 



Come, and of my bounty share : 



1 thy debtor surely am, 

 You impart me pleasure rare, 



While you hover round my home. 

 He who secth the sparrow tall 



Givelh food to you and me, 

 Then may we be kind to all, 



And our refuge He will be. 



From the Cambridge Chronicle. 

 The following advertisement was posted 

 up in a neighbor's store, a lew days since : 



WHO HAS LOST? I'VE FOUND ! 



Found ! Found ! quite gone astray, 

 A large red Cow, claim her who may. 

 " E KoBBlNS " burned upon her horn, 

 Points home, or else the (dace where born. 

 Vmi may wunder far, unless yu rove 

 By crooks and turns down to Oak Grove. 

 My name is Sam — I'm yet a boy — 

 My second is LovK prefixed to Joy. 

 Cambridgeport, Sept. 23, 1848. 



Agkiculti ire IM N. H. — The New Ilamj shire 

 Legislature convened on third week of No- 

 vember. Gov. Williams, in his short address, 

 thus speaks on the subject of agriculture : 



"Our State is emphatically an agricultural 

 State — its interests and the occupations of her 

 citizens essentially of an agricultural character; 

 ami as the Constitution recommends these inter- 

 ests to your fostering care, yon will undoubtedly 

 consider the propriety of endeavoring, by the 

 organization of agricultural hoards or county as- 

 sociations, to awaken an increased zeal and in- 

 terest in agricultural improvements. 



Agriculture, whether considered in reference 

 to the number of persons to whom it gives sub- 

 sistence, the value of its annual exports, the 

 amount of eapital which it employs, its necessity 

 for the support of all other pursuits, the moral 

 worth which distinguishes the people devoted to 

 this primitive employment, or its tendency to 

 give stability and permanency to our institutions, 

 may well he regarded as the paramount interest 

 of the country, and the basis of all its wealth 

 and prosperity." 



Choice or a Profession. — Parents and friends 

 too often forget, that in determining the future 

 pursuits of the young under their care, it is not 

 enough that a profession be respectable or lucra- 

 tive, or one in which the youth may l.e expected 

 to succeed by means of family influence; in ad- 

 dition to these circumstances, they ought to take 

 into account the talents, the disposition, the nat- 

 ural bent of the mind of the individual concei li- 

 ed ; for if this most important item he omitted 

 in their calculations, the probability is. that if he 

 have any individuality of character, they will se- 

 riously mar his happiness while endeavoring to 

 the utmost of their power lo promote it.— Curtis. 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 



Emulation among Farmers. 



Ma. Editor — The subject of improving the 

 condition of farmers is one of great importance 

 not only to themselves, but to the rising genera- 

 tion. The improvement of the mental condition 

 of the farmer has been neglected to a great ex- 

 tent, while the improvement in lands aud in 

 stock has taken the precedence. We are aware, 

 however, that where there is a decided improve- 

 ment in the condition of worn-out soils, we can 

 generally look for a corresponding improvement 

 in the farmer's mind. And yet we are convinced 

 from personal observation that it is only here 

 and there we see a farmer who is really awake 

 to the renovation of his worn-out lands. And is 

 this because there is no worn-out lands to re- 

 claim, or is it because that the farmer has no 

 disposition to engage in the business ? That the 

 farmers of New England are a lazy, indolent, set 

 of men, I do not believe a word of; but that the 

 great mass of \a spend a great deal of useless 

 labor in farming for the want of the right kind 

 of knowledge, I am very well satisfied. Hence 

 when we see where a defect lies, ought we not 

 to search out and apply the remedy in all cases? 

 The truth of the matter is, that there is not one 

 fanner amongst us, taking the most liberal, but 

 what thinks as much again of money, every day, 

 as be ought to think of it. Now to think a little 

 less of the " money article," and spend a little 

 more of it fur the improvement of all which 

 makes a man above a brute, would pave the way 

 for obtaining the knowledge that every farmer 

 should seek after. We however, well know from 

 our own observation, that there are hundreds of 

 fanners it) the country who think that they ans- 

 wer the end of their life, if they can gel a good 

 fuin, raise good cattle aud crops, and of course 

 make money. But do such men ever ask them- 

 selves whether this world is their home or not? 

 The truth is, man has no abiding place on this 

 earth, and the grave is the end of all earthly am- 

 bition. This being the case a man is hound 

 while living' in this world, lo make the most of 

 himself. lie should by his efforts to help his 

 fellow men make human life an object worth 

 living for, and in no way, to our mind, can the 

 fanner better cany out '.his idea than in seeking 

 after emulation in his mental condition and busi- 

 ness. Now what is the reason that there is very 

 little more improvement manifest among our 

 farmers now, than what there was thirty years 

 ago? We do not wish to look on the dark side, 

 but we ask any man who has been conversant 

 with farming interests for the last thirty years, 

 bow much improvement has the mass of farmers 

 made during that time. I know well that dining 

 that time there has been a great deal done for 

 the benefit of the fanner by men of science, and 

 energy, and spirit ; many of tin se men too have 

 not been engaged directly in agricultural pur- 

 suits. Let any one visit one of our agricultural 

 implement stoics, and there he will see every 

 implement, and all of the improved kinds which 

 it is necessary that a farmer wants to have his 

 business done right. Now stoics for the sale of 

 these implements were baldly known thirty 

 years ago, hut the story is told, when we ask 

 how many farmers at the present lime avail 

 themselves of the use of these tools to work 

 their farms. We believe that we speak within 

 bounds when we say, that take the State through, 

 not one out of a hundred of farms find these , 

 implements in use on them. Ami now what ad- 

 vantage is it to have these tools made, unless • „ | 



i 



