\s\y2 



(JLKANINCS IN HKK CULTURK. 



.237 



I'luk t'xtoiids from the i.'ily down to tlit> ocean, 

 u disiaiii't' of livt> niili-s. Wo walked back 

 through tilt" park; aiui. wliilc tlie far cud of it 

 near tlit> ocean is yet nniniproved, the city end 

 is a veritat^le jiaradise; and when it is all coni- 

 nleted it will he the grandest park in the world. 

 Hilt space will not allow me to dwell further 

 upon th(> many intereslintr features of this city. 

 My friend the next morninij went, to the punch- 

 ing of tickets, and. with a letter of introdnc- 

 tioM. I sought Mr. Weston, the maimfacliirer of 

 fruit boxes and baskets of all sorts and sizes. 

 My object in looi<ing up this l)nsiiiess was to 

 lind, if possible, some wood on this coast that 

 would make good sections. 8i)i'iice seemed to 

 meet the reiinirenients nearer than any other 

 wood, and Mr. Weston's exp(>rienc(> with woods 

 of all kinds gave value to liis advice. For tin- 

 manufacture of baskets tli(> material is shaved 

 into sjilints fiom ''s to ~ inches in uidth, and of 

 varying degrees of thickness. The macliine 

 for making these splints is very simple. The 

 spi'uce plank to be shaved is clamped to a 

 strong bench: a (hit plane is operated by a 

 strong lever that projects through the floor, to 

 which motion is given from machinery below; 

 a strong rope connects plane and lever, and. 

 with a man to adjust the plane at every sweep 

 of the lever, the plank is soon reduced to ma- 

 terial for baskets. 



Wishing to test a few shavings for sections, 

 the plane was set to an eighth of an inch, and 

 several strips were ratiidly taken off, and the 

 grain was not badly broken. I found, however. 



SAX FKANCISrO M.\CHIXK FOK MAKING BAS- 

 KET-. SPLINTS. 



Ihe following obstacles to the use of spruce: To 

 plane easily or at all. the timber must be green 

 or wet. just as it comes from the rafts that have 

 been floated here from On'gon. When seasoned 

 there is a hard bonelike tilm which is hard for 

 a saw to cut unless frefjuent filings are resorted 

 to. It is also more britt Ic than basswood when 

 dry. and more liable to break at the corners. 

 The price of selected timber is $.H0 to $35 per 

 1(XX). which puts it on the shelf as compared 

 with basswood. Other woods have been rec- 

 ommended, such as Cottonwood, which has only 

 a small strip of white in a tree, and it is diffi- 

 cult to select it. Cedar and eucalyptus have 

 also been recommended: but their strong odor 

 is an objection. Sugar- i)ine would probably 

 make a good section; but even that, wIumi we 

 select the best, is nearly the same price as 

 spruce. Redwood is a fine wood, but the color, 

 if not the price, is an objection. I gave up the 

 pursuit, for I believe thife is nothing on this 

 coast or any other that can compete with bass- 

 wood in all ijualities for a one-piece section. 

 Mr. Weston tried tf) use these splints for sec- 

 tions by bending and lapping one side; but they 

 got out of shape, and looked simply ridiculous 

 by the side of the straight and trim basswood. 



Several parties have ordered machinery for 

 ihis purpose, but it stands idle and is for sale. 



IJeo-liives and shi|)ping-crates are made by 

 several parties here, and this can be dont^ here 

 as well as in the lOast; but still, thousands of 

 hives come from east of tin- Rockies evt^-y sea- 

 sou. The last genthMiian I saw in relation to 

 the supply business was Mr. Wm. Styan, of San 

 Mateo, about ~'() miles out from San Francisco. 

 San Mateo is a lovely town w hen^ iiumy 

 wealthy San Franciscans reside in beautiful 

 iH'sidences surrounded by shaded pleasure- 

 grounds, and beatitilied with trees, shrubs, and 





/*'«>2, 



A ];UCAI.FYTUS APIAItY. 



many-hued flowers, nearly all new to the East- 

 ern man. Mr. Styan is a sturdy Englishman, 

 has been in the Fiiited States about nine years, 

 and nearly all the time in California. He has 

 an apiary of over 30 colonies, and is rearing 

 golden Italian queens, and deals in supplies. 

 Mr. Styan has much other business; and. his 

 son having recently secured other lucrative 

 business in the city, he was obliged to suspend 

 the publication of the Calif ornin Bee-keeper 

 for the tini(^ being, but proposes to start it 

 again in the near future. We traveled the 

 shady walks of San Mateo a while, during 

 which Mr. S. pointed out bees at work on the 

 small white blossom of the oucalyptus-tree. I 

 was informed by Mr. S. that this honey is much 

 sought after on account of its medicinal quali- 

 ties. The blossoms are very fragrant, and It is 

 a healthful tree to have around. Mr. Styan's 

 apiary has the eucalyptus for a background. 

 In San Mateo are several educational institu- 

 tions, and. on the whole, it seems to be a desir- 

 able place in which to resid(\ 



Between San Mateo and San Francisco, gar- 

 dening is extensively engaged in. The side 

 hills are neatly terraced, and water drawn up 

 by scores of windmills to irrigate and make 



TKRKACING, AND IHKKiATINfJ BY WINOMII.I.8 



productive all the long year round what other- 

 wis(> would Ije a liarren hillside. ~^ 



After my return to Frisco I felt a strong desire 

 to test the merits of ocean travel; and upon the 

 steamship Queen, bound for Southern Califor- 

 nia, will next be found the Rambi.kk. 



