164 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[Novembei', 



is au enthusiast, a devotee. I was .so fortu- 

 nate as to be invited to inspect his treasures; 

 his museum is quite private. Time with him 

 is of the utmost value; he worlds ten hours 

 every day for a salary; every evening is spent 

 in the study, never retiring before one or two 

 o'clock, and he has continued tliis practice 

 for twenty-five years. lie began to collect 

 when a boy; his fascinating study became his 

 ruling passion. Earns money to get the 

 means to enrich his museum and library. He 

 has expended twenty thousand dollars on his 

 cabinets of specimens. The library is very 

 valuable, containing the old and new in scien- 

 tific works in Latin, Greek and English. 

 Nothing has been paid for tine bindings, blue 

 and gold, and gilt-edged volumes; many are 

 in paper covers; the study is a small apart- 

 ment and looks smaller from the way it is 

 crammed. Books ranged on shelves from 

 floor to ceiling around three sides of the room, 

 the cases of drawers containing his specimens 

 are ranged through the centre of the room, 

 only space enough between to open the door; 

 the foremost case encroaches on the writing- 

 table so closely that a segment of a circle is 

 cut out to admit of opening the door, the table 

 being of white pine, without paint, baize or 

 oil-cloth; no uselessly fine furnitm-e has been 

 spoiled, for the cost of it would procure some 

 rare exotic of a moth. I was shown three 

 specimens of Papilio antennce, which sometime 

 since cost ninety dollars, and the pleasure de- 

 rived from their possession is keener than so 

 much money invested in Queen Anne styles 

 of furniture. Some of the insects are interest- 

 ing because of their rarity. A C'olias Boothii 

 was taken in the second Ross expedition. 

 This is probably the only specimen extant; it 

 is not very pretty; dun color with dots 

 and markings of a darker shade. Every 

 known or accessible part of the globe is repre- 

 sented: Finland, China, Japan, Africa, Aus- 

 tralia, Central and Soutli America. This 

 collection numbers sixty thousand specimens, 

 and is third largest in the world of the order 

 Lepidoptera only. In the collection from 

 ("hina is seen those wonderful imitations of 

 the leaves; the mimicry is quite startling; even 

 the midrib and reticulated venation are preser- 

 ved; what seems a twig to which a pair or two 

 of dead leaves are attached, or small bunch of 

 oak leaves, is a perfect insect; even the tliighs 

 are foliaceous, some are bright green. It is 

 asserted by the natives where they are found 

 that these insects are all green at first and 

 change color with the foliage, but they are 

 different species. They have the significant 

 family name of Phyllidce. The subject of 

 this article, whose labors are very imperfectly 

 noted, for his correspondence, home and 

 foreign, is very largo, and I have no list at 

 hand of his publications— is a noteworthy 

 example of what might be accomplished 

 in a lifetime. Never one of leisure; en- 

 gaged ten hours every day in the marble- 

 yard, all this labor has been accomplished in 

 the hours usually given to recreation and 

 sleep. But how does his health stand this 

 strain of eighteen hours out of twenty-four ? 

 Very much better than if addicted to nightly 

 visits to the taproom. He says his health is 

 perfectly sound. One sort of work seems to 

 be an antidote against the exhaustion or 

 fatigue of another.— Lydia D. Zell, Oct., 1879. 



COLORADO. 



A New Mining Camp on the Western Slope 

 of the Rockies that Rivals Leadville 

 in Riches. 

 Pitkin, Colorado, Oct. 27, 1879. 

 This is a new mining camp of recent discov- 

 ery, situated on Quartz creek, about five 

 miles from its head, in the county of Gunni- 

 son, and about twenty-five miles northeast of 

 Gunnison City. It is one of the most beauti- 

 ful and convenient town sites on the western 

 slope of the Rocky Mountains. Most of the 

 discoveries in this region have been made 

 since February last, some of which a/e ex- 

 ceedingly promising. The best mines discov- 



ered thus far, lie within a radius of about 

 four miles. The character of the ore as far as 

 developed, is remarkable, and exceeds in rich- 

 ness those of the famous Leadville Camp. 



Among the most promising mines are the 

 "Fairview," recently sold to Mr. Nathaniel 

 Slaght, of Michigan, assays from which run 

 un into the thousands, and the "Silver Islet," 

 anew strike, showing wonderful mineral, at 

 a few feet below the surface. There have 

 been assays made from all parts of this won- 

 derful vein, and the general average was 

 found to be between 160 to 170 ounces to the 

 ton. Among the other promising properties 

 maybe mentioned the "Silver Age," acontin- 

 uation, or extension of the Silver Islet, a mine 

 which will doubtless prove equal to the latter; 

 the "Red Jacket," the "Black Cloud," the 

 "New Dollar," the "Iron Cap," and the 

 "Terrible;" the latter a lode "rich in free 

 gold, and carrying at the same time a remark- 

 able rich vein of silver and galena. 



The ores found thus far at Pitkin are easily 

 treated, and are not what are properly termed 

 "dry ores." A number of sites for smelting 

 works have already been taken up, and there 

 are parties here now who are going to put up 

 a "smelter" this fall. One of the great ad- 

 vantages of this mining camp is its accessibil- 

 ity. AU the roads to the south are open for 

 travel, and loaded teams can come in and go 

 out in every month in the year. According 

 to present indications there is not a doubt but 

 that we sliall have a booming town here 

 before the opening of the coming spring. 

 About six miles from here are the "Hot 

 Springs," equal in medicinal qualities to those 

 of Arkansas. A wagon road is now being 

 made to that point, and capitalists who visit 

 Pitkin can avail themselves of a fine opportu- 

 nity of enjoying the benefits of these springs. 

 The owners of the hotel are also building a 

 road from their mines down to town, and 

 erecting buildings over their mines, so as to 

 keep the work going all winter. The mines 

 are at an elevation of about 12,000 feet alwve 

 sea level. Prospecting will soon cease for the 

 winter, and those who intend to remain in the 

 mountains will soon get in the necessary 

 supplies to last until spring, and work their 

 prospects. In order to work a prospect 

 during the winter it is absolutely necessary to 

 have a good, comfortable house or cabin over 

 the works. Judging by surface indications, 

 this is said to tar exceed any portion of the 

 Gunnison country, and surpasses any portion 

 of Colorado. The Fairville bids fair to 

 be equal to anything in Colorado now, except- 

 ing the famous "Bassick," of Rasilea. What 

 Leadville is to the Eastern Slope Pitkins will 

 no doubt be to the Western. 



When I arrived here last spring from Lead- 

 ville, there was hardly half a dozen cabins, 

 whilst now there are nearly a hundred, the 

 larger number of which have been built since 

 the first of August last. Since folks on the 

 outside have convinced themselves of what is 

 here, capital has made a path directly to us 

 on all sides. The Denver and South Park 

 Railroad made their survey through here 

 some time ago, and their intention is to push 

 the road through to Pitkin as quick as they 

 possibly can. 



About fourteen miles from Pitkin is the 

 Fuonichi, which receives the waters of Quartz 

 creek, and is also a tributary of the Gunnison. 

 This is one of the finest hay bottoms in the 

 Gunnison country, and its waters abound in 

 trout. The stream is settled up from its 

 mouth to its head by ranchmen, and tiiey 

 furnish butter and other farm produce of an 

 excellent quality. Such game as deer, ante- 

 lopes, bears and elk abound in considerable 

 numbe)-s, to say nothing aliout the feathered 



kin was formerly called QuaHzville, a name 

 that was temporarily derived from Quartz 

 creel; on which it is located. 



From the rajiid manner in which towns 

 grow up in this State, when they are located 

 in the vicinity of paying mines, and from 

 present indications, it would not be irrational 

 to prophesy that Pitkin, before long, will be 

 a county seat, and literally a "city on a hill," 

 having an altitude greater than any other in 

 the American Union. H. A. R. 



Contributions. 



writing our camp, and those 

 around Pitkin generally, are assuming a bet- 

 ter appearance than they have had since their 

 foundation. The way to reach Pitkin and 

 our camp from Leadville, or the east, is by 

 way of Alpine, across the main range. 



It is presumed that every one at all posted 

 in the geography of Colorado, knows that Pit- 



For Tb 



AN EXPERIENCE IN DRAINING. 

 The need and usefulness of draining low or 

 wet soils is denied by none, and no doubt 

 there are hundreds of acres in many sections 

 that would have this desirable improvement 

 made but for the diflBculty of gettmg the drain 

 tiles. 



It seems to be one of the anomalies of busi- 

 ness enterprises that drain tile makers do not 

 advertise their wares. How many farmers 

 have ever seen grain tiles advertised in their 

 regular weekly paper? Even the agricultu- 

 ral papers seldom contain such advertise- 

 ments. 



There are many excellent works on drain- 

 ing, and it is very desirable before commen- 

 cing operations to consult such a work, on 

 account of the many hints which may be 

 gathered. But with the exception of large 

 areas of vei-y level land it is not at all neces- 

 sary to employ surveyors or engineer to set 

 out stakes for the depth of the ditch or the 

 course of the drain. Waring's "Draining 

 for Profit and Health" is a cheap work and 

 will answer every purpose of those of a 

 higher price. 



About an acre of our meadow was so low 

 and swampy that nothing would grow on it 

 except calamus and some coarse sedges. 

 When we once attempted to plow a surface 

 drain in order to lead off the water so that we 

 could plow up this part and destroy the cala- 

 mus the water ran in a stream after the 

 plough, .and we had quite a difficulty at some 

 places, as the ground was so soft and yieldiug 

 that the team became alarmed and did not 

 want to cross such spots. We then concluded 

 to drain it the succeeding spring. 



The first difficulty we experienced was to 

 gain an outlet of sufficient depth, as the brook 

 that flows along the lower end of the meadow 

 was scarcely eighteen inches below its surface, 

 and a drain should be at least four feet deep 

 to work to good advantage. The neighbor 

 below us now came to our help by deepening 

 his part of the brook to guard against an over- 

 flow, and we were enabled to start in at a 

 depth of about three feet; this soon increased 

 to the required depth as the ditch advanced. 

 We determined by eyesight the greatest 

 depression, and run the drain along that, 

 using stakes solely to give as much straight 

 line as possible, and nothing to mark the 

 depth. The slope of the bottom was gotten 

 by digging a few feet of ditch nearly as deep 

 as the bottom of that last finished, and then 

 taking a good strong hoe and working out the 

 bottom to nearly a dead level, allowing only 

 slope enough to cause a gentle flow; after the 

 ditch was four feet deep more slope was 

 allowed,so as to keep at about this depth,or a 

 little more, according as the surface varied, 

 the object being to keep the slope of the 

 bottom as uniform as possible, so as to facili- 

 tate the laying of the drain. The drain 

 should be laid as fast as a sufficient length is 

 dug or the banks may cave in, this caving 

 being more difficult and more disagreeable 

 t J remove than the original excavation, as it in 

 a short time becomes like mortar. The width 

 of tlie ditch at the top was made about 

 eighteen inches and the bottom about ten 

 inches, though the top can be made as narrow 

 as twelve Indies and the bottom six or eight 

 inches, but it is unpleasant to work in such 

 narrow quarters. 

 It is often recommended that draining be 



