1/4 
©EE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
Diarg cf a pluralist. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centloman near New 
York City. 
AMONG THE SILVER MINES. 
Leaving Georgetown early this morning, 
we passed down the mountain road for two 
or three miles, where we met a Toll Gate. 
Paying $12.50, we were allowed to go on our 
way. A hard ride of some 18 miles through 
a deep canon, brought us to the mining towns 
of 13lack Hawk and Central. The inhabi¬ 
tants of these villages talk little, else but 
“leads,” “lodes,” “pinching,” “petering” 
or “ freezing out.” The latter term is applied 
to companies, the local managers of which 
run the capital stock down so low that, the 
non-resident owners arc glad to let their 
shares go by default, those inside of the ring 
buying them in ; then the “lode” is worked 
again with increased profits. A mine, the 
stock of which has been put upon the market 
at a valuation of half a million dollars, is 
frequently sold out for twenty-live or fifty 
thousand, when in reality it. is worth a mil¬ 
lion or more—the crafty resident managers 
reaping the profit. After seeing and hearing 
so much of this kind of operation, we are not 
surprised that Colorado Mining Stocks are in 
disrepute among Eastern capitalists. 
Then, again, thousands of companies have 
been organized with a capital stock of from 
860,000 and upward, with no other founda¬ 
tion than a prospective “lode,” a mere sur¬ 
face indication that there might be a good 
mine, not a ton of ore having been taken out 
in advance of the organization of the com¬ 
pany and sale of stock in the Eastern mar¬ 
kets. The days of such “fancy,” or .swindling 
speculations, are probably past, and hence¬ 
forward, mining will be conducted upon a 
better basis. That there are inexhaustible 
[ mines and plenty of them, no one who visits 
this region can for a moment doubt; but it 
requires men of experience as well as of hon¬ 
esty to make mining profitable loth© owners. 
VISITING THE REDUCTION WORKS. 
August ti. After breakfast we broke ramp 
and paid a visit, to Prof. Hum's Reduction 
Works at Central. Here, wo were shown the 
various processes required to reduce the ores 
iis dug from the mines, down to u condition ! 
which will just i fy their shipment to Newark, 
N. <T., or to Europe, where the final separa- 1 
lion of the load, silver and gold is completed. 1 
The expenses of this establishment are enor- ' 
mous, the cost ol wood and labor alone being ,v 
about. *«00 per day ; still, not an ounce of 1 
pure gold or silver has ever been produced 1 
during the six years that the works have 1 
been in operation, the refined ores being 1 
shipped East for a final separation, in time, ' 
all this handling and paying freight on gross 1 
materials will be avoided, and the pure mot- E 
als brought out here. At present, there are a 
few works which effect a final separation of ^ 
the ores, it being more profitable to have it 1 
done where skilled labor is cheaper than *" 
here. The owners of the hundreds of mines 1 
in the mountains about here bring their ores 
to those reduction works, where it is piled in 
heaps, u label stuck in the top of each, with tl 
the name of the owner written upon it, after ti 
which the ore is sampled by an expert and d< 
the value fixed. About $81) per ton is the 0 J 
lowest grade of ore worked, and from this ti 
upward to several t housands of dollars. As I ol 
entered the extensive yards where the ore , tl 
was piled in great heaps, with the wooden dc 
label stuck in the top of each, it brought to c<; 
mind the time when I used to visit the old- Jn 
fashioned eider mills in the Eastern States, in 
where farmers brought in their apples to be pi! 
made up on shares or for so much per barrel, tli 
These crude ores, composed of various kinds C v 
of rocks, copper and iron pyrites, lend, silver CB | 
and gold, Were extremely beautiful, the tai 
bright sun falling upon them showing off dr, 
t heii brilliant colors to great advantage. But foi 
like many Other things in this world, the (Jo 
most showy iu appearance were the least sa , 
valuable ; the iron and copper pyrites, as aft 
well as lead, glittering like diamonds, while Gn 
the gold and silver were hidden in these baser gi 
metals. Wo were invited to help ourselves it i 
to specimens of these different ores, a tempt- am 
mg offer which l feur some of the party 
availed themselves of to such an extent that nn , 
their pockets were In danger of failing. 
OINNER AT A MOUNTAIN HOTEL lie i 
Right here, among the many cheap cabins G 
of the miners, with dust, smoke and tilth of mo 
various kinds, there is a large and commo- at t 
dious hotel known as the “ Teller,” and kept oth 
by W. H. Bush, Esq., a gentleman who evi- cen 
dently knows how to keep a hotel—a very sou 
i high accomplishment in the opinion of every 
i* traveler in this country or elsewhere. We 
_ learned this by actual experience, conse- 
quently, speak authoritatively on the sub¬ 
ject. Aftr-r dinner, wo started down the 
valley again, meeting, as usual, a Toll Gate 
ew just outside of the town. It. had the usual 
sign on its hat and spade in hand. We halt¬ 
ed, paid H..VI, and passed on, reaching Rul¬ 
ing ^ n<sviUo > latching our camp in a deserted vil- 
two a mile beyond, Here we found 
utr° p,r £ e UI1( i commodious dwellings, a stamping 
ouj ’ mill, and other indications of former wealth 
} and prosperity, but not an inhabitant, to 
ivn* why this desolation. We wandered 
ubi ft bout these deserted buildings, which were 
but almofrt ' u ‘-' w > an< l had evidently been inhab- 
ited b y Eastern people. The large stamp 
ip,,] mil1 ,or crushing ores, with the tons of debris 
tich aboUt > to!d the stor -Y bf disappointed hopes 
{l|( ! of many a speculator. The mill had evident* 
, ly been created in speculative times, giving 
q , r employment to many workmen whose hopes, 
like its owners, were high; but when the 
11', “lode” “petered out,” the inhabitants fled, 
. J “ seeking more prosperous fields. 1 cannot con-1 
e . ceive of anything more gloomy than a de- 
’ IS sertoil heart lirtone ; and as 1 wandered about. 
.? through those deserted dwellings, the hopes, I 
1 " fears and pleasures of their former oecu- 
' -l h r pants came before me in many a scrap of let- 
U b r ter picked up, which had been written by 
Eastern friends or relatives, who were qdco 
Jfl here seeking (heir fortunes. The houses were I 
made of logs, hewn smooth on two sides, aud I 
ve the taste of the good housewife in her eu- I 
,m deavors to make the rooms look comfortable I 
la- was shown, in many instances, by papered I 
ir ‘ walls. The paper used for this purpose was I 
0,1 not of those gorgeous patterns used in our 
ut cities, but newspapers which had first served | 
to amuse and instruct the family, after wbieh 
u '" they were pasted over the logs. We again 
"S Toad Horace Greeley's scathing editorials 
!e * upon the conduct Of our army and its geuer- I 
u ala in 1SG4—<»5. The Rural New-Yorker, I 
1° Independent, and other familiar papers of I 
ts the same years, had also done good service I 
it iu ornamenting the walls of these Western I 
»- homes, showhig that the former residents of I 
*• this village appreciated the literary labors of I 
some of those who now wandered about their I * 
(j, deserted homes. On t.he walls of almost I ! 
lu every house narrow shelves had been fas- I ' 
, e tened, and upon these minerals were spread I 
3S out in great profusion, showing very cohelu- I * 
n sively what, brought the people here ; but I ' 
. like Robinson Crusoe, they east aside or left I f 
untouched the lumps of gold when starvation I 1 
j Stared them in the face. Even the stove ynd I 
.1 kitchen furniture was left intact in one in-I 
stance : t he occupants of the house were I G 
f probably only too glad to get away without 
j any incumbrance of this sort. We learned I a 
c i'rom a fanner near by, that $(100,000 had I 1 
, beeu sunk by the former inhabitants and 11 
* owners of a “petered out” mine near by. If 1 
’ the mines had foiled, farming had not, for I I h 
neVer saw bettor crops than in the valley all I p 
, about our camp. Oats, grans, wheat and po- I ’’ 
r iatoes were growing in the greatest luxu- I ' 
. riance, and the few men who owned these I U 
, farms need no better or richer “lode” th an I ” 
, the one they are. working. 
i LITTLE BOULDER CANON. 
I C< 
August 1.—After breaking up our camp I ,,, 
this morning, we passed over u high, moun- I ju 
tainous region, formerly covered with a fo 
dense forest of pine, which has all l»eeu cut , n 
off and the wood used at the various redne- I ,,, 
tiun works situated iu the vallevs. Gur dear I 
old Uncle Samuel, who is supposed to reside I 
at Washington, has a \ ery curious method of I 8tl 
dealing with his people ; for while he is en- * VI 
corn-aging tree-growing on tile plains not a I w . 
hundred miles from this very spot, by giv-I (]t ! 
ing 100 acres of land to any one who will I 
plant 40 of the same with trees, he allows I or 
tho most wholesale vandalism our world or 
ever heard of in the way of destroying for- I }, r ! 
ests, to go on all through the Rocky Moun- etr 
tains and without a word of complaint. Hun- wn 
dreds and thousands of acres of magnificent I 
forests are annually destroyed here, and the I Tll 
Government receives not one cent for the M(l 
same. No one wants or will want these lands 0ut 
after the timber is removed, aud of course ev€ 
tho woodehopper is not going to offer even tt g 
$1.25 an acre unless somebody asks it. When I spfJ 
it is too late, perhaps, our Government will S) J 
appoint a forester, whose duty it shall be not thp 
only to show the people of the plains how I ver 
and what trees to grow, but take charge and the 
prevent the destruction of forests on the pub- I 
lie lands. I 
I lUg 
Going do wu these once beautiful pine-clad dut 
mountains, we entered Little Boulder canon, I tun 
at the very entrance of which we met an- safe 
other Toll Gate, paying $10, or about 12j4 in d 
cents per mile toll for each double team. If and 
some of our Illinois farmers who growl at I fore 
y railroad fares of three or four cents per mile 
r e had to pay tolls on these mountain roads for 
e- a while, they might come to the conclusion 
i- that they were not the only sufferers from 
ic monopolies on this great continent. Leaving 
c our baggage wagons at Little Boulder, we 
d went up the Caribou Mouhtaju some four or 
t- five miles, for the purpose of visiting the 
1- mines at the top, as well or enjoying some 
)- fine views of the surrounding country. The 
d famous Caribou silver mine, which was sold 
g lately to some foreign capitalist* for $3,000, 
It 000, is situated on the very top of the moun- 
o tain, and although considered a good invest- 
1 ment at the price paid, it is probably no 
e more valuable than a dozen other “lodes” 
- near by, the difference in value arising more 
"j from the extent of working than quantity or 
s richness of ore covered by the claim. The 
* Caribou lode having been worked to the 
- depth of some 800 feet, the ore is extremely 
' rich, while the other “lodes” have not, as yet, 
, been worked to one-half the distance. Judg- 
; ing from what I have seen of this mining 
, business, it is not different from any other ; 
• a man needs only a good deal “ stick-to-itive- 
ness,” in order to succeed. 
Returning from Caribou we passed through 
the town of Middlo Boulder, and down in the 
canon, some two miles or more, where we 
found our tents set up, the camp fires burn¬ 
ing and supper awaiting our arrival. Before 
going up to Caribou, Captain Williams had 
sunt our guides forward with the provision 
wagons and other camp equipage, with or¬ 
ders to select a good spot for camping some¬ 
where in the canon if possible. That he suc¬ 
ceeded to the satisfaction of all. may be in 
ferred from the fact that our entire party, 
with one accord exclaimed, as we came iu 
sight ef the tents, “ What, a delightful spot 
There was but an acre or two of level ground, 
through which flowed a clear, mountain 
stream, while around us the huge rocks were 
piled a thousand feet high. A few-huge trees 
of Pinut pondrosa towered above our tents, 
affording an agreeable shade, as well as add¬ 
ing much to the beauty of its surroundingx. 
LECTURES AROUND THE CAMP FIRE. 
Every night, after supper, we make u huge 
camp fire, and then name the camp after 
some gentleman of the party, tho one so hon¬ 
ored being expected to entertain us with a 
lecture upon some branch of natural history. ' 
Our camp to-night is named after Mr. Mek 1 
itan of the Gardener’s Monthly, aud he has ‘ 
given us an interesting address upon “Tree 
Life” ami the progress of scientific botany. 
After the lecture the old folks retired to their 1 
tents, while the#young folks gave them a ser- 1 
enade, which they will be very likely to re- ‘ 
member. These frolics around the camp fire 1 
are feasts of reason, with a dessert that cer- A 
tainly aids digestion. Few of us, however, ' 
need any further aid to appetite or digestion 1 
than the exercise forced upon us iu these * 
high altitudes with this cool, rurified atmos- ' 
phere. We arc frequently up among the ' 
clouds at an elevation of from 9,000 to 12,00(1 
feet above the sea level, and it is so cool at 1 
night that a heavy blanket cr two is not un¬ 
comfortable, even under a good tent. 
really made up their minds that we were in 
earnest about going ahead, and dry-shod. 
While driving along at a brisk trot, shut in 
on two sides by mountains and upon a road 
which hail been cut out from the steep rocks 
of the canon, we suddenly came in sight of 
the plains once more, and into tho very pret¬ 
ty village of Boulder. The sudden termina¬ 
tion of the rocky walls, high peaks, narrow, 
dangerous roads, and tho opening of the 
broad prairie, wax a transition of scene that 
caused many an exclamation of delight. For 
eight days we had been constantly going up 
and down mountains and through canons, 
and it was really a relief to gain a spot once 
more where the eye could have an unlimited 
view even of pi-alrie grass in the distance as 
well as near by. 
SNAKES’ :EGGS. 
Herewith, I leave for you a collection or 
conglomeration of eggs, and a limb of a tree 
with a pice of cord, as tied by a bird in build¬ 
ing a nest. The collection of eggs was found 
about eighteen inches below the surface in a 
sand bank, and like BarnuM, 1 respectfully 
ask, “What is it *” 
The limb of tho tree was detached by my¬ 
self, and with the cord is just as the instinct, 
skill or ingenuity of the bird left it. By the 
way, I am by no means surprised at ingenuity 
here, even in birds, the natives seem brim 
full and running over with it. As one in¬ 
stance of its display, there is in one of the 
outer doors of the old house in which I am 
temporarily living, a hole ubout five inches 
iu diameter, with a slide on the outside to 
cover it. Being unable by my unassisted 
reasoning, to discover the use or benefit of 
such a hole in the wall, I applied to the old 
gentleman who had formerly occupied the 
castle, for information on the subject, and I 
was enlightened 1 Said he, “Why, 1 should 
think you could loll the use of that hole. 1 
| made It myself. It is to save the trouble of 
carrying a key. You see, when we left 
home I could reach through the hole, bolt 
the door, close the slide, and have no key to 
carry.” I was compelled to own that such 
uu idm would never have struck me. I put 
a stopper on that hole. 
Down In Jersey. J. A. Montgomery. 
The cluster of eggs were those of some 
large species of snake — probably those of 
the common Water or Black snake (flmcun- 
ion constrictor). Had you cut open one of 
the eggs, as we did, on their receipt, you 
would have found the half-formed reptile 
within. Many instances of the skill of birds 
tying their nests to trees with strings, which 
they have picked up, are on record. Per¬ 
haps the bird that tied the string you send, 
was practicing the art for a time of need. 
-*-*-♦- 
THE CUCKOO AND THE GOOSEBERRY 
CATERPILLAR 
A BRIDGE GONE. 
August We proceeded down Boulder 
Canon this morning, but soon after leaving 
camp ran against a Toll Gate, and after pay¬ 
ing $10 for the privilege of passing, were in¬ 
formed that one of the forty-odd bridges 
over which we had to puss before getting 
out of the canon had broken down. About 
noon we come to the wreck, and found nu¬ 
merous teams on the opposite side of the 
stream, waiting to cross when the bridge 
was repaired—if that tune ever came, which 
wax anything but certain considering the in¬ 
decisive character of the superintendent of 
the structure. Who hud been walking about 
or sitting on a log, vainly trying to make up 
his mind what to do over since the bridge 
broke down the day before. To ford the 
stream was next to an impossibility, and to 
wait for repairs at the hands of these moun¬ 
taineers might be like waiting for eternity. 
The emigrants and teamsters on the opposite 
side of the stream had evidently “ talked 
out,” and sat down, waiting for coming 
events, which, I fear,had not “Cast much of 
a shadow before them.” Editors or corre¬ 
spondent© of newspapers are not, as a rule, 
supposed to be practical bridge builders, al¬ 
though they generally discuss such subjects 
very freely ; but in this ease they proved 
themselves capable of both talking and work¬ 
ing, for within thirty minutes after persuad¬ 
ing the bridge superintendent that it was his 
duty to let them temporarily repair the struc¬ 
ture, it was done, and our teams passad 
safely over. Logs 40 feet long and 10 indies 
in diameter were thrown across the stream 
and then covered with plank and poles, be¬ 
fore the professional bridge builders had 
About three weeks ago many gooseberry 
bushes in the kitchen garden here were much 
iufested with the caterpillar peculiar to the 
gooseberry. When the men were not about, 
and on Sundays, some cuckoos were observed 
every day on the bushes fecdingon the cater¬ 
pillars, which they thinned oil considerably 
in a week or two. 1 had them disturbed as 
little as possible, and sometimes as many as 
four or five at a time were seen enjoying 
their feast. The cuckoo, from this habit of 
feeding on caterpillars, lias, I think, a strong 
claim to be put on the Schedule ol' the Birds’ 
Protection Bill. During the season of the 
gooseberry caterpillar, I do not find that nuy 
of the small birds do much good iu clearing 
the bushes of them. Perhaps the song- 
thrush is as useful a bird to tho gardener as 
any, for in the wet summer and autumn of 
last year, it fed on the legions of siugs and 
snails all the time when fruit wax scarce. 
The thrush will have its dessert off the fruit 
not netted up, but not m t.ie bold, daring 
way of- the blackbird, who is the greatest 
pest of all the small birds, except the bull 
iiuch.— Euglish Paper. 
-►-*-*- 
MITES ON CANARIES. 
W ill some one please inform me what to 
do in order to destroy the mites which infest 
my canary ? I have tried several methods 
none of which have proved successful. Ho 
is always picking himself, and seems much 
annoyed. —E i ,len. 
We have been troubled in the same man¬ 
ner. I have only succeeded in getting rid of 
the pests by daily scalding the cage thor¬ 
oughly in hot water, sprinkling a little flour 
of sulphur about it, and putting a little of 
the dust in the water. Persisting in this 
treatment, has enabled us to clear bird and 
cage of the mites, if there is a better way 
we Shull be glad to learn. 
