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rabtltr. 
CALIFORNIA—V. 
Brief Jfotes of a Horticnltnral Visit to California. 
BY MARSHALL P. WILD KB, ('HAS. DOWNING, GEO. 
ELLWANOEH, AND P. BARRY. 
Ground* of J>r, 
We drove hastily through these beautiful 
grounds, the doctor being absent. He has 
done and is doing much for Oakland. Be¬ 
sides his own fine residence and grounds, he 
lias erected a large number of handsome cot¬ 
tages, and is now engaged in improving the | 
grounds around them. Buchnven are public 
benefactors. 
Nolan’* Botanic Garden. 
One of our most interesting and instructive 
visits in Oakland was to the nursery of Mr. 
Stephen Nolan. The grounds comprise 
about six acres of good soil, very eligibly 
situated for the business. It is well laid out 
in compartments, compactly planted and 
kept in excellent order. The collection of 
trees, especially of eotiifem, is very large, 
and embraces all the more important Cali¬ 
fornia species that have been brought to 
notice. We will name only a few of the 
more conspicuous objects that attracted our 
notice:— Pims tvherculata, twelve feet; do. 
GovXteri, eight feet; do. monophylla; do. 
Torrcyma; do. pon/l&rom ; do. contorta\ Cu- 
pressus chin&ntsui, a silvery, beautiful ticc; 
do. 7 icprmlen.sk, twelve feet; do. exeelsa, fine; 
do. glauca, twelve feet; do. Dwarf ol Mon¬ 
terey, beautiful; do. hunch r is mmmhiana ; 
Eucalyptus striata, one of the best species. 
Acacias mollmma , bnplexa and •rndano.ribm, 
are very interesting in their foliage. Pi.Uo- 
sporum eugenoides, a very handsome and 
popular shrub, found in the best gardens, 
cemeteries, &c.; Drrusmrui Australis, ten feet 
high; Juniper uh f/laucel,, from Japan, very 
handsome; Arbutus Mcnzmii, a native tree 
called the “ Madrono ;” very plentiful on the 
mountains. Arctostaphilos frugrans, the 
*• Manzunila which everywhere abounds 
on i in> hills. Beautiful canes arc made of 
its wood. 
Mr. Nolan lias a fine collection of Cali¬ 
fornia lilies and other bulbs and plants not 
in bloom at the time of our visit. We re¬ 
gretted that he bad no complete catalogue of 
bis plants, and hope lie will soon have one. 
We visited several other places in Oakland 
where we found handsome, well kept 
grounds, but the trees and plants noted aie 
such as we have already described, and a 
repetition would bo useless. Through the 
courtesy of Air. Nolan we bad an interview 
with Professor Rolander, a well-informed 
botanist, who gave us much information re¬ 
garding the trees and plants indigenous to 
California. 
At the Summit. 
On our return home we spent one day at 
Summit, the highest station of the Pacific 
Railroad on the Sierra Nevada. This local¬ 
ity is rich hi eonifem, and is a rich botani¬ 
cal region generally. We found here in the 
woods, occupying a deserted miner’s cabin, 
Professor A. Kellogg of San Francisco, 
Collecting plants, and lie had already a large 
herbarium prepared for distribution among 
botanists and institutions at the East. The 
Abies nobilis is the prevailing tree, and with 
it we found mnabilis, in the forest at this 
point. The prevailing pine, Dr. K. said, 
was Jeffreyi. Pinus contorta is also plen¬ 
tiful. 
Before reaching the summit we found nil 
up the Western Slope great quantities of 
Pimts ponderosa and Tabowdu* decurrens. 
Although the railroad has been so recently 
constructed, trees of these species two and 
three feet high were growing thickly over 
the sides of the embankments. We found 
here many interesting plants, a beautiful 
Dwarf Spirant MentmU, with red (lowers, 
n Dwarf Mountain Ash, a handsome dwarf 
(.rowing Elder, with delicate white flowers, 
( pubescent.) Pemtcm/m*, many species; Men- 
siesta bee (folia, great masses of it, in bloom; 
several lilies and many other plants. Prof. 
Kellog had found tlic Alms WMamsoni at 
a short, distance up the mountain, just at 
the snow line—we would have visited the 
locality but our places were engaged for that 
night and we had to forego the pleasure. 
Before leaving the summit we had a 
pleasant dinner party with friends who ac¬ 
companied us from Ban Francisco and after 
dinner a sr.ow balling—rather a rarity on 
the 21st, of July. The snow is said to fall 
here sometimes to the depth of fifty feet in 
certain localities. The great snow sheds are 
here, and a wonderful work they are. 
Hall l.iike City. 
Our next stop was at Salt Lake City, Utah. 
'I'liis place is about two hours by rail from 
Ogden, the junction of the Central and 
Union Pacific Railroads and the Utah Cen¬ 
tral. The road inns through a flat country, 
bordering the great Balt Lake, which is in 
view the whole distance. The villages and 
farm houses we pass are of a very humble 
character, and do not betoken a great degree 
of prosperity. Salt Lake City contains 
some 20,000 inhabitants. It is situated on a 
plain, surrounded by high hills, some of 
them covered with snow all the year round. 
The streets are wide—one hundred feet, we 
think—most of them planted with trees, 
I generally the locust, and on each side is a 
small stream of water, which supplies every 
family what, they want to use in their houses, 
and for the irrigating of their gardens. The 
business part, of the city contains some 
handsome stores, and in the other streets we 
saw a few good dwellings. 
In all the gardens we saw fruit trees look¬ 
ing well, although the grasshoppers had 
done much damage before our arrival. 
The President, W. Woodruff, and Sec¬ 
retary, Rout. L. Campbell, of the Deseret 
Ag’l and Manufacturing Co,, met ub and 
very kindly gave us all the information in 
their power about fruit culture in their 
State. They gave 11 s a statistical report, 
published in 1867, showing the fruit culture 
in thirteen counties, as follows: 
Apples, 093 acres; peach, 1,029 acres; 
grapes, 108 acres; currants, 150 acres. 
There are other parts of the State said to 
be superior to Salt Lake for fruit culture. 
The season there is not much, if any, in ad¬ 
vance of ours. 
We were politely received by President 
Young and bis sons, and many of the lend¬ 
ing men. We were shown through Mr. 
Young’s private garden. Apples, pears, 
peaches, figs, apricots, plums and raspber¬ 
ries all looked well. The grapes were train¬ 
ed on sloping trellis, at an angle of about 
45°. The trellis is five feet high, double, 
about two feel apart at bottom, and meeting 
at top like a roof. The plan was said to 
succeed well, and is certainly very con¬ 
venient and agreeable to look at. 
A new temple is being built of a beautiful 
Utah granite. A million of dollars is said 
to be expended, and the walls are only level 
with the ground. 
Near the city, and within its limits, is a 
fine hot sulphur spring. A statistical report 
on irrigation shows that in nineteen coun¬ 
ties nearly $400,000 lias been expended on 
canals, dams, ditches, &c., and nearly 125,- 
000 acres of land irrigated. 
It is twenty-two years since the Mormons 
came to this place. They were to celebrate 
their twenty-second anniversary the day we 
left. All tilings considered, they have cer¬ 
tainly made great progress. 
Aai'leultare. 
Although our attention has been mainly 
given to the Orchard, Vineyard and Garden, 
our numerous journeys through the interior 
of the State have afforded us opportunities 
of learning something of its Agricultural 
character. We were everywhere impressed 
with the immense extent of the fields and 
farms and flocks of cattle and sheep. At 
the railway stations, too, in many cases, we 
saw grain bags by the mile, waiting trails 
pollution. 
We visited one dairy, Millbrae, that of D. 
O. Mills, Esq., President of the Bank of Cali¬ 
fornia, of si x hundred cows, only an hour by 
rail from San Francisco, on the San .Tose 
Railroad. The buildings for the accommo 
elation of the stock here are arranged in the 
best manner, and have a handsome exterior 
and the stock is carefully selected and is 
being constantly improved. The milk is al 
sent to San Francisco. The rancho contains 
8,500 acres. We met one day a flock of 
sheep numbering 8,000, being driven to 
fresh pastures in the mountains. 
We were told of one firm, Flint 
The variety of crops which may be grown 
in the Slate is wonderful, including all tbe 
farm and garden products of the North. 1 be 
foreign grape produces more abundantly here 
than in any part of Europe. The Fig, the 
Orange and the Olive come to great perfec¬ 
tion. Silk production promises to be suc¬ 
cessful. Canals in the Sacramento Valley 
are projected to promote the culture of Rice. 
The culture of the Tea plant has also been 
commenced, and is likely to succeed. 
AekiiowIedBinoiit* #f Conrlerif*. 
These commenced with the reception of a 
telegram at Omaha, requesting our party to 
meet the California Committee on Monday 
morning, June 20th, at sun rising, on the 
“ Summit” of the Sierra Ncvadas. This 
invitation was immediately accepted, and 
our answer dispatched over the wires. On 
our arrival at this station, ere the sun lmd 
gilded the tops of these snow-clad cliffs, the 
Committee and their ladies came on boaul 
the cars with flowers and fruits and wines. 
This Committee consisted of Col. Warren, 
editor of the California Farmer; Prof. Caku 
of the California University; S. W. Shaw, 
’resident of the Fruit Growers’ Society ; A. 
>. Halladie, President of the Mechanics’ 
nstitute, and other gentlemen, who accom¬ 
panied us down the mountains to San Fran¬ 
cisco, where we found lodgings at the Cos¬ 
mopolitan Hotel all ready for us. And here 
we would render to the Committee our 
grateful acknowledgments for this act of 
courtesy ; also for the elegant atul appropri¬ 
ate entertainment on the road, and for oft 
epeated attentions extended to our party 
while in California. Our thanks are also 
due to others for special courtesies. To D. 
O. Mills and W. C. Ralston, Esqs., of the 
California Bank, for excursions in the coun¬ 
try, especially for the splendid reception, 
and hospitable care of us over niglit, at the 
palatial residence of the latter at Belmont; 
to tbe TTou. Mr. Phelps, Collector of the 
Port, by whose invitation we visited, in a 
government vessel, the various forts and 
other objects of interest in the harbor, and 
on which occasion we were honored with the 
company of His Excellency Gov. Haight, 
Mnj.-Gen. Oku, military, naval, and other 
gentlemen and ladies, with a full military 
band ; salutes from the ordnance, and sump¬ 
tuous provision on board of the boat and at 
the forts. We desire also to acknowledge 
the attentions of Mr. Jackson, Pres’t. of the 
California Pacific R. It. Co., and other rail¬ 
road and steamboat corporations; of Wm. 
Blanding, Esq., Pres’t of the Buena Vista 
Viniculture! OuHp*«»y t>i' Sonoma ; of Gen. 
Evans, Mayor, and Pres't Doak of the Agri¬ 
cultural Society at Stockton, Judge Crock¬ 
ett of Sacramento and Thus. II. Hyatt of 
San Francisco. Our grateful thanks are also 
tendered to the following persons for wel¬ 
come courtesies and elegant collationsTo 
F. D. Atherton, Esq., of Fair Oaks; to 
Messrs. Barron and Bell of Manor Park, 
who, although absent, left a bountiful spread 
for us; to Simpson Thompson and family 
of Bttscol, R. B. Woodward of Napa, Dr. 
John Strknzel of Martinez, Dr. E. J. Hol¬ 
den of Stockton,'Col. Wakken of Sau Fran¬ 
cisco, and Mrs. Prof. Cahh of Oakland. Nor 
would we. forget our obligations to Messrs. 
Edgar Mills, C. W. Reed, A. P. Smith, 
W. II. Strong, and other gentlemen ot Sac¬ 
ramento, for bountiful supplies of fruits, 
which contributed largely to our comfort 
while on our journey home. And last, not, 
least, we would remember with gratitude 
CUTTING AND CURING TOBACCO. 
Y- 
& 
Bacon, from Maine, who in 1852 crossed 
the mountains with 2,000 sheep, and now 
shear 100,000, having a rancho of 200,000 
acres. Wo were told of one firm having 
8,500 head of milch cows. One gentleman 
of Sacramento informed ns that in 1809 he 
sold $40,000 worth of wheat. He farms 13,- 
000 acres of land. 
One of the evils complained of by many 
people we met with, is the holding of such 
large tracis of land by individuals, who re¬ 
fuse to sell at prices which immigrants can 
afford to pay. We saw it, stated in a news¬ 
paper, by a well-known public man, that in 
Los Angelos Co. one might travel twenty- 
seven miles of highway through one man’s 
land. The valley lands arc wonderfully 
rich and productive, and the climate so mild 
that, farm stock is rarely housed. This ac¬ 
counts for the rapid increase of Agriculture 
production. 
It is but little over twenty years since the 
discovery of gold there, and it was not until 
many years after that any considerable de¬ 
gree of attention was given to Agriculture. 
For several years the want of experience in 
that, peculiar soil and climate was a great 
hindrance and therefore it is safe to say that 
the last ten or twelve years have produced 
tbe results we now witness. The value Of 
the Agricultural products in 1869 is staled to 
be $30,000,000. This, considering the popu¬ 
lation of the State—less than 600,000—is 
very great. Indeed, the growth and com¬ 
merce of the cities of California, and the 
increase of agricultural and manufactured 
productions and of mines, in a period of 
twenty years, is amazing. 
tbe services ot Messrs. E. J. Hooper and 
W. P. Saul, who accompanied us on several 
of our excursions, and especially of Col. 
Warren, who front our first meeting to the 
last parting on the Sierras, lias bestowed 
unwearied pains to promote the pleasure 
aucl advance tbe objects of our visit 
Conclusion. 
Our tour lias been one of continual inter¬ 
est and unalloyed gratification, but these 
brief notes will not permit of more particular 
allusion to what we witnessed; to the heaven¬ 
piercing mountains, the fearful passes and 
the almost fathomless canyons beneath; to 
the majestic monarebs of the forest, tower¬ 
ing in awful grandeur over all around them, 
the mammoth produels of the field, nr the 
ocean-like plateaus waving with golden bar- 
vest, oil cverv side; nor to those immense 
stretches of desolate plains, over which we 
traveled in our journey across the Continent 
—these, even these, impressed us with a 
sense of sublimity and surprise, suggesting 
the thought that" although now apparently 
so barren, they might yet be made fertile, 
and become the abodes of civilization. Some 
of those with alkaline soil may never become 
susceptible of cultivation, but, it is believed 
that large areas of these give unmistakable 
evidences of fertility. We were, therefore, 
glad to notice that the good work of plant¬ 
ing forest trees on the line of the Union 
Pacific Railroad had already commenced. 
A vast amount of these waste lands may not 
only bo made to produce good, limber, but 
will serve as shelter to tbe crops, improve 
the climate, add charm and comfort to tin 
traveler, aud induce emigrants to locate 
where, without these evidences, the lands 
must remain in a state of desolation Nor 
would we close these remarks without ex¬ 
pressing our peculiar satisfaction with tl 
construction and management of this gre; 
Trans-Continental Railroad, especially ot the 
comfort and pleasure of travel on the Pull 
man Hotel train of cars, and although we 
are for the present deprived of these cars on 
the Central Pacific Road, we cannot but 
hope that this much desired accommodation 
may soon be restored. 
The Practical Planter has the following 
on this subject: 
When the plant begins to yellow, it is 
time to put it in the house. It is cut off 
close to the ground, by turning up tbe bot¬ 
tom leaves and striking with a tobacco 
knife, formed of an old scythe—such knives 
are often used in cutting down corn. The 
plants should lie on the ground for a short 
lime to fall or wilt, and then be taken up 
and placed in small heaps of eight or ten 
plants, to be removed in a cart or wagon to 
the tobacco house, or to be speared in the 
field, and then carried on the sticks to the 
house. 
There are various methods of securing it 
in tbe house—by pegging, splitting, tying 
with twine, and spearing—the latter now 
being considered tbe best and most expe¬ 
ditious method. Tobacco sticks are small, 
round and straight, four and oiie-liall to five 
and one-half feet long. They may be rived 
out like lath or narrow paling, one to one 
and one-half inches square, smaller at one 
end than tbe other. One end is sharpened 
lo admit the spear. The spear is round, or 
like the Indian dart in form. It is made of 
iron or steel, bright and sharp. These sticks 
arc carried to the field, and dropped one al 
each heap of newly cut tobacco. The spear¬ 
ing is done by jobbing one end of the slick 
into the soft, ground, the spear being on the 
other end, and with both hands running the 
plant over tbe spear and down the stick, 
thus stringing the eight or ten plants in the 
heap on the slick. It is then laid in piles, 
or placed at once on the wagon to be taken 
to the house and handed up to the person 
who hangs the sticks across the Joists or 
beams, placing them twelve or fifteen inches 
apart and smoothing the leaves down so as 
not to let them crumple in the curing, and 
adjusting the plants on each stick, so that 
one shall not touch the other. As the to¬ 
bacco cures, the sticks may be pushed closer 
together to make room for more tobacco, 
and to exclude damp air from tbe cured 
tobacco. The tobacco bouses should have 
many doom and windows, so as to admit 
light and dry air, aud, by closing them in 
bad weather, to exclude the rain and damp¬ 
ness, which materially damage tbe tobacco, 
besides injuring the color of it. But a better 
plan for such as can afford it, and all who 
can grow Jurgc crops, is to lutvc ihc liousc 
perfectly tight when the doors are closed, 
and to hang the tobacco plants rather fur¬ 
ther apart. 
After tobacco has been cured and is dry, 
whenever the weather is mild and damp it 
will become soft and pliant, and then it may 
be stripped. It is first taken off the slicks 
and laid in heaps, and then the leaves are 
stripped from the stalks and t ied in bundles 
of about one-fifth or sixth of a pound each. 
The bundle is formed by wrapping a leaf 
around the upper part of a handful of leaves, 
for three or four inches, and tucking the 
end into the middle of the bundle. There 
should be, if the quality of the crop permits, 
four sorts of tobacco— Second, Bright, Yellow 
and Dull When the tobacco is taken down, 
the cullers take each plant and pull off all 
defective, trashy, ground and worm-eaten 
caves next to the big end of the stalk, and 
then throw it to the next person, who takes 
off all the best bright leaves (and if there be 
any yellow leaves lie lays them on one side 
until" he has got enough to make a bundle) 
and throws the plant to the next, who takes 
off all the rest, being the dull; and tbe re¬ 
spective strippers, as they get enough leaves 
in hand, tic up the bundles, and throw them 
apart, to keep the sorts separate fin con¬ 
venience in bulking. Stripping should not 
he done In dry, harsh weather. It is best 
not to take down more than can be tied up 
in a few hours. To hulk tobacco, requires 
judgment and neatness. Logs should be 
laid parallel with sticks or boards across to 
support the bulk, and allow free passage for 
air under the bottom. 
The bundles are taken, one at a time, 
smoothed and spread out. This is most 
conveniently done by putting them against 
the breast aud stroking the leaves down¬ 
ward, smooth and straight, with the band. 
They are then passed, two bundles at a time, 
to the man bulking. He lays them down, 
two at a time, in a straight row, and presses 
with his hands; the broad part of the bun¬ 
dles slightly projecting over the next two. 
Two rows of bundles are put in a bulk, and 
both carried on together; the heads being 
the outside, and the tails touching or barely 
lapping. The bulk, when carried up to a 
sufficient height, ought to have a few sticks 
laid on the top to keep it in place. It must 
now be often examined, and if it gets warm, 
or has a musty, bad smell, it will require to 
be changed into another bulk, laying it down 
one bundle at a time without pressing, so 
that it may lie loose and open to admit free 
circulation of air. This is called wind-i ow¬ 
ing. After it has become thoroughly dry, 
and has a strong smell, it is fit to " con¬ 
ditionthat is, when the moisture or 
warmth of weather makes it pliant, it is 
bulked in three or four, or even six-rowed 
bulks, and covered with boards or slicks, 
and weighed down with logs, <fcc., when it 
will keep in nice order for packing in hogs¬ 
heads at any time. The best time to pack 
is during mild, pleasant weather, or spring, 
or in summer. The beat tobacco press is 
one known as Page’s press. It is cheap, 
expeditious in its working, and being easily 
taken down and put up, may, with conven¬ 
ience, be moved from house to house. 
-♦♦♦- 
i/T 
'Al 
FIELD NOTES. 
How lo Have Srcd and Grow Good Corn. 
“A Farmer” writes the Rural New- 
Yorker “ Select the earliest before you 
cut tbe rest of the crop ; leave n part of the 
husks on the ear, and braid them together; 
hang in a warm room by a fire until it is 
dry; then put it away until spring. I have 
never known any corn cured in ibis way to 
fail growing, while corn bung in tbe corn 
bouse fails to grow. The chit becomes 
frozen and spoiled, while the kernel looks 
bright and fair. If you have not manure 
enough to cover tbe ground all over, manure 
in the Hill; have your manure piled as it is 
thrown from the stable; commence draw¬ 
ing about tbe middle of March; odd one 
bushel of plaster to every load ; pile the ma¬ 
nure as near the center of the field as you can, 
or if the field is a large one make, two piles ; 
after it has lain three or four weeks pitch 
it over, mixing in all your bog and lieu ma¬ 
nures; also leached ashes; and, it you please, 
a little lime. By the middle of May you 
will have a well rotted pile; plow on each 
side of your field, leaving a land two rods 
wide in the center to drive on, while manur¬ 
ing the rest of the field; drag the ground 
well; mark one way with your corn marker; 
run a8inall plow through the other, leaving 
a depth sufficient to hold the manure below 
the surface, leaving the rows three feet 
apart, each way. 
“ Two men will manure from one to two 
acres per day. When you have manured 
on both sides of your center land plow, 
mark aud renew your process of manuring 
until the work is complete and ready for 
planting. Cover the manure with dirt, 
bringing the bill to a level with the surface 
of the earth; plant your corn and the work 
is done. 1 huve never known wire worms 
touch corn planted in this way, iiave never 
failed to get a good crop. ‘ But it is a good 
deal of labor,’ sayo one, so ii la; but ll is 
belter to one acre of good corn than two of 
poor.” _ 
Inquiries for Practical CorresponUenr* to 
Answer. 
I have ten acres here, which, like all land 
in this vicinity, will not pay cultivation 
without constant and heavy fertilizing. 
Stable manure is out of the question, except 
what is made from a cow, or a horse fed on 
hay al $25 a tou and provender at $50 a 
ton. Ground plaster will cost delivered $15 
a ton ; marl, $3.75 a ton ; oyster shell lime, 
twenty-five cents a bushel; a one-horse load 
of muck, seventy-five cents. With these 
prices, and a poor soil, what had best be 
done? How would it do to sow buckwheat 
or oats, and when a few inches high, turn 
under aud sow again, repeating this as often 
as possible for two or three years ? 
Queries similar to these, and communica¬ 
tions relating to Vineland soil and settle¬ 
ment have been repeatedly addressed to the 
New York Farmers’ Club by myself and 
others, but we have been rcfiised notice in 
every instance. We begin to think there is 
method in it; or at least that the wish to 
magnify the importance of these “ Jersey 
barrens ” is too great to give both sides a 
hearing. 
Look at. Mr. Greeley’s statement of the 
cost of clearing and fencing these lands, 
which he puts at $20 per acre, after deduct¬ 
ing value of timber! It will cost at least 
$100 for every acre properly cleared and put 
in grass, to say nothing ol fencing and cost 
of land, and nothing of fertilizers. I could 
easily show this were it necessary.—W m. 
Wyman, Vineland, A’. J. 
More A bom Grasses. 
Is June grass good cut for hay i If so, 
what is the best time to cut it? Can any ot 
your subscribers tell me what course to pur¬ 
sue with the land in this grass, so that I can 
get a crop of timothy ? The land has not 
lieen plowed, lift last fall, in thirty-five or 
forty years. Last fall I had it plowed, in¬ 
tending to put in a crop this spring, but ic¬ 
ing short of manure I let it lie, and the same 
old June gross is springing up again. \\ ouH 
two hundred pounds of ground bone to Hie 
broadcast, insure a crop 
acre, son’ll 
and 
i-J 
cause seed to take, so that T could plow m j" 
the clover? The soil is sand, loam, and 
some fine gravel.—G. I>. Card, Fulton Co., 
If you want your land for meadow, p*on, 
manure, (with bone dust and stable manure,) 
plant and hoc it, seed with clover, plow un- 
tier, and seed with timothy—though clovti JL 
and timothy together will lie belter on such Tj 
soil. 1 
