0£T.  21 
THE  RURAL 
-YORKER. 
- 3! 
®ljc  tliiicprlr. 
WINE  MAKING. 
In  my  article  on  this  lie.ad,  I  promised  some 
quotations  from  the  writings  of  some  of  the 
most  eminent  vintners  and  grape  and  vine  grow¬ 
ers  in  the  United  States.  The  antagonistic  opin- 
iona  expressed  by  tliem  as  to  tlio  propriety  and 
even  morality  of  adding  to  the  juice  of  the 
grajx) — to  supply  any  natural  defect  of  the  va¬ 
riety,  or  its  accidental  <lcfoot  froin  lack  of  ripe¬ 
ness  any  foreign  matter  like  sugar,  water  or 
acid,  throws  us  who  would  look  for  information, 
back  upon  tlie  resources  of  our  own  Judgments 
and  compels  us  to  leant  by  the  more  slow  but 
more  sure  jirocoss  of  experience. 
C.  M.  Ghant,  the  Originator  of  the  Iona  and 
Isabella  grapes  and  the  publisher  of  •'  A  Manual 
of  the  Vine,"  says:  Wine  is  but  the  juice  of 
the  grape  changed  by  formeutation  and  does 
not  admit  of  any  other  change  or  any  addition 
!  without  destruction  of  its  character.  The  evil 
of  the  adulteration  is  not  hisstmed  by  bidug  made 
in  tlio  form  of  sugar  added  to  the  Juice  Iwfore 
fermentation.’  P.  B.  Mkad,  author  of  a  work 
entitled  <*  American  Qrajte  Gultnre  and  Wine 
Making,"  says  “  Wine  is  the  fermented  juice  of 
the  grape,  nothing  more  anil  nothing  loss."  He 
condemns  the  addition  of  sugar  oven  in  bad  sea¬ 
sons,  when  the  grapes  lack  their  usual  supply, 
and  says,  "  This  need  not  ho  so,  and  even  if  it 
wore,  it  is  bettor  that  a  few  men  should  suffer 
temporary  loss  than  that  many  should  lose;  their 
manhood  and  even  their  souls  speaks  of  the 
demoralizing  effect  of  adding  anything  to  the 
must,  and  olaitus  that  the  wine  to  which  cane 
sugar  has  been  added  makes  men  drunk,  "  while 
the  other  does  not.”  Other  men  of  less  note 
claim  that  no  Isjvorago  is  worthy  the  name  of 
wine  that  has  been  with  oane  sugar. 
On  the  othc  hand,  Mr,  Ijonowortii  of  grape 
and  vine  notoriety,  says “  In  all  wine  coun¬ 
tries  (unless  it  be  where  light,  hard  wines  are 
made)  sugar  is  added  or  its  equivalent.  From 
experience  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  it  is  im¬ 
material  whether  the  saeoharino  principle  be  in 
the  graiMj  or  added  to  the  must  in  the  form  of 
sugar."  O.  JIt-HSMAN  says  on  this  subject “  If 
nature  furnishes  me  in  the  grapes  a  juice  which 
contains  everything  to  make  llrst-olass  wine  I 
shall  leave  it  so,  on  the  princijde  of  let  well 
enough  alone ;  but  if  1  tbiiik  there  are  deficien¬ 
cies  which  can  bo  supplied  by  adding  to  that 
which  is  already  in  tlio  must  J  shall  do  so,  as  my 
reason  was  given  me  by  an  all-wise  Creator  for 
the  purixiHG  of  using  it  to  the  best  advantage." 
I  could  quote  from  many  more  writers,  eKjie-  i 
cially  on  the  allirniative  side  of  the  question,  of  < 
using  cane  sugar  or  sugar  ami  water  tf>  supply  ( 
any  defect,  or  to  reduce  any  excess  eitlier  of  < 
sugar  or  acid  j  but  I  deem  this  suflicient  to  show  ( 
that  doctors  disagree  in  this  as  well  as  in  the  ( 
diagnosis  and  treatment  of  disease,  and  that  the  3 
person  to  docido  in  either  ca.so  is  the  patient,  I  t 
do  not  wnto  for  the  imrposo  of  instruction  or  t 
advice  to  the  professional  wlno  maker,  wlio  is  1 
supposed  to  know  the  tastes  and  the  wants  of  f 
his  customers  and  to  have  inslrumonts  to  tost  t 
the  proportions  of  the  doHired  ingredients,  bnt  f 
rather  for  the  bonclit  of  tbose  who  are  compelled  f 
to  raise  only  such  grapes  as  aro  suited  to  their  o 
climatf!,  and  wlio  wish  to  make  wine  for  their  own  I 
use  ami  to  suit  their  own  palates.  As  to  the 
morality  of  wine  drinking  I  have  nothing  to  say,  d 
except  that  I  look  upon  di-unkonuoss  as  a  sin.  I 
That  which  in  wine  prislucos  it  is  alcoliol,  and  g 
whether  this  is  prodncwl  from  cane  sugar  or  p 
from  the  natural  sugar  of  the  grape,  I  can  see  ti 
no  difference.  Alcohol  is  the  natural  product  of  w 
fermentation  of  diluted  sugar  and  according  to  a 
the  best  chemical  authorities  cane  sugar  changes  fi 
to  grape  or  fruit  sugar,  as  the  first  move  in  fer-  o 
mentation.  The  chemical  difference  in  the  two  o 
sugars  is  that  grape  sugar  contains  a  trifle  more  ^ 
of  the  elements  of  water  than  cane.  tl 
■cess,  but  prevents  its  escape  by  condensing  the 
vapor  to  a  liquid,  and  here  lies  the  great  evil  of 
intoxication  with  its  long  train  of  woes. 
Men  may  and  do  got  drunk  on  wine,  cider,  ale 
and  other  fcrmeiitoit  drinks  all  containing  a  per¬ 
centage  of  alcohol,  but  seldom  till  after  they 
have  been  mado  di-nnk  by  alcohol  less  diluted. 
These  drinks  contain  also  nutritious  matter  in 
combination  and  do  not,  except  in  immoderate 
quantities,  yrodnee  that  disorganization  of  the 
stomach  and  muddle  of  the  brain  that  alcohol, 
even  if  dilutoil  with  water,  does.  Fats,  oils, 
sugar,  starch  and  other  oarbonacoous  foods,  oon- 
tribnte  solely  to  the  formatJoti  of  animal  boat, 
and  physiologists  toll  us  that  whatever  of  those 
aubstanc.eH  is  not  wanted  for  immediate  use  is 
stored  up  in  the  knly  in  tlie  form  of  fat  for  nse 
in  an  emergency,  so  that  the  fire  within  sliall  not 
go  out.  Alcohol  also  fnrnishos  heat,  hut  they 
toil  us  it  does  not  form  fat  and  is  never  stored 
up,  but  that  it  and  water  pass  directly  into  the 
circulation  without  digestion. 
Muskegon,  Mich.  g.  b.  Pkck. 
from  early  spring  to  latish  autumn.  A  quarter 
of  an  acre,  says  Bennet,  would  serve  a  good  l)ig 
cow  all  the  season,  cut  and  come  again,  the  sarae 
as  in  the  former  case.  A  horse  would  do  well 
with  a  UUIo  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  acre, 
without  coni ;  or,  to  put  the  case  in  another 
way,  every  quarter  of  an  acre  of  comfi'ey 
would,  in  Bennett's  opinion,  jirovo  equivalent,  in 
I  tbe  summering  of  cows,  to  1  acre  of  good  I.ei- 
oestershire  pasture,  the  forage  to  bo  brought  to 
the  grass  every  day  on  the  rwt-and-come-again 
plan.  The  plant  onght  not  be  allowed  to  run  uyi. 
The  leaves  shooting  at  the  stool  should  bo  gath¬ 
ered  with  a  sickle. 
PRICES  OF  GRAPES  IN  CALIFORNIA. 
VINKTARDISTS  In  the  Eastern  Ktatos  who  com¬ 
plain  at  tlie  low  price  of  grapes  when  they  do 
not  coDUnand  above  five  cents  a  |s>und,  should 
read  the  following  from  the  Napa  llogister  and 
be  comforteil : 
At  the  meeting  of  the  fltato  Vinioultnral  So¬ 
ciety,  Sept.  2d,  some  statements  were  made  re¬ 
specting  the  price  of  grapes  and  some  reports  of 
sales  were  made.  At  fit  Helena,  a  sale  of  foreign 
grapes  (Thomanu’s)  had  been  effected  at  iji2()  a 
ton.  Some  foreign  grapes  about  Oakville  had 
been  sold  as  low  as  .‘818  a  ton.  A  sale  was  ro- 
jiorted  in  Napa,  of  Mission  grajios  ami  others  as 
they  run,  at  S!l3,  but  those  figures,  we  are  in¬ 
formed,  aro  not  to  bo  considered  as  a  criterion, 
because  the  grapes  wore  Oonoral  Miller’s,  who  is 
not  Hup|K)Hod  to  bo  so  dopendout  upon  his  vine¬ 
yard  as  most  of  the  grajie  growers,  and  is  conse¬ 
quently  loss  particular  about  the  price.  The 
jiurchaser  was  Migllavicca.  It  was  stated  that 
Oroezinger  would  do  little  Iniyiug ;  but  has 
already  engaged  160  tons  at  OakvUle  ;  no  price 
named.  In  Honoma  there  was  very  little  pur¬ 
chasing- tbe  prevailing  price  being  .$15  “all 
around,"  Mission  and  other  varieties  included. 
Crops. 
MORE  ABOUT  COMFREY. 
As  to  the  etatement  of  3Ieai),  that  wine  made 
exclusively  from  tbe  pure  juice  of  the  grajw  does 
not  intoxicate,  wo  learn  on  the  authority  of  the 
Bible  that  men  in  those  times  got  at  least  tipsy 
on  wiue,  and  as  neither  sugar  or  alcohol  are 
mentioned  in  that  book,  the  natural  presumption 
is  they  and  the  art  of  extracting  them  were  then 
unknown,  and  wlioever  got  drank  then  must 
have  got  drunk  on  pure  wine  unaduUerated  with 
cane  sugar.  I  beUeve  in  alcohol — not  as  King, 
but  as  a  useful  compound  designed  by  our  Maker 
for  the  use  of  man.  It  is  only  the  distiller  or 
the  chemist  who  separates  it  in  a  liquid  form 
from  the  nutritious  ingredients  in  which  nature 
forms  it.  Sugar  is  formed  as  tlie  ripening  pro¬ 
cess  of  vegetation.  Fruits,  grains,  vegetables 
and  plants,  when  arrived  at  iierfcotion,  contain 
either  it  or  its  elcinciits.  Alcoliol  contains  ex¬ 
clusively  tho  same  elements  (carbon,  hydrogen 
and  oxygen)  but  in  different  jiroixirtious,  and  is 
produced  by  the  fermentative  decay  of  vegetable 
substances.  In  the  ordinary  iirocoss  of  making 
broad  it  is  formed,  but  escapes  into  tho  air  as 
vapor  ;  the  distUler  produces  it  by  a  similar  pro- 
Thk  talk  about  comfrey  as  a  forage  plant  is 
still  brisk  in  England,  pamphlets  being  issued 
f  extolling  its  properties  and  value  as  a  farm  crop. 
jT  One  is  noticed  in  tbe  last  number  of  the  Agri- 
f  ciiltiural  Gazette,  Kinord  B.  Edwards,  in  which 
If  the  author  takes  strong  grounds  in  favor  of  the 
3  old  plant.  We  are  told  that  prickly  comfrey  will 
3  yield  as  much  as  20  tons  the  first  year,  60  tons 
1  the  second,  and  80  to  100  tons  ovei^  year  after  ; 
:  tho  author  of  this  magnificent  promise  liaving 
!  himself  cut,  “during  the  last  four  years,  from 
’  80  to  100  tons  to  the  acre."  He  adds  that  all 
;  the  animals  of  the  farm,  including  rabbits,  are 
;  fond  of  this  new  forage  plant,  and  that  it  comes 
i  from  tho  Caucasus,  and  has  been  some  years 
ostabbshod  in  Ireland,  and  m  some  parts  of 
England. 
Wishing  for  more  definite  information  as  to  the 
merits  of  prickly  comfrey,  wo  called  on  Mr.  K. 
B.  Edwards,  in  Leicestershire,  and  found  him  a 
grower  of  several  rods  of  the  plant  in  a  dozen 
patches  in  his  garden,  and  on  waste  spots  about 
tho  premises.  No  practical  farmer  need  be 
warned  against  expecting  80  or  100  tons  jwr 
acre.  If  the  plant  yields  half  that  amount  of 
forage  it  will  still  yield  twice  as  much  as  any 
other  plant  with  which  we  aro  acquainted.  In 
confirmation  of  what  wo  said  lately  in  the  Rural 
Nbw  Yobeeb,  about  the  common  comfrey  being 
the  same  or  closely  alUed  to  the  Prickly,  we 
find  ^at  the  editor  of  tho  Gardeners’  Chronicle, 
who  is  well  known  as  an  able  botanist,  says  that 
he  finds  little  difference  between  them. 
Tlie  two  are,  however,  so  close  botanicalJy, 
that  it  is  probable  that  as  forage  plants  their 
value  would  be  equal.  For  the  same  reason  it  is 
to  be  feared  they  are  both  aUke  plants  with  a 
sjieoial  habitat.  How  docs  the  now  forage  plant 
behave  on  dry  soils  ?  Let  us  hope  that  we  shall 
soon  learn  more  about  it ;  meanwhile,  hairy  and 
bristly  as  the  comfrey  is,  it  does  not  appear  to 
be  iinpalatoble.  Some  cows  and  horses  in  Mr. 
Edward’s  paddock  ate  some  of  the  leaves  which 
we  gathered  for  them,  and  seemed  to  approve  of 
them,  and  tho  gardener  assured  us  that  they 
V017  much  prefer  the  comfrey  to  cabbages,  and 
will  race  up  tho  pasture  for  it  when  regularly 
fed  on  It. 
The  gardener,  William  Bennett,  is  as  great  an 
enthusiast  on  the  comfrey  question  as  his  mas¬ 
ter.  Hixty  yards  of  comfrey,  he  says,  will  feed  a 
store  pig  to  40s.  without  corn,  and  as  soon  as  he 
has  finished  the  patch  there  will  be  a  fresh  cut 
of  loaves,  and  so  on  ad  mfiTiUuni  almost,  or,  say, 
)  W.  Bennet  speaks  of  a  plant  which  ho  calls 
1  comfrey,  whicli  has  always  lieen  gro\ra  in  small 
I  patches  in  an  adjoining  hamlet  named  Aston 
i  Flam  well,  where  every  cottager  had  a  small  bit 
’  in  bis  garden  for  ornament.  According  to  our 
1  informant  this  is  not  an  easy  plant  to  “  got  shut 
1  of"  when  once  in  the  ground.  The  cottagers  or 
their  wives  wislnsl  to  introduce  Homotiiing  more 
modern,  and  a  disjtor  of  tho  district,  driving  by 
one  day,  found  them  endeavoring  to  destroy  it. 
He  had  often  licgged  sumo  leaves  of  this  plant, 
ivhich  are  capital  for  boiling  down  as  an  emol¬ 
lient  for  ci;  ts  and  bruises,  by  virtue  of  the  muci¬ 
lage  tiiey 'ontaiii.  “Wo  want  to  get  sbiit  of 
this  plant,"  said  tho  cottagers.  “  You  had  bettiT 
got  shut  of  tho  church,"  said  tho  doctor.  Tlra 
plant  was,  therefore,  sparial  In  souio  instances ; 
but  the  cottagers  have  not  yet  learned  to  feed 
their  pigs  on  it,  though  Mr.  Edwards,  on  tiwi  hill 
above,  is  HO  strongly  recommending  ih  Their 
Iilaut,  it  mma,  had  a  “  white  "  fiowor.  j 
The  common  wjmfrey  has  flowers  of  various 
colors— buff  and  purple ;  that  grow*  by  Mr.  Ed¬ 
wards  has  ]>urplc  flowers.  It  is  propagated  with 
great  ease.  The  smallest  bit  of  root  «rill  grow  if 
cast  out  in  any  damp  comer,  and  <«vered  with 
mould,  oreven  laid  on  the  Miirfnoe.  Mr.  Edwards 
is  i.ropagatiug  tho  plant  with  unight  and  main. 
In  a  byre  u]3on  some  bricks — a  hard  gravel 
surface— anywhere  in  the  shado  and  well-wa¬ 
tered,  we  found  it  vegetating  ftntdy  in  small  bits 
mixed  with  inould  and  tiianaro.  Its  vitality  is 
lirodigioUH.  ft  can  hardly  bo  killed.  Every 
morsel  mixed  with  mould  and  kept  damp  by 
watering  twice  a-day,  is  snre  to  grow  in  warm 
weather,  or  in  cold  weatlser  with  a  little  bottom 
heat,  liongths  of  3  or  f  inches  of  the  root  aro 
r(«x»minonded,  but  small  fiioces  without  a  bud  on 
them,  and  only  a  little  bit  of  bark,  will  soon 
callus  at  the  edges,  like  tho  cutting  of  a  gera¬ 
nium,  and  rootlets  are  then  emitted,  and  the 
result  is  a  plant. 
It  is  to  bo  liopeil  that  comfrey  will  be  tried  on 
a  small  scale,  esiMsdally  In  situations  where  it 
grows  natiually.  It  seems  a  promising  plant  for 
oottagors,  especially  those  who  have  coiv  plots, 
and  the  common  sort  seems  to  promise  quite  as 
well  as  tho  so-called  Caucasian  variety.  Hoods- 
men  and  gardeners  must  always  have  alvfuid 
novi,  and  if  from  foreign  parts  so  much  tho  ))ot- 
tor,  and  Mr.  Edwards  will  quite  doservo  his  8s. 
per  100  for  IJio  root  cuttings  if  the  plant  turns 
out  well.  But  there  is  m>  reason  why  cottagers 
should  not  dig  their  own  comfrey  and  try  it ; 
they  will  probably  find  it  as  good  as  any  foreign 
sort  under  tlio  sun. 
IN  PRAISE  OF  OREGON. 
Durino  the  last  few  months  I  have  noticed  in 
your  valuable  paper  twmimunications  from  Colo¬ 
rado  and  otlier  pai  ts  of  the  country  with  regard 
to  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  each  re¬ 
spective  locality.  Perhaps  your  generosity  will 
ponnit  me  to  tell  your  readers  somotliirig  of  the 
goods  and  ills  of  Orwgon.  I  dare  say  some  will 
hesitate  and  say,  Oregon.'  -where  is  it?”  If 
so,  it  is  to  them  I  wish  particularly  to  speak. 
Oregon  is  situated  in  the  northwesterly  portion 
of  the  United  Gtatos,  and  is  getting  to  bo  of  no 
litUe  note  among  her  sister  fiUtes  as  regards 
commerce  sud  agriculture.  Salem,  her  capital, 
is  situated  on  tho  Willamette  River,  about  fifty 
miles  from  its  mouth,  and  is  also  on  the  line  of 
tho  Oregon  and  California  Railroad.  Portland, 
tlie  metropolis,  is  also  situated  on  the  WllUametto 
Itiver,  near  its  mouth,  where  it  empties  its  waters 
into  the  Columbia,  which  wends  its  way  to  join 
the  mighty  deep,  and  being  the  terminus  of  the 
O.  A  C.  R.  R.,  as  noon  as  said  road  is  completed 
it  will  have  direct  communication  with  San 
Francisco  both  by  water  and  rail,  ocean  steam¬ 
ers  coming  direct  to  Portland  wharves  to  dis¬ 
charge  and  take  on  freight. 
Oregon  proper  is  divuie.d  into  three  distinct 
parts  or  natural  divisions,  viz.,  Bouthorn  Oregon 
or  Rogue  River ;  Western  Oregon,  or  tho  Wil¬ 
lamette  Valley,  and  Eastern  Oregon,  or  Upper 
Country— a  strip  of  cmiutry  lying  Ixttweeii  the 
Cascaile  and  tho  Blue  ranges  of  rnoimtains. 
Tliis  vast  tract  of  country  is  drained  by  the  De¬ 
schutes,  John  Day,  Umatilla  and  Oraiid  Ronde 
rivers,  all  of  which,  after  making  iiiminierablo 
windings  and  curves,  traversing  deep,  rocky 
3r  'canyons  and  broad  valleys,  eventually  discharge 
,g  'their  waters  into  the  Columbia  and  its  tribu¬ 
te  taries. 
II  As  this  is  tho  placo  of  my  abode,  T  shall  pro- 
3,  coed  to  sismk  at  present  with  rol'erenco  particu- 
ir  larly  to  (his  part  of  our  young  and  growing 
y  Btato.  Hituatod  as  wo  are  far  aliovo  the  ocean 
n  level  and  immediately  behind  tbe  lofty  con- 
i-  densei's  of  tbe  Cascade  Mountains,  viv  aie  •tffcc- 
0  tivoly  giiardoil  against  the  long,  rainy  winters 
n  that  HO  harass  tbe  settlers  of  the  “  boaiitifiil 
Willanietti!,"  and  being  fiirtlicr  inland,  are  more 
-  exposed  to  exU'emcH  of  lioat  and  cold  than  tlioso 
nearer  tlio  const,  thunder  storms,  water  spouts, 
g  etc.,  being  of  ranj  occiirrenoo  during  tlw  sum- 
j  mer  mouths.  In  short,  our  olnnatu  rosoniblos 
J  generally  that  of  Eastcam  ami  Central  Now  York, 
|.  except  that  wo  have  less  rain  m  sumiiier  and  our 
J.  wiutoi‘H  are  of  shorter  duration,  owing  to  tlie 
^  iwciiliar  influenoo  of  tho  “  Chinook  winds,"  of 
.  which  I  may  say  more  at  some  future  time. 
I  Kastorm  Gregou  is  aliout  160  by  180  miles  in 
extent  said  Is  bordered  on  tho  west  by  the  Cas¬ 
cade  range  of  mountains,  on  the  north  by  the 
C<4w«ibla  River,  and  ou  I, bo  cast  and  souUi  by 
tlie  Bine  Mountains,  whoso  broken  ridges,  ex- 
touding  in  every  direction,  bring  relief  to  tho 
extremely  monotonous  appearatico  of  the  bold 
buncdi-grass  bills.  To  render  a  graphic  descrip¬ 
tion  of  this  so-oiiUod  “  liunch-gnisH  Cuiinlry,” 
one  iiiiist  liave,  pbrcnologiiially  speaking,  a 
fuller  development  of  tho  ••  bumps’’  of  individu¬ 
ality,  locality  and  language  than  your  limnblo 
servant.  X  ivill  simply  say  that  it  is,  first,  a 
high,  long  ridge  called  a  “  lUvidc;’’  then  a  long, 
crooked,  deep,  narrow  valley  called  a  “canyon 
another  divide,  then  another  canyon,  and  so  on. 
In  traveling  across  tlio  country  one  occasion¬ 
ally  meets  a  long  strotch  of  tablo  land  several 
miles  in  extent.  Nearing  the  largo  streams,  and 
wlion  some  1.5  or  20  miles  thorcfroin,  tho  traveler 
suddenly  diHcovors  himself  lost  in  sand  and  sage 
brush  in  an  apparently  barren  desert  country, 
whero  nothing  could  subsist,  but  wbioli  abomuls 
in  Coyotes  (prairie  wolves),  jackrahhlts  and  sago 
hens,  and  oxtending  to  the  rivor’bank.  Ail  the 
hills,  e.xeopting  where  massivu  beds  of  lava  rock 
bold  oonijilute  sway,  are  <iovcrcd  with  a  very  nu¬ 
tritious  grass,  from  wbieh  they  derive  their  name, 
and  being  too  dry  for  agrienltural  purposes,  they 
aro  of  immense  value  for  [msturo,  thousands  of 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  being  fattened  tliereon 
every  year.  Tho  uai-row  valleys  between  the 
hills,  being  oonstaiitly  enriched  by  the  wasliings 
from  the  liillsidos,  aro  very  fertile.  It  is  liero 
tliat  wo  settlors  have  “stopped"  to  buikl  up 
homos  and  lay  up  for  om  sclves  and  oiu-  posterity 
a  share  of  this  world’s  goods. 
Our  little  town  of  Hoppiier,  which  four  years 
ago  consisted  of  but  one  little  log  caliin,  is  situ¬ 
ated  ou  a  smiiil  stream  called  Willow  Creek,  and 
contains  at  the  present  time  a  good  scliool-hoiise 
post-ottice,  two  dry  gotsls  and  grocery  sUircsl 
one  drug  store,  two  blacksmitlj  shojis,  a  liote),  a 
shoo  shop  and  a  saloon,  and  has  a  population  of 
nine  ten  faimllos,  all  of  wtiom  have  erected 
grsxl,  oomfortable  dwellings.  We  now  get  tho 
mail  each  way  throe  limes  a  week,  whereas  four 
years  ago  we  ha<l  to  go  to  Umatilla  J.andmg— a 
distance  of  50  miles  for  it.  On  the  whole,  I 
think  we  are  about  as  haiqiy  as  tlie  majiirily  of 
those  more  highly-favored  ones  who  live  in  'tbo 
more  thieldy  settlwland  faKliiouable  j.arts  of  the 
world. 
Mr,  Editor,  1  will  not  too  much  tftx  your  pii- 
tiouoo  this  time,  but  will,  if  you  shotihl  think 
this  worth  publishing,  bother  yon  some  more  on 
a  future  occasion  by  tolling  your  readers,  in  niy 
lame  way,  something  about  tho  manner  in  ivbich 
we  poor  people  expect  to  make  a  living,  together 
with  our  habits,  customs,  etc.,  in  order  that  they 
may  know  in  advance  what  to  expect  should  they 
ever  come  to  Eastern  Oregon.  jh. 
NOTES. 
Sfutep  Raising.— This  branch  of  business,  like 
almost  every  other,  has  had  its  ups  and  downs, 
but  it  is  a  question  whether  any  business  has 
paid  liettor  for  a  series  of  years.  The  rapid  in¬ 
crease  of  sheep  is  very  favorable  to  farmers  of 
small  means  who  wish  to  engage  in  wool-grow¬ 
ing.  Sheep  rai.siDg  is  too  much  neglected  in  tho 
West.  The  animal  that  furnishes  clothing,  food 
and  light,  which  eats  what  other  animals  reject 
which  crops  hillsides  too  steep  for  other  creatures 
to  ascend,  is  entitled  to  vastly  more  credit  than 
it  receives. — Chicago  Times, 
lloio  (0  Tell  (he  Age  of  a  Sheep. -X  sheep’s 
front  tooth  the  first  year  aro  eight  in  number, 
apiieariug  all  ol  a  size;  soooud  year,  the  two 
mid<il'i  ones  aro  shod  out  and  are  replaced  by 
two  much  h*rger  tlian  tho  others;  third  vear, 
two  very  small  ones  apptiar— one  on  either  side 
of  the  eigiit ;  at  tho  end  of  the  fourth  year  there 
are  six  large  teeth  ;  fifth  year,  all  tho  front  teeth 
are  largo  ;  sixth  year,  all  begin  to  show  wear _ 
not  till  then. 
