885 
4884 
THE RUSAL NEW-YORKER. 
one which had its origin in the best of motives 
and the purest of principles, and that the peo¬ 
ple who entertain views of this character are 
honest in their convictions is not to be doubt¬ 
ed. That racing with betting should not be 
permitted at State or other fairs is obvious. 
But there is no good reason why the breeders 
of trotting stock should not have a chance to 
display the products of their skill, and receive 
therefor a fair reward. 
Have yon hyacinths, tulips, narcissus to 
buy? Now is the time to plant them. They 
will gladden your hearts and your eyes in 
early Spring, when there will be little else to 
welcome you in field or garden. 
The Farm Journal tells us that Samuel A. 
Armstrong, a farmer of Maguolia, Del., has a 
32-acre field surrounded by a wire fence 
which serves the purpose of a support for 
Concord grape-vines. The fence row- is tilled 
and kept as clean as any other part of the 
field........ 
Accormwu to Dr. sturtevant’s report (Now 
York Experimental Station) salt given to 
cows once a week iu their food increased tbe 
amount, of water drank, but not the fowl. Salt 
is regarded as of little importance. Ensilage 
is recommended as a supplement to other 
foods. Whole potatoes for seed gave the 
largest yields this year. The seed end of po¬ 
tatoes is as good for seed ns th6 stem end. It 
would now seem that, as between tbe butt, tip, 
and middle of the car of corn, there is little 
difference as to ite vulue for seed... 
Txjk Kansas Union says that a Douglas 
County, Colorado, cowboy was running a 
cow recently, when his horse ran iuto a 
barbed wire fence. Tbo flesh was stripped in 
a horrible way from the cowboy’s leg, which 
was amputated in the Sisters' Hospital. In 
the Arkansas River country, a short, time 
ago, 180 young cattle wore kittled in a stam¬ 
pede by a barbed wire fence which held the 
stock, the weaker being trampled under the 
stronger....... 
A member of the Farmers’ Club of Elmira, 
as we see iu the Husbandman, has found, 
through “a course of years," a full table¬ 
spoonful of saltpeter dissolved iu ten quarts 
of water efficacious in ridding cabbages of the 
worm...... 
Make the perches of your hen-houses broad 
and nearly rounded at, the edges. Mace them 
low. One foot high will content the fowls as 
well as if they were three or six feet high.... 
Handle the fruit carefully; an apple or 
pear will beg in to decay where it is bruised... 
I. K. Felch says, in Country Home, that 
chicks hatched in May grow the best, are 
symmetrical, best in color, have less excrer- 
cence of comb, and lay a month younger than 
those hatched iu February or March. April 
for the Middle States, and May for the North¬ 
ern States, must be considered the time for 
the best development. He further says that 
Black, Mottled and White Javas and White 
Plymouth Hordes uro ol one and the same gen¬ 
eral blood as the Plymouth Rocks. 
Ik you have time, prune grape-vines now .. 
Among our youthful farm contemporaries, 
the old story is going the rouuds, that the cas¬ 
tor-oil plant will drive moles away. We hap¬ 
pen to know of a case in which the headquar¬ 
ters of a mole fraternity were in the middle 
of a castor oil plantation. The best way to 
get rid of moles is by the use of the Isbell or 
Hale trap illustrated iu the Rural of October 
18 , ’x;. 
The Farm Journal says that the best use a 
farmer can make of a campaign torch is to 
burn the caterpillars’ nests off the apple trees. 
“When I die," said Mrs. Fishwacker, “I 
want to be buried in good, old-fashioned style, 
and not burned to ashes in one of these cream¬ 
eries you hear of.’’..,.... 
It is time to look after the hen-houses and 
make them comfortable for Winter. You 
need not look for many eggs during cold 
weather without supplying the needs of fowls 
—plenty of varied food, and clean, warm 
houses ....... 
Save your coal cinders and ashes; sift the 
ashes aud use them about the currant and 
gooseberry bushes .... 
Remember that green tomatoes, which are 
well advanced, will ripen very well if pulled 
off the vines and placed in the cellar—far bet¬ 
ter than if left oa tbe vines until after frost.. 
Coast for “higher education,” and they num¬ 
ber, if I remember aright, between 400 and 
500. As every where in California, great at¬ 
tention has been paid to arboriculture and flor¬ 
iculture, and in no State that T have passed 
through, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
have 1 seen so many attractive flowers, 
shrubs and trees as in this State. The most 
extensive industry in San .Tos«t is fruit canning, 
and in one of the factories ve visited, as many 
as 30,000 cans daily are put up. It. is indeed a 
sight to see the jellies ami preserves put up iu 
gloss, that are shipped all over the world, to 
the royal households of Europe and to tbe is¬ 
lands of the sea, and with almost never a 
reclamation for breakage. All the fruit iu 
tin cans, is put in uncooked, a sirup is added, 
tbe cans are sealed, and then plunged into 
vats of boiling water where they remain long 
enough for the fruit to become thoroughly 
heated. It is prepared by women, but tbe 
heavy work connected with the cooking is 
done by Chinamen. They are very expert in 
testing the cans os to being air-tight, also in 
sealing them. The work is all done iu a 
very cleanly mauuer.and I shall henceforth en¬ 
joy more than ever before California canned 
fruits. In tbe largest establishment we visit¬ 
ed, a car-load of sugar is used every other 
day. I asked what kind of fruit was most in 
demand, and was told pears. A large factory 
includes also the evaporation of fruit and the 
entire process of making the tin cans aud the 
packing boxes. In one factory I saw a branch 
of plums hanging, aud on the tip end of the 
branch or twig, I counted thirty plums nearly 
tion lay a vast garden, or park, of noble trees, 
beautiful shrubs, flowers everywhere, statues 
inbronzeand marble.and fruit of every Call 
fornian variety. In the midst of it rose the 
country house of its owner, a simple cottage- 
like dwelling with piazzas and vines, and a 
Chinaman sweeping a porch. Mr. Stanford 
has been absent from California fornearly two 
years, and during this time, Major Rutbbone, 
an ex-army officer, a brother of the Col. Rath- 
bone who was with President Lincoln when tbo 
latter was shot, has filled the post of superin¬ 
tendent. To him we had a letter of introduc¬ 
tion, and the Chinaman said the Major was 
at the stock-farm, and after interviewing 
various other Chinamen and a stupid Danish 
boy in one of the stables, whoso solo oceupa 
tion seemed to t o to sit on some hay aud hold a 
spouge, we succeeded in evolving sufficient 
Euglish to lead us to believe that if we waited 
long enough, a coacbruan who had gone out 
to exercise some horses, would return and 
drive us to the stock farm. Ho wo used the 
hour that intervened in the adjoining orchard, 
where we ate peachee, plums, apricots, and 
pears; in wandering about the grounds, and 
sitting iu tbo carriage-house, which was as 
neat as a lady’s parlor. I counted 17 “ swell’’ 
carriages of various styles, and there were 
others for common use. There was a fire-hose 
ou wheels, a pretty affair which had been 
bought for “ the boy," the young Eeland, the 
only child and heir of Palo Alto, and he had 
died a few months ago iu Europe, at the age 
of 15. Under a long grape-arbor was a uar 
row-guage railroad ho had built. Near the 
TRANSCONTINENTAL LETTERS, XI. 
MARY WAGER-FISHER. 
In returning from Monterey we stopped 24 
hours at San Jostj, which is justly regarded as 
one of the handsomest cities in California. It 
has the State Normal School whither the young 
men and wemen come from all parts of the 
FLORENCE FENNEL. (From Nature.) Fig. 397, page (W2. 
ripe. San Josd is connected with Santa Clara 
by a shaded avenue of considerable length, 
and as we rode along under the trees, I fan¬ 
cied I could see the old Jesuit padres who 
planted the trees, walking and communing 
by the way. Every where in California one 
encounters memories of these Spanish priests 
who tried so hard to civilize and Christianize 
the Indians. The towns tear the names of 
their saints, aud their holy women, San and 
Santa being the masculine aud feminine form 
for saint. 
At Menlo Park, which is a community of 
country places belonging to rich San Frau- 
cisans, we were chiefly interested in visiting 
ex-Governor Leland Stanford’s ranch, which 
is a good half mile from the statiou, and as 
we discovered no way of reaching it, but to 
walk, we bravely set forth, aud upon arriving 
at the dwelling we were refreshed by the 
announcement that if we bad “telephoned 
up,” a carriage would have teen sent for us. 
However, the walk did us no harm, and one 
always sees small and immediate surroundings 
at tetter advantage on foot. The entrance to 
this domain of 7,000 acres is through a com¬ 
mon farm gate painted white, with a short 
stretch of white palings at each side, put on 
diagonally—the simplest entrance possible. 
Once through the gate, we entered an avenue, 
which, as we proceeded, increased in beauty 
and cultivation, until finally iu every direc¬ 
house was a plain granite vault, nearly coir 
pleted, which was to be the receptacle of hi 
body. How audit all was! I mourned for th 
bereaved mother; the mother who eoul< 
never tear to have her buyout of her sight- 
ami now he is dead I 
Finally' the prancing of horses’ feet announc 
ed the return of the coachman, who telephon 
td at once to the stock farms, and waa an 
swered that the “Major" was there, and tha 
he should drive us up. Ho a double-seatei 
phaeton was drawn out, and in due time wi 
were rolling through the greut farm, which i 
intersected throughout with splendid avenues 
the roads, fences, and bridges all being ex 
celleut, and trees planted along all the roads 
The ranch was purchased nine years ago by 
Mr. Stanford, and all improvements bavi 
been made within that time. He has anotliei 
ranch of several thousand acres in the Sacra 
mento Valley, his landed estates amounting 
to some 80,000 ucres, I have heard. He i: 
regarded as the richest man in California 
and is mentioned as having been the best Go 
vernor the State ever bad. It was monthly 
pay day at the ranch, and the coachman said h< 
“bleeved” the monthly expense was 813,000. 
At the stock farm there are about 700 horses, 
raoging in value anywhere from #250 tc 
#100,000."(! !!) The latter value is attached to a 
stallioD, for which, if I remember aright, 
#30,000 were paid. The horse ranch was start 
ed seven years ago, but sales have only begun 
to be made. We spent considerable time in 
going from stall to stall with the overseers, 
and looking at the beautiful creatures. One 
man takes care of two horses, and very few 
human beings, I fancy, are so well taken care 
of as these fine, high blooded animals. Screen 
doors to keep out. flies were general, and most 
of the horses are left untied Iu the stalls, a 
freedom I was glad to see. A race-course 
uenr-by is the work ground of the horses, 
whose speed in various instances is tbe great¬ 
est on record. (It) It was here that Governor 
Stanford spent so much money in having the 
motion of the horse in action instantaneously 
photographed, which resulted in disproving 
all previous theories as to what, certain mo¬ 
tions were. Tbe stables for the trotting 
borses are separate from those for the “run¬ 
ning” horses, which the overseer said are the 
only Thoroughbreds, while a trotting horse is 
never a Thoroughbred The horses are count¬ 
ed every day, and every horse has a name. 
They run at largo much of the time in the 
oppti pasture, and their feed consists princi¬ 
pally of oat-hny or wheat-hay. What struck 
mo most was the size of the one-year-old colts, 
which was equal to that of the average full- 
grown horse of the Eastern States. The over- 
seerssaid It was due to the climate, that Califor¬ 
nia was particularly well suited to the growth 
acd development of horses. One of them said 
that, Mr. Stanford would not allow a veteri¬ 
nary surgeon on the farm; that he gave them 
a box of homoeopathic medicines and told them 
to use these remedies, und if a horse died, why 
it was nothing more than would happen any¬ 
way, and he didn’t want the V. S to experi¬ 
ment on hi 8 horses. Among all these horses 
I did not see one of the long, lauk, hound 
type of horse that was formerly, if it is not yet, 
regarded os a “racer.” But they were all 
closely and compactly built.; for the moat part 
bay in color, of exquisite shape, and some¬ 
times so heavily and strongly formed as to 
preclude the idea of speed; but they are swiff 
nevertheless. 
From the stock farm we drove for several 
miles through the ranch, and at last, as we 
issued from an uvenue of lig and chestnut 
trees planted alternately, we came upon the 
grounds where woe the foundation of the new 
Stanford mansion—but where now will bo 
built, instead, a college for boys and girls; a 
large, elegant, and comprehensive seat of 
learning iu memory of the dead young heir. 
In the lands adjoining will be groves and 
orchards of all the trees and shrubs and flora 
of the world, that will thrlvo here, and the 
work of planting has already teen begun. If 
no ill fortune attend the noble scheme, the 
seat of Stanford (.ollege will, in a few years, 
be a spot of almost unparalleled attraction. 
A school of the industrial arts is to be a de¬ 
partment, of the college, and a very practical 
one. 
The only products sent to market from 
this grout ranch are wheat and grapes. The 
rest of the fruit, as the coachman said, is 
“gobbled down” by the bands at, the ranch 
mostly', of whom 30 are Chinamen. No Chi¬ 
nese have care of the horses, their work being 
the care of the lawn, the flowers, ami the 
fruit, and general “scrubbing.” 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS, 
Canada. 
East Williams, Ont., Oct. 2.-Until a short 
time ago, this hud teen one of the driest seasons 
lever heard of iu this neighborhood, and con¬ 
sequently great scarcity of water prevailed; 
but this last week has been very wet, so that 
the grass is nice and green agaiu. The hay 
and grain harvests and full wheat seeding 
have been got through in excellent shape. 
Not much corn was planted here last Spring, 
and what was,suffered for lack of raiu. There 
will be a very good crop of potatoes, and peas 
have done splendidly. Spring and fall 
wheat, oats and barley are very good, aud 
hay is much bettor than was expected. Fat 
cattle are low in price compared with prices 
last Fall; still there is as much profit iu cattle 
as iu anything else. There is a better demand 
for sheep aud lambs now than early in the 
season. Farmers are beginning to learn the 
benefit of underdrainlug. The late frosts in 
Spring made our fruit crop short. Both large 
aud small fruits are not attended to as they 
should be. There are some good orchards, 
but no large ones, aud very few ornamental 
trees are to be seen growing out in the coun¬ 
try here. j. 
Dakota. 
Glenallen, Morton Co., Sept. 22.—Our 
crops are splendid, and as this is our first 
season in Dakota, we are well pleased. 
D. P. B. 
Illinois. 
Rochelle, Ogle Co., September 30.—There 
has teen no frost here yet. Corn is all hard, 
and the farmers are happy. While the corn 
crop is not up to the average of former years. 
