Daily national Democrat., 1859-11-17
A Glance at the Agricultural Character
of the Mountain Country

The highest attitudes are of mary elous pro-
ductivcness in an agricultural point OF view.
Converting with an intelligent observer, on
this subject, who has lately been on a tour
through the mountain regions, we obtained
the suhioined facts. which we hurriedly jot
down for the information of our readers:
T. Worthington, living on the Turnpike
Road between Grass Valley and Nevada,
has in cultivation about two thousand pie
plants From l6 Of an acre he cut during
the Inst season seven tons, which he sold
readily. The largest specimens were teet
inches in length. The largest leaf was
about the size Of a lady's parasol! The
nlant is Of the Victoria variety. and was first
inlported into the state Of Ohio by an Eng
lishrnan named Winter. 1t is the only varie
ty that has been generally successful through
out the State, The plant succeeds in the
hands of other culturists much less skilllul
than Mr.. Worthngton. The success Of its
cultivation in this climate depends upon the
variety more than the skillfulness Of the cul
tivation The soil and air seem to be adap-
ted to IT,
An article OF wine much resembling cham
pagne has been made from this plant by Mr..
Loutzeinheiser. Of Grass Valley. lie made
a few gallons for experiment. Mr.. Loutzen.
heiser is druggist at Grass Valley, and a
highly intelligent and intellectual gentleman.
Mr. Worhington has several fine fg trees
which produced this season a fair yield of
fine fruit. He also has specimens of Cataw-
ba and Isabella grape, and has fairly demon
strated this season that they ripen best when
under foliage, for he did not strip the leaves
at all.
The garden OF A. c. Gillespie, near Nevada,
contains fine specimens Of many varieties
Of peaches, apples and other fruit One ap-
pie tree of the Belle Fleur species was, dur
ing this season. particularly noticeable for its
enormous load Of fruit, and remarkable for
the fact that it is five years Of age and has
grown without irrigation. In this garden
are fine specimens Of the Los Angeles grape
which all grew we'll From this, it appears
that under proper culture this grape will
thrive as well in the northern portion of the
State as the southern. Heretofore it has
been considered otherwise.
In the garden of Col r. R. Craig, Ameri-
can Hill, Nevada county, may he seen fine
specimens of the Black Hamburg grape,
which, at the age of years, bore 500 bunch.
es to a vine. From one cutting, during a
single season, the average growth was l6
feet. A portion of these grapes, during the
last hot season, were roasted on the sunny
side, giving evidence that foliage should be
left on the vines, the fact being that the TO-
liage was thin on the side of the vines on
which the sun shone Col. Craig intends
setting one thousand cuttings during the
present season, which will grow directly
over the American Hill Gold Lead. the tun-
mel running Immediately under his house and
vineyard. Thus while the inner portion o
the mountain yields its tribute to the great
stream of gold that issues from the country,
its surface pays no less valuable reward to
the genius Of agriculture The pears, peach
es, cherries, apples and ounces of Mr. Gre
CORY. at Nevada, will compare favorably with
those of some of the best orchards in the
south.
The garden Of Johns Weber, at Nevada,
is noticeable for fine fruit. 1t has a thousand
trees, and is singularly situated, being on
steep hill side slanting down to the South
Yuba. The trees look from the bank of the
river as though they were going to pitch di-
rectly down upon your head The fruit
grows. we believe, to the very waters edge
In the potatoe line, r. R Hill, of Gras
Valley, raised during the past season from
FIVE potatoes 500 pounds. The five seed 20
tltoes weighed in the aggregate twelve
pounds and a half They were cut for plant
ing, and three of them made sixty-two hills
The potatoes raised from these hills averaged
nearly two pounds apiece.
In the wheat line, Aaron Dow, of Gras.
! Valley, obtained u seeds of q variety ot
red wheat from Aristook, Maine, which h,
planted in hills-from one kernel of whiel
there grew 81 stalks, having heads inehe
in length From this experiment it is eyi.
dent that wheat can he raised in the noun
tuins
At North San Juan the gardens of Col. R
and Wm. Abbey present fine specimens o
Crawford Peaches, dwarf apples, pears ant
grapes; while their ranch, a short distance
from San Juan. attests the fact that fruit car
be raised at a very high altitude.
An experiment tried by L. II. Bickford al
this place shows that hops can be successful
ly and p7oftabiy grown in the mountains
From one vine he picked A pounds
At Cherokee, the orchard of d. Aeklev. at
a still higher altitude than San Juan, pro-
duces good fruit-just as good as any below
The orchard of Mr.. Martin is equally worthy
of notice
The garden of Dr. T. R. Kibbe. at Down
ieville' has fine peaches and apples and va
rious specimens Of horaculture of rar. voris.
ties The garden Of S T. Purdy is of abou,
the same character. The residence Of Som
Langton, the Expressman, is completed,
closed in by vines and trees. 1t is porfec
little paradise
The orchard of J. W. Bailey, on the soutl
fork Of the North Yuba, about a mile from
Downieville, has 2.700 trees, many in bear
ing, both of peach and apple While tn,
apple is here superior to anything raised ir