Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-09-02

HariEosd County, Cal, Aug. ., 1869.
Ho for the Yo Semitic.
Hand bills at the hotels, and advertisements
IN the san Francesca papers advise the tray.
eier. ccnfifctiagly, 10 "Ho! for the Great Yo
semitic Valley via Inspiration Point and the
NanpOsa Big Trees and to "Ho. for Yo
semitic; through for $50; time 3s hours; via Big
oak Flat and the Tuolumne Grove of Nam
moth Trees" We Hold our way here by the
latter route. and have had no reason TO regret
cur choice.
This Is a route recently opened for travel,
aid by 1t the distance is reduced some forty
miles, and the reduction Is made in the mos,
fatiguing portion of it-that done on horse.
hack The cost is also reduced proportionately
As well as the time for making the trip. BY
this route it is, in fact, made possible to make
the round trip from San Francisco in seven
days at a cost Of from 500 to So (goldJ
A great deal of Gush has been written about
the fo Semitic, but not enough of the practical
TO enable hurried visitors TO the Pacific coast
totunderstand how 20 get here in the least
time and at a moderate expense. I will deal
first with this matter of-fact side, and put IN
the RAP lures at the end of the chapter-lf I
have room.
How to Ho for the Yo Semitic
From San Francisco we came to Stockton by
steamer, leaving Frisco at D. m, arriving
At Stockton at O'Clock the next morning. The
latter part Of this trip is a curlously tedious
one, the channel being narrow ard running
20 tortuously through the tulle (bulI-rushl
swamps that the steamer was continually gs;-
ting her nose into one bank or the other and
having 10 back water and take a fresh start
distance from San Francisco TO Stockton I25
miles.
At Stockton we took stage for Hardiu's Mills,
> miles, leaving . miles to be done on horse
rrnp
HUtChIHgs, in the Yo Semitic 23 miles
The Country.
The trip to the 70 Semitic would ba worth
,aking If II Were not, as il is, the great wonder
Ofth world, on account of the opportunity AZ
Affords Tor seeing the different varieties of
California scenery, climate, products, &c. The
rrst twenty miles out OF Stockton is through
perpetual wheat-felds, on q level plain and
over road six inches deep in binding dust,
which not only enyelOped the carriage but
rose high IN the arr above our heads. Dust is
Tue great drawback Of this rlinless country:
ana The trees and Strawberries on the borders
# the thCrOughfaTes- as well as the gram are at
his season - completely shrOuded in dusty
'roWE - 70 appear 10 b. dead. But beyond
he reach o; the dust the Trees and especiaIIv
he ETape-yinss maintain a vivid green und-r
TX months unciouded sun that attracts our
0Es;ant wOadeT- Evidently the roofs must
-Un deep. Our eastern vegetation that puts ON
yrs and willis 10 a crisp Il IL fails to get rain
or month should IeIrI lesson from its
SiEdTed on the Pacific slope
Everything was new. We met and passed
immense b-a;-snaped wasons-cal!ed 4. Pra,r,e
~chooneTs, drawn m pairs, tandrum. by teams
II twelve horses, ant raising a dust seen for
niles CT the level road. Hundreds Of small
owls sat on the fences OF sQuatted IN the roxd
ma the country seemed literally alive with
Hack rabbits tgrttiES their name from their
"ncfmOus ears and S-ound-squIrrels. species
4 squirrels looking mu,n the size and color OF
9ur Cry squirrel. A, points the ground is
perfectly honey-c0m5ed With their holes The
ary season IA California affords an opportu-
a'ty for these squirrels and the gOp1ers to
breed n vas. numbers. and they ID great iu-
airy u the crops. As far As the eve could
Zach il every direction the rich golden grain
-!tS extended, and AZ frequent points over the
-Nu --se the smoke OF steam engines shovel
a-e-e the busy taIeSnIng machines were ~
,.-IE ~ the fields.
Lag Wheat is Harvested in California
SOtLins Is more interesting u tie Eastern
.su than ne style OF harvesting pTacticed
--re, and tAe vast scale on which Il is carried,
C4e whole operation is carried ca in the open
~. Jae hGsbsndm8n has no dread OF rain %
lurry bis operations, and The custom is here
or PARTIES Dho own harvesting machines to
-oL'I=St 10 do the work for large tracts OF
univ. ~ the rate, believe, OF about - per
-,re- Thy move about from poir. Z, point
utuus tie grain some what in the order Of its
-PeEIrE, bat making no paTtIcaIIr hast. as the
rain tones 10 no harm from delay. \ machine
allied the Header Is seen every where AZ
work here. l. Gus re heads ofta- gra.u, aud
.-IOTs them In:O vans by whi.a ,h.y are
rt- rl d NJ 90
.-t:i.E aid lnresair- gees O. a. tie same tlnl..
some o. lie IaachiLes cary he pOiat Ut IAbJr-
AVIg 20 the S&;eE- % putting tie gram up IN
sss- hut this last vvrIak.e does not work quite
-atisfac-Js.ly 1 believe. To- grain when put
ITO bsgs - piled CT n the field, and is not pu.
lLcer shelter or moved uutI sent 20 m trk--
some u these grain farms are OF I'M mems
'SteLt- Il. j. Glenn. near JaciGto, has twelve
hundred acres of Grain N 4 single enclosure
nd has f0rty-eiEht hundred acres IN all.
General BidwcII (whc married IN washingtonD
-7Ims on the same scale. Much OF this gram
Ind Is however leased l. farmers Tor portion
Il The crop.
This portion Of the State san Joaquin VAL
~ d net fi-st-ciaSs grain land, producing
Fly about thirty bushels 70 the acre, whhs
much CT the valley land Oi California produces
-IXty, seventy, and eighty bushels OF wheat or
sarlsy 10 the acre, or more than three times
.rbat the best of our Western land (east of the
Rocky NouEtains) produces, II Is es,imateI
nat five cOuHties-Tehama, Butte, Suffer, o.
iusa, and Iolo-near the Sacramsnt1 river,
produce this year the enormous amount of
ilo,t0 .ons OF grain, mostly wheat. But the
and, fertile as IL IL, cannot stand the drain
nom cortiEEsl cropping, and by as exhau sting
q crop as wnea', without manure or sora
a4uiva,ent. TIE s.ubble is not even plougned
L by the improyident farmers of Californis,
-IxsOus TO get rich in q year or two, bu. Is
ogTned On the surface as more convenient
mode Of getting rid Of it. II this process Of
-kinring the land Is KEEP. up for a series of
yeaIs the bsst lands In California will come TO
present the look OF the toblcco-exhausted
feids Of Maryland and Virginia
L Break.down and the yinesary FemaIe
that Liked IL.
Leaving the plains, our road mounted over
sOme rolling land 70 high rugged hills, nearly
destitute OF vegetation and Distinguished by
a exuberant crop OF loose stones aud strait of
peTIendieular slate, taking curious forms OF
,Aeasss, headstones 70 graves, rows of SOL
diers. &c. About here our CJncord coach
broke down, greatly TO the satisfaction OF
yiEsgary female, who had been prophesying
vii all the Trip, and had had numerous spats