The Placer herald., 1870-02-19
WHITE PINE COUNTRY.
FOREST HILL, February IL, 1870.


Editor Herald.-With your consent propose,
through the HERALD, to answer some OF the IN
ouiries of old friends and neighbors concerning
south eastern Nevada OF the agricultural pros
poets of this portion of the State but little can
be said. for though there are extremely fertile
vallies the country is generally sterile and wa
terlcss Upon the Big Muddy, below Hicko' Inc
County Seat of Lincoln, barley, wheat ana veg
etables of every description are grown, rs also
at Meadow Valley, fifty miles east. The val'ies
suitable for agricultural pursuits are chiefly oc-
cupied by Mormons. Flour manufactured in the
country is worth S8 Fer hundred pounds, car
rency; potatoes, as fine as ever grown, are worth
from four to six dollars, currency, per hundred,
and most excellent beef sells at sixteen cents,
currency. AS a stock growing, butter making
county, eastern Nevada has no superior. The
mountain ranges are TO q great extent covered
with the finest grasses, while the intervening
half desert vallies produce sand grass and whlte
sage, both very nutrition winter grazing. IL,
however but little can be said in favor OF the
country nd farming region. it would be dlihcult
to exaggerate the miners. wealth OF its noun
tains. In every direction from White Pine MI
ming districts have been organized and 1t IS not
too much to say that in each there are mines OF
great wealth. | spent several months IN the
Tenn Piute mining district $50 miles due south
of White Pine. In this District there are ores OF
the highest grade known to silver miners. Inc
ores are chloride, phide and horn silver. The
ores nearly ali req uire roasting Several mines,
owing to the presence of antimOny and lead, VIII
be most readily reduced by the furnace. l have
found many old friends who entertain the I'M
preston that base metal mine Is not near SO
valuable as a mne the OF which are more
n ia not
NAV be reduced at one fourth the cost oil milling
without taking into the cunt the fact that FUR
naces with capacity of n twenty stamp mill can
he constructed at one-hall the cost or less.
A gain, It's an error to suppose base metal veins
are less rich in silver than veins, the ores OF
which are chlornated. This is fully shown at
White Pine where as uriiorm large resu Its are
had from the base metal range as from Treasure
Hill AT Tenn Piute | found your old friend
Judge II. A. Thompson. formerly OF Folsom.
The Judge is developing halfa dozen or more
mines, which are pronounced equal TO any inc
Comstock celebrities not excepted. want OF
milling facilities have retarded the development,
bnt Messrs Dunbar & Co.. of San Francisco are
to erect mills this Spring. Other obstacles, as
want of rock, distance from water, want oil Post
Office and Express conveniences &C., Will All oe
numbered with the past-things to be remem-
bercd when few more months are gone. An
other error may as well he mentioned. There Is
no greater mistake 'nan " 'uPpo'0 gu "'nH ~.
country unhealthy and venture to assert that
as salubrous climate and covering as great an
area of country is found in the State OF Nevada
as in California. When cities are built ten or
more thousand feet above the sea, people will
find the home OF winds and sudden changes, but
aside from this in all the State of Nevada sick
ness cannot prevail from any natural local caus
es. Going to Nevada with the intention oil MI
ming, one cannot go estray. l sincerely believe
very few would fail of realizing moderate ex-
pectatons, provided they would concentrate and
not scatter their efforts. TEN Piute presents
good field for the exercise of muscle in opening
its mines. There are doubles many other Dis
trcts equally as fertile in silver, but know of
none more So J. Ii. BAKER.