Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-16
aeliatclIanu.
A Nporlman's Paradise.

a correspondent Of the San Francisco
uorniny Cay wiring from Bakersfield
Cal, uuier date OF September u, says
Fourteen miles 10 the south from
this pace lies k-rn Lake. 1t is about
twelve miles long and three miles wide
and connects on the north with Buena
Vista Lake by morrow channel about six
miles long. The border OF the lake is
hidden by dense tue, except on parts OF
the southern end aud the western side Ga
the e8 rene >oIthern end some wealthy
stock and land owners have erected
a large house, which they occupy as
hunters quarters ia autumn and winter
when the great fl rex OF wild fowj comes 10
from the North TO take possession OF the
AXE Tbey have constructed q wharf OUT
INTO the wafer 90 which their boats are
attach d. Tnc waters are now higher
than has been known for years Once out
INTO the lake, the waters are clear aud
deep and abound in FISH. Dlcks and
geese are few as vet The blue crane.
mui hen aud BLACK curiew have . monop-
dig OF the borders. Toe crane amuses
nImself speariUg bIIckbirds. He stands
as motionlvs- ais stake till the BIRD hops
near him, when, with sudden stroke, he
ENDS bis sharp bill through him, then
deliberately makes biz meal
/ &c From Kern the waters f1w into
! 3uen4 VISTA Lake "a larger body Of wafer,
~ extreme western de touching the
| Coast Range Thence the waters take
what is known as lhe BueuA Vista S ough
iu1 fpw towards and INTO the great Tu
are Lake The lands bordering the
slough are the abode OF thousands Of cat
re, wadiug iu grass 70 their knees, where
they remain f, spring brings out the
more succuent aiH.aria' on the plains.
The grass along the slough waves IN ,be
sind Ike gram, and has the appearance OF
rhe red top Of Westr m New York
Cattle from the coast and from the noun
tains OF SIN BcrulrllDO Tehachapi and
Santa Barbara, in times OF drought are
lriyen here. where they God subsistence
when all else Is ptrc1eI AMI barren. Here
Ne~srs NJ Her a. lux maze seeu el nearly
10000 acres, 10 which nearly all Their
attic adj .oeuJ on the bulls aud plans re-
treat during sumner AMI au umn.
The channel ihr uzl which Inc waters
Of the Buena VIZ Join those OF Tu.are
i1Ae- ~ ALlH iitNi 81 ILi' oi AZ a. HI ''o'-1
seem that q common scoop shovel would be
most suitable 10 take them with threw
hem out upon The banks with piece OF
an oar-ihe perch. sun h~h and number
less smaller specimens which would puzzle
the famous A 1ass to name. Numerous
small channels cad from the main slou2h
,ut upon either side, which, IN time Of
nigh water, food q large territory As
The waters recede the grass appears and
lasts through the winner.
Z" IL would require but small outlay 10
cut of the branches and c)uine the water
to the main channel, thus rec aiming thou
sands Of acres Of the most fertile land in
the world-a tract five miles in width by
forty miles IN length, which under the
swamp Land law. has passed into the
hands Of private individuals. Inc success
tu butchers Of San Francisco have the
western and narrowest side OF the channel,
and q prom nent Insurance president in the
same city has the more valuable eastern
side fifty thousand acres Of land, rich and
fertile enough TO support = thousand fam !.
lies, VINO must wait till the great land +
pwner chooses 10 divide it among them /
The connection contemplated by the South /.
ern Pacific Railroad, now building up the I
Salinas TO the POlonia Pass, with the San /
Joaquin Valley RIilroad at Bakersfield, /.
leads across these lands, the effect Of which T
these land men well know, and they hoard /
their possessions, TO the manifest injury Of
the general interest Of the state, to whom
the best part OF all this territory was gwen |
by the general government.
A yet, however, there is ample room /
Tor the settler. These swamp lands, from /
the southern end Of Korn to the southern |
end OF Tulare Lake, form the western
boundary Of The large tract Of open
government land which lies, between it and |
Kern II yer, whose bOuniliul waters are /
ever ready for use, aud offer abundant /
temptation Tor every family to secure .
home. Along the many branches CT the
river timber IS plenty, and gives shelter |
10 immense numbers Of quan. The hare
and smaller cotton tails abound, less 4
troublesome pest than the squirrels and .
Lophers, which are here uuAnown, aud |
certainly more acceptable on q 81 cI be- /
fore the fire. with such aPpetltes a. our
little exploring party invariably have
The Inallard duck spends the summer /
among the willows, and ls found On every |
stream.
=. he thousands of idle poor in the
cities could here iud easy subsistence |
The domestic fowl is subject to none Of
the diseases so common on the coast, and |
the turkey, SO difficult to raise about the |
bay Of San Francisco, here grows without
care aud without food, except the seeds
and insects in which this section is
specially prolific. Eggs are taken to the j
mines in the mountain, where they bring
seventy FIVE cents to one dollar per dozen,
the demand being much greater than the
supply. No one is making q business of
raising fowls. which it seems offers better
promise OF profit than any of the vegeta.
Bile products Of which this soil gives
yield. Bacon and hams
are brought from San Francisco It a cost
in freight Of three cents per pound. while
The nut grass. alfalfa and corn on twenty /
acres would feed aud tatteD one hundred q