Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-10-04
CALIFORNIA LETTER.

COAST MOUNTAINS, CAIn, S'pt 90 73.
Friend Reed In dating September, l am
conscious that fall has again come, and ! cX-
prct you people of that frosty country are
preparing for the winter that awaits you, by
laying IN supplies 10 meet its necessities :.
your farmers have secured, and are securing
their crops, and their well filed barns and
store HOUSES are evidence that there is u time
Of need coming
Wouldn't you'like 10 live in n country where
winter is considered To be the plcnsnnlcst time
OF ycury Our farmers do not work hard all
summer merely Ia supply their winter wants /;
al. surplus grain is sold to ben, tit non produc-
ers. Nothing is slowed away no ioddering is
done except To such animals rs aIe kept up for
present use+ tor genial climate and fertile
soil furnishes food Tor stock the year round. a
country like this makes lnZy farmers; there Is
not that energy aud industry of the eastern
farmer neither have their farms that snug and
finished appearance which Is found in the
East In the valleys, grain raising is their oc-
upatOn, but the dry season gives them plenty
Of time for harvest; II Is lhr, she'd IN the field,
put IN sacks and hauled away Mt pleasure
The blowing and sowing Is done af,er the fail
rains come on; there Is NJ cessation of growth
in winter, and 50 before the dry season comes
again, the grain is maturd and ready 10 har'
vest On these mountains ranches only grain
enough Is raised to keep the seed good, and
have enough Tor present USE, These monn-
tain thrcshing machines remind me of pictures
have seen oI the ancient Egyptians; u circu'
lar corral Is built, about thirty feet in diane
ter, on hard ground; thick layer of un-
threShed grain is spread around, then all the
horses and coils ON the rancho are driven In,
aud "Vaqucro" with long whip, applies
the circular motion, which continues until the
grain is well trampcd out (; the quadrepeds are
then taken out. the ho2r is cleaned of grain
and straw, another supply is laid on, again the
horses rotate and 80 continue until finished
But stock, not grain, raising Is the main de-
pendrncc up here. Cattle are ready for the
market al any season OF the year Hogs are
only marketable when they have secured the
acorn crop; at this time Of year they are too
Thin to ohs'ruet the rays of the sun since being
here have seen SO many OF these lone. nosed,
lank, squcaling pork frames, that have be-
Nbtht BNaNNA WV "N ihI uh llc nbk - CON
eerned. Calves run with the cows until they
are from four 10 eight months old, when buy
ers ffon the city drive them out These have
large ranges 10 run over, and they become
about us Wild as dsers, aud 10 get them sepa.
rated aud out OF these hills Is no small trick
| saw drove Of about 100 go by to-day
There we're horsemcn In front Of them, horse.
men to the rear of them, horsencn ON ei'hel
flank Of them--in fact, they weFe s1Jronnde,
by horsemen IN the same manner that immor
tai six Hundred" were with cannons- Yes
fifteen men aud three women were required L
escort this band Of calves out Of the noun
taIns.
And these womeR were none behind tb'
men In hoysemanship, or reckless riding.
believe have never told you much about ou
females. They are not very plenty but wha
there is, are old OF their age they matur
young, aud nay of them matrimonlally 10
elIpsd can preaS hrs TO .heEs namcs befsr