The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-11-29
The Horse Jockey.

A horse dealer is double dealer, for
he dealeth more in double meaning than
your punster. When he giveth his word
it signifeth little, howbeit it standeth
for two signifcations. He putteth his
promises, like colts, in break. Over
his mouth, Truth, like the turnpike
man, writeth up No Trust. Whenever
he speaketh, his spoke hath more turns
than the forewheel. He telleth lies not
white only, or black, but likewise gray,
bay, chestnut, brown and roan-piebald
and skewbald. He sweareth as many
oaths out of court as any man, and moro
in; for he will swear two days about
horses dam. If, by Gods grace, he be
something honest, it is only a dapple,
for he can be fair and unfair at once.
He hath much imagination, for he sell
eth complete set of harness of which
there be no traces. He advertiseth o
coach, warranted on its first wheels, and
truly the hind wheels are wanting to the
bargain. A carriage that hath Travelled
twenty summers and winters he descrlb-
eth as well seasoned. He knocketh
down machine-horses that have been
knocked up on the road, but is so tender
of heart to his animals that he parteth
with none for fault; "for,' SO he say
eth, blindness or lameness be misfor-
tunes" A nag proper only for dogs
meat, he writeth down, but crieth, eft
to go to any hands," or as may be,
"would suit timid gentleman" String
halt he calleth 'grand action. and kick
ing ''lifting the feet well up" If mare
have farcical disease, he nameth her
''out of Comedy" and selleth Blackbird
for a racer, because he hath a running
thrush. Horses that drink only water
are justly warranted to ''be temperate,
and if dead lame, declareth them good
Sin all their paces," seeing that they
can go but one. Roaring he calleth
sound" and steed that high bloweth
in running, he compareth to Eclipse, for
he outstrippeth the wind. Another might
be entered as steeple chaser, for why
he is as fast as a church. Thorough
pin with him is synonymous with "per-
feet leg" If nag 'cougheth, It's "a
clever hack" If his knees be fractured
he is ''well broke for the gig or saddle"
If he reareth he is "above sixteen hands
high" If he hath drawn a tierce in q
cart he is good fencer. If he biteth
he shows good courage; and he is play
full, merely, though he should play the
devil. If he runneth away, he calleth
him "off the Gretna Road, and has been
used to carrying lady" If a cob STUN
bleth, he considers him true goer, and
addeth, ''the proprietor parted from him
to go abroad" Thus, without much
profession of religion, yet he is truly
christian-like in practice, for he dealeth
not in detraction, and would not dispar-
age the character even of brute. Like
unto Love, he is blind unto all blemish-
es, and sees only virtue, meanwhile he
gazeth at a vice. He taketh kick of a
nag's hoof like a love token, saying only
before standers-by, "poor fellow-he
knoweth mer and is content rather to
pass as q bad rider than that the horse
should be held restive or over mettle-
some, which discharges him from his
back. If it hath bitten him besides, and
moreover bruised his limb against the
coach wheel, then, constantly returning
good, he giveth it but the better charac
ter, and recommended it before all the
stud in his stable. In short, the worse
horse may be, the more he chanteth
his praise, like crow that croweth over
Old Ball, whose lot it is on common
to meet with the Common Lot.-Ions
Hoods Whims and Oddities.
DIR. Newberry's "Report on the Geol-
ogy of Ohio" contains a chapter on the
origin of prairies, in which views arc
advanced that bear directly upon tho
question of forest-planting, and which,
if accepted, may serve to materially
check the progress of this work. Our
readers will, doubtless, recall recent
review of the report of the character of
the meteorological observatory at Cen
tral Park, in which it was made appar-
ent that the clearing of the Western
primeval forest was followed by no evil
dent diminution in the average yearly
rainfall. Although this opinion was di-
rectly opposed to the prevailing idea as
to the influence of vegetation on the
yearly rainfall, yet it was supported by
such evidence as to secure for it our en-
dorsement, and now we find that Profess
sor Newberry takes similar ground. A
review of his arguments suggests the
conclusion that the light rainfall upon
the prairie-regions of the West is not
result of the absence of trees, but rather
the cduse-that had there been rain there
would have been trees. DIR. Newberry
divides the region west of the Mississip-
pi into seven districts, with the relative
rainfall and timber-growth as follows:
1. Lying between the Mississippi and
the Atlantic, with thirty-two to sixty
inches of annual rain and generally well
wooded. 2. From the Mississippi to
the Rocky Mountains, having ten to
thirty inches of rain. 3. The Rocky
Mountains, well watered and wooded.
4. The great basin between the Rocky
and Sierra Nevada Mountains, with two
to sixteen inches rain, and sterile. 5.
The Sierra Nevadas, well watered and
heavily timbered. 6. The California
Valley; rainfall limited and intermittent;
timber along the permanent streams.
Z. The Coast Mountains, well timbered.
Upon these tables the conclusion is
reached that, for the vigorous growth of
forest-trees, at least thirty inches of
yearly rainfall is needed. The bearing
of these facts is very broad, since, if
fully proved, change in the current of
immigration may follow, leading new
settlers to choose sites within the favor
ed belts, and avoiding the prairies, since
there seems little chance of shading
them.-Appleton's Journal.
| There were received at New York last
week 2, 2,953, 122 bushels of wheat-nearly
one million of bushels in excess of the