The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-09-15

Gen. Custer's command over the beauties
of the Black Hills country. These re.
ports read like some fairy story One
correspondent says
We had formed many antcipations con.
nected with the Black Hills, had pictured
its hills and dales. its forests and streams
its silver and gold Nothing beautiful OF
desirable had been left uninspected. But
still, for all this, nature took us complete.
ly by surprise. We had expected every.
thing but bounteous floral welcome.
We were almost startled by the unlocked
for array which met US as We descended
into the valley. Such brilliancy. such
beauty, such variety, such profuson.
All the glories Of color form and fra.
GRANGE which Fora could command had
been woven into a carpet for our feet
The whole valley was a garden, teeming
with the gladness and Joy of new crea.
ton Yes. an Edcn in tho sky without
the forbidden fruit How VIC reveled in
this newfound beauty. No one from
the commanding general down to the
hum6lest private or the most profane
teamster, could withstand the effect. The
greed for gold was forgotten. We ceased
to look for nuggets that would make us
suddenly rich. Beauty for the time
seemed the on wealth, men who had
never picked flower since their child
hood days bent and paid the long neg
lectcd homage. Cavalrymen and team.
sters decorated their horses and mules !;
inianlrymcn plumed their hats officers
gathered nose.gays, pocket.books and
notebooks were brought into requisition
to press and preserve the free gilt Of the
valley. There was something almost af.
iecting in seeing rough, coarse men soft
ened and refined. by the sweetness Of the
flowers, taking ont worn, tobacco scented
pocket books and putting in 4 flower or
two lust to send to the old woman
For once grumblcrs against camps and
country were hushed by their own con.
fession. know no more powerful testi.
mony to the charm of the valley than this
general aquiescence, silent or expressed.
1t would be amusing. indeed, and an or.
ignal contribution to criticism, to record
|
thusiasts bestowed on this new Florida.
The same inadmissiblc adjectives which
were used as prefixes to the blasphemous
curses against the barren waists OF Dakota
were now transferred to dialects of praise.
But there was no mistaking the sentiment.
This side Of California | have. never
seen such variety and abundance in flo.
al display. Lilies, roses, blue bells, ,astera,
sunhowers, geranium, towering pea,
monks hood, lupen, flax primroses, and
many flowers that cannot name, were
mingled and repeated in artless and ex-
uberant 'profusion. Scarcely moving from
his seat on the ground Gen Forsyth col.
lected seventeen different species Of Aow. ..
crs. One of the commonest and most ad.
mired in the whole pasture is beautiful
white lily with bended throat. first no.
ticed by DR.. Williams, which is not des.
crbed in the botany books, and which
none OF us have met in the East \
bright pink and white geraninm, the for.
mer present in great abundance, seem to
be undescribed varieties Of the geranium
naocnlatum. \ number Of other flowers
found will have to be reserved until our
return Cor exact classification. Nor had
nature forgotten her function as caterer.
Gooseberres, raspberries juaeber.ies
(amelanchoir c4nadenSis), large and
sweet, ard occasionally few strawberries
were found on the hillsides and freely
eaten
Our camp last night was by com.
mon consent. the loveliest Of the trip, in.
deed the only one which, up to that time
| deserved the title. Our tents were
pitched on each side Of the valley at the
basis Of the including hills. embowered
in grove of young aspens. In the
morning camp was moved at the usual
hour The thermometer was nearly
down to freezing point when we sat down
to breakfast at $3.50 O'Clock. Thin ice
was actually found on some of our rub
Der blankets. But still the flowers never
seemed to droop or chill. They are bet.
ter used than We to this mountain air.
Huge camp.iires at night and in the
morning before sunrise, are not only com.
forts but neccssarics. We find, too, in
this rarlied air, iha, any little excrtion
or climbing Il hill makes us puff and blow
| like 80 many asihmatics.
Our march OF twelve miles up the val.
ley was simply delightful The hills,
which al our entrance to the valley almost
shut IT IN, leaving but narrow passage
- or 100 yards wide, reccded slightly
from each other, but still greatly exceed
ia height the width Of the valley. The
iinra seemed even to increase in richness
anl abundance The little rill, scarcely
two feet vide al our camp, which a little
further down was lost ia the soil and
only marked hy sfecuer growth Of grass
began 10 increa,r IA >izc and volume as
we assembled the valley. 1t seemed
strange indeed that the stream should
grow deeper. broader aud more volumi.
nous rs we assembled than il was below.
1t was Que Of the enchanlmcni. Of the
valley.
lcr CREAM.-Take Tin pail holding
gallon and ill it half full OF sweet milk
cream and all THIS will be sufficient
for SIX or eight persons. Into this put a.
bout II teacup of white sugar and three
or four table-spoonluls Of extract of lem.
on, If you want it very rich add ,vu.
pie OF eggs, well beaten, as for cake but
ordinary stomachs will find the milk and
its cream sufficiently rich. Then take
piece OF ice and put it in wooden pail
and shave it with an ak, aiming to get it
as fine as possible, though some of i: may
be AS coarse as hickory.nuts. Fill the
pail twoihids full OF ice aud add about
q quart Of rock salt; this is besi, but fine
salt will do. Stir it up thoroughly aud
pour it into another dish, leaving a little
in the bottom of the pail. Upon this set
the tin pail aud ill in the space firmly
with the ice and -,lt, being careful not to
get any into the cream. In Il very few
minutes 1t will begin TO freeze ON the bot.