Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-09-23

AN 1'ERESTING LETTER.


AN INTERESTING LETTER.
Below win be found letter written
by Col Jarrett while in California,
which will richly pay pcrusal. A farm
twenty miles long and twenty miles
wide would be quite field in this
country but read the letter, which
we clip from the Clinton Democrat :
SAN FnANcIsco, CALIFORNIA, !
August %, 1874.
En-. DEMOCRAT After our return
from the geysers TO San Francisco, and
after days rest, we took the cars for
Merced ria Stockton for the Yo Semitic
Valley, the Switzerland Of America.
After riding In tho cars l40 miles we
arrived at Merced, fine town, and put
up for the night at the III Captain, an
excellent hotel Mcrced is located in
a charming plane, amidst fields Of
wheat, in some instances containing
from twenty TO twenty-five thousand
acres. This no doubt will appear in.
credible to u Clinton county farmer,
but il is nevertheless true. We here
saw the most interesting sight in the
way Of ploughing we ever bchcld, no
less than
SEVENTY pL0udHs MOVING AT THE SAME
TIME
in line of ochelon, preceded by squad
ron Of horses and mules of over 200.
The ploughs are arranged in platoons
of seven to each team, and are sup
ported by three wheels. This farm is
30 miles long by 20 broad. We asked
the superintendent how many acres
they generally ploughcd in day. lie
answered, IL miles. lie explained by
saying that the ploughing was done by
commencing at the boundary Of the
farm and continuing all day in the
same direction, and that they generally
went about II miles per day. At
night they form an ecampmcnt by
pitching their tents upon the field. A
number of wagons follow the column
Of ploughr. Thcso wagons CARRY tents,
provisions for the men, and water and
feed for the stock. This, we think, is
ploughing in earnest.
HARVESTING
is done, also on large scale by ma
chinery. A header, so-called, Is at
tached to huge wagons. The heads of
the wheat only are cut of, and the
machine throws the heads into the
wagon. The straw is left upon the
field and trampled down by cattle and
other stock.
At MERGED we took the stage for
the Yo Semitic Valley. We rode two
days over an exceedingly hilly, rough
and crooked road, oftcntimcs very
steep and the dust about three inches
deep. This was the most uncomforta-
bic stage ride we ever experienced !;
Notwithstanding this drawback, we
were well paid for all the discomfort
we had to endure. The scenery was
oftentimes picturesque and grand. Af
ter the first days ride we got among
the pines of Califonia,a Here we be-
hold trees from three to seven feet in
diameter and comparatively few acres
would furnish as much lumber as we
sometimes have in our boom at Lock
Haven when full.
After arriving in the midst Of this
pine forest, the stage driver rcined up
his horses and we got out of the stage
and took look at
THE GROVE OF rroLUMNE Bro TREES.
These trees constitute small grove
of probably one hundred acres in ex-
tent. Here we behold trees In all their
majesty. just think Of trees 325 feet
in height and 20 feet in diameterl AT
Calaveps big trees grow, and ut Mari |
posa there are trees 40 feet in diamc-
ter, and some are 125 feet in circum-
ference. Such trees would scare our
woodchoppcrs out of their boots. The
only way to fell such trees is by boring
them oil, and after they are down il is
necessary to blast them in order to re-
ducc them to workable size. A plank
sawed out of a fragment Of one of these
v ~" nv, ~ g. ny o;so, ~ ~ rrh;s MI
v .,,""h = 4 ;n,has I'LL : CO., ',,,,o amS @
20 feet long, and neither knot, zap or
blemish about IL After satisfng our
curiosity amongst the big trees, we
" asn,, 'n '.:da s,,ls.'a J S, a,'"a. - "nn,;nr
nus ",s 0,o,,d a. os "sm d,'as ~ a,.a,oJ "I' ~"
o'' ''o'' VI "'S' VIZ '"''''' '"'
SOUTH CANYON OF yo sEMlrE VALLEY.
The w sem;,o il a Iona hu, norow
valley, nanked on each side by perpcn-
d,cuiar rocks oiten overa mile IN he'ght
above the valley no appreciate the
sublime grandeur OF TINS valley u must
DC seen, ior no lnnguagc can describe
IL: Here God speaks ~ the supllmIty
oi nature Upon entering the valley
we pass two waterfalls on asn our ie''' one
called me iuppon ran, 3,5vo ieet' Inc