The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-07-12
IT WAS TOO MUCH.
Wonders on Lucky Bnldwin's Rnnch-A
Costly Team Speeding the PlOw.

Costly Team Speeding the PlOw.
Lucky Baldwin's ranch, near Los
Angeles, CAL, is becoming as well known
throughout the country as the palatial
hotel that bears his name In San Fran
cisco, and many noted Eastern capitalists
on their visit to California make point
of visiting the southern counties on pur-
pose to take view of his farm. Recently
a wsll-known New York financier arrived
in Los Angeles on visit, says Cali
fornia paper, and on the following
morning was up bright and early to make
a tour of the ranch under the guidance
of his host.
This gentleman was loud in his en-
comiums of all he saw-the semi. tropical
fruits, the fine crops, the broad pastures
and then he asked to see the famous
stock of animals of which he had heard
so much. Vending their way toward
the stables, some two miles distant, they
came across a ten-acre field of wild
flowers, which, from their variety and
brilliancy of hues, astonished the
stranger. eyes" said his host, with a
quiet smile, "that's my polishing crops"
and when his guest turned to him with
an inquiring gaze, he resumed: You
see, [ need a great deal of beeswax to
polish the furniture of the Baldwin, and
that's the bees pasture" Tie visitor
was puzzled, but still, remembering on
what vast scale some affairs in Cali
fornia were conducted, he simply made
a note of it.
A few Enclosures being passed, they
came upon a large field in which were
pastured immense focks of sheep, and
when his guest expressed his wonder at
their numbers, his host remarked quietly
that cit wasn't bad hog crop" "Hog
crop!" exclaimed his companion why
these are sheep" "True, :" replied Mr..
Baldwin i" but pasturage is scarce this
year, and many prefer shearing their
flocks and then killing them to fatten
the hogs, that command a good price in
the San francisco markets, while sheep
are almost worthless" Our financier
began to imagine he was being quizzed,
but on second thought he acknowledged
that this might be also the case, and
held his tongue. Gro sing this small
plain, they came to q field that was being
plowed, and driving up to a team MIR.
Baldwin asked how they worked. The
guest glanced anxiously at his watch and
exclaimed: GIVE only an hour to spare,
and want to SEQ some of your horses. !"
Well, look at that team," was the re-
plv chow do they work, James ?" he
continued to the driver. "The bay is
quiet, but the sorrel is little skittish.
sir" the plowman answered. ooh,
bother" said the stranger 1 want to
look at your thoroughbreds, and not at
plow horses" "What do you think l
,aid for them 2. said Mr.. Baldwin
quietly. "Oh, perhaps $500 for the
span" Multiply it by ten and You
are nearer the mark, was the reply.
Give thousand dollars !" exclaimed the
stranger in almost speechless astonish-
ment. "And then make it four times
as much and you've got the correct
figure" "Twenty thousand dollars y
echoed the guest, "and what in thunder
are they?" Only Grinstead and Ruther-
ford"
"Here, let me get away" was the
strangers reply. That you turn acres
of flowers into furniture polish, and
focks of sheep into hog crop, [ can
believe, but that you put to the plow
two of the finest thoroughbredsin Amer
lea, I'll never credit" And, despite
Baldwin's assurances that the slight
work was of benefit to the horses, that
illustrious stranger swallowed the flower
and hog stories, but would never believe
that it was possible to speed the plow
with q $4,000 team.