Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-10-11
NEWFOUNDLAND.
From Ship and Rail Car.
For the Alma RECORD.

can gather or make little SOIL, the
women are cultivating their fields
and gardens, doing what they can to
have some potatoes, cabbage, beans,
and like sort of vegetables to give
variety and freshness to what would
otherwise likely be very lean, dry
and uniform bill of fare. Much of
the soil in Newfoundland is scarcely
what we would call soil in Michigan
but looks hard and hungry, yet it is
amazing what is brought out of it..
Near st. Johns l saw piles of
potatoes and oats, and gardens of
various products that would be credit
able to SUMMER chimes and softer lands
Farming there means work. There
is much mulching done; the bog
lands not productive in themselves
are brought out and mixed with
gravel, then enriched with manure
compost and refuse fish, and nu-
tritous bed is formed that sends
a long growth in hurry. Straw
berries ard gooseberries are cultiva-
ted successfully with ease; and as to
potatoes and cabbages, they are
about as good as can be found any
where. Pork and cabbage are, they
say the national dish, and surely it is
a good solid one, and in that cline
helps TO make solid people. Except
in few Of the larger farms, which,
by the way, ace would not say are
very large, and fancy gardens, the
women for the most part, do the
work of tillage, as most of the men
are engaged in the labrador fisheries
and even those at home spend their
time in their boats from early morn
till eve. The Caplin is the cod food
and cod bait-a very delicate little
FISH six or eight inches long, white
and very sweet and delicious when
fried, that swarm on the shore by
countless millions about the first of
July, and is taken by boat load upon
boat load. Part is used for bait,
part dried for winters use, but the
greater part is sold for manure; a
shilling a barrel, dollar for large
cart load. These fish are spread
along by growing stalks, and after
a little covered with a spade. Again
when this work is going on for all
the miles of your route, is it any
wonder that the air smells "Fishy"?
But even during that portion of the
dav that the sun is hot the air is cool
SO that one comes to enjoy it all, and
about meal-time, with his keen APP
petite he declares it is healthy.
We leave the train at a place called
Salmon Cove, and drive down over
the hills we come down upon Brigus.
There is the usual bracing air and
majestic inspiring scenery; all at
once from the hills we came down
upon Brigus; and oh! what a town.
what tug between houses and rocks;
rocks all around and above; rocks
under and through. Brigus has
been a place Of much trade and great
wealth, but is now apparently want
ing. You look around at these bald
rocks, bare hills, bluffs, heads and
precipices, at the hard soil and scrub
by timber and you wonder whence
the trade and wealth came. But
you cannot fail TO notice that the air
is thick, rich and strong from the
sea and its exhaustless stores. Here
are the cod and the ceplin, and there
are the women on the slopes fertile
ing their little potato and cabbage
patches and the old shippers tell
you about their catches of seal !,
worth in one season $50, 900. But
oh the bad seasons and the precarious
catches, the losses by storm, the wear
and tear Of vessel and tackle; and
worse than all else the ruinoas ram; no
wonder there was wealth; no wonder
there is reverse and poverty. In the
barrenness Of shore the farms are on
the sea, and what bold adventurous
farmers are these, treadlng the deck
of the plunging ship, plowing the
rolling main. What danger en-
compass and what temptations bcset
these men How they need the mis-.
sionary of tho Gross. Ay, and the
echOOlmaster too: TO, such a life Is n