The morning call., 1891-02-08
NOTES FROM NILES.
The Rain and the Crop Prospects.
A Notable Wedding.

Editor Morning Call: The total rainfall
! for January has only been 20 of an inch
| the smallest known since records have been
| kept in California. The rainfall for the
| season has been a fraction over inches
against 20 odd inches at the same date last
! year. However, it is not too late for heavy
rains yet One Of the highest freShets ever
| known in this valley was as late as April.
and the winter OF 1S5i-52, to which this is
| compared. had no greater rainfall up to this
date. but in March and April the storms
came and were sufficient to insure good
crops The outlook for a good year was
never better in this section. A dry year fol-
| lowing wet one is most always good one,
but third or even a second dry winter in
succession will not be conducive to good
! fruit returns. Last years rainfall was IN
usually large. and following upon two dry
| winters the first crop with the single excep-
tion of almonds) showed unusually fine re-
turns. 1t looks very strange to still sre the
| brown hills at this time of year. Pasturage
! is very scarce and high, and so is hay, prices
being In the ueighborhOod of SlS per ten.
what rain has fallen has every bit Of it
been of use, and the land has been in good
condition for the plow at any time within
| the past month The soil may readily be
/
| unoa dry sponge the most of it will run
| on. and II will lake some time for the water
| to be absorbed but, once get it moisiened
well. and 1t viii take up every drop poured
| upon it until 1t is filed So with the soil.
| The first rains find the ground hard or
| iumpy. The rain runs into the lowest spots
| and evaporates, or filters between the Jumps
| or down gopher holes or angleworm holes
ana may do good later in the winter by be-
| ing The source of the deeper roots supply.
| But let the surface soil once be filled with
| water and each successive rain penetrateS
| every lump and filters slowly down, kee ping
| the whole moist. Now the plowman knows
| this, and stlrS the ground we'll after every
| rain, so it shall not lump, and that it may
| be in condition TO receive and absorb every
| drop that may fall
Orchardists have finished pruning and sew
| eral gentlemen are still experimenting
with different washes and with dit
| ferent methods of pruning. The moor
park or hemskirk variety of apricots has
borne but one crop In this neighbOrnood in
seven years, so the two or three people who
still have trees of that variety are not cut
ting them back as they do with other april
cots, but are thinning the trees out only. 1t
Will be two or three years, however, before
1t VIII be possible to determine what may be
the results, and at present indications the
moorpark crop promises to be extremely
good this season.
Last week being tie tenth anniversary of
the est blishment of Christian Eudeavor So
cieties, very interesting services were held
Sunday by our pastor Instead OF the regular
church service. len years ago the organI-
cation began with six societies and about
thirty members. To-day it numbers thou
sands uf societies and over half a million
member.
a number of gentlemen held a meeting
last Friday evening and organized an A. Ill
ance Club, tha Oil .erS Of which are some IF
the most influential farmers in this COM
munity.
Last Tuesday, the Sd of February, being
the twenty fifth anniversary of the wedding
dren, Mrs. R. II. Hunt and Miss
Maud ami Master Harry, gave them
most enjoyable surprise, Which was
a success IN every particular. About twenty
hVe guests were present. Progressive
euchre was played and the prizes, which
We're OF silver, were won by Mrs Snyder,
Mrs. Cl0ugh, II. j. Tiluen and j L. Thane
Mir. and Mrs. Masher received several very
handsome presents.
The first wedding to occur in the first
church ever built in Niles was that of the
first pastor of that church. Rev. +. Ii. Maar
was married February 4th, at o'clock in
the afternoon, to Miss May Tyler of Oak
land. daughter of Ashur Tyler and sister of
Mrs. Charles Shinn Of Niles The bride
was dressed in cream colored nuns yelling
en- train, and looked most charming in her
Veil and orange blossoms. The bridal party
entered at o'clock to the strains of the
Wedding march by the organist, Miss Lizzie
Snyuer; behind the two ushers two little
children, the niece of the groom and brother
OF the bride, scattered mig one;te and
vlolets, then followed Rev. J. X. Mclean,
the Ior1caiing Clergyman. and the groom,
the bride upon her fathers arm aud the
Two bridesmaids aud groOmSmen, Miss
Brooks and Mr.. Joseph Shinu and Miss
| Ber5mann and Mr.. q. Staub. After the
| short ana impressive ceremony the bride
and groom received the congratulations of
hnn6TadS N u1tns fs L.
immense DELL, suspended III the back of the
church, after which they drove away,
donned their travelling garments and took
the train 10 Santa Cruz. Besides the nsm-
Ders or the two congregation of Niles and
Mission San Jose, of which the gentleman
Is pastor, every country town within q
radius of fifteen miles sent guests, and as
many as seventy five guests came up from
San Francisco and Oakland. The young
couple received large number of hand
some and useful presents, which they
| VIII ma extremely handy when thew b.gn
housekeeping i'll the little-Parsonage which
VIII be finished within the month. The
| decorations III the church were SO very fine
that they need more than passing mention.
Ihey were under the able direction Of Miss
Florence Mortimer, who has the hothou SeS
| oil two nurseries to Gull from, all the pr-
| vase gardens III the neighborhood and
canyon tull OF ferns, brakes and MOSES.
Every window had great sprays of; ivy,
| fastened with lunches of oranges. The
organ had jars filed with the Towering al
mond; on The right Of the organ a hand
| some standard was filed with rare hot
| house plants, and'the same plants were ON
| each windOw-ledge and covered the floor of
| the pulpit, in the center of which stood
branching palm The back of the pulpit was
lined with bamboo drawn over to form
dome. TO the right of the pulpit stood two
perfect specimens of rare evergreen trees
fifteen feet tall, but the daintieSt thing of
all was pagOda-shaped canopy suspended
directly in front of the pulpit, and under
meath which the bridal couple stood. 1t was
about eight feet high and four feet wide,
made entirely of brakes, maiden's-hai ana
smilaX, while snowdrops peeped out from
It's lining of ferns and maiden s-hair
Niles February Z, 1891 Mrs L. K THANE