The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-01
LASSEN COUNTY,
It Promises to be An Apple-Growing
Section.
Productive yaHeys Inviting Enterprise
Peter Lassen's Grave-A
Pest of Rabbits.
Icorrespondence Of the REcoRD-US1oa.l

Correspondence of the REcoRD-USIoN.l
Driving from Susanville, along the
south side of Honey Lake Valley, one
passes many fine ranches, productive in
proportion to the supply of water.
Messrs. Mcclellan and Cain have very
profitable apple orchards. Mr.. McClel-
Ian has built up quite profitable trade
in shipping apples from Amedee to Los
Angeles, where their flavor is greatly ap-
precated. Those who have come there
with the idea that California apples lack
flavor are convinced of their mistake, and
the price they pay convinces them of the
profit of apple-raising here.
Mr.. Cain, across the street, has been
making the most of his advantages for
securing water and manure. Besides
raising fifty tons of alfalfa yearly from
place whose former owner was forced to
buy hay for one COW, he gets neat in
come from small fruits grown between
his trees. Both codling moth and woody
aphis are infesting these orchards, and the
fruit interests of Lassen County demand
from the Supervisors the appointment Of
horticultural officer who shall see that
proper remedies are used for the pre-
yention and destruction OF insect pests.
There are plenty of people here who
would consider il great hardship and an
interference with their personal liberty to
be prevented from allowing a few trees,
from which they gained no advantage, to
breed pests enough TO discourage what
should naturally be a leading interest OF
the county. These same men would be
benefited # made to cut down worthless
trees to max room for something else. or
TO destroy the pests and make the trees
productive.
no 81 1,o, &c,
every inducement 10 plant large orchards
of the harder fruits, especially apples.
las last years crop was very large and
the present season unusually late and
frosty Lassen County is doing very we'll,
indeed, to produce half crop OF apples.
PETER LAssEN's GRAVE.
At his request, Peter Lassen, the pio-
neer who first settled the Stanford prop
erty at Nina, built many roads and trails
into the country and was killed by the
Indians in 1859, was buried under a
great pine where he first camped in Las
sen County, and which he selected as the
largest tree he had found in the mount
aims.
His monument has Masonic emblems
and appropriate inscriptions, but the ma
terial is fast crumbling away. The mon
ument he chose from nature, however,
seems likely to last. 1t is to be found
about five miles south from Susanville.
BAXTER CREEK VALLEY.
Along this valley are some prosperous
settlements, where the leading industry
is dairying with cows that were driven
to the mountains for summer range.
L. NJ. Hostetter has a few acres in gar
den and small fruits, that show well
what the country viii produce. In COM
mon with all the scattering hop-vines
about the valley, his show wonderful
growth and productiyeness. No hop
q prominent industry as soon as the at
tenton of men of experience and enter
prise is attracted. His currantS are small,
but raspberrieS, straw berries aud black
berries make very satisfactory growth.
He says the soil varies in depth from six
inches to six feet to the hardpan. Depth
largely determines value of soil and it's
capacity TO absorb water above irrigation
to keep plants growing for length of
time. Mr.. Hostetter uses for his garden
and alfalfa about one inch of water per
acre during the three months of the irri-
CATION season.
There are about ten thousand acres of
good .sagebrush land yet in that valley
that could be reclaimed by irrigation.
For three months, while rains are falling
end SHOWS are melting in the spring, the
creek usually has flow of about two
thousand inches. There is a fine reser-
volr site in position TO command most of
the land.
Whenever the balance of the land comes
under the control OF private owners and
the people generally can be made to see
that each acre in a large body of product
i've land is more valuable than an acre in
a narrow strip of fertile land surrounded
by wide eXpanse of desert, there is a
fine chance Tor a small irrigation enter
prise on the Wright or some other Coop
eratiye system. At present too many
people agree with the sentiment of
70 loClx pafI1 f1,oT
ance, whose important discovery was an
nounced to me in terms of high COM
mendation. Her diagnosis of agricultural
depression was, I'VE raise too much corn
and pork and not enough hell.''
marked disposition among old set
tiers to speak disparagingly of public en-
terprlSeS, to engage IN litigation calcu-
lated TO retard their progress and to de-
mand eXtortionate damages, leads me to
think that the lecturer touched popular
chord.
At Milford are many apple orchards
that are promising very, satisfactorily,
and Harry Cracker is hidden away in a
nook next the hills, while he uses a
little stream of water to raise almost
everything good TO eat. Farther south
are some ranches where they make liv-
ing farming sagebrush land without
water, except little for the meadow.
by summer following or sowing grain in
the fall there is generally enough moist
ure to mature crop.
From anxiety shown by people in
the vicinity of Milford for more direct
connection with railroad and what they
said of the lake, the idea occurred OF
building a turnpike directly across to
Amedee at the next stage of low water.
Let it be from two to eight feet high and
protected from wash by willow stakes
that might soon grow into trees.
THE RABBIT PEST.
Farmers are complaining of damage to
their grain fields, owing to marked in
crease of rabbits, since so many coyotes
and wild cats We're poisoned to secure the
bounty. On the way down to Lake
Greeno-the reservoir of the Honey Lake
Valley Land and Water Company-they
kept starting up from both sides until
was convinced that there were moro than
1000 to the section. Rabbit drives are