Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-03-29
COMMUNICATED
Interesting Letter From a Well Known
Gratiot County Citizeu-Dr Downie
Writes OF California and Business
Openings.

OpelllbEs
The following letter 10 Lot Ferris OF
sumner We print by permission. 1t will
be of interest to many of our readers
SPRINGFIELD, or Jan. 18th. 1895
Lot Ferris Esq.
DEAR FREND.-You will, no doubt DE
surprised when YOU see the name at the
end OF lhi, letter, but have often thought
of you since left Alma, Michigan.
was in California, in the san Joaquin
valley ~ miles southeast of san Fran
cisco, for nine months, and did very well
10 begin with. and would probably be
there vel if had not been poisoned by
Poison Oak. Ii was in January, year
ago. and | have not felt well since. Wy
eyes sweled shut three different times and
my face and neck and other parts Of my
body were fright to look al. The SKIN
pealed off all over my body twice suf
fered death itself Ii was fearful for
about SIN months | was in San Fran
cisco in June and July during the strike,
doctoring with the professors OF the
Cooper Medical College and with some OF
those of the University OF California.
visited the Mid Winter Fair 1t was a
counterpart of the Worlds FAIR at Chicago
on a small scale-a side show to a big
circus.
was in the middle of the Southern
wheat belt of California when there, IN
Stanislaus Co the premium county in
past years, of California. The Sacramento
valley is the northern belt. and of late
years takes the lead IN raising wheat One
man owned 230, 900 acres in the valley
around where was He died last winter
Ii is grand TO see them put in grain down
there They seed as they pillow. The
seeder is on top of the pillow. and seeds and
plows at the same time. They never drag
that sandy land but they do little where
il is clay or dobe land, by hitchng on q
small drag behind the pillow. They never
90 over the land but once, you see; II
would not pay to do it. Each plow turns
four or five burrows at one time-that Is
there are four on some and five on Others
TO the beam or stick they are fastened to
Mr. Dunn hitched two Of these together
this year be writes me and thus turn,
nine burrows each round. lie uses II t
- horses and mules 10 draw thus with.
1t is grand TO see this putting in the
grain 1t is grander still 10 see them har
vest it, The large "ranchcrs" are now tn,
big combined harvester and thresher. /
cuts and threshes as 1t goes along IL gets
over ground In "A hurry. 1t cuts swat
| % feet wide and Is drawn by from p I,
% horses and mules, and has "a small en-
zine on it run by gasolene to keep uI
steady speed on the cylinder The smalle
| have no gasolene engine on them and only
cut rs foot swath The wheat, or what
ever grain, il put in sacks and is dumped
| SH h.. Ia. In al
A man with team and wagon comes alonl
and gathers these sacks up and piles then
in three, four or more different places il
the field, like cordwood, where they sta,
! ill they are hauled TO town To market, o
10 be put INTO warehouses for higher price
| They have other machines called headers
that cut just low enough TO catch TIM
| heads The heads are piled up on tn,
ground in the fields, as they are gathered
IN big header wagon racks that 90 alonl
side of the machine Then IA thrcshin!
machine comes along after awhile as in tn,
east, aud threshes it out Hay in tha
country is made of wheat, oats, rye o
barley cut in the green and cured. Their
is no tame hay there, but they raise som
Alfalfa where they have irrigation.
had to give up my business dowr
there on account Of my condition.
could do nothing then, and rs board wa
dearer there than here, concluded I,
came up to Oregon and get hold Of /
homestead Of pine land with The rest o
the boys from Alma and vicinity
could do that while was paying my
board anyway and visit my Michigan
friends besides and be that better of thar
| if ! remained in California That is wha
brought me to Oregon got here OF
July 2jth; went up the Mckenzie 30 miles
where the claims were and got Mr. Brew
! baker TO show me some and help me 10
cate good one. | got one, came dowr
To Eugene and filed il on the first day OF
August | got Clark Il Caster of neal