The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-14
SHE BOSSES TEE RAMON.
A California Woman Who Raises Walnuts
and Fine Pampas Grass.


Mrs. Harriet w. X. Strong is q ranch
woman of California, where the species
flourishes. She is not, however, horny
handed daughter of toll. On the contrary,
she Is described rs dainty, fragile, shrewd,
daring, cordial, gentle faced. Her step is
quick. Her voice low and musical. She
is an accomplished linguist, a musician, a
painter, Jhe president OF fashionable club,
aud her panpas plumes are she finest in
the country.
Nobody would think of calling Mrs.
Strong narrow or one sided person.
Versatility and walnuts are her strongest
points. The former has expanded without
hlndrance. The walnnts haven't done
quite so well as they might have II firs.
Strong hadn't set out the pampas grass
among the trees, but she means to make
that ali right very soon. The pampas
plants will have TO move, but they will be
merely transplanted. 1t is n fact, without
any low attempt at punning, that Mrs.
Strong plumcs herself on her success in
this branch Of her ranching
Mrs. Strong's husband died in 1888, and
his widow very quickly found that her
agents we@o improving their exceptional
opportunities for running the business in
to the ground. This is very easy thing
to do with ranch. She decided, there
fore, to run it herself. and as Is isgenerally
the case when a woman takes hold Of a
business, she got herself we'll laughed at
for her notions When she spent 800 on
pampas plants, the men of the neighbor-
hood were so amused that theysat in the
sun for hours together and had u beautiful
time telling each other what a fool u wom-
an was when it came to business.
They don't do that now. Mrs. Strong
harvests 800. 900 p1umes from her 2S acres
and sells then for from s15 TO $50 a thou
sand. This Is in addition TO the walnuts,
which are ia the same land, but have been
somewhat stunted by the pampas. The
plu-nes are gathered In September, and
the work has to bo done promptly. Sixty
five laborers harvest the 2S acres. The
plume grows up i'm long sheath, as an
ear of corn does, and 1t must be cut before
this sheath opens, lest the sun spoil the
fronds The plumes are hrst stripped and
taken To tho drying place If they are put
out In the evening, they are white and
ready TO be taken up by morning. Then
they go to the curing house, where they
are kept six weeks.
In addition to the pampas grass, which
IL an excellent food for CATTLE Mrs Strong
raises walnuts, oranges, olives and figs.
She Is president Of the American Walnut
Growers association. She is interested in
irrigation and mining schemes and has
recently patented reservoir system for
impoundlng the debris of hydraulic min
ing. She thinks it will settle matters sat-
isfactorily both to miners and formers.
She has patented a process for damming up
and storing water for irrigation by using
the reversed arcn. Furthermore, she has
a hobby. She dreams Of founding an In
stltution where women may learn the
principles Of the science of business. She
Is now tho president Of business league
which $50 hopes to SEQ grow until it ful1lls
her hopes. Altogether Mrs. Strong ap-
pears to 30 as marvellous product OF the
Pacific slope as IL has turned out for \
long time. Now York Sun.