The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-23
SHE BOSSES THE RANCH.
A California Woman Who Raises
Wafprts and Fine PalnDns Grass


New York Sun: Mrs Harriet
w. R. Strong is ranch wo-
man Of California, where the species
fiourishes. She is not, however,
hornyhanded daughter of toll. On the
contrary, she is described as 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 the
president of a fashionable club. and
her pampaS plumeS are the finest in the
country.
Nobody would think of calling Mrs.
Strong a narrow or one-sided person.
Versatility and walnuts are her strong
est points. The former has expanded
without hindrance. The walnuts
haven't done quite so well as they
might have if Mrs. Strong hadn't set out
the pampaS grass among the trees, but
she means to make that all right very
soon. The pampas plants will have to
move, but they will be merely trans
planted. 1t is a fact, without any low
attempt at punning, that Mrs. Strong
plumes 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 were improving their eX-
ceptional opportunities for running the
business into the ground. This is a
very easy thing to do with a ranch.
She decided. therefore, to run it her
self and, as is generally the case when
woman takes hold of a business, she
got herself we'll laughed at for her no
tons. When she spent 500 on pampas
plants the men of the neighborhood
were so amused that they sat in the
sun for hours together and had a beau
tiful time telling each other what a
fool woman was when it came to
business.
They don't do that now Mrs Strong
harvests 100000 plumes from her %
acres and sells them for from SIS to $40
a thousand This is in addition to the
walnuts, which are in the same land,
but have been somewhat stunted by
the pampas. The plumes are gathered
in September, and the work has to be
done promptly. SiXty-five laborerS
harvest the IS acres. The plume
grows up in a long sheath, as an ear
of corn does, and it must be cut before
this sheath opens, lest the sun spoil
the fronds- The plumes are first
stripped and taken to the drying place.
II 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 is 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 min
ing schemes, and has recently patented
reservoir system for impounding the
debris of hydraulic mining. She thinks
it will settle matters satisfactorily both
to miners and farmers. She has
patented a process for damming up and
storing water for irrigation, by using
the reversed arch. Furthermore, she
has a hobby. She dreams of founding
an institution where women may learn
the principles of the science of bust
ness. She is now president of a bust
ness league. which she hopes to see
grow until it fulfills her hopes. Alto
gether. Mrs. Strong appears to be as
marvellous product of the Pacific
slope as it has turned out for a long