Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-09-01
q. M. Huss in California.

- ~ ANe8G ~
y. M. Huse, who left Fish Hill Just
about a year ago to make bis home with
his son, Earl, in EarlimaTt, CAL, has
Lately written an amusing account Of bis
western experiences TO his former neigh
bors, Mr.. and Mrs. j. Andrew Gould.
He had been planning ever since be
went out there to have . little place OF his
own and had gone so far as TO figure on
the lumber for IL, when one evening a
neighbor happened along and told OF q
small colony OF Mepnonites six miles
away who were going away to join a
larger body Of people OF their faith. They
we're. ~couseaently, selling their buildings
lust as they stood and had a small cottage
valued at S25 to dispose OF. "1he next
DAY. writes Mr.. Huse, "Earl vent down
and bought the little house for si5 less
than what the lumber would have cost,
10 say nothing OF work, nails, etc. Earl
and the neighbor loaded the cottage onto
a wagon and brought it home that night
all ready for me to move into. IL is
lOx12, and six feet to where the chamber
door should be. It has a tight shingled
roof and is boarded up and down, like
most California houses, with planed
boards and battened. II has two sliding
windows, opposite each other north and
south, with good-size glass, and the door
is in the east. That's my little house"
In speaking Of the weather, which was
rather warm in July with the mercury
rising to 116 and III degrees, he says the
last rain they have seen was in April and
they do not expect any more until Octo-
Der and even then it may not come rs 1t
cannot be depended upon to fall when
most needed. ~"California," be continues,
sis all right for the young man who
comes here with q determination to do his
best and wants a bone and, when be once
gets started, be has something worth haY-
ing. But before you can do much the
land must have water and it takes lots OF
money to irrigate. First you must have a
we'll but you don't have to go down very
far in this valley before you strike water.
They generally dig belosthe second stra-
tum so as to have a good supply, though
these wells hsve been known to go dry.
Farl's we'll is about IS feet deep but they
only dug 20 feet below the Surface before
they struck water. The mex investment
is a windmill, engine or motor, and peo-
ple who have a rood deal OF irrigating to
do are putting In motors, which cost the
most but prove the cheapest in the end.
There isn't always wind for the windmill
and engines are apt to get out Of repair,
but q motor will be working while you
are asleep.
aFor irrigation the land must be made
as smooth and level as possible 80 thai
the water will flow evenly over it. 1t must
be plowed and narrowed and all the high
places scraped of to Ill up the hollows.
The scraper is not like the one used IN
the East but Is long and narrow, with
not 80 much wood about it, and two or
three horses, or even more, can be attach
ed to il. The LIANT is then smoothed and
the main ditch dug to carry the water
" herever wanted. II it is an alfalfa or
grain field, the land is laid out in sec
tions and the water runs along the sec
lions, and can be turned on and turned
of when the field Is flooded. IL fruit
trees, berries, grapes or gardens are TO be
irrigated, burrows are made etween each
row and the water rum in the burrows.
The ground has to be kept stirred more or
less or 1t will bake dow as hard as GEM
emit. Fruit trees, grapes, everything will
attain to a wonderful growth II they are
we'll cared for and you do not have to
wait long before they come to bearing.
aThis was once q boom own and was
called Attila and it was here that the fam
Gus Dalton gang held up q train and tried
to rob il, but the express messenger bar
red himself in aud kept them on with
his revolver. A brakeman the gang held
MP in front OF them was killed. The old
timers, who came into the valley first,
raised cattle, horses and sheep pastured at
large. They planted hundreds Of acres
of wheat and depended on the winter
rains to grow il (called out here dry farm
ing), and when the crops failed two or
three seasons, they became discouraged,
tore down and went elsewhere.
1.-THE people coming in here now are
from Ohio, Indiana, Kansas and Iowa.
We are the only vermonters | know of.
When they follow dry farming they pillow
deep and, after the grain is put in, the
ground is thoroughly narrowed and the
weeder kept going, in which way they
get a fair crop when the rain is short.
Earl's wife has somewhere about 400
chickens which are being brought up
mostly by hand. We have four colony
houses. in which the chickens are shut up
At night. though we seldom hear OF a
skunk and q hawk hardly ever molests a
chicken, / suppose because rabbits and
ground squirrels are 50 plenty. Earl and
his wife 60 out every night after be gets
home from work and bring in three OF
four cotton-tails. The young jacks are
sometimes fried, sometimes baked, oil
boiled, boned and pressed for cold meal
! and are as good as chicken.
ssThey have here great harvesters and
threshers combined that cut the grain,
r rake ii, thresh it, sack 1t, drop il, carrl
. the straw along aud drop II in piles, ant
! q man sits way above everything DRIVING
: 80 horses or mules. ! have wondered