Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1913-07-26

20 tH@ AHh no AHtiua MED NfNNafNt
and fruit groMing in Nevada
same time ieachinE eaier CONSERVE
iiou Here l. the Account
Ns must here include the inter.
estlas career o the old hermit. l.au.
rent Bennyion. he escaped from
the French army with bis uniform
and muskeis and landed In phnadel.
phla Il is also reported that be-
vas an exiled priest tie vas a man
Of considerable education and a mem.
Der Of wealthy and we'll known
family. the Bennytons OF Paris.
Working his way vest. he landed
10 Virginia City in the early days.
From there he became a man Of the
hills and a hermit, evidently pros.
pecting in the Virginia range OF
mountains. but finally locating in
barren nook with no visible spring.
two miles south over the ridge from
Vista. the entrance OF the Truekee
River through the mountains on its
course 10 Pyramid lake. Here he
remained for AZ years and produced
a horticultural basis, the like OF
which is perhaps unique in the
worlds history. Surrounding this
man OF soliture and few words We
find evidences Of a successful battle
with the soil and meagre water "a
cilities OF the desert Living in a
novel. the entrance consisting OF a
hole TO crawl through, a goat for
milk, and a few chickens. he had
surrounded himself with apple. pear.
peach, apricot and almond trees
as well as q few grapes. The strik-
ing horticultural feature is that the
almond trees predominant, there be-
ing over thousand trees. old and
young, which bear well every year.
When We consider that these are
the only almond trees anywhere in
the Truckee valley or the northern
central parts of Nevada we mus
give great credit to the old hermit
~ho has opened our eyes to the pos
sibilities of similar locations.
The water from the melting snow
was conserved in miniature reser-
yoirs which caused gradual seep-
age TO the groves Of trees. Here We
find little wells four feet deep and
two feet wide from which he dipped
the water into buckets and packed
il on his shoulders on ingenious
water carriers to each tree. naming
il. talking to ii with such remarks
as the following This is all can
give you today; perhaps can spare
you little more tomorrow" or "You
were very good 10 me last year; |
will give you all can. His trees
undoubtedly received a very small
amount Of water and the secret OF
his success is a great object lesson
in farming methods The holes for
the trees were dug five feet deep
and nearly as wide, and in them he
placed rotten sagebrush and grass
and everything that would tend to
hold moisture and give it up to the
tree gradually.
His surplus crop was taken on his
back over trail Is miles long to
Virginia City.
'This long trail he constructed
himself with only pick and shovel
Other evidences of his mania for
hard labor are to be seen in the
building of a road over two miles
long down canyon to the Truckee
river, and fence about four miles
long built of sage brush and rocks
cleared from the enclosed territory
When We consider all this and much
more has been accomplished with the
sole labor of pair of hands, we are
Obliged to marvel at the mans forti
tude.
His load to and from the city was
often one hundred pounds, consisting
chiefly of flour on the return Jour.
ney. He scorned lift, preferring
Independence and solitude. The bulk
of the fruit. however. was dried and
this, with almonds and a sort of
wine from grapes, formed his chief
sustenance.
Zone morning in the spring Of 1912
he was found lying outside the howell
very sick and was taken to the coun.
ty hospital in Reno. where he died
month later, at the age Of 81.
in his effects were found his
old soldier clothes still in good con.