Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 22, January, 1873Various
Science
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 22, January, 1873
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
By degrees, the doctor continued to say, the number of colonists
increased; and his means and strength being thus enlarged, he
established a tannery, a factory, looms, flouring-mills, built more
houses for his colonists, cleared more land and drained the marshes,
increased his orchards, laid out new farms, gave some attention to
adornment, erected a church and school-houses, and purchased from the
American settlers in the neighborhood their best lands for a song. He
did everything systematically. He always assigned his colonists the sort
of labor that they appeared to him best fitted for, and each one found
the place best suited to his capabilities. If any one objected to doing
his will and obeying his orders, he was driven out of the colony, for he
would endure no opposition. He made the best leather, the best hams and
gathered the best crops in all Oregon. The possessions of the colony,
which he added to as he was able, extended already over twenty sections
(a section contains six hundred and forty acres, or an English square
mile), and the most perfect order and industry existed everywhere.
Thus the doctor; and amid this and the like conversation we walked over
an orchard covering forty acres. The eight thousand trees it contained
yielded annually five thousand bushels of choice apples and eight
thousand of the finest pears, and the crop increased yearly. The doctor
pointed out repeatedly the excellence of his culture in contrast with
the American mode, which leaves the weeds to grow undisturbed among the
trees, and disregards entirely all regularity and beauty. He, on the
contrary, insisted no less on embellishment than on neatness and order;
and this was no vain boast. Carefully-kept walks led through the
grounds; verdant turf, flowerbeds and charming shady arbors met us at
every turn; there were long beds planted with flourishing currant,
raspberry and blackberry bushes, and large tracts set with rows of
bearing vines, on which luscious grapes hung invitingly. Order also
reigned among the fruit trees: here were several acres of nothing but
apples, again a plantation of pears or apricots, beneath which not a
weed was to be seen: the hoe and the rake had done their work
thoroughly. Everything was in the most perfect order: the courtgardener
of a German prince might have been proud of it.
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