The following extracts from. a letter by an. Engligli gentleman
who is settled at Stockton, in California,- throw some light on two points of in- terest—the partial failure of the crops in thefazthest West, and the wild: Americansympathy- with Russia,
"Stockton, 2d October 1855.,
"This season has been a most disastrous one for farming and gardeniag. on these plains; the crops of grain not averaging more than from one third- to one half the usual quantity, and the gardens having been wholly de- etroyed. This is attributable to the small quantity of rain which fell last i winter, so that the-land was not sufficiently rrigated, and grasshoppers mid other- insects not 'rubbed out.' In fact, we had only three or four days' rain lest winter. Though the drought fell bard on the farmers, yet those who went into gardening on these plains suffered still more. The grain, luekily, was well ripe before the grasshoppers came down on these plains in clouds thirty or forty feet high, and extending for miles in every direction. These insects came on us at the very time when our earliest fruits and ve- getables were nearly ready for market, and in a few days they swept the garden& clean. of every green leaf; even: the forest-trees were stripped of their foliage. I.had about four acres of garden-ground under- cultivation, filled with melons, cucumbers, tomatoi.caulillowers, cabbages,, maize, car.. rots, turnips, beet-roots, beans, pearl &c.; and all my garden-stuff looked forward and. thriving: I had two acres of melons and maize and a large quantity. of early, onions- These four acres of gardens cost more ex- pense and labour than raining: a. hundred acres, of grain: would' have- done....... Botlx.farmieg and gardening-turned out failures.
" Farmers in the neighbourhocsimuat have lost about five dollars annere on an average on. their grain crops this year where they harlte.fenee.their.
land ; and'thesetwho-were previously fenced not do much more than clear their:expenses. Some of my neighbours who put in 200 to 250 acres of ' grain have ha/Ito-sell-their teams or cattle to getttheircrops cut, thrashed: out, bagged;. and:stored; because, expecting bettenreturns from the land, they had giverutheirnetes_at the.storeefor,seed,,iniplements, provisions' Ac. The cropelooked well up to the last, in spite of being overrun with cockle and full of smut. Several or my neighbours who had'only small quantities of land under.grain turned. their. stocks in on the standing crops: All the farmers for-miles on, each side of: me have left their-houses and:fields, and most of thentwou/d. take: kvery small sum (compared to what it- has cost. them), fortbeir. improvementa.. The only two neighbours near me happen, to live on the road and' keep taverns. The brother-in-law of one of them,. who went into.raising-grain about a mile min half from me, lost from.1600
to-2000 dollare-by the speculation
"The principaldrawback to a:residence in the comity parts of California,. is.the increasing. jealousy with which.Americaes view, foreigners, especially- Frenoh. Singular.assit, may seenkat that sight,. ti Res- slims are the only nation in good odour with Americans here. Every. success of Russia against the Allies is hailed by Americans here with the liveliest joy. From the commencement_ of. the struggle, the Ame- ricans have not affectedto.conceal their sympathy. forRusaia and their ha- tred, of the.Allies. On. the 20thNovember '54,, A number of: treekwere • planted in Portsmouth Square (Sanirancisoo),. The...Russian flag was.rurn up and a salute of twenty-one guns :was.fired on beard_ the Atnencan ship, Zenobia, in-honour of the achievement-at Petropanlovski. and the failure at- Sebastopol ;..and, azaleas of seven guns as-a token: orrespeettetheiluesian, Consul Kostromitinok by whose direction. the-commemoratien wax MadOc' 'copied the:abover, from,..one, of .the journale..and.believe• it, only ea the feeling, of the- people at the time This. feeling has, consitle creased since the spread of Knovrnothingisra, or what is called the. alive Atnerican. party. The French, Consul, Mt..Dillern has struck: his flag. far: more than atyear, on account of insulta.received from the authorities:of Shin- Francisco,. I wakone. day , Stockton when_ a, report readied, it. that :the, Allies had taken. Sebastopol, and-.L.can.. assure your any onewould have thought from the hingthened_faces: of. the. Americana that the Allies had taken New York; and:when afterwards the.news came that the report was a fidetPone and that-the Allies were- repulsed; the -joyof the Americans was equaLly.;xtravagant.."
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