December 22, 1965 (20 pages)

ate at atet_etie AT HOME IN THE COUNTRY oat oF atiattie #8 SS Robert Petersen Farm Advisor Robert T, Petersen has been appointed Placer-Nevada County Farm Advisor for agronomic Mother Lode Bank Announces Dividend L. A. Raffetto, President of Mother Lode Bank, announces that the Board of Directors voted at the regular monthly meeting held Dec. 8to declare a cash dividend at 35¢ per share of Mother Lode Bank stock, payable December 27, 1965, to shareholders of record December 17, 1965. This will make a total of 65¢ per share of cash dividends paid in 1965--a 10¢ per share increase over 1964, For County crops, Nevada County Extension Director Les McCabe announced yesterday, Petersen, 28, is a native of Solvang, Santa Barbara County, and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he earned aB.S, in Agronomy in 1959, and was awarded the M.S, degree in Plant Pathology in 1961. After spending two years in the U. S. Army, he managed a 150 cow dairy in Solvang for his father, on a ranch that had 200 irrigated acres devoted to forage production. Bob, his wife Sandra, and two year old daughter Cheryl Louise are living on Mayflower Drive in the Banner Mountain Area, oe A FREE TURKEY FOR CHRISTMAS was given away to Miss Louise Walraven by Dick Yock, manager of the Bonanza Market, About two score turkeys are being given City> on Tuesday in Nevada away by the market during the week. At Home In Another Country A Family Dinner With All The _ Trimmings, And A Rough Hike (EDITOR'S NOTE--Steve Ayala, . aformer resident of Nevada City, is serving with the Peace Corps in Quito, Ecuador, Ona visit to the Galapagos Islands, he explored the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, scribed here.) The Homiman farm inthe Santa Cruz highlandsis a truly remarkable place, Ina thick jungle setting, just a few feet over impenetrable lava, the family hasbeen ableto cultivate enough land to form a sizeable little farm, Several cattle are kept in an area behind the house, the grass being thick enough throughout the region to provide for an almost unlimited number of them. Swine, chickens, anda couple of tortoises (Galapagos) make up the remainder of the livestock, The list of vegetable crops on the farm is really extensive: com, lettuce and other truck garden type vegetable, bananas, coconuts, papaya, breadfruit, avocados (12 inches long, more often than not!), even a King's Fruit Tree, a truly royal looking tree with a six inch fruit which tastes remarkably like a strawberry. Thebranches of this tree, which a visitor from Panama gave them several years ago, bears a: filamentous royal purple flower which soon falls to the ground, covering it to a depth of a few inches with a thick carpet of the same color, The dinner we were served that night was of the type which a weary traveler can only dream about. An entree of avocado slices and tuna, rich vegetable soup, stew of vegetables and beef (a once a week luxury in the highlands), anda custard of home-grown lemons, Afterwards we sat around and talked and drank cup after cup of fine homegrown, home-ground coffee. Up early, we set off on a walk which took us up through the grassy zone and through the craters, Thetrek was made much more profitable through the many tidbits of advice from Mrs, Horniman.... “Well,’ I know very little about it myself, but my son used to collect those, He said there were four different species, and that you could find them.. ". Or perhaps, “I'm not sure, but when that group of people from the University of California came down,..."Andsowe were well-prepared for the day. The first mile or so was a real ordeal of wading through deep mud, wandering through cattle pastures, and avoiding falling avocados, Members of the square-stemmed mint family plants and an apparently nonistinging nettle were frequent along the way. Jichens growing thick on the trees reminded me His discoveries are de-' very much of Mexico's ‘tierra caliente*® west of Morelia, where Ionce counted 14 different lichens on one trunk, At 1700 feet we found our first ‘ground pine’ (Lycopodium, a fern relative), and Polypodium ferns became increasingly frequent as we neared the top. A tree palm was first seen around 1800 feet, and at 2000 feet thethick moss forest changes quite suddenly to almost entirely Myconia forest--six feet high, and very dense with its characteristic léaf veination. Then, a hundred feet higher, even the last of the Myconia faded out and the damp ground was covered with a thick spongy carpet of mosses and liverworts; moist areas marked by an. abundance of one to two foot high ferns, At around 2000 feet elevation we passed our first crater, a proper-shaped crater a few hundred feet high which the colonists call ‘La Copa‘ (the cup). It wasn't until we had passed the highest crater that I could appreciate the greater number of craters which makeup Santa Cruz Island, In a rough estimate, perhaps fifty small craters dotted the landscape around that island, not counting the numerous *sinks* several hundreds of yards across and just as deep which I assumed to be of volcanic origin. The crowning crater is perhaps a hundred yards in diameter, the eye some hundred feet lower than the rim, and with the southern side of the rim missing. Thick grass and ferns grow in the crater now, and I counted some 26 nests of tiny field mice which had been hollowed out among the roots and grass clumps right in the eye of the crater, (Some of the other craters are not so habitable--I stepped ,into the ‘moss’ of one, and at once began to sink!) Frank hadcollectingto do, and I wanted to gather a selection of land snails and make some notes on the microcosm which the thick ferns and grasses provided right = up tothe top of the crater, so we split up and descended alone.. never again! I mentioned the danger of the deceptive carpet of moss covering one of the craters. That was just the beginning! Ferns and grasses provide such a good cover over the land that under their protection can live countless little animals without fear of wind or rain. Unfortunately for the visitor, the ferns hide everything else, too--and on a volcanic island that fact can prove highly dangerous, Iwentnot too incautiously on my way through the ferns, stopping now and then to pull them aside to see what I could find and make a few notes, when suddenly, from just a few feet to my side, Iheardthe rather hollow sound of water dripping away into distance, Carefully pulling aside the ferns, I found a deep cavern extending down, down in to the heart of the island. How deep the cavern was I don't know, but its existence, and its socompletely hidden opening, was enough to chill my marrow several degrees... and make the rest of the descent most unenjoyable, The need to keep to the ridgeswas obvious, but when a ridge runs out there is nothing to do but cross a meadow.. from then on a cautious operation, no matterhow small the distance was, So it was with some relief that Frank and I met later in the day. (To be continued) OUR GOLD NUGGET AND »y QUARTZ JEWELRY MAKES LASTING GIFTS AND APPROPRIATE SOUVENIRS OF THE GOLD COUNTRY Expert Repairing Ph, 273-3039 MARTUNG’S Grass () Valley Ee ers Since 1876 124 MILLST., GRASS VALLEY Phone 273-3039 ready to serve you day or night simplicity ... The New BSW BERGEMANN & SON Funeral Chapel BostAve. off Lower Grass Valley Rd, Nevada City call 265 2421 S96T "SS Taquisseq °° *1083nN Ayuno05 epeAon*®** 5

ate at atet_etie AT HOME IN THE COUNTRY oat oF atiattie #8 SS Robert Petersen Farm Advisor Robert T, Petersen has been appointed Placer-Nevada County Farm Advisor for agronomic Mother Lode Bank Announces Dividend L. A. Raffetto, President of Mother Lode Bank, announces that the Board of Directors voted at the regular monthly meeting held Dec. 8to declare a cash dividend at 35¢ per share of Mother Lode Bank stock, payable December 27, 1965, to shareholders of record December 17, 1965. This will make a total of 65¢ per share of cash dividends paid in 1965--a 10¢ per share increase over 1964, For County crops, Nevada County Extension Director Les McCabe announced yesterday, Petersen, 28, is a native of Solvang, Santa Barbara County, and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he earned aB.S, in Agronomy in 1959, and was awarded the M.S, degree in Plant Pathology in 1961. After spending two years in the U. S. Army, he managed a 150 cow dairy in Solvang for his father, on a ranch that had 200 irrigated acres devoted to forage production. Bob, his wife Sandra, and two year old daughter Cheryl Louise are living on Mayflower Drive in the Banner Mountain Area, oe A FREE TURKEY FOR CHRISTMAS was given away to Miss Louise Walraven by Dick Yock, manager of the Bonanza Market, About two score turkeys are being given City> on Tuesday in Nevada away by the market during the week. At Home In Another Country A Family Dinner With All The _ Trimmings, And A Rough Hike (EDITOR'S NOTE--Steve Ayala, . aformer resident of Nevada City, is serving with the Peace Corps in Quito, Ecuador, Ona visit to the Galapagos Islands, he explored the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, scribed here.) The Homiman farm inthe Santa Cruz highlandsis a truly remarkable place, Ina thick jungle setting, just a few feet over impenetrable lava, the family hasbeen ableto cultivate enough land to form a sizeable little farm, Several cattle are kept in an area behind the house, the grass being thick enough throughout the region to provide for an almost unlimited number of them. Swine, chickens, anda couple of tortoises (Galapagos) make up the remainder of the livestock, The list of vegetable crops on the farm is really extensive: com, lettuce and other truck garden type vegetable, bananas, coconuts, papaya, breadfruit, avocados (12 inches long, more often than not!), even a King's Fruit Tree, a truly royal looking tree with a six inch fruit which tastes remarkably like a strawberry. Thebranches of this tree, which a visitor from Panama gave them several years ago, bears a: filamentous royal purple flower which soon falls to the ground, covering it to a depth of a few inches with a thick carpet of the same color, The dinner we were served that night was of the type which a weary traveler can only dream about. An entree of avocado slices and tuna, rich vegetable soup, stew of vegetables and beef (a once a week luxury in the highlands), anda custard of home-grown lemons, Afterwards we sat around and talked and drank cup after cup of fine homegrown, home-ground coffee. Up early, we set off on a walk which took us up through the grassy zone and through the craters, Thetrek was made much more profitable through the many tidbits of advice from Mrs, Horniman....... “Well,’ I know very little about it myself, but my son used to collect those, He said there were four different species, and that you could find them... ". Or perhaps, “I'm not sure, but when that group of people from the University of California came down,....."Andsowe were well-prepared for the day. The first mile or so was a real ordeal of wading through deep mud, wandering through cattle pastures, and avoiding falling avocados, Members of the

square-stemmed mint family plants and an apparently nonistinging nettle were frequent along the way. Jichens growing thick on the trees reminded me His discoveries are de-' very much of Mexico's ‘tierra caliente*® west of Morelia, where Ionce counted 14 different lichens on one trunk, At 1700 feet we found our first ‘ground pine’ (Lycopodium, a fern relative), and Polypodium ferns became increasingly frequent as we neared the top. A tree palm was first seen around 1800 feet, and at 2000 feet thethick moss forest changes quite suddenly to almost entirely Myconia forest--six feet high, and very dense with its characteristic léaf veination. Then, a hundred feet higher, even the last of the Myconia faded out and the damp ground was covered with a thick spongy carpet of mosses and liverworts; moist areas marked by an. abundance of one to two foot high ferns, At around 2000 feet elevation we passed our first crater, a proper-shaped crater a few hundred feet high which the colonists call ‘La Copa‘ (the cup). It wasn't until we had passed the highest crater that I could appreciate the greater number of craters which makeup Santa Cruz Island, In a rough estimate, perhaps fifty small craters dotted the landscape around that island, not counting the numerous *sinks* several hundreds of yards across and just as deep which I assumed to be of volcanic origin. The crowning crater is perhaps a hundred yards in diameter, the eye some hundred feet lower than the rim, and with the southern side of the rim missing. Thick grass and ferns grow in the crater now, and I counted some 26 nests of tiny field mice which had been hollowed out among the roots and grass clumps right in the eye of the crater, (Some of the other craters are not so habitable--I stepped ,into the ‘moss’ of one, and at once began to sink!) Frank hadcollectingto do, and I wanted to gather a selection of land snails and make some notes on the microcosm which the thick ferns and grasses provided right = up tothe top of the crater, so we split up and descended alone.... never again! I mentioned the danger of the deceptive carpet of moss covering one of the craters. That was just the beginning! Ferns and grasses provide such a good cover over the land that under their protection can live countless little animals without fear of wind or rain. Unfortunately for the visitor, the ferns hide everything else, too--and on a volcanic island that fact can prove highly dangerous, Iwentnot too incautiously on my way through the ferns, stopping now and then to pull them aside to see what I could find and make a few notes, when suddenly, from just a few feet to my side, Iheardthe rather hollow sound of water dripping away into distance, Carefully pulling aside the ferns, I found a deep cavern extending down, down in to the heart of the island. How deep the cavern was I don't know, but its existence, and its socompletely hidden opening, was enough to chill my marrow several degrees...... and make the rest of the descent most unenjoyable, The need to keep to the ridgeswas obvious, but when a ridge runs out there is nothing to do but cross a meadow.... from then on a cautious operation, no matterhow small the distance was, So it was with some relief that Frank and I met later in the day. (To be continued) OUR GOLD NUGGET AND »y QUARTZ JEWELRY MAKES LASTING GIFTS AND APPROPRIATE SOUVENIRS OF THE GOLD COUNTRY Expert Repairing Ph, 273-3039 MARTUNG’S Grass () Valley Ee ers Since 1876 124 MILLST., GRASS VALLEY Phone 273-3039 ready to serve you day or night simplicity ..... The New BSW BERGEMANN & SON Funeral Chapel BostAve. off Lower Grass Valley Rd, Nevada City call 265 2421 S96T "SS Taquisseq °° *1083nN Ayuno05 epeAon*®** 5