But, while many evils beset agriculture in Utah Territory, grazing is comparatively safe, and may be extended almost ad libitum. The valleys of this land of Goshen supply plentiful pasturage in the winter; as spring advances cattle will find gamma and other grasses on the benches, and as, under the influence of the melting sun, the snow-line creeps up the hills, flocks and herds, like the wild graminivorants, will follow the bunch-grass, which, vivified by the autumnal rains, breeds under the snow, and bears its seed in summer. In the basin of the Green River, fifty miles south of Fillmore City, is a fine wool-producing country 7000 square miles in area. Even the ubiquitous sage will serve for camels. As has been mentioned, Durhams, Devons, and Merino tups have found their way to Great Salt Lake City, and the terrible milk-sickness[160] of the Western States has not.

[160] A fatal spasmodic disease produced in the Western States by astringent salts in the earth and water: it first attacks cattle, and then those who eat the infected meat or drink the milk. Travelers tell of whole villages being destroyed by it.

In 1860 the Valley of the Great Salt Lake alone produced 306,000 bushels of grain, of which about 17,000 were oats. Lieutenant Gunnison, estimating the average yield of each plowed acre at 2000 lbs. (331⁄2 bushels), a fair estimate, and “drawing the meat part of the ration, or one half,” from the herds fed elsewhere, fixes the maximum of population in Utah Territory at 4000 souls to a square mile, and opines that it will maintain with ease one million of inhabitants.

Timber, I have said, is a growing want throughout the country; the “hair of the earth-animal” is by no means luxuriant. Great Cotton-wood Kanyon is supposed to contain supplies for twenty years, but it is chiefly used for building purposes. The Mormons, unlike the Hibernians, of whom it was said in the last century that no man ever planted an orchard, have applied themselves manfully to remedying the deficiency, and the next generation will probably be safe. At present, “hard woods,” elm, hackberry, pecan or button-wood, hickory, mulberry, basswood, locust, black and English walnut, are wanted, and must be imported from the Eastern States. The lower kanyons and bottoms are clothed with wild willow, scrub maple, both hard and soft, box elder, aspen, birch, cotton-wood, and other amentaciæ, and in the south with spruce and dwarf ash. The higher grounds bear stunted cedars white and red, balsam and other pines, the dwarf oak, which, like the maple, is a mere scrub, and the mountain mahogany, a tough, hard, and strong, but grainless wood, seldom exceeding eight inches in diameter. Hawthorn (a Cratægus) also exists, and in the southern and western latitudes the piñon (P. monophyllus), varying from the size of an umbrella to twenty feet in height, feeds the Indians with its oily nut, which not a little resembles the seed of the pinaster and the Mediterranean P. Pinea, and supplies a rich gum for strengthening plasters.

ANNUAL EXHIBITION IN UTAH TERRITORY.The present state of agriculture in the vicinity of Great Salt Lake City will best be explained by the prospectus of the annual show for 1860.[161] Wheat thrives better than maize, which in the northern parts suffers from the late frosts, and requires a longer summer. Until oats and barley can be grown in sufficient quantities, horses are fed upon heating wheat, which only the hardest riding enables them to digest. Holcus saccharatum, or Chinese millet, succeeds where insufficient humidity is an obstacle to the sugar-cane. The fault of the vegetables here, as in California, is excessive size, which often renders them insipid; the Irish potato, however, is superior to that of Nova Scotia and Charleston; the onions are large and mild as those of Spain. The white carrot, the French bean, and the cucumber grow well, and the “multicaulis mania” has borne good fruit in the shape of cabbage. The size of the beets suggested in 1853 the project originated in France by Napoleon the Great: $100,000 were expended upon sugar-making machinery; the experiment, however, though directed by a Frenchman, failed, it is said, on account of the alkali contained in the root, and the Saints are accused of having distilled for sale bad spirit from the useless substance. The deserts skirting the Western Holy Land have also their manna; the leaves of poplars and other trees on the banks of streams distill, at divers seasons of the year, globules of honey-dew, resembling in color gum Arabic, but of softer consistence and less adhesiveness: the people collect it with spoons into saucers. Cotton thrives in the southern and southwestern part of Utah Territory when the winter is mild: at the meeting-place of waters near the Green and Grand Rivers that unite to form the Colorado, the shrub has been grown with great success.

[161] List of premiums to be awarded by the Deserét Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, at the Annual Exhibition, October 3d and 4th, 1860.

Class A.—Cattle.
Awarding Committee—Hector C. Haight, Wm. Jennings, Wm. Miller, Alex. Baron.
BestDurham bull$10 00
2ddo.5 00
3ddo.dip.
BestDevon bull10 00
2ddo.5 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestbull under 1 year5 00
2ddo.dip.
BestDurham cow and calf5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
BestDevon cow and calf5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestnative or cross cow and calf.5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best2 year old heifer3 00
2ddo.dip.
Best1 year old heifer2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestmatched native cattle5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestblooded & wooled buck5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best2 ewes for blood and wool4 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestboar3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestsow and pigs3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Class B.—Field Crops.
Awarding Committee—A. P. Rockwood, Joseph Holbrook, L. E. Harrington, John Rowberry.
Bestfenced and cultivated farm not less than twenty acres$5 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestfenced and cultivated garden5 00
2ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of sugar-cane15 00
2ddo.10 00
3ddo.5 00
4thdo.dip.
Best1 acre of sugar-cane5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of wheat5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of corn5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of turnips5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of beets5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best5 acres of carrots5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of white beans5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of peas5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of flax5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of hemp5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of red clover5 00
2ddo.3 00
3ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of potatoes3 00
2ddo.dip.
Best1 acre of Hungarian grass3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestacre of rye3 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestacre of turnips3 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestacre of beets3 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestacre of carrots3 00
2ddo.dip.
Best100 lbs. flax5 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Best100 lbs. hemp5 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Best10 lbs. manufactured tobacco3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Best6 canes of Chinese sugar-cane3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Best6 canes of field-corn2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Awarding Committee on Cotton and Tobacco—William Crosby,Robert D. Covington, Joshua T. Willis, Jacob Hamblin, Jas. R. M‘Cullough.
Best10 acres of cotton$30 00
2ddo.20 00
3ddo.15 00
4thdo.10 00
5thdo.dip.
Best5 acres of cotton25 00
2ddo.20 00
3ddo.15 00
4thdo.10 00
5thdo.dip.
Best2 acres of cotton20 00
2ddo.15 00
3ddo.10 00
4thdo.5 00
5thdo.dip.
Best1 acre of cotton15 00
2ddo.10 00
3ddo.8 00
4thdo.5 00
5thdo.dip.
Best1⁄2 acre of cotton10 00
2ddo.8 00
3ddo.6 00
4thdo.4 00
5thdo.dip.
Best5 acres of tobacco25 00
2ddo.20 00
3ddo.15 00
4thdo.10 00
5thdo.dip.
Best1 acre of tobacco15 00
2ddo.10 00
3ddo.5 00
4thdo.dip.
Class C.—Vegetables.
Awarding Committee—Sidney A. Knowlton, Charles H. Oliphant, Thos. Woodbury.
Bestbrace cucumbers$3 00
2ddo.dip.
Best3 squashes2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best3 pumpkins.2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best3 water melons2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best3 cantaloupes2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of tomatoes2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Best3 early cabbages1 50
2ddo.dip.
Best3 late cabbages1 50
2ddo.dip.
Best3 red cabbages1 50
2ddo.dip.
Best3 Savoy cabbages1 50
2ddo.dip.
Best6 stalks of celery2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 blood beets2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 sugar beets2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 carrots2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 parsnips2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 turnips2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of silver onions2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of yellow onions2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of red onions2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of potatoes2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestpeck of sweet potatoes5 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestquart of Lima beans2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestquart of bush beans2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestquart of peas2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best6 stalks of rhubarb2 00
2ddo.dip.
Best4 heads of cauliflower1 00
2ddo.dip.
Best4 heads of brocoli1 00
2ddo.dip.
Best4 heads of lettuce1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestbunch of parsley1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of radishes1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of peppers1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestegg-plant1 00
2ddo.dip.
Class D.—Fruits and Flowers.
Awarding Committee—Edward Sayres, George A. Niel, Daniel Graves.
Best6 apples$3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Best6 peaches3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Best6 pears3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Best6 apricots3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Best6 quinces3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Best3 bunches of grapes3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Bestquart of native grafted plums2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestpint of currants2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestspecimen of English cherries3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestbed or hills of strawberries3 00
2ddo.2 00
3ddo.1 00
4thdo.dip.
Bestraspberries2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Bestgooseberries2 00
2ddo.1 00
3ddo.dip.
Flowers.
Bestcollection of China asters$1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of dahlias2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of roses2 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of cut flowers1 00
2ddo.dip.
Bestcollection of pot flowers1 00
2ddo.dip.

The principal value of Utah Territory is its position as a great half-way station—a Tadmor in the wilderness—between the Valley of the Mississippi and the Western States, California and Oregon; it has thus proved a benefit to humanity. THE PAST OF MORMONLAND.The Mormons, “flying from civilization and Christianity,” attempted to isolate themselves from the world in a mountain fastness; they were foiled by an accident far beyond human foresight. They had retired to a complete oasis, defended by sterile volcanic passes, which in winter are blocked up with snow, girt by vast waterless and uninhabitable deserts, and unapproachable from any settled country save by a painful and dangerous march of 600-1000 miles. Presently, in 1850, the gold fever broke out on the Pacific sea-board; thousands of people not only passed through Utah Territory, but were also compelled to remain there and work for a livelihood. The transit received a fresh impulse in 1858 by the gold discovered at Pike’s Peak, and in 1859 by the rich silver mines found in the Carson and Washoe Valleys, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Carson Valley, which was settled by Colonel Reece in 1852, and colonized in 1855 by 500 Mormons, was soon cleared of Saints by the influx of prospectors and diggers, and the other El Dorados drew off much Gentile population, which was an incalculable boon to the Mormons. They thus rid themselves of the “thriving lawyers, gamblers, prostitutes, criminals, and desperadoes, loafers, and drunkards,” who made New Jerusalem a carnival of horrors. The scene is now shifted to Denver and Carson cities, where rape and robbery, intoxication and shooting are attributed to their true causes, the gathering together of a lawless and excited crowd, not to the “baleful shade of that deadly Upas-tree, Mormonism.”

The Mormons, having lost all hopes of safety by isolation, now seek it in the reverse: mail communication with the Eastern and Western States is their present hobby: they look forward to markets for their produce, and to a greater facility and economy of importing. They have dreamed of a water-line to the East by means of the Missouri head-waters, which are said to be navigable for 350-400 miles, and to the West by the tributaries of the Snake River, that afford 400. Shortly after the foundation of Great Salt Lake City, they proceeded to establish, under the ecclesiastical title “Stakes of Zion in the Wilderness,” settlements and outposts, echelonned in skeleton, afterward to be filled in, from Temple Block along the southern line to San Diego. The importance of connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific by a shorter route than the 24,000 miles of navigation round Cape Horn, has produced first a monthly, then a weekly, and lastly a daily mail, and has opened up a route from the Holy City to Carson Valley. So far from opposing the Pacific Railroad, the local Legislature petitioned for it in 1849, and believe that it would increase the value of their property tenfold. But as equal parts of Mormon and Gentile never could dwell together in amity, extensive communication would probably result in causing the Saints to sell out, and once more to betake themselves to their “wilderness work” in Sonora, or in other half-settled portions of Northern Mexico. This view of the question is taken by the federal authorities, who would willingly, if they could, confer upon the petitioners the fatal boon.

The Mormon pioneers, 143 in number, when sent westward under several of the apostles to seek for settlements, fixed upon the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. The advance colony of 4000 souls, expelled from Nauvoo on the Mississippi, and headed by “Brigham the Seer,” arrived there on the 24th of July, 1847, the anniversary of which is their 4th of July—Independence Day. Before the end of the first week a tract of land was ditched, plowed, and planted with potatoes. City-Creek Kanyon was dammed for irrigation; an area of forty acres was fortified after the old New England fashion by facing log houses inward, and by a palisade of timber hauled from the ravines; the city was laid out upon the spot where they first rested, the most eligible site in the Valley, and prayers, with solemn ceremonies, consecrated the land.