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| BOBBY DARIN PLAYLIST |
 ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN |
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| Plum Garden, Kamata |
| The entire Kamata area south of Omori was known for the extensive cultivation of plum trees--less for their springtime blossoms than for the early summer fruits that could be pickled and sold in Edo.
For the Plum Garden owner, however, a medicine dealer from Omori, the connection was rather that his chief product, a cold remedy called Wachusan, originated in the village of Umenoki ("plum tree") in Siga Prefecture. The estate was open to the public, complete with teahouses and a restaurant. It dated from the early Bunsei period (1818-1830) and came to be known as the "Plum Mansion" (Umeyashiki) because of its several hundred flowering trees which we see here extending far into the distance. Today the Umeyashiki survives as a public park just a short walk south of a station by the same name on the Shinagawa Line of the Keihin Kyuko. Far smaller than the original, it still features a gourd-shaped pond surrounded by a few dozen plum trees and by at least one of the stone markers shown by Hiroshige. |
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The following events all took place during the same year. Can you guess what year?
• The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad comes to the Texas cow country, ending the need for long distance cattle drives. • The North American Lobster catch reaches an all time high of 130 million pounds. • The U.S. Congress bans barbed wire fencing of public lands in the West and President Cleveland orders the removal of all illegal enclosures. • Richard King, co-founder of the King Ranch died. The King ranch was 600,000 acres and grazed 100,000 head of cattle. • The U.S. corn crop reached over 2 billion bushels for the first time. • Morton's Salt was introduced by Joy Morton Co., which will be the only nationwide marketer of salt in the U.S. • New York Condensed Milk Co. introduced fresh milk in bottles. • Evaporated milk is produced commercially for the first time by Helvetia Milk Condensing Co. ??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
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| THE BATTLE OF LAUREL HILL |
| THE FIRST LAND BATTLES of America's Civil War took place in the Tygart Valley of present-day West Virginia. Newspaper headlines across the country screamed word of events from western Virginia in June and July 1861.
Here Union troops under General George B. McClellan advanced on Confederates in the first land battles of the Civil War at Philippi, Laurel Hill, Rich Mountain and Corricks Ford. On June 3, 1861, Confederate forces at Philippi were surprised by a dawn artillery bombardment, and fled so swiftly that their retreat became the "Philippi Races." Philippi went into history as the "first land battle of the Civil War." The action at Laurel Hill played an important role in McClellan’s rise to fame as the "Young Napoleon," and helped secure western Virginia for the Union. These first land battles resulted in Union control of western Virginia for virtually the duration of the Civil War. Seizure of important transportation routes made it difficult to supply Confederate units throughout the conflict. |
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| THE BATTLE OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI |
With the Civil War imminent and Missouri a border state, Springfield was divided in its sentiments. On August 10, 1861, army units clashed in the Battle of Wilson's Creek, the site of the first major conflict west of the Mississippi River, involving about 5,400 Union troops and 12,000 Confederates. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was killed, the first Union general to die in combat, and the Confederates were victorious. Union troops fell back to Lebanon, then Rolla, and regrouped. When they returned to Springfield, the Confederates had withdrawn.
 General Nathaniel Lyon First Union general to die in combat The First Battle of Springfield, or Zagonyi's Charge, occurred on October 25, 1861. It was the only Union victory that year in southwestern Missouri. The fighting led to increased military activity in Missouri and set the stage for the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, which essentially cemented Union control of the state. For the next year, possession of the city seesawed. Then on January 8, 1863, Confederate forces under Gen. John S. Marmaduke advanced toward the town square and the Second Battle of Springfield ensued. As evening approached, the Confederates withdrew. The next morning, Gen. Marmaduke sent a message to Union forces asking for proper burials for Confederate casualties. The city would stay under Union control until the end of the war. |
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| "You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where to go." --- Dr. Seuss |
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| Golden Gate Before the Bridge San Francisco, California, 1932 |
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 | MOUNTAIN HOLLYHOCK
(Iliamna rivularis) Other names are maplemallow and globemallow. This is a perennial herb growing in large coarse clumps in rich, moist soil along streams, in canyons, on roadsides, and in open areas. Grows from lower foothills to almost 9,000 feet and is distributed from Alberta to British Columbia south to Nevada and Colorado. There are about 6 more species in this genus, 3 of which occur in the Rocky Mountains area. Mountain hollyhock makes an attractive garden plant and can be readily established by collecting and planting the seeds. The stems of some hollyhocks were chewed as gum by the Indians. Tiny hairs on the ripe fruit are irritating to the skin. Photo 
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| HISTORY The Dingo is not truly native to Australia and there are two common theories to its arrival on the continent: (1) Dingoes were brought to Australia at least 15,000 years ago by Aboriginal people, (evidence is now suggesting the Aborigine and the Dingo arrived at different times) (2) The Dingo may have been related to the semi-wild dogs found throughout South East Asia and brought to Australia by seafarers who used them for trade and/or eating. |
| According to latest DNA testing, Dingoes evolved 135,000 years ago and were the world's first domestic dog, predating the wolf. A 'marker' has been found in the Dingo which is not present in the wolf, making the Dingo a separate species. |
| It is believed that the Dingo is the ancestor of all dog breeds, the base stock of the 600 true dog breeds. |
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DESCRIPTION The Dingo's short-haired coat ranges from reddish ginger, rust, yellow to browns and (rarely) to black with white points on the feet, snout and the tip of the tail. The Dingo (the size of a medium dog) has a fairly bushy tail, strong claws, and a very angular alert-looking head with erect ears. This canine does not bark (though it does howl). |
| HABITAT The Dingo can be found in almost any part of the Australian mainland which provides access to drinking water, as it needs to drink once a day. Because of this need for water the Dingo prefers the edge of forests which butt onto grasslands, but are forced inland to more semi-arid areas (mainly by man). |
| FEEDING AND HUNTING Dingos are an opportunistic carnivore (meat eating) predator hunting mainly at night. They prefer mammals, but this diet can be supplemented by reptiles, insects, etc. The size of their prey ranges from small rodents, rabbits, and lizards through to sheep and kangaroos. Dingos usually hunt alone or in pairs, but when small game is scarce and larger prey must be tackled, cooperative hunting takes place. |
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| BREEDING Dingoes become sexually mature at the age of one year and they take a lifetime mate. Breeding takes place only once a year, with the bitch giving birth to between one and eight pups, (usually 3 to 4) in Spring. Both the male and female Dingo take part in raising the pups, which stay with the parents for a period of 12 months up to 3 years. Pups are born blind but with a good covering of fur in a den. After being weaned (2 months) the mother regurgitates food for the pups until they are about 4 months old when they are capable of starting to try and hunt for themselves. They are able to eat and hunt small game such as rodents and rabbits. |
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What is the world's second tallest mountain?
??? PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
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| DUSTIN HOFFMAN (Caricature) |
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WILLIAM CLARK - PART ONE |
| Captain William Clark, the red-haired co-captain of the Corps of Discovery, was born on August 1, 1770, the sixth son and ninth child from a family of 10 children. Originally from the same area of Virginia that was home to both Jefferson and Lewis, Clark's parents relocated their family near the Rappahannock River, where William was born.
All of Clark's brothers were Revolutionary War veterans, including the famed George Rogers Clark, who commanded Virginia's troops in the Kentucky region during Jefferson's term as Virginia governor. After the War was over, the Clark family migrated across the Allegheny Mountains and down the Ohio River to Mulberry Hill, near Louisville. Clark learned about wilderness skills and natural history from his older brother, George. Clark began his military career at age 19 when he joined the Kentucky Militia. He later joined the regular army and was promoted to lieutenant. During this strenuous time, Clark "learned how to build forts, draw maps, lead pack trains through enemy country, and fight the Indians on their ground." On two occasions, Clark was sent to spy on the Spanish, who at the time were exploring and building forts high up the east bank of the Mississippi. By 1795, he had received successive promotions to leadership positions, eventually attaining the rank of Captain. Ensign Meriwether Lewis was among men assigned to Clark. The two struck up a lasting friendship that would lead to their co-commanding the Corps of Discovery. William Clark possessed many physical and mental qualities that were beneficial as a leader of the Corps. Clark was over six feet tall and had a strong and muscular physical frame. The only major exception to his physical health was an obscure digestive ailment from which he suffered. |
Clark was quite proficient at eliciting information from native tribes during the expedition, which he recorded in his journal-writing and sketches. With less formal educational training than Lewis, Clark filled his journals with frequent grammatical and spelling errors, and long and confusing language.
Once the terms of the Louisiana Purchase were agreed upon on April 30, 1803, it became clear that the expedition's mission was not simply driven by scientific inquiry, geographic mapping, and commercial development of the unexplored territory. The mission was to be concurrently a diplomatic one. The transfer of sovereignty from the French/Spanish administration to United States hands would need to be communicated to every Indian tribe and foreign interest occupying the lands within the Missouri River watershed. The increased importance of the exploration warranted an additional commander to assist Lewis, President Jefferson's first choice to lead the journey. Lewis wanted William Clark. On June 19, 1803, Lewis penned a letter to Clark, who was then out of the army, expressing his desire that Clark share command of the expedition and help recruit able-bodied, qualified men to enlist in the Corps. Lewis, with the President's concurrence, offered Clark a permanent commission as Captain. Responding to Lewis in Pittsburgh on July 29, where he was readying boats and supplies for the journey, Clark wrote, "My friend I assure you no man lives with whome I would perfur to undertake Such a Trip &c as your self."  |
 | John Chapman - A Gentle Hero
Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on September 26, 1774. His real name was John Chapman. |
| His father, Nathaniel Chapman, was one of the Minutemen who fought at Concord on April 19, 1775, and later in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. John's mother, Elizabeth Symond Chapman, had three children: Elizabeth, who was born in 1770, John, and Nathaniel Jr., who died shortly after birth in 1776. John's mother, who was sick from tuberculosis, died just three weeks after her third child.
Although there is no proof, it is reasonable to assume that Elizabeth's parents took care of John and his sister while their father was in the Army. Nathaniel married his second wife, Lucy Cooley of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, in 1780. With their family of ten children, Nathaniel and Lucy lived in Longmeadow for many years. Johnny and Elizabeth lived with them for at least part of that time. There is little authentic information available about Johnny's life with the new family. However, he did start his westward journey about 1797. "Johnny Appleseed" was not the scatterer of seeds many people believe. He was a practical nurseryman. He realized that there was a real need and an opportunity for service in supplying seeds and seedlings. For the most part, moving ahead of the pioneers, Johnny started many nurseries throughout the Midwest by planting seeds which he bought from cider mills in Pennsylvania. In order to assure stability of the newly established homesteads, the law required each settler to plant fifty apple trees the first year. Because of the poor transportation that existed in the interior in those days, apples were a practical necessity in the early settlers' diets. John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed, owned many tracts of land throughout Ohio and Indiana. He used this land to plant apple seeds, transplant seedlings and set out orchards. He sold and gave trees to the pioneer settlers. John Chapman spread religion as well as apples. A deeply religious man, John Chapman became a self-appointed missionary for the Church of the New Jerusalem, a Christian Church based on the Biblical interpretations of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientist and theologian. John shared his religious tracts and his Bible with the settlers who listened to him. His love for his neighbor made him accepted as a peacemaker between the Indians and the settlers. Just short of his seventy-fifth birthday, Johnny Appleseed died on March 18, 1845 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after more than 50 years of travel. His path through the East and Midwest is today dotted with many monuments to the memory of this man who fulfilled the Biblical requirements "To Do Justly, To Love Mercy and To Walk Humbly With His God." |
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| FIREWEED Ann Telling Photo |
| Fireweed commonly invades burned over or clearcut forests. It has considerable value in protecting denuded timber land and tends to die out when forests regenerate. |
| DISCLAIMER: Material used in Bitts and Bytes is gathered from various sources--mainly the World Wide Web.
Authorship cannot always be credited nor the source defined. Authenticity of material is assumed to be correct, but is not guaranteed. |  |
