Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-03-19
AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL.
FROM THE Paos1pEscr JOURNAL.

rested upon irresponsible authority that had begun
to regard them mischieyous attempts upon credu
lily, until of the potatoes, seat hither by
Of townsmen, who is farming upon the Sacramento
They resemble yams in size, and the faea Rohans
are ''small potatoes" in comparison with theirs.
The American Artisen, published in New York. besides
many other valuable articles upon rural matters contains
the proceedings Of the Farmers Club which meets in
that city every fortnight. At the meeting November
23d, Messrs. SHELTON HAwLEY and Dye from different
parts Of California present many
interesting particulars relative to the farm and garden
products OF the bottom lands Of that State from which 1t
wouu appear that in fertility they probably
qualed by any other portion Of the world The first
haneu gentleman has been in California years.
gagged entirely in investigating the vegetable productions
Oh the state ana Its agricultural capabilities He has
brought home seeds OF many curious towering plants and
valuable grasses and colored drawings of vast number
of the remarkable illustrations of the aora 81 that
extraordinary country.
The following article from the Agrieultoy a new and
valuable journal, published by A. b. Allen Co.. con-
tains a summary of the information derived from Mr.
SHELTON, which viii be read with interest as the results
Of personal observation by OF intelligence and re-
sponsibility:
" Our readers will recollect the of Mr. Shelton
as that OF the gentleman who got up the first agricultural
show of the Rocky Mountains at which he
silver cup to Mr.. Horner, farmer whose crops the
present year will nett him 5000 000 greater amount
perhaps than that of any other in the world From
few hours conversation with Mr.. Shelton, we have
learned many interesting particulars relative to the agr
culture Of California, of which we will mention few.
He says Mr.. Horner rather Messrs. Horner &
Beard had enclosed four leagues 400 and odd
the league with iron fence. He had walked fence
field of eight miles
This farm is at San Jose mission about 40 miles across
the bay southeast of San Francisco The San Jose and
Santa Clara valleys are at present most productive be-
hos lint
can be irrigated is almost equally rich He thinks
y one-ha of the State arabe because he says there is
no difficulty IN growing wheat barley and upon land
which cannot be irrigated if after the rainy
commences which is the last Of November Wheat
and barley generally receveno aid from irrigation root
crops and culinary vegetables must be watered
be worth any thing. Mr.. Shelton that the corn
that produced best species of low Canada corn
which cared near the ground. He had seen some very
long stalks growing to thirty feet in height but these
did not produce. The heat of the day excessive
through parts of the eountry bat the nights gene
rally cold which is injurious to the growth of The
yield of is not than thirty forty bushels to
the acre, while 100 bushels of wheat barley is
mon crop. From sowing of the latter two crops
generally gathered and sometimes three. To produce
second crop, the stubble is narrowed just the
mencement Of the rains and the yield is about half
much the rstthe third about half that of the second
The dry begins in June and continues till No
vember, without rain and almost without dews Mr..
Shelton says he has hundreds of of
and barley lie in swarths two months without injury
which the wild oat holds very important position The
stalk Of this grain resembles oa the seed
is covered with down. The grain is nutrtve and the
stalk green and cured makes excellent hay though
rather coarse He has ridden hundred and fifty
miles through plains of this wild grain from two to six
feet high and in rich valleys often high his head
horse back. Cattle live well through winter, except
when the crop is consumed by fire. There is also kind
Of bur clover of which he has fourteen varieties the
burs of which the earth several inches thick and
readily eaten by cattle in winter His herbarium
,,tn~ -
California mammoth productions would stagger the be-
lief of those who have always sat the chimneycorner
at home and have not yet learned what Other lands be-
sides their produce. Here few specimens.
A tree, the trunk of which, it lay upon the
ground he strobe twelve PAGES Three yoke of stood
at the same time on the stump. Another tree two
worked upon six weeks, and made thousand dollars
worth of shingles and then left considerable timber
worked These species of the pine family,
what resembling red CEDAR The manner Of working
them up is 10 in top deep the saw
will work and then split off slab then in of
the edges and split again. and IL splits very fine
0fCalforna vegetables have before heard and have
seen few Mr.. Shelton says he has had in his show
room dozen heads of cabbage at time which weighed
from fifty to sixty pounds each One head perfectly sod
weighed 6fy-sx pounds. 1t was seven feet in circum
ference lie has measured the leaves of growing cabbage
stretched out TO their greatest width and found them
twelve feet in diameter Potatoes grow to enormous
sizes-six to pounds each--he has with
him. year DID, quite sound. One is reported on
which twelve persons dned at Stockton leaving onehaf
hat turnip at the place is reported Of hun
dred pounds weight This Mr. s. vouch for but
he will vouch for beets weighing sxtythr pounds each,
grown in five montssevera Mt forty five, and which
cut solid slices eighteen inches in diameter when it
put the table for two hundred guests and il just
as sound and good only weighing single pound,
grown here. These Of the turnp variety of SUI
gar bees and grew about six inches in the ground and
two feet out The soil rich aluvial black loan,
with water two four feet below the surface COM
blood beet he measured four feet in length and
thick a mans leg
WILD FRUITS INDIGENOUS TO THE CoUSrRY.-Grapes
north of Sacramento, abundant The vines grow to
sizes and length with branches s big hand
spikes. The fruits like nearly all wild grapes musky
with thick skin and pulp. Yuba is the Of a river,
the meaning Of which is Grape river.
RAsPBERRIEs at Humboldt and on Klamath in the
north part Of the State excel in size any thing Of the kind
the Atlantic side Mr. Shelton was assured by re-
liable person that he had measured many which five
inches in circumference Mr.. s. them preserved in
pickle jars the mouth Of which, inch and half in
diameter, was too small to allow them pass freely. The
berries are light red very delicious and grow vines
of enormous size They should be introduced into the
Eastern States without delay
HUCKLEBERRIEs are also abundant in the Northern
countries
GoosEBERRIRs grow very large and plenty on the noun
ains, but like all the wild productions OF this fruit
thomy. They good cooked
STRAwBBRRIEs.-Iusthe neghborIood Of San Francisco,
and indeed extensively through the State, the hills
white with blossoms in early SPRING and the ground red
dcned with large delicious fruit.
CULTIVATED FRUITs.-At the old mssiens grapes Of SUI
peror quality grown with very little cultivation
These were introduced by the Jesus from Spain long
years ago. and have spread extensively, and in many
places grow apparently Wild to induce the suppose
ton that they natives The fruit is purple, about the