Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-04-30
From the Boston Journal
FARMING IN CALIFORNIA.

We imagine that about the pleasant
est trip which New England farmer
could make would be to visit the farms
orchards and vineyards. of that remark
able State, California. No, only would
be find the estates of his brother farmers
there to be on a much larger scale than
he IS accustomed TO see in New England,
but the great variety of articles produced
would excite his surprise, while the ex-
traordinary perfection to which the fruits
of the earth are brought could not fail
10 arouse his admiration. Not only are
the grains and fruits of our northern |
States produced in great abundance, but
many of the fruits Of tropical climes, as
oranges, lemons, figs, olives, pomegran-
ates, &c, grown in rich profnsion, alto
gether furnishing a combination of pro-
ductions sufficient to tempt the most loyal
yeoman of New England to exchange
the reluctant soil Of his native home for
the rich globes of California.
We have been led to these reflections
by an examination of the q" Official Re
port of the California State Agricultural
Society's Fourth Annual Fair" held AT
Stockton last October. This document
contains the report of a committee ap-
pointed to visit the farms, orchards, vine
yards, &c, of the State. 1t embraces
much interesting information concerning
California farms, and farming, some items
of which we propose to transfer to our
colums. In the description of the grounds
4 of Mr.. 4. p. Smith, three miles from
b Sacramento, it is stated that his :" po-
t mologcal gardens" cover sixty-five acres
of ground, and embrace not cnly large
= variety of rare flowers but also many
d tropical trees. In the vegetable gardeT
were seen one set of men gathering ma
is nure vegetables for the market, while an
2, other was cultivating those half grown
). and still another planting seed Of tn
same sort. And this is going on contin
ually. The grounds are watered b,
means Of a ten-horse power steam pump
/ capable of raising ten thousand gallon
= of water per hour. More than six thou
:, sand feet of twelve inch earthern pip,
- under ground, and four thousand fiv
hundred feet Of hose are employed i
- distributing the water thus raised upo
= the grounds. There are on the premise
thirteen thousand pear trees, seventee
o thousand peach trees, twelve thousan
- rose bushes, ten thousand grape vine
i thirty thousand green house plants, an
h., hundred other kindred productions, il
n. Guiding figs, pomegranates, &c, all nun
IS bered by the thousand.
The farm of Mr.. J. c. Davis, in 70
,. county, sixteen miles from Sacrament
- contains eight thousand acres Of Ian
sixteen hundred Of which are enclost
an with a substantial fye-board fence. II
ii. remainder is used for grazing purpose
nc There are about four thousand head
or cattle and two hundred horses and mul
on upon the farm. A butcher shop, blac
ole smith shop and a Touring mill are al
included in the establishment, and
steam engine Of ten horse power is Us
y" in irrigating the orchard, vineyard, &c.
The farm Of Hutchinson & Green,
=, the same county, contains six thousa
. acres, two thousand Of which are deyoi
to the growth Of wheat, barley, oats,
They use twenty wagons, fifty plo'
twenty-five harrows, two thTeshing n
~ chimes, four hay presses and other
plements to correspond, portion
which are made ia workshops upon
pes premises. NJ. John WolfskilPs vi
cen yard contains nine thousand vines, q
lSh his orchard eighteen hundred trees, co
l'cn prising apples, pears, peaches, plu'
re- cherries, apricots, almonds, walnt
'er olives, figs, pomegranates, &c. Six al
lay' cot trees produced the last season
oi thousand pounds Of fruit, which !
nee sold in Sacramento at the rate Of sew
lich ty-fiye cents per pound.
In describing the farm Of Messrs.
mex & Cameron, on the Yuba river,
la., committee speak Of a remarkable va
GOO ty Of clover, called /" alfalfa" used
-;oa stock feeding, which is Of such eztr
,har binary yigor that IN field which
,ba been fed down twice during the sea
.;,, the clover was nearly three feet high
,.,a in bloom when the committee visited
- fam. AT times when all other gra
-. AID clover are perfectly dry and yell
- the alfalfa exhibits the most fresh
-. luxurious green. The roots OF
-, clover, say the committee, run d
through close soil ill they reach vi
though the same be twenty feet from