The hydraulic press., 1858-10-23
THE HYDRAULIC PRESS


During all those dreary years
when the mining regions of this
State were esteemed only for their
metallic deposits, and when the wild
scramble for these was the only pur-
suit, there seemed no hope that set
tied society was a possibility for Cali
ornia, elsewhere than in the quiet of
agri cultural wales. The precious dis
covery that tie mountains are valua>
BILE for tillage had not then been
made. The mountain papers were
not then sending down to the cities
their weekly reports of agricultural
and horticultural successes. But
within the last two or three years
the fact has transpired that the hills
are not barren. They have yielded
products more precious than gold
are becoming already the scat of a
fixed and prosperous people, who
employ themselves in very many of
the pursuits which they learned in
the far scenes of their early life.
One after one men are turning with
WEAKNESS and dislike from the once
fascinating hunt for gold, wiling at
last to seek wealth through the more
sure if slower medium of legitimate
labor.
These reports are Immediately sug-
gested by the perusal of the annual
reports of the Assessors of several
mining counties, and by the encour-
aging facts which appear in cotempo.
rary journals, all of which concur in
the opinion that a better day has
dawned for California, since there has
been proven to exist in the billy re-
gions facilities and inducements for
other industrial pursuits than that of
mining, and particularly for those
connected with the cultivation of the
soil. In our own county, as we learn
from the succinct report Of Mr.. Bran
nan, there is an area of agricultural
land which estimated to embrace ia
square miles. This statement is of
course pnrely arbitrary, for it takes
into account only such lands as lie
along the foot hills in the lower corr
ner of the county. There are doubt
less thousands of acres of admirable
tillage land above the line of that
mentioned; in fact many OF the finest
ranches in the county are in the
mountain vallies and not among the
foot hills. The Assessor says:
"The whole quantity of land taken
up for agricultural and grazing pur-
poses is estimated at "A, 800 acres
the number of proprietors, 277, and
the value of improvements, $266, $40.
The number of acres under cultiva-
ton for all purposes, $4,000. Of
this, there are $500 acres Of wheat,
$500 of barley, 1,4OO Of oats. Our
soil is well adapted to the cultivation
Of fruits and vegetables, our irrigation
abundant, and of easy application by
means of canals and ditches.'
This is small exhibit indeed, but
when we remember that. small as it
is, these $4,000 thousand acres have
been put under cultivation within two
or three years, and mostly within the
past year, there is some cause for
gartulation. The number Of acres
under cultivation in Nevada county
in 1856 was only 1890, less num-
Der than was this year sowed to
wheat! Then, there were no fruit
trees nor grape vines. Now, the
Assessor estimates the number of
these as follows: peach, 100000;
apple, 10000; pear, 1900; plum
and cherry, 500 each; grapes, 5000
vines; strawberries, 10 acres, and
some ounces and nectarines. He
says that no portion of the State,
probably, grows finer grapes than
those raised on our hill sides. Of
one acre in Nevada City, containing
about 700 vines, the produce is esti~
mated at p, 900 pounds. The vines
sprout the latter end of March, the
fruit begins to form the middle Of
April, and natures from the first to
the middle Of September. As pas
sing illustration of the productiveness
of mountain soil, we give this item
from the Nevada National:
"Mr. 0. has gathered the past
season, 2,444 pounds Of the common
round turnip, from a piece Of ground