The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-12-08

AXXIII
Califonia---Summing up.

Califonia---Summiag up.
SAN FRANCIsco, Cal, Sept. as, 1859
The entire area of this State is Official
" estimated as containing a fraction
less than One Hundred Millions Of acres;
but, as this total includes bays as weiI as
lakes, rivers, &C., the actual ezteut of uu-
sutmerged iand can hardly exceed Nine
II Millions Of acres, or rather wore than
niue times the area of New hampshire
or Vermont-perhsps twice the ares of
the State of Mew-York. 1t is only a
guess on ny part, but one founded CD
considerable travel and observatieu, whioh
makes not more than one third of the ex.
teut-say'T Thirty Millions of seres-prop-
erly srablo; ;he residue being either rug
gedly mountainous, hoPelesSly desert. or
absorbed in the taie narsbes which line
the San joaquin and perhaps soDe other
rivers The arabic Thirty Millions Of
acres-Dearly the area OF all New Eng
land, except MaiUe-are scarcely equal
ed in capacity Of production by any like
area on earth. They embrsco the best
VinelauGs on this continent. to al extent
Of many millions of acres-su area capa-
ble of producing all the Wine acd all the
Rsisius annually consumed o0 the globe.
All the Fruits of the temperate zone are
grown here in great luxur!ance and per-
fection. together with the Fig, Olive, &C..
to which the Lemon aud Orange may be
added in the South. No ether land Oh
earth produces Wheat, Rye, aud Barley
go largely With so little labor as the great
majority of these Thirty Million acres;
portion Of them are we'll adapted also to
Indian Corn To Stock growing in sn
easy, slosenly, reckless way, this mild cii-
mate and fertile soil also lend the mselves
readily; pet | must believe that many
more acres are required here TO Craze a
thousand head of cattle than in Neg York
or Kentucky, and thst ths capacities Of
California to furnish Beef and Milk in
shie poor fa-hion have been taxed very
nearly to the utmost. Doubtless, four,
six, or even ten times the present numbcr
OF cattle will be fed here at sou.e future
day, but not wholly on the spontaneous
growth of the valleys and bill,ides. Nay;
/ beur already that, as the Wild Oats AID
natursl grasses are ciosely fed every year
so as to preclude aheir seeding or prevent
the seed falling to the earth aud gcrmiua-
ting, they gradually die out, and are sup
plsnted By coarse, worthless weeds. ET-
idcntly-aud rejoice over the faet-ths
Day Of ranches, or broad, unfencsd DO
mains, over which the cattle OF the own
er range at will, protected only by bis
brand from indiscrimiDste appropriation,
is passing away for ever. Aud it is bigh
tune. Though the range is yet many acres
per heed, and the feed ample for the grea
ser part of the yesr, yet the COWS Of Cali
fornis give lsse milk to-day than ike
number kept for milk on suy other por-
ton Of the globe The dry grass and
stubbIe on which they subsist keep them
in fair flesh, but furnishes scauty oyerplus
for butter and cheese. Good butter is
worth 6fty centa and over per pound. and
hes generally at tAis season white insip-
id look, like that made in Winter at the
East. Cheese commands taenty five cents
per pound, andis seldom seen on hotel
or private tables. Yet the production,
though meager. is rapidly increasing; the
little valleys opening directly on the Pa.
cifc, and thus kept green BY its fogs and
damp wiDds. 10 spite Of the Siz months
absence of rain, yielding it most abund-
sntly. A cheese weighing seven hundred
aud 6f.y ponds, the product of single
dairy, is BOW here, on its way to the State
Fair st Sacramento; the large store in
which / saw it is full of California
made cheese, from basement to attic
Yet Cslifornia does not nearly supply her
own vents, whether of Cheese or Butter,
and never will until ber dairymen shall
deem it profitable to shelter their stock in
Winter and supply them with green fod-
der in later Summer aud Fall, When
ever they shall generally devote one-qusr-
ter of their lands to growing Ctilian Clo-
yer, Sowed Corn, Beets, Parsnips and
Carrots, wberewith TO feed their cows
from August to Februsry, they will make
twice or thrice their present product Of
Butter and Cheese, and prove theirs one
of the best Dairy regions on earth. But
Habits, especially bad ones, are stubborn
things, and they will only come to this
wisdom By degrees.
Whether Califcrnis would be bet.
ter country If it bad rain iu Summer, |