The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-09-20
auritnItural anA Dumrstit.
California Farming


Correspondence ST. Joseph Traveller
Those who read my former cOmmunica-
ton chiefly on the climate OF California,
could not but perceive that farming IN
Michigan is altogether different aiiairil0
farming in California, and when Mr. Pitch
or told me q man could make a better living
on forty acres Of land in Michigan than o..
two hundred ia California, ! have ne
doubt he was correct as men could De- o.
that subject, (the adyenttiOus aids OF irfl-
cation, and small and few locations ne4
the coast and on the mountains excepted.
That variety Of crops produced I'D ram
countries cannot be produced IN California
where usually six months pass without a
dr0p Of rain, and eight Or nine with 10,
more than barely enough 10 lay the dust.
Farming in grain is for the most part con
fined 10 the raising OF wheat and barley, b
l. Int few and small locations that viii pro-
dgce corn and pOtatOe-. Hay j. made ir9l
the wild oats that cover the hills iu man
places wheat is often cut Tor bay from; the
want Of moisture 20 make it mature a.
Grain. a. will De the ease this Year Veg
etables are for the uOgt part produced lF
irrigation from arte-ian wells and windmill
pumps Wheat and barley are spwl before
or al the commencement ga Che RAINY sea-
son. but when we SOW We have no certainty
OF reaping from the uncertain quantity ci
rain that NAV tall. IL enough 10 wet tle
ground one or two feet in depth before
Newyears, and after THAT occasionally show
ers an MAY, then we are sure Of splendid
crops; Dut il iIse the present year. an
abundance Of rain falls before New}ear-
aud sets in dry and hot 1y the latter part Of
February with DO more rain or hut light
showers, much OF the grain particularly
wheat pefishes for iaeh % moisture 1ms
part Of the country. santa Clara Valley CO..
a great part Of i-. bias produced ID good TAR
crop only twice boz the last ten years. 40
other times from nothing o. five. up ~ Ten
bushels % The acre. lf i- the same with
the other large valleys Of the State. In
the district In which ] lge, tHD miles
square surrounded Dos roads, there 4le
eleven hOme-teads jess than there were
twelve years ago; given up. ahanda-el. sold
for whatever they would BRING. because Of
their total iucapacIfT of p-odlcIu the
most meagre support. There are u0F
seven vacant unoccuDcd farm houses 4h
the same tract. and four have been burnt or
pulled down. This IS boo consequence of
the lnsufiiceucg Of enough r4in to produce
crops The land IS good and rich as wa
ever cultivated.
To an those looking To- California as q
place 10 iud homes as farmers. It -loui De
known that 10 is c0untr. oI mour,ain
and valleys, The former unfit lor haHfanct
except Tor cattle aud Sheep ranges. from
their rugged character aud difficulty uf af-
cess, and Che latter as unfit from being
parched up by scOrch.ng sun auI driving
winds sX tO nine months ul tAe year,
There are locations, frw and small tn1'
are .' The s' small G gsr "g 5gr 'r aad he.s
among the mountains, and ihe foot hills.
for the mountains are to Che rain clouds
what the magnet D. t0 the load-f0ue. trac-
tors. The RAIN gauge shows iaIl oi about
one third more ram On the foot hill off tue
mountains than few miles distant Zoo TIM
valley 20 they VIII often got crop There
when SIC Tail oi getting uue further uHl ,n
the valley some time since had ue.a-
sion 10 20 90 the foot hills oft thr noun
taius, and called at six houses I'm rotation.
at two only was there % woman or child
Hover or vegetables Of ANY kind Tire
men We're out 40 work in the haryest-held.
patching IL az the house. and more desfi-
tute of the ordinary c0nveniences and com
forts OF christian civilization, than i'm any
other part OF the world have seen. And
this IS the WAY very many Of Ore farmers
and miners of California live. Can IL D..
called lvingy It's hardly superior to On.
Indian mode of life. With an infinitely deal
more labor. Farmers ct Michigan. STAY
where you are rather than trl any countr.
destitute oil rain, sin 10 nine months cd Oh.
year, and likely but little during the Other
three or four. Indeed W. are told bv olJ /
CaliiOrnians, that there have been SEASONS
pass over without enough rain 20 make the
seed on the top of the grOurl terminate /.
= 10 ggsh cpprfriq as this .i.fris- ..-s-t. "a 7
would still De- subject 10 iamine- as iu 2u-
cient times, was Nc not from being Inn near h
proximity ia point at time Go more pro-
ductive countries. Thus during the year I
most of the bread stuff have come from
Chill, Oregon, aud some from Che Eastern F.
states, while most of the cattle South Of
san Francisco have been destroyed by the
cattle famine. l sold good bee. cattle ani +
young cows last summer at six and half .
dollars head, being unable 90 keep them
through, or long into the winter. when Z F
sold what | could keep and no be,ter nr /.
nifty and sixty dollars.
Wheat was two years AGO ~ cents a z
bushel, caused by the abundant crops pro-
duced from the previous Wet winter. plenty .
OF rain, because 80 small am amount OF /
ram the proceeding rainy season