The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-10-20
Yankee VernO,aters In
California.

In The CALIFORNIAN OF September 20,
we published a brief article entitled
"Where Vermonters are BY that item,
which was made up from the last census,
it appears that in 1860 there was pretty
good sprinkling Of Green Mountain Boys
all over Uncle Sans vast domain. Among
the statistics there given we read that OF
the tar-off Pacific coast, in the golden
State of California, there are 3,4l9 Yer
monters. Caledonia county has contrib
uted its full share to the enterprising citi-
zens of this new State We we'll remem-
Der, in 1851, when some fourteen young
men left this village in body, to seek
homes and fortunes in the new Eldorado.
Among those who emigrated from this
county, IN 1852, was Mr.. Charles Webb
Howard, of Danville, son of Hon. The
ron Howard, now of this place. Many of
our readers will recollect the wrecking of
the steamer independence in which he
took passage from the Isthmus, and the
letter he wrote home after his rescue. and
which WIS published in the North Star at
that time
a year or two later than the period
above spoken of, two other Vermonters,
well known in public life, also took up
their residence in San Francisco. We re-
ter to Hon. Oscar l.. Shatter, now Judge
of the Supreme Court of California, and
his brother Hon. James McM Shafter.
sons of Hon. VIM. Il. Shafter of Towns
end this State.
These three men arc. undoubtedly, the
largest dairy farmers in the world. They
have farm in Marin county, California,
known as the Point Reyes Ranch, on the
coast about 70 miles north of San Fran
cisco, of over seventy-onc thousand acres
of land, forty thousand of which is very
choice dairy land, and being bounded on
three sides by salt water it receives .the
benefit Of the iogs and moisture from the
Pacific ocean which keeps the feed good
for dairy purposes fully eight months in
the year. Tue other thirty-one thousand
acres is wild and, in many parts, heav-
lily timbcred country, but some ten thou
sand acres of it is well adapted for sheep
grazing, they having herd of nearly nine
thousand running thereon at present, that
thrive on the land the year round without
care. except herding at night
These farmers expect, within three
years, to be milking upwards of four thou
sands COWS ''twice day" Mr.. Howard.
who has been East this summer to visit
friends in his native State for the first
time since he went to California, has re-
Gently been inspecting the cheese manufac-
tories in New York, Massachusetts and
our own State, with the view of building
one on their farm. He has adopted plans
Tor erecting one of one thousand cows ca
pacity, to be in operation next spring.
they being the pioneers there in that bust
ness
But the making of butter is the princi-
pal business on this farm, the establishing
of a cheese dairy Of one thousand cows he
ing an experiment, the resul; of which will
influence future operations in that line
With such an example before them as a
butter dairy of three thousand cows, we
should suppose that the people of the
young and growing State of California
would not long import one-half the butter
they consume, as at present, but would
soon supply their own market, for Mr..
Howard informs US that they make as
good butter there as is made in the best
diaries in Caledonia county.