Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-02-26
California Growing Bright.

A few years ago agricultural
writer's spoke Of the soil Of California
as being thin and easily exhausted. 1t
was stated that the wheat crop had
rapidly decreased. owing to the want
( Of heat in the soil, and to poor farm
( ing. We understand that nothing
C MD be raised without irrigation, and
that neither pork, or beef would take
salt. More than this, it was coun-
try without natural grass, except q
sqccies Of burr clover which only thrived
in the wet season. Flax, hemp, ana
cotton promised well, but when the
wet season came the glue in their
stalks was dissolved, and they sunk
into jelly.
Now we are l.earing different ac-
counts. The wheat crop this year is
az good as III he early days. The
nov process u aal:iIg meat, recently
discovered in luj.aio, viii rive Californi
ans provisions. Ii has been discovered
that flax, if sown carly. so that it can
be harvested month in advance Of
the usual time viii be profitable crop,
and we presume the same is the case
with hemp. 1t is true that California
is not SO favorable to grass as the New
England States; but we hear of dairy
men with many cows making money,
and. in short, that the soil produces
every varity Of grass with more or
less luxuriance. The State, in its ca
pacities for fruit-growing. is conceded
to excel any other, and for silk culture
it is unrivaled. One thing about Cali
forna certainly is refreshing. One
can live there far cheaper than in the
States, and on great varity Of good
food This should be great induce
ment to immigrants, tor there are
many men here who pay as much to
support their families year as
would buy o good farm in califor-
MIA.
Recently, we learn that lake OF bo-
rax has been discovered in California,
and it is producing largely. All the
borax hitherto used in the world has
been OBTAINED from lake in Thibet,
in Asia (Which is in the hands Of an
English monopoly ),and some though
not much from Northen Italy. The
last California fdrD,er also speaks of
the successful culture of the orange.
The tree requires ouly slight protec-
ton of canvas or loose boards, and il
yields remarkably fine fruit.
But another fruit recently introduc.
ed, or at least brought to notice, is
justly attracting great attention, and
such is its importance that it is Of the
grestest interest to the mining region,
territory nearly as vast as the whole
Of Europe. We refer to the olive. 1t
has been proved beyond doubt that the
olive fourishes in South Carolina.
When, in the course of destiny, We
acquire the territory south of it, We
shall have large REGION every way
/ tit for its cultivation. For several
years it has been seen that it will be
impossible to supply even the majority
of our people with butter or other
dairy products. The only substitute
is the olive. and it is universald used
/ by the people Of all warm climates.
When the olive shalt be cultivated
on the Pacific slope, the mountain and
mining region can be supplied witl.pIre
olive oil. which will take the place not
only OF butter but of lard. House
keepers well known how largely these
items enter into their supplies We
haye spoken Of the cultivation of the
olive before. Let the people of the
Gulf States emulate the enterprise Of
the Yankee Californians, who, after
getting familiar with their strange
land. are making the soil IS valuable
as their gold.