Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-31

teer) from the 800 acres cultivated the first
year or in other words, it is not necessary
to SOW the seed upon the land but once in
two years sometimes once in three years. J
The second year it seeds itself This show 8
that for the second year the farmers net
receipts are 1927 against 81, 900 the first
Iyear. The third year he will plough and
SOW the land cultivated the first year, and
soon indefinitely.
| SOIL NOT EXHAUSTED.
Our Eastern friends will at once argue
that such system of farming will soon ex-
haust the soil. They are mistaken in this.
have pursued the plan for sixteen years,
and thus far it has had no apparent or ap-
preciable damaging effect upon the land
it producing now about as well as when
first cultivated. 1 have made the foregoing
statement by way of ILLUSTRATION of whats man
OF moderate means can accomplish in far
ming. The poor man who settles upon 100
acres of Government land, and who is will
ling to work. can accomplish results in the
same proportion; while man of more means
than the moderately well off farmer, to
whose situation the foregoing calculations
were made to suit, can do still better than
the foregoing figures were made to exhibit,
and for the following reasons
The man Of larger means will, instead of
having his crop harvested and threshed by
contract, purchase his own machinery,
headers and threshers, and do the work
himself, and thereby save, say 20 per cent
of those expenses and the rich man can
always hold his crop and obtain the 80 cents
per bushel, instead of selling it for 65 cents
per bushel.
| 1 have made no estimate for family ex-
penses these vary SO greatly, and can be
made to suit every mans conditions and
means SO exactly, that l will only say upon
this subject that well-regulated, economi-
cal family can live here on farm for about
the same expense as in in Virginia or North
Carolina.
FENCING.
have purposely omitted in the forego-
ing estimate to say anything about the
cost of fencing. Several neighboring farm
ers join and build an outside fence, thus
rendering the immediate enclosing of the
land unnecessary. The Legislature now
has under consideration a proposition
which meets with graf favor and will in all
probability become law-rendering it
unnecessary for farmers to build fences
IN other words, making the owners of cat
| tie responsible for any damage committed
| by them upon the unenclosed land of an
other.
| PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Our Southern friends ought to be re-
minded that we have thorough and per-
feet system of public schools in California,
and that the children of all can be educa-
| ted at the public expense. A neighborhood
is no sooner formed than it is constituted
School District, with ample provision for
the sustaining of as good school as the
neighborhood wants for ten months in the
year Southern men, for the past few
years, have objected to the management
of the schools, alleging that partisan and
sectional political ideas and antagonisms
were taught their children. There can no
longer be any complaint upon this score
The schools are now under the superinten-
dency of the Rev. o. p Fitzgerald, a Min
lister of the Southern Methodist Church,
and Southern gentleman by birth, edu-
cation, association and sympathies; and no
class Of our people will hereafter have any
just cause to complain of sectional or par
tisan teachings in the public schools.
They should also remember that the PEG
pie of California are conservative in their
political views. There is large Southern
population in the State, and they and their
friends are now about one-half the popula-
ton. They will find no one here to at
tempt to insult them, and many to take
them by the hand and give them all the
aid in their power.
l have written only of the lands in the
Valley of the San Joaquin, where I live,
and with which / am most familiar but
there are thousands of acres of as good
land, as finely located and as cheap, in
other parts Of the State as in the Valley of
the San joaquin.
CALIFORNIA NO PLACE FOR CLERKS, ETC.
Finally, to men of means, and men of
muscle, industry and perseverance, there
can be no more inviting country than Cal
ifornia; but to those men who have no
means, and who want to make aliving by the
SO called respectable employments of clerk
ing, ETC., and by easy work generally, this
is no country for them. The one 1 would
advise to come and join us in this land of
brilliant promise, the other [ would most
urgently advise to remain where they are.
| have valued the lands of which [ have
written at prices for which they can be
bought at any time between this and the
first of September next. They are enhan-
sing in value very rapidly, and l think I
risk nothing in predicting that they will
command $40 per acre within the next
three years, and still moro when the Paci-
tic Railroad is completed.
The wretched condition of the people of
the South--my friends and relationships
been constantly in my mind for the past
two years. In thinking of their unfortu-
nate condition have not failed to think of
at least partial remedy. L have often
wished that L could induce such as can do
SO to come to this country, and have DELHI
Grated long and earnestly upon addressing
to my friends there just such communi-
cation as this. I have no interested mo-
tive in the exhibition of the facts herein
stated or the advice herein given--I have
no lands to sell; am no speculator-and am
only influenced by desire to be of some
benefit to my race.
Respectfully yours,
r. p. AsHE.