Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-09-27

travelling ng-shswls. The Pioaesr woollen Mills
in San Francisco, manufacrcre on neariy a.
large Q scale, and much the same articles
The Pacific Woollsn Mills spin yarns and
manufactnre knit goods Ia all these mill.
Chinese labor 10 largely used, and greatly to
the satisfaction OF the employers.
sheep raising On . Big Scale.
Monterey county 10 the great sheep-raisins
| county OF the state, and OF the Uaited States
doustless. In 1857 certainly it contained more
sheep than any other county In the Union
Everywhere mere you hear the names OF Fin,
d Bixby. They carry on the business OF
sheep.raisiaG on IN Immense scale. and NAV
be said 70 be the wool autocrats q the State
The history OF their operations Interested me
and will perhaps interest STAR readers as
well.
The Wsel Autecrats of the State.
In 1883, two Fhnts-brothers, and one Bix.
by, brothef.in.lav of the Fhnts, al Maine
YANKEES, tKennebeckers, I think,l crossed the
plains with sheep, starting the flock from
Council Bluffs and coming by NORTH Platte
and the South Pass to Salt Lake, thence by the
Fremont trail to Los Angeles and up to san
Juan (San Wan) Valley, arriving IN 1854 They
left the East with COO sheep, and before start.
ing from Council Blufs had increased their
mock by purchase to 600. They lost about
Juan) they found TO be full OF wild horses and
cattle, indicating its value for grazing Dur.
poses, and they bought q Spanish grant con.
tanning 5000 acres, half OF which they sold
and put sheep on the rest In 1857 thev were
among the frst to import fine Spanish meripo
DUCKS nom Vermont This was before the day
OF the rage for this kind of property had sent il
vp to fancy prices. Later they paid SI.OO0 for
their best buck, bought on the day of Lin coins
nomination and named 0Old Abe" winch
name ne now bears with his wooly honors
The focks increase wonderfully in this pro.
iihc country; twin lambs being the rule rather
han the exception. The yearly increase Of
nocXs Is about 81 per cent The weather is
miid IN winter, and the increase occurs in Jan
nary or February. Lambs are sheared ths fir.,
fall, and every spring afterward Some shear
tneir nocks twice year, the second clip being
made late in the fall, bat the practice ia NOT
approved.
Little Sheep.pastare Of Two Hundred
and Thirty Thousand Acres.
Flint & Eixby have extended their opera.
tons until they now own about $50, ,0oU acres in
Montery, San LOUIS Obispo, and Los Angeles
counties, and have on all their ranches-tbers
are NO "farms" here-over 100000 sheen Their
wool clip is nearly 5OO,OO0 pounds per anuum
They also sell sheep to ali points, and mauv
smaller fiocks have been started from theirs
They have given great attention to improving
the breed OF sheep and their bucks are IN ereat
demand. Last year they sold two thou sand at
from $40 To ssS piece. The increase of focks
is constantly kept down by sales of poorer
sheep for mutton and good ones to those who
are sterling f1ocks. Last years sales of sheen
amounted TO $4,000.
The fiocks are herded by men who stav near
them by day, and ''corral them at night; one
man cares for from 1850 to 5000 according 70
the "gumption" Of the men. As a general
ming dogs are net used by the shepherds. Flint
q Bixbv, afser trial, find that the shepherds do
quite as well, 2 nd the sheep great deal better.
wtshons do0s. Tns sssposrds ga good pey,
one would think, for such simple work, s25
per month in gold and found. Curiously
enough the very listlessness and monotony of
their occupation seems to unsettle the mind
and the number OF suicides amongst this class
OF men Is said 70 be disproportIonately large
As have said Messrs. Flint Brxbv bava
some 23O,OO0 acres devoted to sheep pasturage
They make it rule to allow plenty Of pasture
ana they average on their lands of ALI knds-
Mill and valley, one sheep to the acre. The
valley lands, it snonld be stated, are tar better
for pasturage than the hills, and it must be re.
membered that this pasturags is all wild grass
If cultivated, the land would OF course sustain
many more sheep, but there is abundant room
yet without.
There is very little sod in California. ths six
months drought from April to November Kills
the roots OF grass pretty efEectuaIIy, and n
springs up from the seed every year. The hav
ofCalifornia is made mostly from Wild oau ana
barley. The wild oats with which the hills of
California are covered give to them the appear
ance at this season Of rich yellow fields Of
gram 1t 10 smaller than the tame oats and
mas bearded projections with bent Joints Liz,
the grasshopper, which makes the grain uufit
for use, but the stalk Of it makes good hav.
and fattening pasture. 1t is believed that the
Wild oat Is q climatic detenoration of the tame
oats brought here by the Spanish missionaries
some seventy years ago. In this San Juan
Valley there Is considerable moist ground, or
ground where water is reached short distance
below the surface, and species of wild clover
the Alfalfa clover fiourishes well. There are
also other wild grasses in the valley.
Is sheep-rai'inf or, or ,Gsns,in.-sr'wins : sn, Mos.
There has been good deal of defamation I'm
the California papers against large ranches as
damage TO thef1nances Of the counties but some
experiments made in the way OF cutting up
sheep ranches Into smaller farms for cuItiya-
uon would seem To render 1t doubtful il Sheep
raising is not the most profitable of the two.
Col. w. w Hollister, Of San Francisco who
has been largely engaged in stock-ra isin
and who owned one half of the San Justo (San
He"-sto) ranch (FlInt d Bixby owning the
otner) sold his portion last year to fifty far.
mers TO be divided into that number OF farms
The tax.books OF the county, however, snow
that the fifty farmers with their land, stock
ana products pay less tax than Flint &
Bixoy on their land stocked with sheep.
....a Gel. w. w. Hsllister.
Col. Hollistsr, who has made large fortune
in stock raaangs came bo California sons years
ego from Ohio with broken fortunes, and
indebted, believe, TO one business firm in
OHIO some es0.0D. After he made his s.piIe"
hero he repaid the money he owed in Ohio
principal ana intsrest and also insisted upon
adding . bonus Of $4,000 for the ass OF the
money. This 10 the California way of doing
buslness-whsn Yen have the money, but there
are plenty Of Eastern msn hsrs who came our
years ago to make or nsnd thsir fortunes and
who have not only hilsd q do 90 but have NO.
made enough absoiutsly 70 take them home
So there are blanks in the Oalifornis lottery.
Dsing Away witA Fences.
"A matter OF some interest to Eastern read.
ers, may sddto the nohce ofths division Of the
Aollistsr lands into farna saAs - Afty owners