Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-20


for the five hands, thirty-fives bales, They
might also make one hundred and fifty
barrels of corn, and ,some little wheat,
worth, the whole crop, gross, say $4,000,
which is more than fair price, and the
above much more than an average crop.
One-half Of, this goes to your laborers,
which leaves the gross profits to the land
owner of $2500..h Some pay wages TO
labsrers, but the cotton crop has become
so uncertain of late years that nearly all
prefer to farm on shares So we have.
above $2500 as the income in this conn.
TRY, and that after much trouble from
unruly negroes. Nov, what can we do
in California Four of your five hands
would drive gsng-plows, each drawn by
eight mules or horses, iaad each plow
could put you in $50 acres OF wheat or
barley, which are the leading products Of
the country. This wonld be l400 acres
for your four plows. Your fifth hand 10
the meantime would be needed to cook,
draw water for your stock, biue-stoqe
your grain, SOW il, and other such WORK.
This l400 acres above would produce
you probably twenty-five to thirty BUSH
els to the acre, but for our calculation,
wanting to keep. on the safe side, we will
say ffteen.1 This would be for your crop
q, 900 ushels-worth from seventy five
cents to 81 25 per bushel, according
to circumstances. We will say in this
estimate Is cents, which will make gross
receipts $l5,75 and at the following
outlay: Your labor, which you need only
six mouths in the year, would cost you
from $50 to $40 per month. You can
have your crop harvested and stacked by
contract at 81 per acre. and threshed ct
10 cents bushel These, with your
seed wheat, or barley, and the feed of
stock and hands, and repairs on plows,
etc., will sum up in the aggregate to
about 81 expense, everything coupted,
for each acre you cultivate. This won ID
make our total expense on l4O0 acres
$4,000, which, deducted from $l5,750
gross receipts, leaves net balance OF
$40, $50; and this, remember, Is IN gold,
our Tennessee profits being as aboye
$250O in currency. This $40, ,l5O in gold
would be sufficient to pay for your 400
acres land, your thirty-two mules, your
piows and wagons, anu your coitage
house. In other words, you have fair
prospect. of the Investment more than
repaying itself the first year. I ou would
thus make the land, stock, etc, clear, to
say nothing about the increased value OF
your land. But the second year is the
payirg one in California, as with his
same plows and hands he can put in l49O
acres more Of grain and harvest it at
same expense as the fret year; but in
addition to this, and without plowing,
seeding, or any other expense, except
the harvesting and threshing, he will
have volunteer crop from the 400
acres cultivated the frst year; in other
words, itlis not necessary TO SOW the
seed but once in two years. The second
wear it seeds itself Thus, for the second
year, and from the same FIVE hands, we
reap from $500 acres, and get 42O0
bushels of grain, which is worth $3l 500
Expenses this second year will be $4,000
on the l400 acres sowed last. and on the
other 400 acres, only the harvesting and
threshing, which is $350O--or. total ex-
pense on. $500 acre crop, $9l00-which,
deducted from gross receipts, leaves net
balance of S22. 400 The third year he
will plow and SOW the land cultivated
the first year, and 80 on alternately.
Any man going to California with,
say, $4,000 in gold, may feel assured
that he can realize the above ,protits-in
fact mere, as be can own his own ma
chinery, and hence save the outlay esti-
mated above for harvesting and thresh-
ing. He can also promise himself q
ouiet, comfortable, elegant living, nohe
Of which can he get, as general rule, ~
any Southern State in raising corn and
ootton with freed labor. Smaller
amounts than $4,000 would pay. Of
course, in the same proportion. In Cali
fornia labor is scarce, and an ave-
rage man commands from $50 to $40 per
month. still, one man can cultivate so
much, that few answer the purposes Of
even a large farmer. But such 3 ooun-
try and such wages will soon command q
sufficient laboring force from China and
from Europe, and from the thinly settled
nortions of our own oopnry. The OPP
portunities for splendid inyestmenis are
so frequent that money commands
high rate, II per cent. per month being
the usual rate. But with usual seasons,
crops and prices, any farmer would be
safe in payiug these rates either for Ia
bor or money. lIBMl no JOl
There are many professional miners
engaged in what are called "dry dig
eings." They can mine only in the wet
season, vben they can get from the
mountsin streams water, so as TO keep
up their r''lwsshings along with their
dieeines'' - consequently, when the
dry season sets in, aud their water gives
ont. these miners are very glad to de-
scsnd to he valleys, and aid in the hst-
vest feld, where they get from u to sS
a day. according to their capacity aud
experience. With the wet season they
return TO their mining, and so on each
year. The olimste, as before stated, Is
not 10 be surpassed. They have no cold
weather. aud no prostratine. hot weather
a. in the South here, on account Of the
sea,brseze, which effects the temperature
for a long Ezys inland. The changes
Known ont there are from the vetutO the
dry seasoh, the former eommeneing
most nsuAlly in October, and contin-
uing until April or through IL During
this wet season, however, they have no