Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-08-03
A California Rancho.


its shore. 1t reaches backward, so that
one corner of it skirts the foothills
of the Sieras. The water privileges en-
joyed by it are wonderful. There is not
u field in the whole rancho that does not
have running through it stream of
pure, beautiful water There is flour
mill of large capacity, whose wheels are
kept running by o never-failing supply
of water from one of these streams. Last
year 40, 900 bushels of wheat and 4, 1000 of
barley were raised on the rancho. So
perfect is the machinery used for cutting
and gathering in the grain that thous-
and bushels of wheat which in the morn
ing held its golden head erect in the
field, at evening was tied up in the sack
ready for the miller. Headers are driv-
en- through the field, which cut off the
grain little below tho heads. Each
header is followed by three header
wagons, which catch the grain as it is
thrown into them, and in these wagons
it is hauled to the thrasher, which is in
the same field. The wheat, when sacked,
is left where it lies with impunity until
the harvesting is done, and there is leis-
ure to haul it in, tor there is no fear of
rain. To carry on these operations, a
force of 40 horses and about 30 men is
required. We will describe the process
of putting in the grain on the part titled
by the owner of the rancho. Twenty
men and fifty horses were employed
from the LIST of October until the LIST of
March, though from six to ten of the
men were grubbing and cleaning off the
fields. The old-fashioned pillow that
man must hold with both hands is en-
tirely discarded. No pillow that does not
cut more than two burrows is admissible.
Buggy and sulky plows, in which man
may ride in very gentlemanly way while
he turns up the soil, "twins," and other
kinds, have entirely superseded the old
style Some of these plows cost as much
as 500. From four to six horses or
mules are attached to each pillow, indeed
as many as eight horses are
used.
The blowing was not ended when the
wheat and barley were all sown. Hun
lreds Of acres were plowed to be sown
in the Fall before the rains. This is
called Summer-fallowing, and is the
surest way of securing good crop.
These fields will be " cultivated in" that
IS, the grain will be put in with a cult
vator, which can be done before the
Fall rains begin, so that the grain will
nave the benefit of all the rains and will
each such state of maturity before they
ire over as to bid defiance to the dry
Weather afterward. No blowing can be
lone in the Fall until after the rains be-
gin. Men receive $50 per month and
BOARD for ordinary labor, with an advance
lpon this of $40 Or SO in haying and
Last year 500 tons of hay We're cut.
Clover is not heard of, and timothy is
Unknown here. All the hay is made of
he native oats, cut before the seed is
ipe enough to fall out. No preparation
If the fields, no blowing, no sowing, is
necessary for this crop. Simply let a
ield alone, and the oats will come, no
natter how many crops may have been
aiscd upon it, or how many years it has
,een titled. The seeds of the oat seem
o have a wonderful vitality, and stay
hidden away in the recesses of the earth,
waiting a chance to spring up and take I
of the land. Before the coun- {
~ was settled and the land brought I'M
Ter cultivation, these oats grew every
where, three, four, and even five feet
ugh, furnishing unrivaled pasturage for
attic and sheep. Eight hundred cattle
,oard themselves on the broad acres of ]
his ranch not yet cultivated. These
attic require no attention in Summer or
Winter, except that two men, are EN-
,loyed to ride around the rancho daily to
zee that the cattle in common with the
logs and horses behave themselves, and
o make sure that no fences are thrown
Town OF fields broken into. There are
N the rancho 25 miles Of fence, and
more are constantly in course of cree
ion. Twelve hundred hogs find them
elves subject to the incapable law to
DOT or die. Most ungainly-looking
reatures they are, too.
The hogs are never fed, not even pre-
,aratory to being slaughtered. Turning
hem into stubble-felds after the grain is
is the best that is done for them.
indeed, nothing is ever fed except the
vorking-horses and mules. Barley here
axes the place of Indian corn and oats.
t took 3,O00l bushels of barley and 100
ons of hay to feed the work-h orses, on
his rancho during the season. The barley
vas worth 81 per bushel, and the hay
rom SIS to $40 per ton. Two thousand
heep crop the grass at their leisure on
he hillsides. They require no feeding
It any time, and are watched and tended
~ shepherd who stays with them by
lay and drives them into some safe place
It night, near the tent or cabin where he
sleeps himself. Sheep-growing is very
profitable and is almost the only way in
which a person with small means can
start in any agricultural undertaking.
The sheep are generally driven to the
in July, when the grass be-
comes dry and parched, and are kept
here until the Fall rains begin. The in
,rease is very rapid, so per cent being
safely calculated upon and sometimes
when they are carefully tended, the flock
S doubled in single season. This year
wool has brought an unusually high
price higher than ever before, so that the
spring clip averaged about dollar per
sheep. AS the sheep will be sheared
lgain in August, and the yield should be
lbout two-thirds that of the Spring,
iheep-owners have come to rejoice and
De glad. A man who has a "band" of
sheep everything is band here peo-
ole talk of band of horses, band of
mules, and band of cattle), can al
ways get credit, for it is known that twice
| year he is sure of money for his wool.
It would be thought very poor manage
nent III Yankee-land for farmer to 90
% town to buy butter, and vegetables.
Here with all these cattle roaming about