The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1872-03-15

Notw' 'hstanding the rude husbandry
forced by the circumstances, the result Of
the first years operations was the harvest
ing Of 81, 900 bushels of excellent wheat
from 1000 acres, some of which was
sold as high as 81 so per bushel. With
the whole f the island in cultivation,
prepared for grain as il now is, and with
the increased experience Of the farmers
in charge, II is confidently expected
that the crop Of the second (the prcsent)
year will net an amount equal TO the
cost Of the entire tract. 0t was bought,
leveled, at ego gold per acre.. In eigh-
teen months, the market value Of the
land has increased from 500 to s5e-Ssea
per acre.
The experience of farming on witch
ell. Sherman and other Tule Islands war
rants the average estimate of fifty bush
els of wheat to the acre. In Kentucky
twelve and half bushels would probably
be liberal average. California wheat
sells at least ten per cent. higher than
that grown elsewhere IN our country.
Hence hundred-acre Tule farm is, to all
intents and purposes, equal to one offour
hundred acres in Kentucky; it has as
much producing capacity, and yields as
much with far less labor and expense.
Suppose the Kentucky farmer sows 200
acres in wheat. He produces $500 bush
els, which at 81 per bushel, makes g., 300
as his gross receipts. The Tule farmer
sows 45i acres, harvest 2,275 bushels,
which, at 81 10 per bushel, make g., 5O2
as his gross receipts. But the Kentucky
farmers seed was at least / bushels to
the ac-e-250 bushels. The Tule farmer
sows only 90 pounds of wheat to the acre,
about Is bushels. The former has the
labor AMI expense of cultivating and
harvesting 200 acres; the latter only 45t
acre..
A great drawback of California is
drouth. 1t has its rainy season of four
months or less, and then its dry season
of c; ;yht months or more. If, during the
fryt, the rainfall is very copious the fol-
lowing crop is heavy; il ordinary, the
crop is light; if light, the crop is very
light, often not worth gathering. Hence
without irrigation, which is only in some
localities practicable, and everywhere ex-
pensive, farming in CaliforOa is unre-
liable. About every ten years great
rainfall occurs (ns in 1852, 1862, lsf2l2
after which there is a gradual decrease
each year for three, four or five years /;
and then follow drouth years until the
next year rainfall.
On the Tule lands the crops are not
liable to damages or failure from drouth.
Whenever the Tule farmer perceives his
land is getting too dry, he has only to
open his sluice-gates while ;he tide is up,
and the water flows in. Thus he regu-
lates the manner and extent of the irriga-
ton TO suit his notion without cost or
trouble.
The Tule lands are greatly favored in
the facility and cheapness with which
their products are transported to good
market. The great city of San Fran
cisco-twice as large as Louisville, the
principal feeder of the immense CONNER
cial marine of the Pacific, and carrying
on an sctive commerce with all the world.
is near by, with lines of daily steam pack
cts passing through these lands to Sacra-
mento City and to Stockton. The pro
ducts of the Tule farms are Carried to
San Francisco at from fifty cents TO one
dollar and twenty centsper ton-as cheap
as the same could be carried into Louis
vile from Beargrass farm five miles out.
Some of the farmers have their little
boats, which they load with their own
produce at their own landings, and they
run into the bay and to the city wharves
on the ebbing tide, and when through
with their business they return home on
the flowing tide, the current propelling
them each way.
The climate of California is singularly
eauable. 1t might almost be said that
il is not so warm and not so cold as any
other country. Hence the singular spec
tacle of the fruits of all climes growing
there together. The apple and the or
ange-the cherry and the fg-the plum
and the almond-the peach and the olive,
the pear and the date-the ounce and
the pomgranate-the persimmon and the
prune--the grape and the lemon-the
apricot and the citron-the nectarine and
the banana-the filbert and the lime-thc
English walnut and the coeoanut, al
flourish and grow together in perfection
The people of California are promptly
ayailing themselves ofthis varied capacity
of their soil and climate. These fruit
furnish the basis of an important portion
of the worlds commerce, and the sun
our own country pays annually for raisins
figs, prunes, lemons, almonds, oranges
, cocoanuts, bananas, dates, ilberts. olives
olive oil, ETC., is enormous-hundreds o
millions. And yet California is capable
of furnishing all Of them, and the day i
, not distant when she will furnish 80 mucl
, of them as TO arrest, in great measure
this overflow of the nations preciou
! metals. Hundreds of her enterprisin,
people are already beginning to cultivate
cure. and prepare these fruits as they g