New Orleans Republican., 1873-08-09
Cotton 10 California.

The culture of cotton in tie midland
| counties Of California promises to become
an important item in the productive re-
sources Of that State. Regarding one
plantation in Mariposs county. called the
Banner cotton plantation. owned and
worked BY Major J. L. Strong. the San
Joaquin VALLEY Argus has the foilowin; in
teresting facts:
The largest crop on Mariposa creek is
that OF Major Strong, comprising 900 acres,
which, we think, will give an average yield
OF 80 pounds of ginneG cotton per acre.
The crop is On the Hazelton ranch, and the
planting was attended with 80 many Diff
culties that they deserve mention, if but to
show the wonderful results to be developed
by the future in cotton culture in our
State. The Hazelton ranch lies immedi-
ately upon Mariposa creek, and a large pro-
portion of it is annually inundated by it
during the rainy season. The lands plant
ed by Major Strong are of this character.
tie informs US that seveaty-iive of the 3i0
acres piowed was cotton field last year,
the balance was a jungle OF small weeds,
sunhowers, old stubb!e green barley. oats,
grass, etc. Possession OF the Hazelton
ranch was secured the fifth of March, and
the first furrOw was plowed on the ninth.
A large proportion Of the ground had not
been plowed for tour years and was COW
cred with the swamp grass known az
''Merced straight the roots very Like
those Of ''salt grass and as difficult to
break. The ground was first moved, then
raked into WINDOWS and burned, then
plowed and narrowed. Much of it could
not be burned because Of the green grass
which had grown up among the dry stuff
and had to be hauled Oft the land. Wher-
ever sufficiently clean this green growth
was ted for hay. The plowing extended
through April, and planting was begun on
the fifteenth. Thus the plowing, planting,
moving and raking all proceeded together.
The planting, comprising three hundred
acres, was finished on the tenth of MAY.
The ground. dry from the vegetation with
which it was covered from late piowing.
and the loose condition in which it was LETT
by the heavy sod ana the vast quantity Of
trash turned under, gave but poor stand.
Much OF it had to be replanted. This oc-
cupied nearly the whole OF May, replant-
ing being stopped on the twentieth. A
dam was built across the creek which would
have enabled Major Strong to flood two or
more acres Of very dry land. but which
was rendered worthless by some individual
above him who also built a dam and mo-
nopolized the stream. The perseverance
under 80 many difficulties exhibits as a re-
suit crop equal to the annual average
growth Of the Mississippi river bottom at
this season. On the seventh OF July several
stalks in the open field counted eighty to
100 bO!ls, blooms and squares per stalk
the stalks not above two and a half feet in
height. The bes. cotton is about waist
high, and will attain to five or six feet.
Major Strong thinks that all the land
planted to cotton the present year on this
ranch will. with like season next
year yield 1000 pounds of seed
cotton per acre or about 333 pounds of
ginned cotton. The past spring was very
unfavorable to tie rapid growth and devel-
opment of the cotton crop. 1t was charac-
terzed especially by cold high winds and
the absence of our: usual spring showers.
The lands planted TO cotton on the Mari
posa creek We're nearly all new lands, and
the crop Of the present year is mere indi-
cation of what they will produce when,
through successive years Of cultivation,
they shall be brought into good condition.
So too, the expense of preparing the
ground for planting, and the work of plant
ing viii be reduced to ore-halt its present
cost.