Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-10-28
Farming in California.

The farmer in this State is Il person Of
uncomm resources and ingenuity. l
think ho uses his brains more than our
Eastern farmers. do not mean TO say
that he lives better. for he does not. His
house is often shabby. even though he be
n man OF wealth, and his table - not
unlrequently without milk; he buys his
butter with his canned vegetables IN san
Francisco, and bread and mutton ale the
chief part Of his living, both being uni
versally good here. But in managing
his land he displays great enterprise, and
knows how to lit his efforts 10 the climate
and soil Thus in the tule lands. when
they are first drained, he finds it impos.
Stable TO work the soil with cattle OF
horses; but this does not prevent him
from putting in crop. for after burning
off the tules. which are tall reeds, and
the high grasses, he sows his hundreds
Of acres with a coffee. mill wheat sower,
and coolly turns flock of sheep on the
ground, driving them compaclly and
slowly over il. with the help vi dogs 10
keep the flanks OF his flock from scatter.
ing; and wheat thus "sheeped in" as
they call it, has borne sixty bushels per
acre. Nut - kli5 IAI. OulCsS HN hN lNhhs
upon volunteer crop next year, he
must plow the ground. 1t is still. how.
ever. commonly too light to bear up
horses, and so he shoes these animals
with stout wooden sabots, eleven inches
long by eight broad. and thus they can
walk ut leisure and drag the gang. plow
after them.
The gathering of the wheat crop goes
on in all the valley lands with headers,
and you will find on all the farms in the
Sacramento Valley the best labor-saying
machinery employed. and human labor,
which is always the most costly, put to
its best and most profitable uses. They
talk here OF steam. plows and steam.wag-
ons for common roads, and | have no
doubt the steam. plow will be first practi-
cally and generally used. SO far AS the
United States are concerned, in these
California valleys, where | have seen
burrows two miles long. and ten eight.
horse teams following each othor.
Withal, they are somewhat ruthless IN
their pursuit of wheat crop. You may
see farmer who plowS hundreds OF
acres. but he will have his wheat grow
ing up 10 the edge OF his yeranda. II he
keeps vegetable garden, he has per-
formed an heroic act OF sell.denlal; and
as for flowers, they must grow among
the wheat or nowhere. Moreover, while
he has great ingenuity in his methods,
the farmer of the Sacramento plain has
little originality in his planting. He
raises wheat and barley. lie might raise
adozen, q score, OF other products. many
more profitable, and all obliging him to
cultivate less ground, but il is only here
and there you meet with one who appre-
ciates the remarkable capabilities OF the
soil and climate. Near Tehama some
Chinese have in the last two years grown
large crops of peas nut, and have, was
told, realized handsome profits from
nut which will be popular in America,
suppose. as long as there is pit aud a
gallery in theatre; but the pea nut
makes q valuable oil, and as it produces
enormously here, it will some day be
raised for this use, as we'll as for The
benefit OF the old women who keep
iruit.stands on the street corners IL
would not be surprising if the Chinese.
who continue to come over 10 California
in great numbers, should yet show the
farmers here what can be done on small
farms by patient and thorough culture.
As yet they confine their culture of
land mainly to vegetable gardens.
To the farmer the valley and foot hill
lands OF the Sacramento will be the
most attractive, and there are still here
thousands OF acres in the hands of the
government aud the railroad company 10
be obtained so choaply that. whether for
crops or for grazing, it will be some time
before The mountainous lands and the
pretty valleys they contain north OF Rel.
ding, the preset terminus Of the rail.
road, will attract settlers. But Tor the
traveller the region north of Redding
TO the State line offers uncommon atirac
tions.-CHARLEs NoRDHoPF, in Harper's
Magazine for Novenber.