The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1874-12-11


or great oaks, redwood aud nr. There
10 4 pcculiarlty In the atmosphere on
the Pacific slope--it 10 90 pure that OBJ
jects appear close q, hand, when In resl-
ty they are miles away. We now sped
along q strait, level lane seven miles 10
watsonville, where we made hcad-quar.
ters at The hospitable mansion OF Mr..
Jas. NJ. Rodgers, formerly OF Concord,
Tennessee, Mr.. r.. in partnership with
Mr.. WIN. NJ. Landrum, has gone largely
into the sheep aud goat business.
never saw anything In the way OF stock
more beautiful than his flock OF Angora
goats, with their snowy. silky hecces.
They have immense herds Of Co.swold
sheep and have proved wool-growing
In California success.
Watsonville IL q beautiful, growing
town, containing $500 inhabitants, aud
many splendid buildings. II wears an
air of nsatness and thrift that promises
great things for It's future. The ada.
cent ranches are extremely fertile, and
the climate such that fruits and flowere
are In season tho year round. l met
many Tennesseeans In Watsonville. All
seemed to be doing well, aud declared
themselves satisfied with their new
homes Everything here grows TO maui
moth proportions. When think Of tho
grea! fields Of pumpkins, beols, pota.
toes, &c, In Pajara Valley, am al
loss to know how 20 describe them, aud
feel assured you will all accuse me Of
cxaggeration, to use mild term. New.
ertheless, propose TO state facts, for tho
correctness Of which California is re-
sponsible. We saw acres upon acres Of
pumpkins, which so nearly covered tho
ground It looked like n sea Of yellow
water--many Of them weighing $50 lbs.
each, and one acre producing from IL TO
20 tons. Beets weigh from GO to l25 lbs.
each, and return from 20 TO 40 tons per
acre. Potatoes weigh high ass lbs each,
and give from $50 to 300 bushels per
acre. Oats average l25 bushels per
acre; corn 80 bushels; wheat 30 bush-
els--some ranches produce liz bushcls
per acre. Apples are sure crop, 10
bushels to the tree. Pears grow TO tho
weight OF 2 lbs. each. Ounces, plums,
prunes, olives, apricots, peaches necta-
rines, &c., are very abundant. Grapes
are a never-failing crop--single bunches
often weighing from 2 to 4 Ibs. Beans
very profitable. They are sown broad
cast, cut, threshed aud cleaned by ina
chinery. Land costs from $50 TO 500
per acre, according to fertility and vi.
cinity TO town. Farm labor is worth
Sl.00 per day. At these figures, the
relative cost Of land aud production il
much less than with us. One hand cul.
tivates 100 acres--everything rs done by
machinery. One rancho was at con-
sists OF 1000 acres, all IN cultivation for
wheat. The owner works II hands and
70 horses But this is unusual, as with
the exception Of the great stock ranches
land is usually held IN smaller lots, say
from 100 to 300 acres. Timber ia abund.
ant and grows 10 tremendous size.
Rcdwoods in the mountains often moa-
sure 45 feet in circumference and 300
feet In height. There are trees in Gala.
varas county that measure from 80 10
liz feet In circumference and 800 feet in
height. Fencing aud building Ia alI
done with this timber, which is soft aud
easily worked, and very durable. Pick
et-rencing costs Sl,25 per rod, and lasts
80 yoars without repairing. The steam
mill near Watsonvile turns out 10000
feet of lumber per day for 8 months in
the year Ii has stood three years IN
the same place aud hauled no timber
further than three miles. In tho valleys
the California oak is huge tree. They
are low, scarcely exceeding 40 feet IN
height but the great branches are wide.
spreading, ani the trunks arc often 30
feet In circumference, turning out 81
cords Of wood Every kind OF vegeia-
ton grows rapidly. The Eucalyptus IN
shade tree) grows 10 the height OF 70
feet In six years from the seed. Tho
Australian Blue Gum makes fine shade
in three years. These trees all retain
their green leaves tho year round.
While at Watsonvillc We had de-
lightful imprompiu pic Mic on the beach,
in which somc thirty odd participated,
nearly oil Of them Tcnnesseeans. These
people evidently know how 20 onjoy
themselves.
OF course this country must possess
some disadvantages, Il have heard that
Eden played out" several ages ago.
but have not been hero long enough
10 discover thom. II seems 10 be "dis-