The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-01-26
Visit to California Cattle Rancho.

A Visit to a California Cattle Rancho.
A week since l accepted an invitation
to visit onSof the principal cattle walks
Of California, and to say that l was as
tonished would be useless. Lux & Miller
are the cattle kings of the Pacific. In
former years a man might own halt a
million head of cattle, and still be POOR
fer the hides and tallow were the only
parts saved. But today, when grazing
grounds are worth from six TO thirty dol
lars an acre, the man who owns 100 900
k,eaA Of cattle, and ground enough 10
Osiiiioi 'Ss are the greatest beef eaters
High, low, and mIdle classes est beef
here. Not only bee .but mutton nork
and game. San~F Franc,co aIonc Vii y
population of 280,O00, So,,s,,,,,as "a
year about 100000 head o. heef cattIe
besides $4,000 calves for yea. h00 003
sheep, and 100000 hogs. DedItinS cor
export, and there still remains abost 90
OO0,000 psdnds of fresh meats eonsnoed
here, to say nothing of the enormous co..
sumption Of wild game, poultry, fish,
oysters, etc. Now, San Francisco con-
tains only about ene-fourth Of the people
of the state, and If the same proportion
will hold good throughout the state.
which Is doubtful, the annual consump.
tion is not less than $50, 600, ,00O pounds
of meat, beef, mutton and pork.
The wonder is, where does all this
meat come from? / did not wonder
when, the morning following my arrival
at the neat little farm of Lux & Miller.
! rode for twenty miles inside of a high
board fence, with heads of cattle scat
tered az far as the eve could scan. This
rancho is situated in the very heart of
the great san Joaquin valley, and com
prises the best farming land in that great
wheat growing section. There is a Sc
ries of ranches here. First, the Santa
Mia rancho. used exclusively for grazing. /
and embracing 10000 acres Next is .
the Canal farm, of 10000 acres. which (
has been brought under irrigation, and
IS intersected by hundreds of canals
Ihese lands are almost level, and the
water flows naturally over the surface.
Fifteen miles further on, is the old Santa
Rita grant, covering 80, 600 acres. Here
he vaqueros have their HEADQUARTERS.
The land along the river between these
wo farms also belongs 10 the firm, and
'nbraces 200 000acres more. Furlheron.
Icross the river, they also have little
arm of 30, 900 acres, and another patch in
Kern county, Of the choicest land worth
o-day twenty dollars an acre, and COW
ring about l25, 600 acres. At Gilroy,
N my way back, which is in the Santa
llwa valley, ! stopped few davs at the
This is little farm devoted
0 residences Of the partners, and covers
1000 acres, requiring one hundred and
fty men TO run it, to do the chores and
dd bits of work necessary on even
mall farm. just across the valley from
o. last farm, Is the Soap Lake home
1ead OF 24 600 acres.
I'm all these possessions there are about
70, 900 acres, which, if put upon the
yarket in small tracts, would bring
;l0,000,000. 1t Is no more than Justice
o these gentlemen to say, However, that
his figure is not mentioned TO the assess
RS They have on their ranches about .
10000 head OF cattle, most Of the young
took being grades from thoroughbred
horthorn bulls. Also 1900 horses, 1000 {
ogs, and 10000 bead of sheep. In ad
ition to this they are constantly pur. /
hasing cattle from others, and driving q
hem on their grounds to fatten for the
an Francisco market. These ranches
lrnish about $1,000 head Of cattle to v
larket annually About 900 men are :
employed. This is where a .
ortion Of the fresh meat comes from.
Is it any wonder that emigrants, seek ="
lg homes in California, are disguised c
hen they get here, and find that few f,
zen own the state? How does this q
,und for landed aristocracy: Santa :.
lara county contains 100000 acres, of .
hich twenty-seven persons own 260, 600 iC
res; Santa Cruz county contains 320,- a
20 acres, and thirty-one men own l12,-
70 acres of that; Monterey county con-
ins = 500, 600 acres, of which thirty
.rsons own 746,G00 ceres; San Luis u
bispo county contains 800, 900 acres, p
which sixty-iour men have gobbled up d
1000; Santa Barbara county contains II
SOC, 600 acres, and sixty-seven men own a
that 1,2l6,000 acres; Los Angeles O
unity 2, 1850, 600 acres; of which seventy n
.rsons own S00,000;. San Diego HIS c
500, 900 acres, and fifty-six persons own e
g, 900 acres. These are only few sim L
e counties. Until taxation is made Ia
liform and these men have to pay taxes k
the market value of their lands, they I
II not let 90. If the large tracts of o
nd in this state could be cut up into e'
lall farms, the population OF the state lC
,uld soon double Wilkes SPIRIT. W