The daily gazette., 1877-07-16
BEEF EATERS.

A week since l accepted at invitation
to visit one of the principal cattle walks
of California, and to say that | was
asthonished would be useless Lux &
Miller are the cattle kings of the Pacific.
In former years man might own half
million head of cattle, and still be poor,
for the hides and tallow were the only
parts saved. But to-day, when grazing
grounds are worth from Sc to $50 an acre
the man who owns 100, 600 head of cattle
and ground enough to supply grass and
hay is prince.
CalifornianS are the greatest beef-eat-
ers in the world, not excepting the Eng
lish. High, low, and middle classes eat
beef here San Francisco alone, with a
population of 2S0 600, consumes this year
about 100000 head of beef CATTLE besides
80, 900 calves for veal, 800, 0O0 sheep, and
100000 hogs. Deducting for export, and
there still remainSl about 10000 600
pounds fresh meats consumed here, to
say nothing of the enormous consumption
of wild game, poultry, fish, oysters, &c.
Now San Francisco contains only about
one-fourth of the people of the State and
If the same proportion will hold good
throughout the State, which is doubtful,
the annual consumption is not less than
800 ,00O, 900 pounds of meat-beef, mutton
and pork.
| he wonder is, where does all this
ntdI come from! ulu not wonder When
the morning following my arrival at the
neat little farm of Lux Il NJ ller,I rode for
twenty miles inside Of a high hoa fence,
with heads of cattle scattered as far as
the eye coulp scan. This rancho is stu
ated in the very heart of the great San
joaquin Valley, and comprises the best
farming land in that great wheat growing
section. There is a series of ranches
here. First, the Santa Mia rancho, used
exclusively for grazing, aud em bracing
| 10000 acr IS. Next is the Canal farm, of
10,0 900 acres, which has been brought un-
der irrigation, and is intersected by hum
dreds Of canals. These landSfare almost
level, and the water flows naturally over
the surface. Fifteen miles further on is
the old Santa Rita grant, covering $4,000
acres. Here the vaqueroS bave their
headquarters. The land along the river
betweens these two farms also belongs to
that firm and mbraces 200 0U0 acres more.
Further on, across the river, they also
have little farm of 10000 acres, and
another patch in Kern county of the
choicest land, worth to day $50 an acre,
roy. on my way back, which is in the
Santa Elwa Valley, | stopped a few days
at the homestead. This is little farm
devoted to residences of the partners, and
| covers 1000 acres, requiring 100 men to
run it, to do the chores and odd bits of
work necessary on even little farm.
Just across the valley from this last farm
is the Soap Lake homestead of "a, 4,000
acres.
In all these possessions there are about
6J0,O00 acres, which, if put upon the
market "a small tracts, would bring S10,-
100000. 1t is no more than justice to
these gentlemen to say, however, that
this figure is not mentioned to the asses
sors. They have on those ranches about
hanH M f1nNu Of h.ax
stock being grades from thoroughbred
short horn bulls. Also, 5000 horses, A.
900 hogs, and 10000 h ad of sheep. In
addition to this they are constantly pur-
chasing cattle from uthers, and driving
them on their grounds to fatten for the
San Francisco market. These ranches
furnish about 900 head of cattle to the
market annually. Abont 1000 men are
constantly employed. This is where
portion of the fresh meat comes from.
Is it any wonder that emigrants seek
ing homes in California are disguised
when they get here and find that few
men own the State? How does this
sound for landed aristocracy: Santa
Clara county contains zoo, 900 acres, of
which twenty-seven persons own 100000
acres; Santa Cruz county contains $780,
900 acres, and thirty-one men own 49,
600 acres of that; Monterey county con-
tains $500 900 acres, of which thirty per-
sons own 10000 acres; San Luis Obispo
, county contains l $50 900 acres, of which
sixty-four men have gobbled up $4,000;
Santa Barbara county contains 500, 900
acres, and siXty-seven men own of that
l ,2l6U00 acres; Loss Angeles county, D.
O69,O0 acres, of which seventy persons
own 100000; San Diego has $4,000
acres, and tifty-six persons own 600,-
QUO acres There are only few sample
counties. Until taxation is made uniform,
| a fh.aGa
market value of their lands, they will
not let go. If the large tracts of land in
the State could be cut up into small
farms, the population of the State would
soon double.--P. X. s., in the Spirit of
the Times.