Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-10-11
Wheat Raising in California.

NIl40lA NAlNAA|As
wheat Raising in California.
California claims to be the greatest whea
producing State in the Union. How IA
this claim is supported by statistics an
notinformed, but certain it is, every persor
travelling through the State and giving
the subject any attention must be sure tC
be impressed with the completion that th'
wheat Of California is truly wonderful.
As / Travelled day after day through al
most 1nterminable wheat fields my inter
est in the subject continued to increase
and finally, concluded to stop over day
at Merced-a thriving town on the Contra
& Southern Pacific Railroad which is th'
nearest railroad point to the YOsemite-fol
the purpose of witnessing a Californii
wheat harvest. The time was early in July
The ripe wheat standing on the bottom
lands Of the Merced River, extending on
ali sides as far as the eye could reach, Gov
ering the whole country like carpet Of
gold embroidered with green, by the seat.
ter great liye oak trees. In the distance
little puffs Of steam, or towers Of black
smoke, and some great, strange objects
moving about indicated the several points
where harvest was progressing.
Mine host Of the good El Captain Hotel
Ia hotel named fer one Of the famous
mountains Of Yosemite-aad well worthy
the name-offered to drive me out. He
came up with a bsautiful and speedy young
horse and fancy buokboard wagon. The
sun was hot but lovely cool breeze from
the Sierra Nevadas together with the good
company Of mine host made the ride
charming, Arriving on the ground we
found
MAMNoUTH MACHINE
Propelled by six horses, passing majestic
ally through the standing grain-like a
5 great locomotive of an express train
taking off the heads Of wheat, and about
8 foot Of straw, and sweeping them into
the box Of a large wagon that accompanied
them, When the wagon was full it was
driYen to the thresher and another took its
place, SO that there was no delay in the
work.
The thresher was located in central
position in the field, and was driven by
steam engine. The only fuel was the waste
straw. Near it was a platform Of conyen-
lent heigh for feeding, and derrick and
pulley worked by horses, When the wag-
on with wheat heads came alongside the
platform the arm Of the deTick vas
swung oyer il, the horses started. and the
whole load lifted at once in a rope netting
and dropped on the platform, The Bss
drawn out and replaced in the y, = was
vas driven of rapidly to -gon, when
The header, as its M AXE It's place Dy
Three man lie was already full.
shaking 18th forks were engaged in
W. out the heads and placing them
.enly on the endless band which conveyed
them to the thresher-where the wheat was
separated from the straw and chaff and
came out clean and ready for market-a
steady stream into the bags which were in
readiness for it. So rapidly did the ma
chimes work that it required three men to
sew and remove the bags as fast as they
were filed. The bags Of wheat were piled
up like cord wood on the ground until the
owner was ready to send them to ware
house or to market. They have no barns,
but the wheat could lie on the ground in
the open air with perfect safety. The
ground was entirely dry, and no rain to be
apprehended, for it seldom if ever rains in
California from May to October. The
county of Merced produced four and half
million bushels Of wheat in 1876 and the
quantity has been greater since,
The entire harvesting force, consisting o.
some twenty men and dozen horses fol
each set Of machines all eneamped on the
ground until harvest was over, when they
move on seeking other employment.
Wheat in California grows so much tall.
er and stronger than in other States that
the harvesting machines are required to bt
much stronger and larger. One manufac
turer, who had been visiting his machine:
in various patts of the State, came TO the
conclusion that they still were too light,
and said he was going home to increase
their size and strength and better adapt
them to the work.
Such results are the more remarkable
when we bear in mind that for many years
after California was settled it was supposed
all kinds Of farming was out of the ques-
tion except in the limited areas that could
be irregated, and irregation was too expen-
sive to make farming profitable. At length
it was discoYered that wheat sown in the
Fall would grow during the rainy season
in the winter-there being but little frost
and would nearly mature by the time the
ground dried up in the summer. Then it
had the long dry season to ripen in and
the harvesting could be done at conven-
lence. The land being held in large tracts,
and capital and labor having become some
what plenty by that time, wheat raising
was at once commenced on large scale.
As some Of the evidences of the msgpi-
tude Of this Industry, I will state that 1
was cre,libly informed that Doctor Glenn
Of Caluss County had last year
FIFTY-FIYE THOUSAND ACRES IN WHEAT
Which Is equal to an area Of eighty-six
square miles. Various authorities place
the average yield at about forty busheI per
acre, while fifty bushels to the acre are said
70 be no unusual thing. and that volunteer
crOps-that is, crops grown from the she'll
ings OF the former crop, with no cultiva-
.On vAateveF-Often produce twenty to
twenty-five bushels to the acre.
The newspapers report sixty vessels
loaded with wheat having cleared from s.,, son
Francisco for foreign ports from tba srst f
Of July to the tenth Of septer,,,.r 49, 10
is about one vessel for every working dov
The size Of the vessels or the QUANTITY -
wheat in each, was not reported, but I saw
one Of them, the ship Three Brothers
which was reconstructed from the famous
steamer Vanderbilt, and is one Of the lare.
est sailing vessels afoat.
Indeed. often heard II said that fha