Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-10-08
NO. Al.


We have been accustomed to rose -coored
accounts Of the climate and products of Cal
ifornia. Here is the other side from cor
respondent of the N E. Farmer. We COM
mend the opinion of the writer, as to the de-
STABILITY of the New England and Middle
States as place to live in, TO those conteln-
plating emigration:
l have been thinking few words of e1-
perience and observation of one years life of
an old New Englander in California might be
of some interest to the readers of the Farmer
First, will say that this State has been very
much overestimated in its agricultural and
climatic advantages, both by real estate deal
crs and newspaper correspondents. Far
mers here get no better crops on an average,
than they do in New England. In the CEN
tral and southern part of the State, back in
the interior from the coast, they don't get a
good crop only about two years out Of five,
owing to severe drouth. In the northern part
of the State they are more sure Of crops, but
in some valleys in that section the crops are
very poor this season, owing to heavy rains,
and water standing too long a time on the
young grain last winter and spring It is
more work to get the land in good fine, light
tilth or order for crop here, than where
lived in New England. When it is wet it is
very heavy and bad TO cultivate; when it is
dry it is very hard and lumpy.
have seen people hoeing vegetables and
corn, pounding the dry hard Jumps to pieces
with a maui, before they could hoe or cult
vate their small vegetables in fair order. 1t
has been said that small fruits and vegetables
will grow in me northern half of this State
the year round without irrigation. That is
mistake, as | know from experience they
will not grow at all in winter. except, per-
haps, turnips, cabbage, spinach, and have to
be irrigated to grow in summer. Sweet corn,
cucumbers, and beans grow very poorly here
the nights are too cold for corn, and dur
ing the daytime the sun is often too hot for
cucumbers-they grow bitter; more than
half of the ears of corn have worms in them.
Grapes plums and blackberries do nicely
here without irrigation; these and cherries
are the only fruits that do better or as we'll,
as in the Eastern States
The only grain crops that farmers are sue
cessful with are wheat and barley, but many
of them say there is not much profit in these
after taking all the expenses of harvesting,
threshing sacking, commissions, &c. An old
farmer, who has lived in this valley twenty
years, told me that the State did not average
over twelve bushels of wheat to the acre. 1
have not seen a good field of corn since
came to this State. saw hundreds of acres
of corn last fall in Ventura, Santa Barbara,
growth of stalks, but no ears it was all dried
up, and the fodder was good for nothing.
A word on farm life here II the farmers
in New England had to live with as few COM
forts and luxuries of life, as more than half
of them do here, l would not blame them for
complaining of their lot and taking Greeley's
advice to go West. Here, half of the far
mers use the same heavy farm wagons that
they draw wood, grain, and hay in, to take
-. g..
or to ride out for pleasure. Many have no
mail oftener than once week, and no gar
den vegetables except when they go to the
markets in the cities and purchase few OF
the dealers or Cinnamon, who raise about all
the garden truck on this coast.
If farmer runs in debt for place here,
unless he is very industrious and economical,
and has no sickness in his family, he very
often loses it in few years. The interest
and taxes which are very high will use him
up very much quicker than my experience
has been in New England.
A word on climate. must say that am
much disappointed with it, there is much
chilly, frosty weather in winter and early
spring, and very hot, sunny days and cold
nights in summer, and extremely hot, both
day and night, in the great interior valleys.
We have read much about the uniform tenn
perature of the climate in the lower eleva-
tlonS OF this State, both summer and winter.
1 have kept diary, and in it a record of the
weather for % years. l have seen as great
changes in the thermometer during the past
year. in this State, as ever saw in New Eng
land except once in while in winter, when
we had a thaw, and the weather would change
round sudden. Last winter there were many
days when the thermometer rose to 75o at
midday, and down TO 22o above in the morn
ing, and this summer it has been up to 96o at
mid day, and down to 45o in early morning
l mean during the twenty-four hours of the
same day. So far as l can see, the sanitary
condition OF the people is no better here than
in New England. They are troubled with
the same diseases and lung and throat affec-
tions particularly are more rapid in their eff
fects than in New England.
My advice to young men who emigrate
here for a home, is to take money enough
with them to get back again in case they
don't like. have seen so many since came
here that are homesick, and would go back if
they could, that 1 pitied them. To sum up
l will say that have been over much of this
State, and also very many other States of the
Union and must say, taking everything into
consideration that the New England or Mid
die States are the best to live in of any part
of the country have been in. Thus believes
a former citizen of the GRANITE STATE.
Santa Rosa, Cdk, Aug. 10, 1880.