Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-16

| with ABOUT one hunQred inhabitants, Is seen
] upon one portion of the farm, of whom, be-
sides women and children. there are about
twenty-five able.bodied natives who are fur
nished with employment.
DIVERSIFIED FARMING AND PRODUCTS.
AS already indicated. diversity in pro-
ducts is General BidwelPs plan of farm
ing-directly contrary to the general and
almost exclusive practice in this State.
Upon the farm are to be found all kinds q
i grain, fruits, and stock in sheep, cattle,
horses, swine, etc. His wheat crop the pres.
ent season is the smallest in area ever raised
| upon the farm, and consists of 800 acres.
Some of it is very fine and will yield sixty
bushels per acre, but the average will be
about thirty. bushels. This is better than the
average, taking one year with another. upon
the place, which has been about twenty-five
bushels. The barley crop is medium this
year. Twelve hundred acres now standing
will average about forty or forty-fve bushels
to the acre, with yield OF about fifty bush
els to the acre in the best portions. The
small field of oats raised this season--abou,
fifty acres-will yield about forty bushels pei
acre. Oats are but little grown This is the
ouly field mentioned about Chico Upon the
farm under notice is 100 acres OF corn grow.
ing, which looks and promises well Con,
trary to the general rule in California, corn
Il iItG successfully SIoWIl IlIS section,
! greater moisture OF the earth and warmer
nights being favorable The yield in past
years upon this farm has been as high as fifty
bushels of shelled corn to the acre, with forty
as about the average This is equal to a
| very good yield il the corn-growing sections
of the East.
BERMUDA GRASS.
Noticing Bermuda grass growing upon a
slight levee thrown up along Chico creek to
protect the farm from overflow. and recalling
the fact that correspondent to the RECORD.
UNION recently advised against the planting
of this grass upon the levees of Sacramento.
for the reason, as was alleged, that it would
spread beyond control and prove disastrous,
being worthless and destructible to all other
vegetation, the General was asked as to the
result OF his experience upon the subject
he replied that he regarded it as very sue.
cessful protection to levees that it quickly
forms an almost indestructible turf against
the action of water and as far as spreading
is concerned, the more it spreads and cover:
the ground in this dry country the better
All kinds of stock eat it. he said, with eager
ness and it furnishes an excellent and abund
ant supply of green feed during the dry anc
wet seasons alike, except when killed down
short time by frost IN winter.
THE FRUIT cRoP-THE KINDS GROWN.
IHSIC 10 AL abuuuhut crop VI IIuil OF al
kinds in this section, and its quality compares
most favorably with that of any other local
ity. OF these the greater portion are grown
upon the farm of General Bidwell, who has
as already stated. !, 100 acres in orchards
vineyard and berries The result of hi
many years experience in this line was
asked, and in answer to many questions wa.
given as follows: Il think all kinds of frui
grown in California fourishes in this locality
as well as in any part of the State, excep
those of the citrus family. The trees o.
orange, lemon and lime have grown thriftily
but thus far have not, in this immediate 10
cality, borne to any degree Of success.
fine quality Of citrus fruits. however, have
been grown in the foothills near by AL
other kinds OF fruits are as successful, prolific
and fine in quality here, l think, as in any
part of the State. The quality and fayol
are regarded by many as being superior tt
that generally found.
THE CHOICEST VARIETIES
Are readily grown. and yield abundantly
Small fruits of all kinds do equally well Al
an example, there was picked from one
cherry tree upon my place this year. of The
Elton or Royal Ann variety, 900 pounds o
fine marketable fruit Strawberries do vel
here, but are cultivated only to limited ex
tent for want of market for them, as the
home demand is but light. and it is not salts
factorily remunerative to ship them so far al
Sacramento or San Francisco. Raspberrie.
flourish finely, but are not extensively grown
for the same reason. The black varietie
seem to grow little more prolific here, bu
probably is not quite popular in the mar
ket as the red. The red berry, however, ar,
tender to market, and taken upon all points
L regard the black INDEPENDENTLY tn,
Mammoth Cluster-as the best for this 10
~. l. l.. ~
ton cannot be surpassed in size or quality
ard are great bearers. L have the Wilson,
Early, Lawtcn and Kittatinny upon my
place. All are good varieties in their season
the Lawton is the latest. [ also cultivate thu
native blackberry, but it does not seem to in.
prove by cultivation, andits only advantage il
that it ripens two or three weeks earlier thar
the others. The native berry and the Law
ton have the greatest acidity.
GRAPES, RAIsISs AND WINE.
Grapes thrive and yield remarkably in thi
locality, but have not been grown as ex
tensively as lower in the valley We produce
nearly all varieties, but probably the Musca
of Alexandria-the real rasin-grape-is il
most favor, and probably more grown thar
any other. We have made raisius to som.
extent for the few years past. and Will
medium success as to quality. This industry
has not really been seriously entered upoI
here vet The only place near here where tht
making of raisins has been thoroughly trieC
and pursued is at Mesilla valley, where c.
L. Duban has had fine success. He has ma1t
a speciality Of this line, and with most salts
factory and gratifying results. It is possibl,
that his experience thus far has not secured
complete results, and that those made il
some other portions Of the State may have ;
little finer appearance, but there are none sur
passing them in quality. AS to the wine
grape, [ have none. | have ceased to grow
them and am not aware that one produce
them in this county. There may be o small
amount grown in the southern part O
the county and little wine made, but thinl
not enough to make it known in the mar
ket."
FRUIT DRYING, CANNING AND SALES.
Just now the early peach ciop-m ostly
Hale's Early-npon the Generals faim is
delightful sight. The trees, although re
!ieved of portion of their fruit in the spring
are breaking down under their luscious load
and the large, red cheeks among the green
leaves form a tempting picture. The troubl,
is market for the crop. Ia addition TO sup.
plying the local demands and shipments
made, temporary platforms of boards are seel
all through the orchards, and multitude o
hands are cutting the peaches in halves an(
drying them in the sun. The former steam
dry house upon the place has been rented by
A. F. Blood, S. A. +. Jones, James Rush,
and H. t Morse, who have formed partner
ship and transformed the works into canuinl
Establishment This has just been completed
and been running about two weeks. The,
manufacture their own cans, at present EN-
ploy about twenty hands, and put up l 50t
cans per day. This will be greatly increase
as soon as the fruit season has fully opened
In this manner the surplus above the loca
market and shipments will be mostly KEEP
from loss. r s. Middleham, of Chico, ha
!; contract with the General for all the frui
| he can market Among his shipments thi
| wear was about S, 000 pounds of apricots. 40,
600 pounds of cherries. 6 600 of blackberries
and 600 of peaches thus far. His market i
principally upon the west side of the Sacra
mento valley, and Plumas, Lassen and TIE
hama counties.