Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-30
AGRICULTURAL.
MATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FOB
THE "REcoRD UNION"
A Prospect for California Wheat : Pre-
ventive for Frost-Thievea In
the Garden-Etc.

to 8 paying STANDARD, tuo I'LL" ,
or in England is working in the same uiie0
ton and with great deal better prospect Oh
snccess A London dispatch, dated April
21st. SAYS: every day increases the pros
pect that the crops of England VIII be totai'
or nearly total failure. 1t is now some weeks
since any rain has fallen, and the ground
is very dry. Within the last four
DAVIS there have been very heavy
frosts throughout the entire country.
Even should there be warm rains within a
short time, it will be too late to repair the
damage which has already been done by the
long continued drought, frosts and the IN
usually cold weather. This information
should not discourage our wheat-growers In
their efforts to secure and insure cheaper
freights on their wheat to market, but rather
induce them to greater exertious. Hereto
fore, there has been but one possible route
and but one possible means OF transporting
California wheat to Liverpool or the CONT
nent. where we have to look for market,
and for a number of years the control
of this route and this means was in
the hands of one man, who chartered all the
available tonnage and set his own price on
freights 1t is true that this state of things
no longer exists, that no one man or set of
men has attempted for few years back to
monopolize the wheat carrying trade of this
State, but it is equally true that circum-
stances have favored high freights, and that
the farmers have as a consequence been the
losers. There are number of difficulties in
the way of certain cheap or even reasonable
freights on wheat from this coast to Europe.
FRS, our crops are not assured In season to
notify ship owners of the demand for their
ships to carry them away. This was es-
pecially the case last year. The acreage of
grain was unusually large, but during all the
early part of winter we had no rain to assure
crops or even to give farmers but little ground
to expect a good yield. When the rains did
come they were SO heavy and continued so
late in the season that farmers had but little
hope that they would have more than a
heavy growth of straw and light clean up
of grain. Then the north winds came and
continued so long that every body supposed
that the wheat had been injured at
least twenty-five per cent, and that perhaps
the injury might be much greater. The fact
is that the farmers were themselves deceived
as to the real wheat yield last year up to the
very time of harvest, and the thrashiug ma
chine first showed them the enormous crop
they had produced and had to ship. It is
not be expected that ship-owners are going
to send their ships into the Pacific ocean in
ballast upon such state of uncertainty as to
Obtaining business. The route of transporta-
ton is so long, and there is so little freight
this way compared to the amount of wheat
to be carried away, that it is almost impos-
sible to bring ourselves in 20 favorable circun-
stances as to our whea;- carrying trad, until
we can change and shorten the route and
create greater return trade. It is claimed
hxyf nd uyas fpryro I'd o. no IA
meeting of wheatgrowers in San Francisco,
that farmers should organize in some manner
for the purpose OF gaining more reliable IN
formation, both as to the prospects of crops,
not only at home but abroad, and as to pre-
vailing prices. This would be. well, but it
would be much better to have State Bureau
of Statistics, to collect and publish monthly
statistics relating to all such matters. Such
q bureau properly and honestly managed
would be a benefit to the farmers and deal
ers, as well as millers and consumers, every
where. 1t would also keep the owners and
charterer5 of vessels constantly Informed as
to the prospects of demand for tonnage,
and would in a great measure tend
to remove or prevent for the future
all such embarrassnents as the wheat
trade has encountered since the present
crop has besn ready for shipment. 1t was
also proposed at the meeting referred to to
of shipping wheat. In answer to this propo-
sition, it was stated that the farmers already
had an organization, which, besides doing
many other kinds of business for farmers.
was prepared to ship to the best advantage
all the wheat they desired, and were also
prepared to give farmers all necessary infor-
nation upon all branches of the subject
Although it was stated that the organization
proposed to be formed for wheat shipping
aha h. =. III ,
organizations, it was readily seen that there
was no good reason why an organization of
Granger farmers should not be as good for
farmers that are not Changers as for those
that are. This idea seems to have had its
influence IN postponing any action upon the
proposition to form a wheat shipping corpo-
ration. The meeting postponed this branch
of the subject till September next.
While the wheat-growers' meeting can hardly
be said to have accomplished any immediate
good for the class it was intended to benefit,
the possible indirect benefits are very great.
It brought the whole subject of wheat grow
ing and wheat shipping more prominently
before the public, and emphasized very forci-
bly, the disadvantages we have heretofore
been laboring under in regard to getting our
wheat to market and the necessity for shorter
and more direct routes OF shipment. 1t also
brought out very prominently the importarce
VI pIONlSlpu ny Inc idtntIs OF iaCllltlts lot
storing larger quantities of grain in the coun-
try, where it will be at all times convenient
for shipment, and where the taxes upon it
will be as light as possible. With the South
ern Pacific Railroad completed to the Gulf
of Mexico, and line of steamers running in
connection with it from its gulf terminus, the
farmers will be placed in much better condi-
ton to secure a fair value for their wheat. A
ship-canal across the Isthmus will add an
other and great advantage, and ship railway
still another, and we believe the day is not
far distant when all these facilities will be
enjoyed by the wheat growers of the Pacific
coast. Then certainly we may claim that not
only the present or immediate, as well as the
future and more remote prospects for Califor-
MIA wheat, are very good.
Smoke as Preventive of Frost-Pull-
ing Jack Frost's Teeth Out.
pr,bo blxy in No. o4bar ~