Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02

was that hay became very scarce and very
high. In the spring of 1852, therefore,
the attention of great many persons was
naturally directed to the business of cut.
ting and securing hay, as likely to be a
profitable venture. The country was there
fore searched over for good hay fields upon
which possessory or squatter claims could
be secured for sufficient length of time
at any rate to get the hay off. Large
amounts of hay were cut In Yolo, Solano
Napa and even Sonoma counties for the
Sacramento market. Fl. G. Langley, now
of San Francisco, and J. l. Underhill
since deceased, located a hay claim IL
Vacca valley, including the present site o.
the village of Vaccayille, with the inten
ton of cutting the hay, baiiing it and
teaming it overland across the country
Some two hundred tons of hay-good wild
oat hay-was cut, drawn together and
baled, ready to begin to draw. After the
enterprise had been fairly got under way
it was found by the projectors that
THEIR MONEY WAS GIVING OUT.
They had expected to have been able to
send hay enough forward TO pay expenses
as they went along. but this was found tc
be impracticable, first, because they could
not get presses to press it with, and second,
because the price of hay had fallen SO IN
Sacramento that it would not pay for cut.
ting, baling and hauling. When, how,
ever, they finally got it baled in the fall,
found that l had about s., 900 invested in
pile of hay-loaned money. A part Of
the hay was in Vacca valley, and part
they had hauled TO the head of Cache creek
slough. Wishing to get part of my
money back, l put on the steamer Beta.
went as pilot myself, and freighted about
l50 tons home and piled it up on lot IL
the town of Washington. The last load
arrived and was added to the pile on the
Sd day Of November, 1852. The rain
which commenced during that night, and
which continued almost without INTERRUPT
tion till the
WATER OVERLOOKED
The river banks, reduced my pile of hay,tC
pile of heating, steaming, rotting manure
and with it went about $4,000 of my
money and all that Langley and Underhil
had put in. But it is said "misery love;
company :" and whether it was true in this
case or not, certain it is that we had plenty
of company who had undertaken similar en-.
terprises and had followed them to SINH
lar fate. After all our hay was thus de-
stroyed we had the satisfaction Of seeing
hay take boom to Sl00 and $3.50 ton in
Sacramento. Others enjoyed this satisfac
ton with us also, as they had experienced
the loss in a similar way. We refrain
naming the many prominent business men
who had part in the hay speculations OF
1852, but these notes will remind them OF
old, but familiar, associations.
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY.
The crops generally of barley and wheat
Throughout the State were good, and insome
instances, where the cultivation was good
and circumstances favorable, they were
considered remarkable; but there being no
rcapers or other machinery for cutting the
grain. it bad to be cut with scythes and
cradles. OF the latter large number were
manufactured IN a blacksmith and machine
shop owned and carried on by myself in
the town of Washington. The timber
used for the sneaths and fingers was the
native ash found on the Sacramento and
American rivers. The cradles, ready for
use, were sold at 500 to 1925 each. The
blades cest from $I2 to Sl5 each. The
only imported thrashing machine that was
in use in the country, besides the one al.
ready mentioned as belonging to Samuel
Norris, so far as can be learned, was i'm.
ported and run by Charles f. Reed in Yolc
county. Mr.. Reed
TELLS THE STORY
OF this machine in his own language in 8
letter Just received In the summer Of
1851 | sent East for thTashing machine.
1t was shipped on the ship Hoagley from
Boston, but did not arrive here in time fol
that season, and was used through many
parts of Yolo county in 1852, thrashing for
Captain photograph, William Rackerby,
DIR. Hartsough, John Dinwiddie and 9TH
ers. The machine was an endless. chain,
two-horse-p power machine. The thrashing
was well done, but the separator was so
slow we concluded to take off the shaker
and separator and use it merely for thrash
ing, the grain being separated from the
straw by coarse shaker. This worked
we'll. But our trouble was in cleaning
but we obtained tanning mills of coarse
construction to clean the grain from the
chat, and with lot of Indians to run the
tanning mills we went from place to place
thrashing and cleaning, and did much
cleaner and better work than could be
done by tramping the grain and cleaning by
winnowing. Our prices were 20 cents
bushel for delivering the grain in sacks.
sold the machine that fall to John Dlnwld'
die, who used it two or three seasons sue.
cessfully after. In the succeeding year,
that is in 1853, your brother, r. I'll. Hoag
brought machine of larger size into the
county and thrashed in the vicinity of Cen
terville for W. G. Hunt. Judge Hutton
and many others" Hutchinson, Green
Co., of the Big Ranch, had
THRAsHING MACHINE BUILT
In this city by Bowstead & Co. at the
Sacramento foundry on Front street. Bow
stead & Co. built two machines-one for 8
man by the name of Root, who made the
patterns. and who went into Yolo county
and run his machine, thrashing grain fol
various parties. For the crop of 1858 there
were quite number Of reapers and thrash
ing machines imported. l imported two
thrashing machines and two extra eight
horse powers from FowlerYille. n. Y. One
of these was the one referred to by Mr.
Reed as having been used by my brother
on Cache creek. The other machine wai
sold to Hyde Brothers, in Colusa county
Hutchinson, Green & Co. also imported {
NUMBER of reapers and thrashers for theil
own use in the harvest of 1858. From thli
time on regular houses were established
whose chief business became the importa
ton of and dealing in agricultural machin
cry. Treadwell & Co. and Southworth s
Co. of San Francisco, and Baker & Hamil
ton, of Sacramento, were among the pio
neer houses in this line.
FIGURING MILLS.
Closely connected with the success o
grain, and particularly wheat culture o
any country, is the business of grinding
that wheat into hodr preparatory to con
verting it into the staff of life-bread.
have previously noticed the little mill tina
Norris had out at his place in 1850, ant
with which he made some unbolted flour
The first mill, aside from this in this sec
ton of country, was established in lso:
by Policy & Co., on Front street, in thi
| city. The members of the firm were Policy
Nichols & Garfield. The stones used IL
| this mill were imported from Boston b.
Asa White. an early merchant on From
street, in the ship chandlery and variet,
trade. The mill was run by steam, and
had but this one run of stones ; the boiling
cloth cost SIS a yard.
ITS PRINCIPAL BUSINESS
T. +ha fau nj 1870 was grinding harley