Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-11-16
THE BELLEVUE RANCH.


a Great Estate in Southern California.
Harpers Magazine
The possessions of some of tho great
landowners of this section are prodig.
iouS. 1t is fayorite story that certain
men are able to drive n herd of cattle
from the northern counties of the state
TO San Diego, at its extreme southern
limit, and quarter the animals every
night upon their own territory. Hag'
gin, Carr and Tcvis, whose property
was privileged to examine considerably
in detail, have some four hundred
thousand acres. Much of this was Sc
cured for mere trille while in the con
ditiOn Of waste land, and aftcrward re-
deemed. A ncighbor who has acquired
Il great estate of Il similar kind, mainly
while holding the post of surveyor gen
cral of the United States, drew forth
one of the best bon motS of President
Lincoln. "Lpt me congratulate you, "
said Lincoln, as this gentleman was re-
firing from Office under his adminiStra-
tion. "You have become monarch of
about all you have surveyed"
The owners do not often live upon
their estates. hut leave them in the
hands of managers. and draw the rcvc-
nucS. The Haggin, Carr, and Tcyis
property is divided into a number of
scpcratc ranches. each with its resident
superintendent The Bellevue ranch,
50 called, is the centre and focus OF au-
thorily for the whole. Here is the resi-
dcnce and Office of the general man
agcr, and here are assembled Il force of
book-kcepers, engineers and mechanics,
who keep the accounts, map, plan,
supervise, construct, and repair, and
give to the whole the clOck-wOrk rcTu-
larity of Il great commercial enterprise,
The numerous buildings constitute Il
considerable settlement There is Il
"Storc' Of general merchandise and
supplies. \ dormitory and dining-hall
have been erected fer the laboriug
hands. A towcr-likc watcr-tank, sur
mounted by Windmill, and accomo-
dating u milk-room below, rises nj one
side. There are shops fOr the mcchan-
les, capaciouS barns, and long sheds
filled with an intcrminable array of
agricultural implements. 1t is worth
while TO take wall, past this collection
of reapers, thrcShers, sulky plows and
rakes, and study out their uses. The
immense ''hcader and separator
rises from the rest like some
awc-in-pirng leviathan of the
deep. \ whole department is de-
voted to the ''road scrapers,' "buck
scrapcrs,' and ploughs Of various sorts
used in the construction and dredging
out of the irrigating bitches. The soil
is, fortunately, free from stones, and
the work is forthc most part quite easy,
One enormous plough is seen which
was designed TO be drawn by sixty yoke
of oxen, and 10 cut down Il furrow five
feet wide by four feet deep. Like the
famous steamship Great Eastern. ii has
defeated itself by pure bulk, and is not
now in use.
More than 100000 has been cXpend-
ed on the great estate in the item of
fencing alone. An average Of 400 Ia
bOrcrS is employed, and in the harvest
season 700. The rate of wages is
quoted at from two and Il half to three
dollars per day TO mechanics, and one
dollar per day TO common hands. This
seems low rs compared with informa.
ton from other sources, and that which
appears in the chronic complaints of
the scarcity of farm labor in the Cali
fornia papers.
No great portion of this domain APP
pears to be now in the market at the
disposal of settlers of small means,
though the intention is avowCd of Of
fcring some of it in this way when all
shall have been thoroughly reclaimed.
Numerous tracts, however, are offered
on very favorable terms by renters, us
they are called. They take from l20
to 600 acres. Very many of them are
Portuguese and Italians. They are
usually unmarried, work in companies
of from six to fifteen persons, and wear
the red Garibaldi shirt. The renter is
provided by his landlords with II house,
an artcsian well, a credit to a moderate
amount at the general store, and the
use of some cows. He has the milk OF
the cows, but must give their increase
TO the estate. His lease runs three
years. and he pays as rent Onc-third of
his crop. Instances Of large profits are
frequent among these persons, and no
doubt the same opportunities are open
to others who may wish to follow their
example.