The Osceola times., 1882-12-16
THE BELLEVUE RANCH.
A Great Estate In southern California.
Iarper's Magazine.


IIarpers Magazine.
The possessions of some of the great
landowners ofthis section are prodigious.
1t is fayorite story that certain men are
able to drive a herd of cattle from the
northern counties of the state to San
Diego, at its extreme southern limit, and
quarter the animaly every night upon
their own territory.
Haggin, Carr and Tevis, whose property
was privileged to examine considerably
in detail, have some four hundred thous-
and acres. Much of this was secured for
mere trife while in the condition of
waste land, and afterward redeemed. A
neighbor who had acquired great estate
of a similar kind, mainly while holding
the post of surveyor general of the United
States, drew forth one of the best bon
mots of President Lincoln. "Let me con-
gratuate you" said Lincoln, as this gen
tleman was retiring from office under
his administration. you have become
monarch of about all YOU have survey
ed"
The owners do not often live upon
their estates, but leave them in the
hands of managers, and dnw the rev.
enues The Ilaggin, Carr and Teyis
property is divided into a number of
separate ranches, each with its resident
superintendent. The Bellevue ranch. so
called, is the centre and focus of authority
for the whole. Here isthe residence and
Office Of the general Banager, and here
are assembled ftfce of book-kecpers,
engineers and mechanics, who keep the
accounts, map, plan supervise. construct
and repair, and give to the whole the
clock-work regularity of great COM
mercial enterprise. The numerous build
ings constitute considerable settlement.
There is a "stde" of general merchan-
disc and supplies. A dormitory and a
dining-hall hive been erected for the
laboring hands. 4 tOwcr-like water
tank, snrmodnted by windmill, and ac-
comodatink milk room below, rises Il
one side. There are shops for the me-
chanics, sapacious barns, and long sheds
filed With an interminable array of
agricultural implements. 1t is worth
while 10 take walk past this collection
of Keepers, threshers, sulky ploughs and
rake and study out their uses. The inn
mepse "header and separator" rises from
the rest like some awe-inspiring levia-
than of the deep. A whole department
il devoted To the road scrapers" ''buck
,crapers," 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 for the most part quite easy.
One enormous plow is seen which was
designed to be drawn by sixty yoke of
oxen, and to cut down firrow five feet
wide by four deep. Like the famous
steamship Great Eastern, il has defeated
itself by pure bulk, and is not now in
use.
More than $4,000 has been expended
on the great cstatA in the item of fencing
alone. An average of 400 aborers is en-
ployed, and in the harvest season 700
The rate of wages is quoted at from two
and a half TO three dollars per day to
mechanics, and one dollar per day to
common hands. This seems low as com
pared with information from other
sources, and that which appears in the
chronic complaints of the scarcity of farm
labor in the California papers.
No great portion of this domain ap-
pears to be Low in the market at the
disposal of settlers of small means.
though the intention is avowed of offer
ing some of 1t in this way when all shall
have been thoroughly reclaimed. Nu-
merous tracts, however, are offered on
very favorable terms by renters as they
are called. They take from 100 TO 600
acres. Very many of them are Portu-
guese 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 landlord with house, an artesian
well, q credit to 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 one-third Of his crop. Instances
of large profits are frequent among these
persons, and no doubt the same opportu-
mites are open TO others who may wish
70 follow their pxamDle