San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-04-06
A California Farm.

There are square miles OF wheat
fields in the Golden State in single
holding, and there are cattle ranches
of far greater breadth, and sheep walks
that reach the SUBMITS OF greater
mountains. These are not for present
consideration.
But there are farms there which unite
the idea of home and variety OF pro-
duction, and also suggest the amplitude
of characteristic California operations.
Not too large, but quite sufficient.
Large enough to fill an order, on occa-
sion, for car load of fat bullocks, for
ton of butter, and orce an order was
filed within twenty-four hours for nine
tons of Bartlett pears.
This was from the farm OF Hon.
John Bidwell, in Chico, Butte county.
He was once member of congress and
chairman of the committee on agricul-
ture. It is fact worth chronicling
that an occasional farmer, not lawyer
who affects the rural, does sometimes
find place on that committee.
The production of this farm in any
single year is ample for the supply OF
a small country village. The census
enumeration, who took some notes OF it,
was told that the tillage land comprised
$500 acres, that the permanent grass
land measured 2,4O0 acres, the wood
land 1914 acres, and 1000 more were
unoccupied.
A very modest valuation of $439, 900
was placed on it; the farm animals were
assumed to be worth $4,000 more and
the farm implements $4,000.
A small army of laborers, making in
a year an aggregate of 5,718 weeks
work, received $59,35O, an average OF
$1O3S per week. The value of the
years production was the substantial
production of $98,812, of which SIS, 494
came from garden products, and 3d.
500 from the fruit of the orchard (9,917
bushels of peaches and 6,3S7 of apples
among the items), while snug $4,000
was realized from forest products. On
1850 acres grew $4,000 bushels of
wheat, capable of supplying barrel of
-four each to a population of 1888, and
1900 acres yielded $4,000 bushels of
barley.
A few thousand bushels of other
small grain is scarcely worth consider
alton. Perhaps crop of 10000 pounds
of broom corn, taken from 60 acres,
may be mentioned.
The dairy is based on the efforts of
rs COWS, producing milk enough for the
sale of 1921 gallons, the making of
5,475 pounds of butter and $500
pounds of cheese-a result quite up to
the New York standard.
The sheep on the rougher and more
distant lands, 500 in memberships
feeces and 1864 pounds of wool,
though CTS were slaughtered, 800 sold,
200 died of disease, 500 by stress of
weather and so were killed by dogs.
Nor are fowls deemed two diminutive
live stock for such farm, 1900 of the
barnyard species affording a surplus of
500 dozen eggs. Bees also constitute a
distinct and profitable item of this
farms operations.
Each branch is under a separate
and report of each days
doings is made nightly to the central
office, and a synopsis is at once sent to
the residence of the owner.
Hundreds of miles of roads, parks |
and flowers beautify the scene. Fruits
of every kind, including semi-tropical
olives, English walnuts and other rare
products give variety and profit to this
rural enterprise.
With this skeleton of description the |
can fill up picture with /
an enchanting foreground, a middle
space of engaging interest, and rare /
depth of background in the dim and .
shadowy distance.