The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-11-04
A Noted California Farm.

Norato ranch, owned by F. G. De
Long, is one of the most flourishing in
California. 1t is located twenty-five
miles north of San Francisco-a beau
tiful ride by boat and cars of one and
half hours from that city by the North
ern Pacific road, which runs through the
ranch for about three miles and stops
at the station on the ranch called "No-
ratio" The property comprises fer
tile valley and the hills or mountains
which surround it, and also a tract of
salt marsh and long point of land
running out into San Pablo bay. A
landing is erected on a creek running
up into the ranch, and schooner be-
longing to the property is constantly
engaged in taking produce from Norato
to San Francisco, where Mr.. De Long
has an office, so that the ranch is, to
great extent, Independent of the railroad
in the matter of freights to San Fran
cisco, which is big item in California.
This ranch is one of the largest and one
of the most celebrated in California,
principally famous for the quantity and
elegance of the fruit grown thereon,
and it is so well arranged in all it's de-
tails that your farmer readers (and city
ones, too, for that matter) will be some
what surprised at my statements, and
wonder at the magnitude of agricultu-
raj operations in California. In the
first place, its size is sixteen thousand
acres-that means tract of land of
seven or eight miles long and two to
three miles wide-quite a farm this
would make in Erie county, and it
makes an equally large one here. The
pay-rolls vary in size according to the
season of the year, but low estimate
shows that at least one hundred fifty
men make good living from this prop
erty the year round. This being the first
fruit season, it is largely increased for
the time being. The nationalities min
gled together upon this ranch as farm
labOrers comprise almost every nation
in the world, and out of thirty such en-
ployes it is not surprising to be able to
pick the representatives of twenty diff
ferent nations. This condition of things
would hardly be possible anywhere eX-
cept in cosmopolitan California. On
this ranch there are ten diaries, with
from twelve hundred to fourteen hun
dred cattle all told, Jerseys and half
breed Jerseys; fifty horses and mules
for the work of the ranch; seven hun
bred hogs of the black Berkshire breed,
which grow to weigh about two hun
bred pounds each, but only sell for
about three and one-half cents pound;
five hundred hens and three hun
bred pigeons, and plenty of dogs to
hunt the wild game, which, including
deer, is quite plentiful hereabouts. Now
as to the products of this large prop
erty: Besides the dairy interests already
referred to, there are at least forty thou
sand fruit-trees upon the place, located
in the beautiful valley of Norato, one
of the handsomest in the state, and the
visitor who should drop down on this
charming spot in the early spring-time,
when the hills are green in their new
coat of verdure and this mammoth or
chard is in bloom, would be eXcusable
in indulging in the most eXtravagant
expressions of rapture at the beautiful
sight. Almost the entire valley seems
turned into magnificent bank of bios
SONS, while the air is fairly heavy with
their sweet perfume, reminding the de-
lighted spectator of the famous "Vale
of Cashmere" so eloquently described
by Tom Moore. This large orchard is
divided about as follows: One hundred
sixty acres of apple-trees, fifty acres
of apricots, ten acres of Bartlett pears,
fifteen acres of peaches, besides many
acres of plums, crab-apples, figs, cher
ries, nectarines, English walnuts, al
monds, ETC., while eighty acres are
planted to vineyards of delicious grapes,
and much more will be covered with
this at present profitable product in a
short time.-Bufalo Commercial.