Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-25
Farming that Pays.

Last week we took a pleasure triI
throngh the country lying west ant
north of Woodbridge. Our attention
was attracted by seeing fine large
| structure. either barn or granary, and
we reigned our steed into the lane that
led 10 the house. The pleasant farm
house of ample dimensions, all on the
first story, was embowered in dense
mass of foliage of Towering shrubs and
cinging vines. Two enormous evergreen
trees, Monterey cyprus, stood as senti.
nels in front of the house, while two
pines of lesser growth did like duty to
the side entrance. We find the pro-
prietor, Robert Boyce, and family, at
nome and from him we learned in pleas
ant chat of half hour or more the fol.
lowing notes of interest: The ranch
consists of half section, 320 acres, on
which he has been living the past twenty
years. He has turned his attention
principally to grain raising, from which
he has raised from summer-fallowed
land as high as go bushels to the acre,
with an average on all sowing of Ia; of
barley 81, and on winter sowing an
average of 81. His experiments with
early potatoes have resulted In 4O
bushels to the acre, and corn ID sacks.
vi the few orchard trees which
ornament the inclosure which sur
round his farmhouses, a peach tree over
twenty years old hore bountiful har-
vest OF large fruit last season, while the
youug trees did remarkably well. A
plum tree and several apple trees were
steady bearers and gave entire satisfac.
ton both in quantity and quality. A
large patch of blackberry vines and
bed of strawberries were pointed out
and we were told that the harvest of
blackberries was something wonderful.
Of the shrubs in the flower garden
persimmon tree five years from the seed
was in bearing. A pecan four years old
was ten feet high. The sets from which
these trees are growing were sent from
Louisiana by Mrs. Boyce's mother. A
few acres of choice varieties of grapes
supply the family with this luxury for
all purposes. We next turned our at.
tention to the new structure-the barn.
As this is model one, and the finest in
the county, we give our readers de.
scription of it. Its dimensions are 50x60
fee. and sixty ore feet high to the
weather vane, a horse. 1t is placed on
q solid brick foundation and earth has
been filled in and thoroughly tamped
down to the level of the sills, which
rest on the brick foundation. The
stable.room, taken from the south side
of the building, is seventeen feet deep,
and will accommodate twenty-five head
of horses. A hall running the whole
length of the barn and parellel with the
stables is seven feet wide. This enables
the man feeding the stock to take the
grain f1om the hopper or hay from the
slide and fill the managers without going
into the stable-room. Above the stable
a good tight floor of surface flooring is
lad, which makes fine large hall and
suitable for storing grain in the sack or
bulk and at present used by the urchins
of that neighborhood as skating-rink.
The granary constructed near the top of
the barn and connected with the lower
floor by spout or slide will hold about
300 sacks of ground feed. A special
feature of this building is that all parts
of the frame work are put together with
joint bolts at an extra cost OF over $50,
and the only nails used is in putting on
the shingles and weather boards. A
lately improved track, with block and
tackle, enables them to unload rack of
hay in q very few mintes. The open
ings are all provided with double doors,
an inner door made of slabs to give
proper ventilation and to keep the
poultry out. Take it all in all this is a
model farm and Our other ranchers
should take pattern after it and thus
enhance the wealth of our agricultural
district Lodi Cyclone.