The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-05-20

raising, buying and manufacturing grape
into wine.
The Chinese are another class of foreign
ers who often settle in clusters somewha
after the manner of small communities
but their prosperity is more or less tram
melled for the want of sympathy. Thes
people are a strange people, have SOM
very strange customs in their nativ,
country, some of which they bring will
them here. They are, however, a class O.
Industrious, economical foreigners. The,
have control Of the greater portion of thu
laundries of the country, and do thei
work in superior manner. They hav'
also monopolized public gardening, an6
have some very extensive ones in many
places, where almost everything in thai
line may be had nearly the whole yeal
round
The great numbers Of these foreigners il
the State and dispersed over the country
is considered a hindrance to the progress
of native laborers. American interests
are thought to be more or less injured by
their numbers, peculiar craft, industry anG
Asiatic economy. These people with theil
astonishing endurance on spare light
diet, can labor for less wages than others
Their diet, SO far as we know, seems tt
consist of little or none of those substan.
tial, nourishing things which other labor
ing men subsist upon. Even their bow
of soup or light cruel is often eaten in
haste with neither spoon, knife or fork.
The policy adopted to force these PEG.
pie to seek employment elsewhere is gain
ing ground. Meetings are often held to
discuss the Chinese situation. Speeches
are made by many prominent citizens on
both sides. Trouble of some kind or
other may be the result in the future.
The general sentiment among these
speakers, seems to favor the boycotting
system, in other words, starve them out
and they will leave the country. This
starving policy is becoming fortified by
subscription papers, which are said to be
filling up. Should such a rigid system of
policy succeed, it will doubt
less procure their departure, but will
the remedy pay much for the expert
ment
AS an agricultural State its great dis
is a want of rain; but this is
by no means so great as has been repre-
sented. When we compare it with Illi-
nois, the leading grain State in the
Union, even twenty years ago, when
but sparsely settled it was more than equal
in wheat and oats on the basis of i'm
proved acres. Illinois had then about
IS, 100000 acres of improved land, Cali
fornia about 100000 acres. The former
State produced ON that area an average of
about two and seven.tenths bushels per
acre, the latter State about three and one
tenth per acre. Should these figures be
something like correct. they may become
a sort of index to show the farmer that
grain will grow on the western shore as
well as fruits and flowers. Farming, how
ever. on large over-grown scale would
not be advisable in the southern counties.
as the high price of land and of labor, with
the additional work of irrigating large
tracts of land, would more or less dimin-
ish profits.
With regard to the grazing department
of agriculture, it would also seem advisa-
BILE not to Craze the level, rich, fertile
lands on large scale. The pasture
grounds of large herds of stock would
have to be fenced, as there is no fence
law in the south of the State. But
nature has provided other grounds for
grazing. Thousands and multiplied thous-
ands of French Merino sheep are grazed
on the Coast Hills, where the rainy sea-
sons force up burr clover, grass, wild oats,
malvy and other kinds of grazing supplies.
On these high. healthy hills, vast herds
keep in prime condition all the year, being
protected by few shepherds with an
equal number of dogs. This branch of
agriculture is chiefly under the control of
wealthy French, and doubtless pays well,
as the foeks are shorn twice years. The
labor of fleeing is chiefly done by Span
iards and Indians. These tall, hardy
children of the desert can be seen in
squads of fifteen or twenty, mounted on
their fleet horses going at full California
speed to the saloon, but soon return, yell
ing and eating soda crackers. After the
work of fleeing is over at one station they
are off to another.
AS agriculture and horticulture are in a
measure hindered by drought, providence
has provided an abundant supply Of run
ming water to moisten the dry ground.
An excellent system of irrigation that is,
the water of the streams is turned from
it's channels by means of trenches and
made to flow over and moisten the land.
The ground thus moistened is called
water stocked land and sells very high,
ranging per acre from 800 up to much
higher figures. according to location and
improvements. These plats of land
whether large or small, are smooth
and level, and cultivated with the i'm
proved implements Of the present day, and
produce enormous crops of grain, fruits
and vegetables. Alfalfa clover grows
with such astonishing rapidity with liberia
irrigation, that it may be cut six or eight
times year. This kind of grass is re-
garded as the best of pasture, and rates as
the best hay in the country. In addition
to the natural productions already named
it is supposed by some that cotton, sugar
and rice could be produced here Others
doubt if it could be cultivated to advan
tage, but, as few plants, if any, which
have been fairly tried have ever failed
and as all vegetable plants Of the temporal,
and most of those of the tropical clime
grow toperfection here, why not these also
Even hemp, flax and tobacco can b,
produced in the valleys without irrigation
To produce corn, potatoes and garden
vegetables if planted in the spring of tn
year, will do better by irrigating durin,
the dry summer.
The chief trouble which the farmer ha
with his land, is to contend with dry corr
stocks, wild oats, mustard and malvy
These three things grow with such spon
taneous rankness in one season as t
become nuisance upon the soil. Malvy
which in the east rarely grew over foo
! in height, may be seen here 6 Or fee
high, and mustard eight or nine feel
Burr clover often literally covers til