Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-11-27

D'N h
ers, and the straw afterward cut and
made into hay. This hay is fine TODD
for stock, and in many instances it is
both grain and roughness combined.
San Jose is the shipping point for a
large portion of this valley, there being
three railroads passing through this
city. The depots for two railroads
are situated very near to my brothers
residence, and in passing these depots
l had the opportunity of gathering in
formation on this subject. While l
was in San Jose, the freight on grains
over the railroads east was down, and
the wide awake farmers of the valley
were taking advantage of the low
rates to ship their barley east. Most
of it was going to Milwaukee. My
attention was drawn to the large nnm-
Der of wagons loaded with sacks wait
ing at the depots and warehouses to be
unloaded. On more than one dav /
saw a string of wagons fully a half
mile long. al! loaded with barley, sack
ed and ready for shipment; at the same
time there were forty or fifty flat-cars
standing on the side tracks of the rail-
roads, also loaded with barley, and
three or four warehouses of immense
size were full or partially full of this
same grain awaiting shipment. Upon
counting the sacks on flat cars, and as
cer,aining the sacks on some of the
wagons, and looking through the
depots and warehouses;, and inquiring
of others, | became satisfied that [ saw
at one time $4,000 sacks of barley, in
San Jose, ready to be shipped east to
be made into lager beer-the Clutch
mans milk" as 1t is sometimes called.
At the same time the agent told me
that he had been shipping barley as
fast as he could for weeks. San Jose
is only one of several shipping points
in this valley.
Inc wheat crop, too, was a large one
this year. But little of this is shipped
over the railroads east, but it goes to
the cities on the seaboard, where it is
made into flour, OF shipped across the
sea TO furnish lands. The harvesting
season lasts for months in California.
The grain is never or scarcely ever wet
with rain or dew, and consequently
the straw stands up and the heads
bend over and dry, and the grain does
not shatter m cutting. | reached the
state on the 18th day of June and the
harvest had been on hand for several
weeks then. | saw divers fields that
had been cut and thrashed and the
grain hauled 10 market. | left CalifOr-
MA on the 18th of August, and the
large farmer was still busy with his
harvest. Much OF the grain that is
harvested late is cut and thrashed aud
sacked by the same machine. | did
not see ono of these machines, but
heard a gentleman say that he had seen
one that had cut, thrashed and sacked
5000 bushels of wheat in one day, and
he ventured the prophecy that in a few
years the inventive Yankee would have
a machine to grind, bolt and bake the
hour at the same time the wheat was
cut. Notwithstanding the large weld
of grains the Santa Clara Valley farm
err was restless and dissatisfied, and
constantly talking of changing his
occupation, by converting his grain
ields into orchards and vineyards.
Most of the orchards are situated
near the towns, and the vineyards are
nearer the foothills, farther from the
towns. AT first the central part OF
the valley was thought to be more
profitable cultivated in grains, but the
wv" piAcSS " "hOot dhu OdI1SN5 anu
the cost in getting them to market, and
the success of the fruit and grape
/ grower of other portions of the state,
have wrought a change in the minds of
the people, and many farmers are gi v
ing up wheat raising. and are turning
their farms into orchards and vine
yards.
There are now many magnificent
fruit orchards growing in this valley,
and the crops this year are abundant
and many yonng orchards are being
planted. | heard numbers of persons
say that in a few years Santa Clara
valley would be a vast orchard and
vineyard. Then grain will be protita-
BILE. There are now hundreds OF
acres III this valley producing the finest
pears, peaches, plums, cherries, april
cots and apples, and the foothills,
both of the coast and Contra Costa
mountains, and the low lands adjacent
to them, are covered with vineyards,
and every year this acreage is increas.
ed and increasing. Many of the grape
growers convert their crops into wines
winners and vintner societies are to he
found wherever you go. In the cities,
too, are found the fruit %canneries, and
IA market is found for all fruits that are
raised or will be raised for years to
come. One of the fruit c%anneries Of
Jose employs from 500 to 1000 hands
during the fruit seasons, and at anoth.
er cannery, where they put up chrys'
talized fruits alone, they employ from
80 10 100 hands The fruit in its natural
state is delicious, and there are a great
! N N ~ ~, ,yntSnc of A.. Il
tural exhibition, mentioned above,
saw dozens of varieties of plums, pears
grapes and peaches. | saw plums IL:
large as a turkey egg, and peaches tina,
weighed nearly a pound each, anG
pears too big to weigh. | saw grape,
that weighed four pounds to the
bunch, green, and when ripe, they
would have pulled down the scales a
six pounds. | got hold OF and ate one
bunch that had on il 40 sound berrie.
well ripe and sweet. The grape sea
son was just commencing when we
left the state, or | should have beer
tempted to the experiment of bringing
with me a bunch or two of these delic
lous grapes as a witness to the truth O.
what | am writing.
Beside these fruits and grapes, there
are the berries Of divers sorts, fol
which California is celebrated. | saw
strawberry beds containing acres il
them, and from these vast acres o.
strawberry beds car loads are shipped
from Santa Clara daily. | was told
that for weeks as many as ten cal
loads of strawberries we're shipped
from this point daily, and still they
continue 10 grow. The season tor this
berry lasts tor months, and here thu
Chinanan is utilized. He is set t.
picking Strawberries and for hours he
will set upon his launches, and pick
Strawberries without seeming t.
weary i'll the least, and he keeps Thu
up for weeks and months; and thu
beauty of it is he works as we'll out O
Your sight as he does when you stant
by and direct him. This is one thins
the heather Chinee is good for, an(
with this thought | will let him ant
your leaders rest for another week. X
Coed New Goods at John PoWell's
AtmOre's Mince Meat. good as any
made anyone trying 1t will never
make mince meat themselves per lbs y,
Good quality Mince Meat, per 3D.. II