Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-13
THE FARM.
MATTERS OF AGRICULTURE AND
HORTICULTURE.
Ten-Acre Farm-Honne-Im Importance
of Hay-Money-Making in Many
Agricultural Industries.

Agricultural Industries.
In reviewing ana compiling facts and
figures in regard to products and POSSIBLE
ties of our valley, we would give few
pointers in regard TO the profits arising
from a ten-acre Farm: Thequestion is often
asked, can poor man with a family sue
coed here on small farm? Yes, by all
means, if possessed of the necessary pluck
and industry. Thousands of persons seek
this State with the erroneous idea that they
can secure mines or farms without work
ing for them, or that they can attain riches
by speculation, easy work and high wages
but they are disappointed and blame the
country for their failure, Success is as
difficult to attain in this land Of sunshine
and flowers, prolific soil and diversified
products as in any other part of the coun-
try: but the same energies here as else
where, in the efforts to gain a competency
will doubtless meet with at least equal sue
cess.
This especially true in relation to farmers
of small means, and the following particu-
lar points regarding the possibility OF ten
acres of land adapted to alfalfa may be re-
lied upon as trustworthy, being below
rather than above the actual experience of
hundreds of farmers: On ten acres ofland,
bought at from forty 10 fifty dollars per
acre, with facilities for winter irrigation at
the rate of five dollars per acre, plant two
or three acres in alfalfa, two or three in
vegetables and grain for poultry, reserving
space for house, barn, chicken-coop, etc.
The alfalfa will yield a crop in three
months from the time of seeding, and can
be cut every month afterwards. and Will af-
ford sustenance for five COWS, which ought
to average one pound of butter per day
during the wear. Butter realizes from
twenty to twenty-five cents per pound on
an average. In addition to cows, one hun
dred hens could be kept for their eggs
principally, as the Arizona demand
keeps the egg market fairly high al
WAYS. Turkeys, geese, ducks and chick
ems can be raised here without difficulty
all the year round. One hundred good
hens with proper care, will average
three dozen eggs per day by the year,
which will realize an average price of
fifteen TO twenty cents per dozen. Thus,
the COWS and hens will realize net income
[by the above calculation) of about 5000.
Hogs could be fed and fattened from the
refuse of milk, Stops, vegetables, etc., and
add materially to the income. The calves
would ado to the original number of the
stock, and thus, even with occasional draw
back, a family, however poor they may be,
can, with diligence and perseverance,
make a comfortable living at least. Such
a statement as the one above could be car
ried on indefinitely, showing increased
progress and faster proportionate increase
according to the class of products raised,
and there is absolutely no limit to the
choice of productions, one doing with
proper care, about as well as another
hence there is an abundant choice, and
excellent opportunities for ascerta1nlng
what kinds of products each individual can
raise most successfully.-D0'oaey Rerie'0.
HAY IS KING, EVEN IF ALFALFA AND STRAW
BE MIXED.
The importance of the hay crop and the
success of mixing alfalfa and straw in cur
ing (which has already been extended upon
in the RECORD UNION, is thus given in the
Colusa San:
The South once boosted that cotton was
king, but its reign was of short
duration. Go back, however, as far as
we will into the history of man, and
we find that hay has ever been king. 1t
always will be. Every grass growing coun-
try has ever been rich, and grass-growing
countries always will be rich. 1t is always
profitable to feed grass to some kind of
stock. Man cannot live without the grass
eating animals. If oneis not profitable for
a time, others will be. No place in the
world will produce such grass as California.
Our river lands, with simple winter-food
ing, will produce ten tons to the acre of al
falfa hay besides an abundance of pastur-
age. This can be made profitable to feed to
stock at s. a ton. This is net return of
about $40 an acre. In fact after the first
year. there can be ten tons cut, and pastur-
age enough obtained 10 pay expenses, so
that $50 an acre can be counted on.
Some of the alfalfa growers got a
little discouraged this season, because
the hay market seemed to be little over
stocked but hay is always money. Hosea
Thurman informed US the other day that
gentleman, who has cattle in the noun
tains was down hunting some place where
he could get feed for 1000 head of cattle
and he was willing to pay s. ton for hay.
1t is profitable Mr.. Thurmsn explains, and
il is certainly profitable TO raise it at that
price. But the growers of alfalfa will find
It more profitable to feed out their own
hay. Straw, which can be picked up and
stacked for so cents ton, can be mixed in
with uncured alfalfa hay, and be made as
good as the hay. What an immense profit
there is in this. We have preached it for
years, and found out last year that one
dairyman in one of the Bay counties had
tried the experiment with good success,
and Hon John Boggs has also made sue
cess of il. SimplYR put down a layer Of
straw and layer offresh cut grass, putting
a little salt on the latter, and the whole
mass will become fine feed for stock of all
kinds. Then we repeat, hay is king.
MONEY IN RAISING CABBAGE.
The Los angeles Herald says there is
more money to be made out of growing
common plebeian cabbage than there is out
of oranges or other fancy crops. There is
an almost unlimited demand for cabbage
for shipment East This is the way the
Herald figures 1.-THE price at present is
81 80 per 100 pounds, or $50 ton. In this
climate there is no trouble TO grow two
crops of cabbage year. Big Drummond
heads will weigh 10 to 20 pounds each, and
the smaller or ssmore compact sorts, pre-
ferTed for shipment will certainly average
pounds each. They are planted two feet
apart which give 10000 to an acre. This
is p tons to the crop, or so tons a year off
an acre OF good ground. The gross results
of such a crop are 81 800 an acre. 1t is not
probable that even with white labor the
care of the two crops would come to more
than $500, leaving a net profit of $1,000 an
acre It is said that some of the Chinese
make that much
DOMESTIC FRUIT EvAPoRAToRs.
At the last meeting of the Fruit and
Vegetable Growers Association of the
United States, Ezra Arnold, an Illinois
fruit grower, presented drawing and speei-
fieations of cheap evaporator made and
used by himself. He evaporated apples in
two hours, strawberries in three hours,
cherries and corn in two hours and other
fruits proportionately quick. 1t is a mar
vel of simplicity and excellence, and can
be made by any one at trifing expense.
are thousands of families in the
cities that can at times when the market is
glutted buy fruit very cheap, and with an
evaporator in few days prepare enough
for a years consumption, and at one-tenth
the usual expense. illustrated directions
for making and using it may be obtained
bv addressing the Secretary, W. Orlando