Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-14
FOREST HONE.
THE FAMOUS AIOCK FARM OF
COLEMAN YOUNGER.
The Leading Short horn Herd OF
the Coast-Description of stock
and Premises.

The Breeder and Sportsman publishes the
following letter from the pen of DR.. H. La
than concerning the short-horn stock and
the Forest Home farm of Colonel Younger.
whose exhibits at the State Fairs have at
tracted marked attention for many years
past:
in the early days of CALIFORNIA; history
Santa Clara was a famous grazing region.
In her beautiful valley and on her sloping
hIllsides were luxuriant growths of wild
oats, native cloyers and bunch grass. The
Spanish and Mexican people then counted
their horses and cattle by the thousands ;
but great changes have come to Santa
Clara valley since those old days. First,
the pillow of the grain-growers drove out
the Spanish flocks and herds and held un-
disputed sway there for years then came
the orchardists, vineyardists aud vegetable
farmers, armed with their budding and
pruning knives, and the great wheat fields
gradually 6hrunk III size, and in many sec
tons disappeared altogether. The extent
of this last agricultural revolution is one
Of the wonders Of the age.
A decade ago the whole country around
San Jose grew no fruit except in small
family orchards; now the fruit product is
fabulous. There were 100000 fruit trees
IN the county in 1886, and now, with those
planted in 1887 and 1888, there must be
more than 100000 fruit trees in Santa
Clara. 1t is estimated that the tree-fruit
crop Of 1887 aggregated 1900 tons, or 90
100000 pounds. The crop of 1888 will
show an increase Of SO per cent. upon that
of last year. The small-fruit crop is also
very large. For days at time in 1887,
Santa Clara station shipped from four
to eleven carloads of bIackberries, and
these figures did not include those sold to
the San Jose canneries. As large as these
figures show the fruit industry to be. it is
rapidly growing. New areas are being
planted to orchards, vineyards and vege-
table gardens each year
In spite of the changes that third of a
century has brought to the valleys and
hillsides of Santa Clara there is still a
large livestock interest. The great herds
and bands of Spanish stock have gone and
their places have been taken by horses
and cattle of the best blood A great deal
OF energy, enterprise and public spirit has
been shown by certain Santa Clara people
in introducing and breeding this better
Younger occupies a leading position.
Forest Home" his breeding farm. is
known 10 all lovers of fine short-horn
stock. 1t was to visit this place that, in
company with c. n. Chase, of San Fran
CISCO your correspondent made trip to
the Garden City"
The ride from Oakland to San Jose by
way of Niles is always delight. The
iioKy lands rnuoFaJ o.obarl.
vineyards, and vegetable and small-fruit
farms on the one hand, and the sloping
uplands of the foothills on the other form
a picture that seen even for the hundredth
time, retains all its charms. 1t is an ever
recurring wonder to see the gradual ad-
vance Of the gardener, the orchardist and
vineyardist up the sloping uplands to-
ward the top of the foothills In two
years every foot of these hillsides viii be
occupied by the fruitmen and gardeners
with their intensive cultivation. While
it is true that almost everybody in that
section is engaging to 4 greater or less ex-
tent in fruit growing, still from the car
window one may see many herds of good
cattle and many bands of good horses, and
although this mas been an unusually
dry season, all the stock seems to
be in good condition. As the cars
Vhirl past orchard after orchard, every
tree of which is bending under its weight of
fruit, we wonder where it is all consumed.
Every mile Of the way shows new progress
and development. New dwellings and
new business blocks are going up in all the
towns. As we approached San Jose this
was more noticeable. There you see on
every hand the evidence of the growing
prosperity which is prevailing in Santa
Clara county. At the depot we were met
by Colonel Younger, and in the first
family carriage ever brought to that part
Of the State, and still in good condition
after thirty years use, We were driven
through beautifully shaded avenue,
bordered by fine residences and residence
grounds, to Forest Home" which is Just
outside the city limits.
Here, in grove of stately and beautiful
trees, in sight Of the steeples and spires of
San Jose and the rounded foothills on
either side of the valley, Colonel Younger
has made himself a charming home.
More than 200 acres of the richest sedi-
ment soils have been divided into fields of
from 10 to % acres each and seeded to do
mestic grasses Each field has water and
shade, and with little irrigation the
grass has even in this dry year, a vernal
green. The forage plant most favored by
the Colonel Is the Australian rye-graSs. 1t
is hardy, sweet and nutritious, makes a
thick sward and stands the dry season re-
markably well, and continuous grazing
does not kill it. fit does as well in other
localities and on other soils as there, its in
PRODUCTION will prove a benefaction to this
State Colonel Younger is a pioneer set
tier of this Coast, having come here in
1850 and located on the spot now so
famous as 1.-The Forest Home Stock
Ranch
All the thirty-eight years which have
interviewed from that time he has spent
Identifying and adjoining his home. With
his own hands he has planted all the vari-
GUS and rare trees and shrubs which sur
round his place. He has crossed the plains
with trains and stock several times when
each journey involved hardships and dam
gers which those who cross the continent
in luxurious palace cars cannot imagine.
He now lacks one year only to make him
four score, and he is the best preserved
man in the State. 1t is more than a quar-
ter of century since he brought his first
herd book short-horns to California. These
were purchased in Kentucky and Missouri
without regard to cost. From that time
to this he has been q constant buyer of the
best short-horn, prize-ring blood of Anne
RIGA. Wherever the best-formed animals
have been found there he has bought.
From this blood have been produced hun
dreds of animals equal in every respect to
any on this continent With the knowl-
edge and experience of these long years of
breeding has been united an enthusiasm
and public spirit rarely equaled.
The stock of Forest Home" has been
exhibited and has taken prizes at all the
fairs of the State for twenty-five years.
For many years Colonel Younger was a
Director of the State Agricultural Society,
and gave his time and best efforts to the
great work of elevating the field and fac
tory owners and workers to higher plane
of labor and production.
This article must necessarily be too short
to give a complete description of the
eighty head Of short-horns now at Forest
Home" There are four royalty bred and
royal-looking bulls, at the head of which
Is the Duke of Kirklevington," bred by
wv