Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1890-05-31

alfalfa for beef in preference to selling the
hay. The valley is one Of the finest winter
ing grounds for stock in the State. During
the last severe Winter, while the loss of stock
was so great in other portions of the State,
stock owners in this valley lost not to exceed
10 per cent. of their herds. In the foothills
surrounding the valley there is fine grazing
land for cattle, horses and sheep. In fact,
nearly all the land in the county not desig-
mated as agricultural land is good grazing
land. Stock cattle in the valley are worth
about SIS head. Beef sells, on an aver
age, for about 81 cents; pork on foot brings
cents, and dressed J to cents; milch cows
can be bought for $40 head; horses can be
bought from $40 to 5000, the former price
being for Indian ponies and the latter for
road stock. There are many fine animals in
the valley and horse buyer can find any
thing he wants in the shape of horse, from
a Norman draught horse to three minute
roadster. The dairy business is carried on
quth extensively in the valley and butter
brings about IS cents per pound the year
round. This price is for prime quality.
Eggs sell on an average the year round for
80 cents per dozen. Chickens, turkeys, and
ducks are raised for market at good prices.
In the ranges Of mountains ON each side Of
the valley number Of prospects Of gold and
silver quartz have been found and there are
several copper mines of considerable value
from which thousands of tons Of copper have
teen taken. The Ludwig copper mine is the
largest one and at the mine there is furnace
for smelling the ore. The mine is about
eighteen miles from the c. & c. railroad and
about fourteen miles from Greenfield. Close
to this copper mine fine body Of white mar
BILE has been discovered which covers sixty
acres Of ground. The marble has been SUBJ
lected to severe tests Of heat and cold and
susceptible Of very high polish, and is the
best kind of marble for tombstones and build
ing purposes. Wood is used for fuel alto
gether in the valley. 1t is nut pine wood
which grows in the mountains surrounding
the valley and the price, delivered in the val
ley, is about 50 per cord. Water for drink
ing and household purposes ir obtained from
wells. 1t can be obtained at depth of from
six to twenty feet, but the deeper the we'll
the better the water for drinking purposes.
There is one Touring mill in the valley. 1t
is small affair and cannot make -four that
will do to put on the market to compete with
the Sacramento and Reno flour. The greater
part OF the -four used in the valley comes
from the Riverside Mills, at Reno. Land
near the railroad, which is not under as high
state Of cultivation as the land further
south in the valley, can be bought in twenty
or forty acre tracts for SIS or $40 per acre,
and any enterprising farmer can make good
living for himself and family on twenty acres
of ground. Further south from the railroad
land can be bought for $40 up to $50 per acre.
There has never been season so dry in this
valley that one good crop of alfalfa could
not be obtained. A water storage system at
the head waters of the Walker river is need
ed, though, to hold back the water that now
goes to waste each Spring when the snow on
the mountains melts. A system of this kind
would enable owners of land to put under
cultivation much more land and there never
would be scarcity Of water, nor would there
be floods in the valley that would do any
damage.
SMITH VALLEY.
Smith Valley lies in the extreme south.
western part of the county. Wellington
Station it the only town in the valley, and
it consists Of two stores, hotel, blacksmith
shop, postofice and Wells, Fargo & Co.'S
express office. The distance from Dayton,
the county seat, is about forty-6ve miles, by
wagon road. No railroad communicates
with the valley The valley is about twenty
miles in length by an average of ten miles
wide, and contains about $40 acres of land
that are under cultivation. Much more land
is owned that is not under cultivation and
there are still some thousands of acres ol
land that have not been entered. The val
ley is watered by the West Walker river
which flows through it before reaching Mason
Valley. The character of the land is much
the same as that in Mason Valley, and alfal-
ia is the principal crop raised, although all
kinds of vegetables and cereals can be pro-
duced in great quantities to the acre. Cat
tie raising and dairying are the principal
branches of bvsiness carried on. Alfalfa
will average about five tons to the acre in
this valley, and all that is raised is fed for
beef. Like Mason Valley, Smith Valley is
an excellent place to winter stock, hundreds
of head being driven in every season from