The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-03-19
wONDROUS WHEAT FARMS.
AGRIcULTURE ON A LARGE SCALE
IN CALIFORNIA.
Millions of Acres Seeded to Wheat
Annually-Labor-Sa Machin-
ery-Cost of Cultivation

ery-Cost of Cultivation.
The wheat crop of California bids fair |
to increase steadily, year after year.
Very few persons know how large is the
area of excellent wheat land as yet un-
used, except for pasturage. About
$500, 900 acres are now seeded to wheat
annually, but fully 10000, 900 acres in
the State are wheat lands. OF the No.
900, 900 acres in California, says Charles
Horward Shinn in the American AgricuL-
turist, | rate 80, 900, 600 as fully arabic,
and to allow 20,000,000 acres for all
farm purposes, other than wheat-grow-
ing, does not appear unfair. II the
Weld per acre can be increased by better
culture, as our most practical farmers ex-
pect, California will each year cut
larger field among the wheat-growing
States
BY 1854, the immense profits of wheat
were recognized. In 1856 the total
crop of the State was 81, 900 tons (oi
1000 pounds), grown on 200,000 acres.
| Ten years later the space seeded had
grown to 750,000 acres. 1t is now
8, 700, 600 acres.
The SpaDiard in California often sowed
wheat on unplowed ground and dragged
it in with branches of trees. The first
American settlers used single plows and
home me-made triangular harrows. In 1857
| and 1853 some wheat was cut with a
scvthe. As late as 1860 a great deal
was bound in sheaves in the old fashioned
way. But demand for ''improved ma
chinery" was stimulated by the high
price of labor. As early as 1859 John
M. Horner, of Alameda County, invented
| and built a combined harvester" which
contained the principles of the great ma
chimes of the present time, and ought to
have made him rich man. His machine,
which cost over twelve thousand dollars,
was destroyed by fire, and no other
harvesters were built for many years.
The usual method of preparing soil for
wheat is with "gang" of six plows.
On light soil only eight horses or mules
are required, but on heavier soils more
are attached, until as many as twenty
four horses can be seen breaking up hard
adobe for "summer fallow." On large
ranches dozen ''gangs," each with its
driver, can be seen moving back and
| IOTIn across llt lullllCuSC bSlNos IL sAS
most advanced system only five plows
are used, but seed-box and good
steel.toothed harrow are attached, SO
that the plowing, seeding and harrow
ing are done at one operatian. Some
soils have to be plowed twice, and har
rowed with heavy eight-horse harrow,
before being seeded. But when the whole
work can be done at ono operation, i
costs less than one dollar per acre To-
labor. Harvesting is done by an i'm
proved header and thresher, which cuts
threshes, cleans and sacks the wheat, ant
drops it in piles of a dozen sacks to b'
gathered up by a wagon. The machine
requires from twenty to forty horses, ant
from three to eight men, and cannot b.
run on very hilly land. In many places
therefore, the old-fashloned reapers anC
standing threshers are still used. Blu
the cost of the latter system is about q
per acre, while the combined harveste
handles the crop for Sl.75 per acre. Th
rainless summers of California makes tn
wheat so dry and hard that no "sweat
ing" is necessary. General Bidwell, on
morning, had wheat cut, threshed, sack
ed, taken to his -four mill, ground, take
to his house and made into biscuit TO
breakfast, all within two hours Withou
counting the cost of seed wheat, the ma
chinery in general use here puts in crop
and haryests them at a cost of from 81. z
| to SIS per acre.
r The last two years have witnessed an
other development of machinery in Cali
fornia wheat-culture. Steam power hai
been successfully applied, and a yer!
. great reduction in cost has been made
In the summer of 1889, large numbe
of field-engines, built here, on Califor
, MIA designs, were in the fields with as
a tonishing results. The largest of then
cut swath of forty feet, and harvested
the crop at cost for running expense
of less than twenty-five cents per acre, a
: against $1.75 of the old system. Th
same engine is expected 20 plow, carry
= ing twelve or twenty or even forty plows
and, since it is a road-engine, it will hau
= the crop to the nearest station or landin
c at less expense than if hauled with horses
y The price of such an engine, with th
c harvester and thresher, is from $4,000 {
$4,000 at present, but this cost, it is sale
d will soon be reduced. From the tai
It among wheat growers, two or three yeal
d will witness the introduction of steam o
a all the large ranches. The engines al
''straw-b burners" or, when plowing
: wood can be used. Coal is very high o
: the Pacific coast, and therefore Goa
a burning engines will never be proftab
n here / have asked wheat-raisers wha
A they thought would be the cost of plov
ing, narrowing, seeding, harvesting an
delivering at the station would be,
u u these steam-engines do what is expected
= They answer: "About one dollar a
- acre, on the easily-fsrmed lands, and nc
y more than two dollars anywhere. =" Thii
y then, is the way that California can SUE
cessfully meet the competition of Indi'
IS Russia, Siberia and the Argentine Re
y public.
e The Cause Of the Sensation.
Il nurinu the recent 0riDDe DeriOd Whe