The record-union., 1891-07-25
THE Defense.

of the old Norris vineyard there was moi
now an eighth of an acre left. The site OF
the Norris house is in the river.
At the old Larue place the ground is
now no good, and would not grow any
living on it. The high land ON the Grant
is not valuable, because there are nc
roads thereto in the winter. Beside,
the bedrock is nearer the surface than it is
on the plains land on the south side.
Witness said it had cost him from S25 to
$50 an acre to prepare bottom land over
there, and it was regularly damaged by
the floods. Two years ago he lost ten
acres of hops by the high water
TO Mr.. Camp witness said there is some
unused bottom land that would grow
hops, but it would cost more to reclaim it
than 1t is worth. Some Cinnamon are
raising potatoes on the island For the
last four years he has had to use large
quantities of manure in order to raise
hops. He had never known of any time
when the Brighton people We're Sc
troubled with water that their roads could
not be travelled.
Rudolph Wittenbrock testified that in
IN his opinion there was no comparison
between the south side and the north side
lands. Those on the south side, along
the Jackson road, are much better. He
believed that there must have been a
hundred acres of the hop land on the
grant side washed away. There are spots
Oh the uplands Of the grant that are good,
but as whole he did not think the land
compared with the south side plain lands
out as far as the Jackson road.
In 1865 said the witness, it was like a
paradise over on portions of the grant.
The Larue place and orchard was one of
the finest in the country, and now he
wouldn't give twenty-five cents an acre
for lit is all black-and-white from
alkali
To Mr.. Camp witness said he had ex-
amlned portion of the land where he
Camp now lives, on the south side of
the river, and in one place found the sand
very deep.
He did not think there is 200 acres of
land on the grant that would grow alfalfa.
lie had seen some alfalfa growing near
Arcade Station, several miles from the
river. Further up the creek he thought
the land was not as good.
s. Dekay testified that he had lived for
forty years on the north end of the Norris
Grant. He considered the land much
poorer than that south of the river. He
gets from three to four sacks Of grain per
acre on his land. 1t was once oak land.
On the plains land south of the river
farmers used to get from ten to twelve
sacks per acre.
To Mr. Camp witness said he had not
tarmed on the south side, and only knew
of the grain land from hearsay. When
Larue lived on the grant he had a fine
place, but when witness was last there it
was q wreck.
Henry Gerber, a hop-grower on the
grant, was the next witness. He said he
was familiar with some of the land on the
south side Of the river, near Mayhew's
He and his brother bought 200 acres
about four years ago, paying $50 an acre
for 1t. AT the same distance from the
river, on the north side, there is no land
acres OF their Mayhem land for S75 an
acre.
1-Witness said that a year ago he lost all
of one hop field across the river, except a
few acres, by high water 1t was in what
was considered the finest hop district on
the grant.
Mr.. Mackey asked witness if he had
farmed any portion Of the grant. He
said he and his brother had tried for
three years to raise grain there, and
finally quit, convinced that there was
nothing in it.
In reply to questions by Mr.. Camp.
witness said that when their hops were
washed out last June, a year ago, they
plowed up the land and put in potatoes.
They were out another 81 900 on the vent
ure.
Witness had seen as fine crops of hons
on the south side of the river as any he
had ever grown on the other side. When
they raised grain on the grant they got
about four sacks TO the acre.
Mr.. Mackey asked witness what he
thought would be fair cash value of the
land where he tarmed for three years.
and Mr.. Gerber replied that if he had
10 fIN<r Ii. III.
wouldn't give $40 an acre for it. In fact,
he would not accept a quarter-section OF
1T as gift If forced TO make living off it.
In reply to questions the Assessor re-
piled that the land on the grant referred
to by witness was assessed at S2S per acre.
That which Mr.. Gerber owns at May
hew's Station was assessed at SIT per
acre.
w. II. Powell, a farmer on the north
east side of the grant, said the grain weld
was from three to seven sacks per acre.
He knew nothing of the land on the
south side of the river.
Joseph Foster, who farms on sections
20 and u on the grant, testified that his
best summer fallowed land yielded about
seven bushels to the acre. Much of the
land they could not plow at all, as the
bedrock was right on the surface. He
would not farm it another year.
To Mr.. Camp witness SAID he gave one
fourth of the crop to Superintendent
Mackey.
Somebody asked, "What does Mackey
get this year,"
Witness-He gets the bedrock.
Camp-Is all the land there as bad
yours2
Witness-No; some oft is little better.
but much Of it is worse.
Mr. Driver, another farmer on the
grant line, said that he never got less than
three sacks of grain to the acre, and never
more than five.
Mackeyo-Are you going to farm there
any more?
Witness-No, sir; have quit.
On being asked what he thought the
upland was worth, witness said he had.
attended an administrators sale near
here at which better land sold for SIS an
lcre.
Witness said he used to know the old
Larue place; it was a fine place, but the
asst time he was there he could not recog-
nize it.
TO Mr.. Camp witness said he had been
familiar with the country on the south
side of the American River for forty
years. The oaks on the plains were cut
)f in early days. The upper bottom
ands on the Haggin side of the river
ire very poor for alfalfa or hops, being
very sandy.
Witness said his place adjoins the grant
IN the north side, and he is assessed at
'l6 80 per acre.
A Mr.. Strauss, whose farm adjoins the
srant, testified that The usually got three
'ac<s to the acre on grant land farmed
)y him. This year he hoped to get five
sacks.
To Chairman Greer witness said his
and is just like that OF the grant, and is
assessed at S13 an acre. The adjoining
and on the grant is assessed at $I3, the
ame figure.
J. Z. Gladney testified that he had
armed on the grant. He had got from
our TO six sacks per acre. He has land
Idjoining the grant, which is assessed at
IL an acre. The grant land alongside is