The record-union., 1891-10-01
THE PROGRESS OF LARGE LAND
HOLDING

THE PROGRESS OF LARGE LAND
HOLDING
In 1885 there iwere sixteen landholders
in Tehama County who held 10000 acres
and upward, the largest in this list being
1878 acres, and the smallest 10, 473 acres.
The aggregate Of these holdings was $685.
322 acres. Thus sixteen landholders held
an aggregate of 365,322 acres, valued at
Sl,717,2O for purposes of taxation,
and, as already indicated the largest
holding was little under $4,000 acres
and the smallest a little over 10000 acres.
Five years later, in 1890, the sixteen
largest landowners in Tehama County
held from 10,39S acres up to 1928 acres,
and the aggregate of the sixteen holdings
was 493,3 ,353 acres, valued at s., ,721, ,79S.
The significance of this is that within
five years, that is to say from the year
1885 to the year 1890, these sixteen largest
holders in Tehama county extended their
holdings over 12S,0OO acres more land
than they held in 1885. The fact herein
presented may be stated in another FORM
In 1885 the one hundred largest holders
In Tehama County held an aggregate of
657, ,705 acres. The smallest of these hold
ings, that is to say No. 100 on the list, was
], ,446 acres, and the largest, or No. / on
the list, was z, ,973 acres, practically 73, 900
acres. When the names of one hundred
of the largest landholders in the county
are reached we find the aggregate 657, ,705
acres, valued at s., ,25l ,793. In 1890 the list
of the one hundred largest landowners
in Tehama County begins at 1928 and
ends with 1,52l acres, aggregating S04, ,314
acres, valued at S4,777, 1888. Thus in five
years, to-wit, from 1885 to 1890, an addi-
ton of 146,60S acres had been covered
into the ownership of 100 landed proprie-
tors in that county. OF this amount, as
already shown, 12S,OO0 acres had been
gobbled up by sixteen of the largest hold
ers, leaving l8,60S acres to be taken in by
81 of the smaller proprietors. Thus the
larger proprietorship, that is to say. the
first sixteen which begins at $4,000 and
ends with over 10000 acres, from 1885 to
1890 had increased lbs. 600 acres, while the
largest one hundred holders in the county
had increased but 146, COS. The showing,
however, proves conclusively that while
the largest landholders are increasing
their possessions enormously, some
among the smaller holders are gradually
increasing their possessions.
The whole showing establishes conclu-
sively the somewhat uncomfortable fact
that the displacement of civilization and
settlement by large land holdings is
vastly increasing in California. These
figures are from absolute official data and
cannot be controverted. They show that
one hundred men have added 146,6OS
acres to their possessions, or that sixteen
men have added l2S,OOO acres to their
possessions.
Some interesting personal facts from
these statistics may be presented. In the
list for 1885, j. S. Cone appears for Y, ,993
acres. In the list for 1890 he appears for
79,278 acres, an increase of about $500
acres. In the list, however, for 1885,
Cone and Ward appear for 26, 126 acres.
and in the list for 1890 the name of Cone
and Ward stands opposite 28, ,62O acres, an
increase of over 1000 acres.
In the list of 1885, w. c. Belcher APP
pears for 24,060 acres; in that of 1890 he
disappears and in his place stands the
name of Albert Gallatin with AZ, ASS acres.
Mr.. Gallatin, San Francisco merchant,
purchased the holding of w. C. BeIcher,
a San Francisco lawyer. BeIcher had
made progress in the direction of owning
the world to the extent of 24,O60 acres.
The new proprietor, instead of being an
advantage to Tehama County, by the in
PRODUCTION of his capital, purchases ad-
joining territory until he bodies up 4, ,4s5
acres. But the old. steady, reliable land
holders made progress in the same direc-
ton.
X. II. Blossom appears in the list of
1885 for y, ,562 acres, and in that of 1890 for
"a, ,407 acres-an increase of 1900 acres.
Onr old-time friend and anti-monopolist,
Henry c. Wilson, appears in the list of
1885 with 1885 acres; in 1890 he had
pushed his holding up to I9, ,l62 acres.
We propose to work every county in
the State by comparison Of the assess
ment list, disclosing large land-holding
in 1880, 1885 and 1890. We point to the
foregoing as an indication of what will be
disclosed by that examination.