The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-05-18
NORTHERN AMADOR.
Condition of the Mining and Agri-
cultural Industries.
Lands are Cheap and the Chances for
Good Investment
Excellent.
From the Travelling Correspondent OF the
RECoRD-UNIoN.l

lew more prosperous mining towns than
Plymouth. Two great quartz mines had
been paying regular dividends for years,
and were surrounded by village of neat
cottages, with trees and flowers nesting
among the rolling foothills like New
England manufacturing town. Each
little valley was occupied by thriving
farmer whose produce found good home
market, and whose stock grazed the sur
rounding hills until June and was then
driven TO the high Sierras. Just above
the town was the beautiful valley OF the
Shenandoah, a mountain plateau OF some
$1,000 to 10000 acres of gently rolling
timbered hills, like the Genesee Valley OF
Western New York in appearance, and
presenting more attractions to the gen
eral farmer than any mountain section
that l ever visited.
Like thunder-clap out OF a clear sky,
the principal mine shut down and the
other gradually contracted its operations.
No fire or earthquake was ever so disaS-
trous To any California town as this
calamity has been TO Plymouth, and it
may be questioned If all earthquakes
together ever did so much damage TO Cal
ifornia as this has done TO plymouth and
surrounding country. The people have
not yet adapted their business to the
CHANGED CONDITIONS
Either in town or country. Nearly one
halfthe cottages are vacant and the balance
seem TO be STAYING either because they DO
not know what else to do or IN hopes that
the Empire may start up or the Bay state
strike a rich lead. Some homes nave
been sold at auction at figures so low that
farmers bought them with view OF tear
ing down the houses and removing them
10 their farms. They bought house and
lot at less than one-tenth the original
cost of the Improvements.
Farmers were accustomed to raise grain
and hay TO supply transfers travelling to
the mountains, TO furnish wood and tim
Der to the mines and produce fruit and
vegetables for miners and citizens OF the
towns. Now they must raise something
that can be proiitably hauled or driven
ont. Some Of them are devoting atten-
ton TO raising cattle and others propose
to raise grain to haul to Stockton or Sac
ramento. They have several active alli-
ances that 1 think could well devote
part of their time to discussion Of some
more promising system Of management
than either Of these.
CATTLE ARE Low,
And this section only affords good graz
ing during the late winter and spring
months. SO far as embarrassing is con-
cerned, there are many places where rich,
ltAGl itiitNi, ll6dl ldll VI NdlOT
ton, can be rented for one-third or one
fourth the crop, and yield the farmer bet
ter returns from his share than he who
owns and farms these lands can realize
from raising grain for a foreign market,
/ saw great deal of land in Shenandoah
capable OF averaging twenty bushels of
wheat to the acre. They cut three fair
crops OF alfalfa where they can irrigate,
and on the deepest soil some farmers have
raised some very good corn. with careful
cultivation, but without irrigation. There
is plenty of shade, excellent water, and
the range is good pasturage until it dries
up some time in June. ] saw here and
there an olive tree, a few fig trees and
some almond trees doing well. Some of
them had never received cultivation or
irrigation.
ON the high, rolling hills, where soil is
deepest, grow some OF the finest Moor
park apricots in the State. Although
this is an unfortunate year for peaches,
they look well in some sections OF the
county, and they are famous for color and
flavor wherever they have received proper
care. As fruit was planted here for
A PEDDLING MARKET,
And much of it is not calculated for
shipment or drying, many of the orchards
have been sadly neglected, and some
have recently started in the fruit bust
ness whose returns convince me that thew
ltOlbuSl hIlO" uOI are ldhiuS ulIcH care
10 learn the essentials of success in their
calling.
When disaster came the usual share of
farmers were in debt for their homes, and
now they find it so much harder to pay
that many places have been sold under
the hammer. AS there were few to buy
ard immigration has not been attracted
in this direction-prices have been de-
pressed until SO an acre for the best i'm
proved farming land, 81 an acre for graz
ing land, and tWo-thrds the present
value of improvements would buy most
of the property that is for sale. Some
has changed hands at forced sale at lower
figures than these.
This is red granite soil, from one to
twenty feet deep, well adapted to the
crops we have named above, and this
section offers unusual advantages to
home-seekers who have capital to start
on cash basis and the tact TO engage in
the system of farming best adapted to
present conditions. 1t is of
NO USE TO SIT AND HOPE
For a railroad or mine. They NAV
both come, and if they do the man who
has something else TO depend upon can
reap most advantage from their coming
The first thing is 10 plan some means of
escape from the incubus of the credit
system. There is another home cues
ton for the alliances. Cooperation can
aid them in planning this radical relief
All over Iowa the creamery and the
poultry yard are
BRINGING IN CASH
To the farmers every week, and thew
hold up their heads when they enter a
store and tell what they viii paw. He
who half begS and half buys the few
things that he must have, who eats his
crop before it is sprouted, aud hardly sees
"A dollar from one years end 10 another
will grow inches and inches higher in
manly independence and self-esteem the
day he begins to do business on a cash
basis.
The farmers about Plymouth have
many advantages for placing themselves
in this position if they will. Some one
of the vacant buildings could be used for
a creamery, and water or steam power
would not be costly. il it was known
that they were ready to cooperate in
establishing creamery, it would not be
1ong before some experienced man would
JON them. Most of them have some cows
now, and could easily increase their
diaries, and produce an all-theyear ra-
non OF milk yielding food by improving
their advantages for raising alfalfa, corn,
pumpkins, etc., in addition to the natural
grazing.
CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE
For poultry, too, and the creamery should
make as much Of a point of eggs as of
butter. with skinned milk and alfalfa
pasture for the pigs. acorns for the shoats
and barley for the tattening, swine should
be made a greater source of cash reve-
nue..
A year or two of general united effort
would make wonderful change in these
directions, and by that time the people
might have confidence ENOUGH i'm one an
other to organize Wright district. and
avail themselves ofthe advantage of some
of the sites for storage reservoirs to pro-