The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-06-20
AN ENORMOUS VINEYARD.
SENATOR STANFORD'S RANCH IN
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Miles OF bitches and Armies of Em-
plOyes-How the Men are Boarded
and Something About Their Life.

piOycS-HOw the Men are Boarded
and Something About Their Life.
write this letter on Senator Stan
ford's famous North California ranch
| have visited Palo Alto and the horse
farm near San Francisco, but they are
nothing as compared with this grea,
estate. The Vina ranch lies in the
heart OF the Sacramento Valley. It il
about two hundred miles north of Sar
Francisco and it comprises miles OF the
finest soil in California. 1t contains
more than 1000 acres, and has upon il
the biggest vineyard in the world. Its
wine and brandy production is so great
that Uncle Sam has had to put up g
bonded warehouse upon it to collect his
taxes, and this warehouse covers more
than two acres OF space. In it to-day
there is stored more than million dol.
lars worth Of brandy, and before this
can be sold the United States Govern.
ment must receive from it the enor-
nous sum of 100000 in revenue taxes.
The winery OF this vast estate Is
more like great factory than col.
lection of farm buildings. It's brick
structures cfC,.' 'er acres, and from where
write the feat vines cover the earth
almost as far as | can see. You can
ride for days over this ranch and not
see the half of its wonders. On one
part of it 30, 900 sheep are nibbling at
the sweet grass, and the lambs among
these which were born this spring num-
ber more than 1000. In another place
there is drove OF nearly 1000 hogs,
and 1t has dairies which are supplied
by the finest of Holstein registered cat
tie, and the horse department con-
tains hundreds OF valuable horses,
some of which are worth fortunes. In
riding this morning with Captain Nc
Intyre, the manager Of the ranch,
happened to say something about fruit
trees, and he told me that there were
thirty miles of such trees along the ir-
rigating bitches, and he said: "We
have just put out little patch of 5000
trees this spring.
"SiX thousand trees ?" said I. "Do
you call that little patch? Most
men would consider it an immense
orchard"
"Oh," said he "we have lust
planted 1000 more in the other end of
the ranch and our fruit crop is very
profitable one. We had last year over
1000 tons of grapes, and it takes an
army to pick the fruit. There are in
round numbers about three million
grape vines on the estate, and when
they are in full bearing we ought to
h@No d VI dDOuG
pounds per year"
This estate is part of the property
which Senator Stanford has presented
to the Leland Stanford, Jr., Univer-
sity. 1t is worth millions, and he is
spending n great deal of money from
his private fortune upon it and thus in
creasing its value every year. Just be-
low here is ranch OF 10000 acres
more, which is also given to the uni
versity, and his Palo Alto ranch,
where the college is, located, contains
5000 acres of valuable land.
AN ARMY OF woRKMEN.
1t takes an army of men to manage
an estate like this, and on this Vina
ranch alone the employees range from
$50 to 1900 in number. 1t cost last
month more than 81, 900 to board the
hands upon it, and the board bill of the
workmen often runs up to $4,000 a
month.
1t is interesting to know how such a
farm is handled Everything is syste-
matte and business-like. This ranch is
divided up into departments, each of
which has it's head, and these heads
take care of the men under them and
report daily to Captain Mcintyre. The
hands are parceled out just like the
soldiers OF an army, and the forces are
put where they will do the most good.
There are about l50 farm horses and O.
like number of mules almost constantly
at work, and the irrigation department
alone requires the riding of its fore
man distance Of nearly twenty-five
Niles every day There arc more than
300 miles of irrigating canals on the
place. and there are fifty miles of such
canals through the vineyards alone.
In addition to this number OF work.
horses and mules are the saddle horses
OF the ioremen and the men, the car
riage horses and the high-bred horses
which are brought here in hundreds
from Palo Alto.
There Is horse department here
which has an establishment almost as
large rs that of the Palo Alto ranch. 1t
has its training school and its kinder
garten for the colts, and it takes q
number Of gpOoms and Of skilled horse
men to manage them. During my
visit to it to-day saw some of the most
famous of the Senator's horses, and
took pictures of two which are to be
shipped to the Car of Russia in ex-
change for some Orloff stations which
the Car is going to send to Senator
Stanford. In the horse department,
as in every other. the work goes on by
the clock and according to rule. The
horses are fed at o'clock in the morn
ing, and the young colts are worked
every day. Six quarts of oats day is
considered enough for a horse, though
the feed is graduated according to
their work and strength. The colts
are put into the kindergarten for fast
training at six months. They are
never sworn at nor whipped, and they
are as friendly as dogs and as gentle as
kittens.
BOARDING IN CAMPS.
Nearly all the employees on this
estate are bachelors. They are divid-
ed up into camps, and the buildings of
one of the chief camps cover about
two acres, and can accommodate 500
men. The vineyard camp contains o
colony of seventy Frenchmen, who
manage their own board and who
receive SO much wages and an al
lowance for eating. They do their
own cooking and like wine with their
meals. They use about 800 gallons q
month, and prefer red wine, which
they mix with water. Here and there
scattered over the estate are other
camps, the most OF which are furnished
with Chinese cooks by the manager
and where they live and board at the
expense OF the farm. They have com
forta BILE rooms and good food and their
wages run from q dollar day and
board upward.
The fo. yemen receive from $35 to SIC
month. The superintendent get $7t
n 81. LII