The record-union., 1899-01-02

is from to TO- Professor Hilgard says
that the low moisture absorption OF
Paso Robes soil, San Luis Obispo
County, would be a serious defect but
for the great depth of the soil. That
as the soil is eight feet deep, both
nourishment and moisture can be
sought by the roots Independently of
| the surface soil' But as wheat Is
surface feeder, the roots must depend
| upon the surface moisture, which in
the country examined is deficient. There
is some contradiction among the set
tiers in accounting for the small yield
of grain; all say the crop depends upon
late spring rains, but some say that
rain is followed by a hot wind. others
a cold, drying wind, either being de-
trimental to the crop. Late spring
frosts are frequent.
I may say here that the deficiency in
rainfall increases as we go eastward,
farther from the Coast Range
That the moisture absorption of soil
is potent agency in securing a crop
is evidenced by a comparison of GER
tain counties in the San Joaquin VAL
ley, Where the average rainfall is about
the average of the upper Salinas VAL
ley and where the yield of grain is
satisfactory. The average rainfall at
Visalia, Tulare Cuonty, is sos inches.
At Modesto, Stanislaus County, $50
inches; at MERGED, in MERGED County,
1855 inches.
I examined several orchards in San
Antonio Valley, cultivated with care,
and the trees and vines intelligently
pruned. I am convinced that the
depth of the soil upon which the trees
were growing did not aid in their
growth. The orchard trees and grape
vines at six years old were no larger
than trees and vines three years cid
grown in the Sierra foothills without
irrigation. This fact is better than
theory, about the retentiEeuess Of
moisture by the soil.
The poverty of the settlers is not due
alone to the poverty Of the soil. They
are deeply burdened with debt, in
CURED originally to pay the Govern
ment for their land. The San Antonio
! Valley originally was devoted to stock
raising. In time settlers came in and
began farming.
| As a gentleman reported to me, about
| twenty families located on. the Mil
pitas ranch were elected in 1878.
Some left the country, othevs settled on
what was then known as Hungry
! Flat" now known as Lockwood. A
| few good crops of wheat were raised,
and soon the whole valley was taken
up by men of small means and large
| families. Other settlers came and I'M
dertook to carve out farms from the
brushy gravel hills, from which no
paying crops have ever been reaped.
| Some Of the early settlers sold out,
others kept improving and extending
their farms. The time for proving up
title came and found the settlers short
of funds. Then came the mortgage,
and the debts then incurred formed the
nucleus of the present membranes on
the farm.
| For the first ten years grain was
hauled to Soledad, a distance of forty
or fifty miles, the farmer making a trip
week with six or eight horses. In the
central and upper part of the San An
tonic Valley grain is hauled to Kings
City, or San Lucas, a distance of fif-
teen to twenty miles. The trip takes
day, and the driver returns the next
day to load up for the succeeding days
haul
1t is evident that there is no profit in
growing wheat either in San Antonio
| Valley, or, for that matter, in the up
per Salinas Valley
The State Board of Agriculture for a
series of years conducted an examina-
ton into the cost of raising wheat. and
reported, with the following result:
The actual cost of growing wheat, ex-
elusive of interest upon land valua-
tons:
Cost of preparing land per acre...s 81 so
| Cost of seed, so pounds at s1.2O per