Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-02-22
Letter From
California.
just Justesen Gives His I'm
pressions after a Years
Sojourn in That
State.

with the exception of little Earring
up in my box-car home. We live in
Fresno County, one OF the largest
raisin districts In California, located
in the San Joaquin Valley. To the
east we have the Sierra Nevada
Mountains with their snowy peaks.
Reedley Is a very progressive little
town of 256 population, with two rail-
| roads, the Southern Pacific, and the
Sante Fe. We have an Opera House,
a good band, one bank, three churches,
two large wineries, and all il takes to
make an up-to-date town. Raisins,
peaches, apricots, prunes, pears,
plums, apples, oranges, lemons, and
other small fruits can be raised sue
cessfully in this valley. A man from
the east should be very careful In
selecting strip of land as twenty
acre ranch may have fine soil and
the adjoining one be of very poor
grade, having hard pan, which Is as
hard as q rock so that water cannot
soak through. III il does not come
within five feet of the surface IL is all
right. We have light sandy soil
and one wouldn't think it would pro-
duce anything. But 1t will grow any
thing that is planted provided 1t gets
sufficient water; so it must be the
climate instead of the soil. Our wells
are 80 feet deep and the water is of
poor grade, and warm enough that
it wont chill persons teeth as IL
does in the east. | will say that the
east Is far ahead OF the west as they
manufacture their own goods, while
here we must get nearly everything
from the east and pay such high
freight that it makes the price con-
siderably higher. But an old-time
Californian don't like to be told that
it is so.
Fall will tell You in what manner
we perform our duties as farmers in
California in different seasons of the
year. In October they begin to pillow
and SOW wheat on the large grain
ranches, which contain from GAO to
two thousand acres. A Mr.. Reed
who was at our place said he was
going to put three teams to blowing
on his $40 acres and as | was not
busy | suggested that | might take
my team and help him out. But ]
was surprised and amused when he
said that team out here means ten
horses and pillow that makes six
furro VS., driven and managed by one
man who has to walk, which is not
as easy as riding a pillow in the east.
Sowing is sometimes done before
blowing and sometimes afterward.
| If they raise II bushels an acre they
do well and make some money.
This is the time for the trimming
and planting of trees. The raisin
vines are also trimmed with clippers
so as to leave nothing but q short
black stump. But they grow out
again and yield plentifully the next
year. Two trains of cars go through
here daily now with oranges and
lemons, the most of them coming from
Tulare county, which bounds this
county on the north. In 1904, there
were -, 900 cars of oranges and 1000
cars of lemons shipped from this state
to the eastern markets.
Winter:-In this season they con-
tinue to trim and plant trees, and
finish sowing the grain. Winter
looks much like spring because the
grass as well as some trees are green.
Most OF the trees and vines are plant
ed in February. And the old trees
and flowers are beginning to bloom
making everything look like spring.
Oats is sowed in the winter and cut
for hay in the month of May. Work
out of doors is not uncommon here
throughout the entire winter, the
result being there Is not the rush ia
other parts OF the year as you have
in the east.
Spring:-We now begin to get ready
for irrigation. The water comes from
the melting of snow on the mountains
which usually begins in March and
the trees and vines are watered in
April and succeeding months accord
| ing to their needs. The trees and
vines are cultivated and narrowed
| several times to keep the ground loose
and preserve the moisture. Alfalfa
| is cut three or four times in season
| and easily goes tons to the acre for
| the season. The first crop brings
from So. 90 to SO. so and the second and
third, $500 to 900 per ton. Vines
must not be disturbed much this month
as the flowers will fall off ii touched
| by cultivator or harrow.
Summer are, ready to
pick about the 10Th of June. When
| neatly picked they are cut in two,
laid on trays and put in tight house
| built for that purpose, where they
| are smoked in sulphur for 8 or hours
to keep all insects out OF them; then
| they are laid out in the sun to dry for
five or six days when they are ready
| for market at and to Z and cents
a pound. They also begin TO cut
| small grain, which is done with COM
| bined harvesters and threshers that
drop the straw in shocks and the grain
| in sacks. One man drives the team
which consists of thirty six mules.
Now the real busy time comes with
the peaches. They are handled like
the apricots. A man with 20 acres of
peaches hires men and about 10
girls and women for picking and cut.
ting. The pay Is 5 cents box of 80
pounds green fruit and good hand
with experience can make as high as
81. so day. The prunes are picked
and washed in a very light solution
of lime water to keep insects away,
then dried on trays for several days
when they are ready for market, bring
ing and cents pound this year.
Figs are picked and sulphured like
peaches. They are very cheap bring
| ing only 2 cents pound.
The raisins are laid in the sun on
trays for about six days when they
have been turned brown by the sun,
then they are turned over to be brown
ed on the other side, when they are
stacked in piles for about two weeks
until they are good and dry, and are
the packing house. This year we get
a good price, 4 and cents pound
and a good crop goes about two tons