234 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1883, 



About Los Angelos there were miles of orange groves, 

 but the generality of tbe fruit we tasted was not very 

 good. We were not able to collect any particulars re- 

 garding this enterprise, except that it bad been a very 

 profitable one : that the price of oranges had fallen, 

 while five hundred dollars an acre would not buy a 

 good orange grove in bearing. 



California is a difficult place to get to from Ceylon ; 

 still, once there, it is a cheap place to live in. If in 

 the monster hotels of San Francisco, perfect palaces, 

 you have to pay for your ease, cheaper ones can be 

 had if you have a mind to, while in other places of 

 the State thej' are moderate enougn. Two dollars a 

 day was the charge at the best hotel iu Fresno, while 

 a substantial reduction would be made to a board or 

 by the week or month. In California, as in New Zealand, 

 the great thing for the intending settler is to look 

 well about before buying, and then only to buy good 

 land. 



We will close this letter by a story we heard of a 

 man who had made a bad selection. As a result of 

 this, he suffered both in body and in mind, and come 

 to take very gloomy views of thiugs. A friend visit- 

 ing him, when things were at their worst, tried to cheer 

 him with the remark, " that really, after all, what he 

 wanted was some good society and more water." The 

 gloomy man looked gloomier at that, and replied : 

 "That is all that h— wauls." J. L. D. 



Eeplles to Queries on Vine Cvlture. 

 Isi Q. — The price of land suitable for growing vines, 

 per acre ? 



Such lands are to be found all the way up from S20 to 

 §150 per acre, according to location. Fifty dollars per 

 acre for 300 to 500 acres would be a fair price iu some 

 good locality in Sonoma or Kapa valleys not far distant 

 from railroad or water transportation. 

 2nd Q. — The cost of water-right ? 



The greater portion of our northern grape growers do not 

 use irrigation at all. It has to be resorted to only iu those 

 few parts of the State, like Fresno, and a few other in- 

 terior valleys, where the annual rainfall is small. I would 

 not advise to buy grape lands where it is needed, because 

 it costs at least five dollars per acre per annum. By buy- 

 ing lands at §50 per acre, when it is not necessary, you 

 gain within eight to teu years the purchase price of your 

 lands. Thus water-right for vine culture should be dis- 

 pensed with by buying the right kind of lands. And 

 then, as a rule, vineyards need little or uo irrigation. 

 Viues grow iu dry countries, not in wet ones. ^Varni,- 

 light and dry soil on mountain sides is preferable. Damp 

 valley laud is far from being .so good. In Napa aud 

 Sonoma valleys, so reputed for their fertility aud health- 

 fulness, rain is alwa3^s sufKcient, and there is not an in- 

 stance known there of a crop having been lost on that 

 account. 



Srd Q- — The cost of clearing the land and planting it ? 

 For first year for 100 acres : — 



Ploughiug and harrowing at S2'50per aero S250- 

 Laying out the laud and planting at $10 • • • 1,000 

 100,000 cuttings, phyllo.re-ra-proof, at SIO 

 per 1,000 ... ... ... 1,000 



After cultivation at S2'.50 per acre ... 250 



Hoeing at SI per aci'e ... ... 100 



Wear and tear on the farm, repairs, taxes 3 

 per cent on §50 per acre ... ... 300 



Secoxd YE-4K. 



Replanting with rooted vinef, cuttings having 

 not thriven the first year. This may not 

 amount to more tliau 5 per cent or 10 per 

 cent, but it is wiser to take a maximum of 

 20 per cent. Replanting 20 acres at S2-60... 



20.000 rooted vines or jf-lO per 1,000 



Pruning on about SO acres at SI per acre ... 



Ploughing and harrownng three times nt S7... 



Hoeing near the vine 



Wear and tear, repair taxes 



S 2,900 



S50 

 800 

 SO 

 750 

 100 

 . 300 



$2,080 



Th [ED Yeah. 

 Graping at SIO per acre 

 Pruning and removing wood at §3 

 Three cultivations at $7'50 

 Hoeing near the vine at SI'OO ... 

 Wear and tear, repairs, taxes ... 



FouBTH Teae. 



Pruning at S4 per acre 

 Three cultivations at S7'o0 

 Hoeing at §1 

 Wear and tear, repairs, taxe 



. l.COO 

 . SCO 

 . 750 

 100 

 . 300 



S-\ 5i) 



S400 

 7fl0 

 100 

 300 



Sl,550 



Heciipitulaiioii. 



100 acres 1st year .. .. 82,900 



„ 2nd „ .. .. 2.0S0 



„ Srd „ .. .. 2,4.50 



4th „ .. .. 1,350 



$8,9S0 



With the fom-th year a moderate crop can be expected 

 of say 2 tons of grapes to the acre (value $30 per ton 

 taken as purchaser's expense) , which will more than re- 

 imburse the outlays of that year, and cover the expenses 

 to the fifth year, when a crop of fully 4 to 6 tons per 

 acre can be safely depended npon, especially considering 

 the fact that rooted fines being used the 2nd year to re- 

 place the cuttings that did not tlu'ive, it saves a year on 

 the same, which would be lost otherwise. Beginning with 

 the 5th year, the yearly cultivation woidd not exceed $20 

 pef^cre, and taking as a basis the mininium average crop 

 of 4 tons to the acre at $30 per ton, we would have a 

 nett income of $100 per acre. 



The above are not fancy figures, as one finds most 

 generally in land companies' pamphlets or in newspapers. 

 They are calculated on the cost of running a f aim, with af ore- 

 man, labom'ers by day and by the year, ^nth necessary 

 animals, good implements, wear and tear, and the 

 buildings, the cost of which for a farm of about 200 acres 

 would he as follows : — Barns and residence $2,500 



Seeds, food, agricultural implements, horses, mules, 



cows aud harness .... 2,300 



$5,000 



It shoidd also requii'e a general superintendent to keep 

 accounts and du-ect the work. A salary, such as said 

 superintendent slioidd receive, would weigh heavUv on a 

 small fann of 100 or 200 acres, and for that reason 

 I would advise to work on at least 400 acres in \'ine- 

 yards, and an additional 100 acres for fai'ming purposes, 

 wheat, i>astm-e, kc , making in all a farm of about 500 

 acres. 



ah Q. — How long before it comes into full bearing? 



This is embodied iu the above reply to query No. 3. 



5tli Q. — After the lanil has been planted how ranch per 

 acre does it cost to keep it in good onler ? 



From $15 to $20 per acre per annum. 



Gth Q. — How much per acre might be expected from a 

 fair a/erage vineyard at say 3, 4, and 5 years old, from 

 grapes alone? 



Third year nothing : land worth then $250 to $300 per 

 acre. Fourth year 2 tons of grapes of a value of $30 per 

 ton : land worth then $350 to $400 per acre. Fifth year 

 4 tons : land worth then fully $500 per acre. Sixth year 

 and afterwards 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 tons aud more to the 

 acre according to the year. A good average, a bad and a 

 good ye.ar taken altogether, can be safely calculated on 

 at 5 to 6 tons to the acre per year : and the land 

 would rise in value to $600 at $700 per acre, and 

 even more if it is well located near railroad or 

 water tr,ansportation. For that reason especially, I 

 would recommend to buy at the start high price lands, 

 $50 to CO or even ,§75 per acre should not bo teo much in 

 order to secure such ultimate result*. Such lands as I 

 refer to, when in full maturity are worth iu Fiance fuUy. 

 $1,000 per acre (francs 12-5110 per hectare) and there is 

 no reason in the world, why they should not be (juite as 

 much worth here, when California wines are better ap- 

 preciated, which is being doue veT:y rapidly- in this coun- 



