State Agricultural Society. 343 



SHEEP AND CATTLE. 



On one portion of this tract, the proprietors have twenty-five thou- 

 sand head of sheep, which have been grazing there all Summer, and 

 look in a very good condition. Another portion of ten thousand 

 acres is leased to Lux tS: Miller, of this city, who have on it eleven thou- 

 sand head of cattle — less than an acre to an animal. These cattle have 

 occupied this pasture since Spring, and they are now in such a condition 

 that their owners are making weekly shipments to supply the San Fran- 

 cisco market with beef. We noticed, growing on this tract, a number of 

 varieties of clover, and a great profusion of native grasses. When fully 

 reclaimed and burned, we have no hesitation in believing each acre of 

 the entire tract sown in Chile clover would produce annually from six 

 to nine tons of good hay, and in addition keep an ox or horse in good 

 condition from September each year until the first of December. 



BURNING THE TULE LANDS. 



On the lower end of the Webb tract the proprietors propose to plant 

 this season five thousand acres in wheat. This portion was ditched last 

 year and has "dried out," as they term it, when they mean to say the 

 land is ready to burn. 



Here we saw the burning process in operation. The tule and grass is 

 set on fire and is rapidly consumed. But the fire is not satisfied when 

 it reaches the soil, but penetrates and consumes this also until cheeked 

 by the dampness underneath. This reached, the burning ceases, leaving 

 a few inches of light ashes and charred soil as the remains of the spongy 

 vegetable composition. This process lowers the level of the land from 

 four to six inches. In this condition the land is ready for the seed, but 

 being too soft and miry to support the weight of horses or cattle, it can- 

 not be cultivated with teams and harrows in the ordinary way. 



Hence the plan of treading in the grain with sheep has been resorted 

 to and found to work well. The large flock is divided up into smaller 

 ones of two or three hundred each, and a boy and shepherd dog takes 

 charge of each of these small flocks — driving them back and forth as 

 you would drive a team with a harrow, until the whole ground has 

 been tramped over. This is the way the first crop is put in. 



The second year the land is generally volunteered. The sheep are 

 brought into requisition in this process also. Too much grain generally 

 tails to the ground, while harvesting, to seed it properly for a good crop; 

 so immediately after harvest the sheep are turned in to pick up this sur- 

 plus seed, and while picking up some they tramp in the rest, leaving the 

 ground seeded about right and well tramped in. 



TWITCIIELL ISLAND 



Was the next point visited. This island lies directly south of Brannan 

 Island, and north of the San Joaquin Biver. It contains three thousand 

 six hundred acres. It was leveed last year, but not in time to " dry out " 

 the land in the center sufficiently to burn, so that only one thousand 

 acres, and that in a strip around the edges, was sown to wheat. The 

 Beclamation Company last year sold this island to Minor, Prather & Co. — 

 one of the firm purchasing being George D. Boberts — for sixty-eight 

 thousand dollars, after the work of reclamation was completed. 



