23 



grown to some extent. Other sorts from the East, such as Rudy, are 

 occasionalh^ introduced, l)ut these do not seem to yield so well, and 

 besides shatter so badly that they soon have to be given up. Nonshat- 

 tering varieties are in great demand. In all portions of the State the 

 increase of the gluten content is probably the greatest need. All varie- 

 ties grown in the State arc winter wheats. 



One of the most interesting sections of California devoted to wheat 

 culture is that of the "Tule" lands, near Stockton. (See Plate III, 

 fig. 1.) The great grain fields there show strikingly the possibilities 

 in a reclamation of immense marshes. They were once vast flats cov- 

 ered with water, mud, and a growth of bulrushes {Sc/'rj)u.s lacmtris)^ 

 called Tule in Spanish. By means of pumping, dredging, and throwing 

 up levees these lands have been reclaimed, and now after many years 

 they are among the most fertile of the State. Wheat yields from 50 

 to 80 bushels per acre here, and barley sometimes as much as a hun- 

 dred ])ushels or more per acre. This remarkable fertility is a result, 

 in part at least, of the deep deposits of organic matter. There is still 

 apparently a lack of certain mineral ingredients, such as lime and pot- 

 ash, which are needed to make the quality of the grain as good as the 

 quantity. 



As in the case of the Hard Spring Wheat district the chief difiiculty 

 in the way of successful wheat culture in California, so far as agricul- 

 tural practice is concerned, is the enormous size of man}^ of the farms 

 or ranches. They are even hirger than in the Dakotas and Minnesota, 

 containing often from 20,000 to 30,000 acres. On this account it is 

 impossible to give the attention to details in farming that are necessary 

 for the best results. The lack of attention to nitrogenous manuring, 

 and especially to the alternation of wheat with leguminous crops, is 

 particularly noticeable. 



The combined harvester-thresher (Plate III, fig. 2) is used in har- 

 vesting pretty generally throughout the State. This machine is either 

 drawn with an engine or with 28 to 40 horses. By its use the grain is 

 thrashed directly from the field, and left piled in bags. (See Plate IV, 

 fig. 1.) Inmiense ricks of these bags of grain remain in the field 

 sometimes for weeks umnolested and undamaged b}' the weather. All 

 grain throughout the State is handled in this form and calculations are 

 made in bags and not in bushels. There is therefore no use for the 

 grain elevator, in the ordinary sense of the term. Each ])ag contains 

 2i Itushels or about 150 pounds. 



West of the ('ascades, in Oregon, conditions are somewhat similar 

 to those in California. In a large portion of the State a consid(M-al)le 

 amount of spring wheat is grown. In addition to the ordinary club 

 wheats some other varieties, such as Oregon Red Chafi" and Foise, are also 

 well represented. The midsununci-c limatcMs much cooler than in (Cali- 

 fornia, and therefore harvesting is performed nuich later. On account 



