1882.] TOOLS, IMPLEMENTS, ETC. 325 



only wheat is grown, the land is plowed, spring wheat 

 sown broadcast by machine, and after harvest plowed again for 

 another crop of wheat the next year. After the first crop, gang 

 plows are used, two plows in the gang, drawn by four horses, and 

 plowing five acres per day. Everything is done by machinery of 

 the best kind that can be so done. There were at the time of my 

 visit 125 seeders (or broadcast sowers), 200 pairs of harrows, 155 

 self-binding harvesters, (6^ foot cutting-bar,) three kinds were in 

 use, and 26 steam threshers. The threshing is done from the 

 shock, about 25 men and 20 horses working to each thresher. The 

 product of that management that year was over twelve times as 

 much wheat as was grown in the whole State of Connecticut the 

 census year. 



Let us look at another phase. Wheat growing, as pursued in 

 California. That also is a treeless region, ready for the plow with- 

 out clearing off the timber. A dry, rainless summer, follows a 

 mild rainy winter. The wheat is sown any time from October to 

 February, grows diiring the cool winter; there are showers in the 

 spring ; it ripens in May or early June. And as the rains have 

 then ceased, and there is no fear of damage by wet, it is harvested 

 as fast as is convenient. The harvest goes on six, eight, even ten 

 weeks. The grain cures standing, and may be threshed as fast as 

 cut. The wet winter and dry summer make various processes and 

 methods there practicable, which are not possible east. 



The ground is plowed with gang plows, 4, 6, 8, even 10 plows 

 to the gang, drawn by as many horses, and plowing 5, 8, or even 10 

 acres per day according to the nature of the soil and the quality of 

 the work. The seed is sown broadcast, by machine, and covered 

 by harrowing. 



It is in harvesting and preparing for market that the methods 

 are most striking. For example, let me cite the ranch of Dr. 

 Glenn, in the Sacramento V^alley. He is the greatest wheat-grower 

 in the world, so far as I know of; his crop some years amounts to 

 about a million of bushels. I will briefly describe the harvesting 

 as I saw it going on. The grain is cut by headers, each with 16- 

 feet cutting-bar and driven by six animals. The cut grain is 

 hauled to the steam thresher, where a 26 horse power straw-burn- 

 ing engine drives a 44-inch cyHnder machine. The "crew" and 

 apphances consisted of 7 headers, and 21 header- wagons, requir- 

 ing 35 men and 84 animals to cut the grain and deliver it at the 

 machine. Here 31 men and 10 horses were employed. This, 



