26 
PRODUCTIONS OF CALIFORNIA. 
The estimates heretofore given of the agricultural products of California are 
actually exceeded by the exhibit of the surveyor general, from returns of the 
assessors. It is the first official report made, and a summary will be found in- 
teresting, as made by our correspondent, Horace D. Dunn, as follows: 
For the first time in the history of California, the surveyor general has been able to make 
a report of its resources, which may be considered approximately correct. This result is 
very gratifying to our people, and reflects great credit on Surveyor General Houghton, who, 
in 1866, induced the legislature to enact a law making it the duty of assessors to inquire 
into and report statistics of the resources of their respective counties, under penalty of loss 
of one-fourth their salary. The only drawback is that the reports are required in November 
of the preceding year, making the information fully twelve months old when it is given to 
the public. As matter of interest to the department and the people of the Atlantic States, I 
herewith append an extract taken from the report, and a partial synopsis of the statistics 
connected therewith : 
For many years the mining interest of the State largely preponderated over the agricul- 
tural, but a change is rapidly and steadily taking place. This is abundantly shown by com- 
paring a few years of the assessors’ valuations of the counties styled mining counties with 
those devoted almost entirely to agriculture. 
Production of leading staples——The value of the total production of a few of the leading 
staples of our State for the year 1866, so far as reported, may be summed up as follows: 
14, 080, 752 bushels wheat, at $1 per bushel ..---..--..-..-..----.------- $14, 080, 752 
11, 605, 922 bushels barley, valued at 45 cents per bushel ......-.-...---- 4,722, 615 
1, 864, 379 bushels oats, valued at 50 cents per bushel .----...---..------ 932, 189 
3o8;0e4 tons hay, valued at $8xper ton ¢..- 25 -..b 2.8 cba eee se cess cts 2, 868, 672 
4, 449, 835 pounds butter, valued at 30 cents per pound ..---.-.---...----- 1, 334, 950 
2, 110, 058 pounds cheese, valued at 15 cents per pound ....-..-----.----- 316, 508 
5, 229, 826 pounds wool, valued at 16 cents per pound ....-..-..-------.- 836, 772 
1,791, 633 gallons wine, valued at 40 cents per gallon ..--.......-..------ 716, 653 
1, 983,068 bushels potatoes, (sweet and common,) valued at 60 cents per 
VETS HG wera Sart he Nae Bs Sate Oe er ae Re ce ame A nie ent eh 1, 195, 841 
181, 850 bushels peanuts, valued at $3 per bushel .-..-..-.---.----------- 545, 550 
242, 213 bushels beans, valued at $1 50 per bushel .-----.----.-----.----- 363, 319 
ALG UE Ce eae See EL a nes ae ry tae Ee ee ee eae a ee 27,913, 818 
In the above estimate of value I do not think that the quantity reported by the assessors 
of a single product is large enough, except it may be the one article of barley. Wine, wool, 
hay aud potatoes, I believe to be much too small; yet the total is several millions of dollars 
in excess of the gold product for the year 1866, which, from the most reliable information to 
be obtained, may be put down at $24,000,000; and it is highly gratifying to know that, as 
fast as the gold product of our State falls off, the agricultural products much more than 
make up the deficiency. 
From the siatistical tables of the report I glean the following items : 
1866—land enclosed, 4,207,131 acres; cultivated, 1,774,327 acres. 
In wheat, 690,745 acres, yielding 14,080,752 bushels, an average of 20 bushels per acre. 
Largest wheat-growing counties: Santa Clara, 109,000 acres, 3,506,000 bushels; Solano, 
141,150 acres, 2,117,250 bushels; Yolo, 47,705 acres, 1,446,579 bushels. 
In barley, 472,621 acres, 11,605,922 bushels, an average of nearly 25 bushels per acre. 
Largest counties: Santa Clara, 81,000 acres, 2,194,000 bushels ; Monterey, 22,375 acres, 
1,221,500 bushels; San Joaquin, 48,294 acres, 922,000 bushels. , 
Tn oats, 48,583 aeres, 1,864,379 bushels. Largest county, Mendocino, 10,000 acres, 
200,000 bushels. 
In potatoes, 18,886 acres, 1,834,603 bushels. Largest county, Sonoma, 3,300 acres, 
241,192 bushels. 
In hay, 295,716 acres, 358,584 tons. Largest county, Santa Clara, 16,000 acres, 30,000 
tons. 
In hops, 318% acres, 200,912 pounds. Largest county, Sacramento, 36 acres, 38,300 
ounds. 
5 In tobacco, 143 acres, 63,017 pounds. 
In cotton, 2 acres, 150 pounds, (San Bernardino.) 
In silk cocoons, 296 pounds. Largest county, Santa Clara, 150 pounds. P 
Butter, 4,449,835 pounds. Largest counties, Marin, 1,337,500 pounds; Sacramento, 
379,350 pounds. ; 
Cheese, 2,110,058 pounds. Largest counties: Santa Clara, 543,000 pounds; Marin, 
378,600 pounds. 
