19 



acre on this land. On 5,000 acres it is proposed to fjrow a crop of wheat 

 the coining season. These tnle lands are prei)ared for culture by burn- 

 ing. Tlie tule and grass are set on lire and rajtidly consumed, and the 

 soil itself is burned to ashes to a dei)tli at which the lire is checked by 

 moisture, leaving several inches of light ashes and charred soil on the 

 surface. The level of the land is often lowered by this i)rocess from four 

 to six inches. No cultivation is required, but the seed is sown on the 

 surface, and the harrowing is accomplished by turning on a flock of 

 sheep, Avhich is subdivided into sections of 200 to 300 each, and driven 

 systematically, each by a boy and a shepherd's dog, until the ground has 

 been thoroughly tramped over. In harvesting, there is too much grain 

 left upon the ground for seed; so the sheep are again brought into 

 requisition to feed upon a portion while thev tramp in the remainder. 



Twitchell Island, south of Brannan Island, containing 3,000 acres, 

 was leveed in 1870, but not in season to dry it in readiness for burning, 

 with the exception of 1,000 acres, which were sown in wheat. The pro- 

 duct of that wheat crop is re])orted at $07,700, which is just $300 less 

 than the purchase-money for the whole island. Besides the wheat, veg- 

 etables to the value of several thousand dollars Avere grown upon the 

 same tract. A large area in the center of the island has been burned, 

 preparatory to seeding and tramping, while sheep are fattening upon 

 the wasted grain left upon the area in wheat in 1870. 



On Sherman Island, the reclamation of which has been heretofore 

 reported, immense crops are now grown. One field in 1871 is said to 

 have yielded GO bushels of barley per acre, and afterward two cro]>s of 

 Chili clover one and a half tons each per acre. Another field, according 

 to the report, brought 45 bushels of wheat per acre, one and a half tons 

 of clover, and feed for cattle in the autumn. 



The number and character of these enterprises are worthy of special 

 investigation. Some companies propose to reclaim very large areas, in 

 one case about 80,000 acres. After reclamation these tracts are cut up 

 and sold, sometimes in bodies of hundreds of acres, often in small farms, 

 the lapse of time promoting further subdivision, which will ultimately 

 secure a dense population and the highest culture. 



DEPARTMENT BULLETIN. 



A convention of delegates, representing the interests of the State 

 agricultural and horticultural societies, boards of agriculture, and 

 agricultural colleges of the United States,.will meet at the city of Wash- 

 ington, on Thursday, the 15th of February next, to confer upon subjects 

 of mutual interest, and to take such action as shall be deemed expedient 

 for the jiromotion of agricultural education, and to secure a more inti- 

 mate connection between the Department and the several institutions 

 mentioned. The meeting will take place in one of the rooms of the 

 Dei)artment building, at 10 o'clock in the morning. The call for this 

 convention was issued by the Commissioner of AgTiculture after a full 

 interchange of views with officers of agricultural colleges, and with other 

 jirominent agriculturists. 



The Department is now receiving, jirincipally for distribution to the 

 South, in liberal portions, for experimental puriioses, improved varieties 

 of field and sugar corn, field and garden peas and beans, Italian rye- 

 grass, Bromus iSchraderi, and lucerne; mangel-wurzel and sugar-beet, 



