CALIFORNIA. 



75 



of the current and the construction of an outlet 

 canal, either at Grand Island, as proposed by 

 the State Engineer, or above, as had been fa- 

 vored by other experts. He proposed planting 

 willows in the mud of the river-beds near the 

 mines, to form screens to check the descent of 

 the heavier debris, instead of the construction 

 of expensive stone dams to impound the debris. 

 This lie thought would afford a sufficient guard 

 against the coarser material of the tailings, 

 while the scouring action of the current, if the 

 channels of the Sacramento and Feather were 

 rectified and graded, would keep the river be- 

 low clear of deposits of the finer detritus. He 

 regards the danger to the harbor of San Fran- 

 cisco as imminent, unless steps are taken to pre- 

 vent the silting of the bay from this source. 



According to the decision of District Judge 

 Keyes, in the case of Keyes against the Little 

 York Gold Washing Company et al., farmers 

 whose land is flooded by mining tailings are 

 entitled to relief by the common law for the 

 damage done. The plaintiff was a farmer in 

 the Sacramento Valley, and the defendants 

 were hydraulic mining companies, whose works 

 were situated about sixty miles distant in the 

 Sierra Nevada Mountains, and nearly three 

 thousand feet above the defendant's farm, 

 which lies along the banks of Bear River, The 

 effect of the debris law enacted by the Legis- 

 lature is not to debar the farmers from the 

 rights of recovery from the miners which they 

 possess at common law. 



The report of the Fish Commissioners states 

 that, since the organization of the commission, 

 13,150,000 young salmon have been hatched 

 and placed in the Sacramento River, and that 

 2,500,000 must be added annually to keep the 

 canning establishments supplied, unless the 

 close season is strictly observed. An attempt 

 was made in the Legislature to substitute a 

 close time between Saturday morning and Sun- 

 day night throughout the year for the close 

 season between August 1st and September 

 15th. The fishermen, who petitioned for the 

 change, alleged that the close season was not 

 observed; that the American fishermen were 

 disposed to respect it, but that the Greek and 

 Portuguese fishermen would not. They de- 

 clared that they would compel all to observe the 

 close season during Saturday, Saturday night, 

 and Sunday. The bill was objected to by Fish- 

 Commissioner B. B. Redding, who was present 

 during the discussion. A petition was pre- 

 sented at the same time regarding the protec- 

 tion of small fish in the Bay of San Francisco. 

 Mr. Redding stated that the subject was of 

 great importance. There are a large number 

 engaged in catching shrimps, mostly Chinamen. 

 They use a net in the shape of an inverted 

 stocking, which is sometimes thirty or forty 

 feet long. The Chinamen go along the shores 

 of the bays and use a net so fine that a lead- 

 pencil only will pass through it, and catch im- 

 mense quantities of not only shrimps, but every 

 kind of small fish, which they put through a 



process of salting in brine, and then drying on 

 the ground, after which they rub their feet 

 over them and break off the shells, etc., a por- 

 tion of which is used for food and the balance 

 as a manure for fertilizing the worn-out tea- 

 fields of China. In one year there was shipped 

 to China of these products about $600,000 

 worth, and the average per year is about 

 $300,000. The Portuguese and Greeks are 

 also destroying the small fish in a similar mode 

 by using small, fine-mesh nets, but they make 

 no use of the small fish, and leave them on the 

 ground. On account of their destruction of 

 fish in San Francisco Bay, the law protecting 

 seals and sea-lions was repealed. Mr. Redding 

 stated that these animals destroy more fish 

 than are caught in the nets of the fishermen. 

 Acts were passed by the Legislature providing 

 for the removal of obstructions in the streams 

 so as to greatly extend the area of the spawn- 

 ing-grounds of the salmon. The annual catch 

 of salmon in the Sacramento and San Joaquin 

 Rivers has been as follows: In 1874, 5,098,781 

 Ibs.; 1877, 6,493,563 Ibs.; 1878, 6,520,768 Ibs. ; 

 1879, 4,482,250 Ibs. The falling off in the lat- 

 ter year was due to a quarrel about prices be- 

 tween the fishermen and the canners, which 

 lasted a large part of the fishing season, during 

 which time no salmon were canned. Catfish, 

 introduced into the ponds and streams from 

 Eastern waters a few years ago, are now so 

 plentiful as to be a common article of food. 

 Shad and white-fish have been planted in large 

 numbers, and are succeeding ; but brook-trout 

 from the Atlantic coast do not thrive in Cali- 

 fornia. 



The returns of the State census give as the 

 entire population of the State 864,836, a gain 

 of 304,589 in ten years. The counties of Ala- 

 meda, Colusa, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Los 

 Angeles, Merced, Mono, Shasta, Tehama, and 

 Tulare have increased their population over 

 one hundred per cent. Among the agricultural 

 counties, Alameda has shown the most remark- 

 able growth, from 24,237 inhabitants to 63,639 ; 

 but this increase is largely due to its vicinity to 

 San Francisco. Owing to mining discoveries, 

 Mono has increased its population from 403, 

 the smallest of any county in 1870, to 5,416. 

 Tuolumne, Mariposa, and Alpine Counties have 

 receded in population. San Francisco has ad- 

 vanced from 149,473 to 233,066. 



Funds were appropriated for the completion 

 of the branch prison at Folsom, the building 

 of which had been two or three times begun 

 since the purchase of the grounds in 1858. 

 But, owing to the failure of contractors and 

 changes of plan, the work is not yet complete, 

 though $300,000 have been expended upon it. 

 The accommodations at the State's prison of 

 St. Quentin had long been of the most imper- 

 fect description. In 1874 there were 941 con- 

 victs, confined in only 444 cells. The prison 

 was gradually enlarged, until in 1879 there 

 were 696 cells; but the requirements for 

 sleeping space increased with a like pace, the 



