

CALIFORNIA. 



171 



more rapidly thrown into the sluice while the 

 water is running. 



Hydraulic mining requires the use of the 

 sluice, but subjects the pay dirt, as it is called, 

 to a preliminary process, and this dispenses 

 with the severe digging required in the ordi- 

 nary sluice mining. The water is collected 

 either in a natural or artificial pond, flume, or 

 canal, by some of the numerous hydraulic com- 

 panies, and thence conducted by hose of from 

 four to ten inches diameter to a point where it 

 can be directed, under a pressure of from fifty 

 to two hundred feet of vertical elevation 

 against a hill of auriferous earth. The earth 

 is rapidly washed away, and the stream of mud 

 and water directed into the sluice, when it un- 

 dergoes the further processes of amalgamation, 

 panning, cleaning up, etc. The water is furnish- 

 ed to the miners at a rental of so much per 

 inch of orifice of hose, usually about twenty 

 cents per inch. 



Quartz mining is an entirely different pro- 

 cess, though one now carried on extensively 

 in California. The beds of auriferous quartz 

 are found in the mountains, at elevations 

 ranging between two thousand and ten thousand 

 feet. Though most of the quartz veins between 

 these elevations contain some gold, but a small 

 portion of them have enough to be washed 

 profitably. Unless the yield is at least ten dol- 

 lars per ton of quartz the vein will not pay for 

 working. The quartz is first quarried at a 

 cost of two dollars or more per ton, then car- 

 ried to the stamping mill to be crushed to a 

 fine powder, and then, by a variety of process- 

 es, the gold is separated from the quartz and 

 caused to amalgamate with mercury. The cap- 

 ital invested in these enterprises is large, and 

 when veins of quartz rich in gold are quar- 

 ried the returns are ample. The Mariposa 

 Mining Company's works yield from $75,000 

 to $100,000 of pure gold monthly ; the Alli- 

 Bon Company, in Nevada county, from $60,000 

 to $80,000 per month ; and the Sierra Butte 

 Company, in Sierra county, from $25,000 to 

 $50,000 per month. 



In agricultural products California is rapidly 

 becoming a leading State. The climate and 

 soil are admirably adapted to the growth of 

 the vine, and she is in a fair way to become the 

 vineyard of the Union. The production of 

 wine in 1863 was very large, and she exported 

 of her wines to the appraised value of $79,026, 

 an amount which will probably be doubled the 

 coming year. One and a quarter millions of 

 Ibs. of grapes were also sent to market. Con- 

 siderable attention is paid to the culture of to- 

 bacco, of which a superior quality can be 

 produced in the State; and in Santa Clara 

 county, as well as in some other portions of 

 the State, a large amount of capital is invested 

 In silk growing. The silk of California is re- 

 garded as superior in quality to that of any 

 other country. The worms are fed mostly 

 on the leaves of the rnorus maretti and other 

 Tarieties of the white mulberry, though the 



morns mnlticanlis is used to some extent in 

 the first two stages of its growth. The silk- 

 worms are perfectly healthy, and the eggs are 

 in demand to a far greater amount than can be 

 supplied by the silk growers in Europe. The 

 dryness of the climate, and the entire absence 

 or infrequency of thunder-storms, as well as the 

 strength and richness of the mulberry leaves 

 produced in the fertile soil of California, render 

 it certain that this State must become one of the 

 best silk-growing regions in the United States. 



The great staple product of California at 

 present is gold. Of this, $39,938,699 were 

 received from the interior at San Francisco in 

 the year 1863, besides $2,836,973 from Oregon, 

 and $1,347,523 from Victoria, and $2,156,677 

 from foreign parts. 



The wool product of the State for the last 

 eight years has been : 



Per cent | Per eent 



Year. Pounds. Increase. I Yaw. Pounds. increase. 



1856....:. 600,000 1860 8,260,000 SI 



1857 1,100,000 S3 I 1861 4,600,000 41 



1853 1,428,000 SO 1862 6.400,000 40 



ia:9 2,878,000 66 1 1863 T,600,000 19 



Of "Wheat, 1,983,655 sacks were received at 

 San Francisco, and 1,146,478 sacks exported. 

 Of flour, 124,863 bbls. were received, and 

 153,454 bbls. exported. Of barley, 607,216 

 sacks were received, and 50,026 exported. Of 

 oats, 260,366 sacks were received, and 87,075 

 exported. Of hides, 308,189 were exported in 

 1863, a falling off of 7,562 from the exports of 

 the previous year. Fruits are sold almost oft- 

 tirely by the pound, box of 25 Ibs., or basket 

 of 30 Ibs. The receipts of the principal fruits 

 were : strawberries, 300,000 Ibs. ; raspberries, 

 200,000 Ibs. ; blackberries, 200,000 Ibs. ; goose- 

 berries, 15,000 Ibs. ; cherries, 75,000 Ibs. ; cur- 

 rants, 8,000 to 10,000 Ibs. ; apricots, 600,000 

 Ibs. ; figs, 10,000 to 15,000 Ibs. (grown in Cali- 

 fornia) ; nectarines, 15,000 Ibs. ; quinces, 30,000 

 to 40,000 Ibs. ; plums, 450,000 Ibs. ; peaches, 

 2,400,000 to 3,000,000 Ibs.; grapes, 1,250,000 

 Ibs.; apples, 75,000 boxes of 25 Ibs.; pears, 

 30,000 boxes, a large proportion of them win- 

 ter varieties. Besides these there were very 

 large quantities of dried fruit, principally 

 peaches and plums, sent to market. 



The high price of turpentine and rosin has 

 led to the collection of these articles from the 

 pines of California. The business is yet in its 

 infancy; but 7,250 gallons of turpentine and 

 1,150 barrels of rosin were sent to market in 

 1863, and the quality is so good that there 

 can be no doubt that the production will be 

 rapidly developed. 



The income of the Federal Government on 

 the California coast in the past year has been. 

 as follows : 



From duties on Imports $4.688,399 



From internal taxation, estimated 2,000,000 



From Postal Department, estimated 200,000 



From Branch Mint 240,000 



Total income. 



$7.128.899 



Deficit of income 2.757.183 



Total expenditures in 1862 6,72(5.598 



Total income in 1862 4,150,645 



The large increase in duties on imports as com- 



