76 THE FARMERS IN COUNCIL. 



sided over by the Professor of Agriculture, and held its meet 

 ings in the lecture room of the University. San Jose organized 

 May 4, and opened by discussing the quesfion&quot;ol grain sacks. 

 Napa had a large and influential club. Santa Cruz, Sonoma, 

 CJolrtra~Costa and the neighboring counties, discussed a great 

 variety of questions of local and general interest in their meet 

 ings, which were duly reported in the Eural Press. This ex 

 change of views and experiences, not only between neighbor 

 hoods, but different sections of the State, was felt to be of 

 great benefit, and it was truly surprising to see what a wide 

 range of subjects were thus brought to the tests of experience. 



Toward the end of the season, the clubs at Napa and Sacra 

 mento laid before the other associations a proposal for a jxm- 

 vention during the State Fair in September, requesting each to 

 appoint &quot;Delegates, and by previous expressions of opinion, in 

 dicate what was to be considered. This request met with uni 

 versal approval, and large delegations were appointed. 



The subjects which most profoundly interested the farmers, 

 are indicated by the following extracts from their proceedings, 

 as published at the time. 



The report of the committee at the Oakland Club, August 

 23, 1872, embodied the results of their investigations into the 

 shipping business j 



To demonstrate the urgent necessity of a league or association 

 among farmers to prevent the Shylocks, who are preying upon them, 

 from carrying off all the farmers profits, and making them mere 

 hewers of wood, and drawers of water, and delvers in the soil, to 

 benefit a few heartless grain speculators, let us look at the man 

 ner in which the grain market has been manipulated the present 

 season in California. &quot;We are told that the prices here are governed 

 by the prices of grain in Liverpool. How is this ? 



On the 2d day of August, instant, the Liverpool market for Cali 

 fornia wheat was quoted at 11s. 8d., and the same day, in San Fran 

 cisco, at $1 55 to $1 GO per hundred pounds. On the 12th of August, 

 instant, the Liverpool quotations were 12s. 4d.; and on the 13th, the 

 next day, in San Francisco, the speculators paid only $1 60 for 

 &quot;good shipping.&quot; Here, it will be seen, was an advance in the 

 Liverpool market, from the 2d of August to the 13th, from 11s. 8d. 

 to 12s. 4d., or over fifteen cents; and how did the San Francisco 

 market respond? How much did the wheat buyers of San Francisco 

 advance the prices ? Not one cent. 



Again, on the 21st of September of last year, the Liverpool market 

 was quoted at 12s. 8&amp;lt;L, only 4d. more than on the 13th of August of 

 this year, and wheat was then (in September) selling in the San 

 Francisco market at 2 70; while this August, with the Liverpool 



