564 



NEVADA. 



Other Recommendations. The Governor rec- 

 ommends a constitutional amendment by which 

 nine jurors may find a verdict in criminal causes, 

 as is now the case in civil suits in this State. He 

 also recommends extending the term of county 

 officers from two to four years, and greater uni- 

 formity in the laws relating to county govern- 

 ment, saying: "Under the present laws, we 

 find one county (Ormsby) governed by the gen- 

 eral salary law that has been in force for four 

 years, but now repealed except as to this coun- 

 ty ; two counties (Washoe and Esmeralda) act- 

 ing under a special salary law ; five counties 

 (Storey, Eureka, Elko, Hurnboldt, and Lander) 

 acting under the law usually known as the Foley 

 Fee Bill, and the other six counties are governed 

 by the old fee-bill act that was in force before 

 the passage of the salary law." 



Agriculture. Keviewing the operations of 

 1883, a San Francisco journal says: 



It will surprise a great many to look over the figures 

 that have been 'collated, and see the amount of acre- 

 age under cultivation, the great variety of products 

 in cereals and fruits, and the adaptability of a large 

 portion of Nevada to cattle-ranges. Being mountain- 

 ous, it is dotted here and there with valleys and 

 plains, much of the soil of which is very fertile and 

 will produce as much per acre as the average arable 

 land of the country, which, in addition, is certain of 

 being well watered by the mountain-streams. It is 

 peculiarly well adapted to the growing of such fruits 

 as are indigenous to the temperate zone, and the prob- 

 lem of their profitable production has already passed 

 the experimental stage. The dairy interests are also 

 being developed ; so that the decadence of mining 

 if it should prove to be more than temporary will 

 be accompanied by a substantial growth of the agri- 

 cultural and live-stock interests, which as they, par- 

 ticularly the former, are regarded as the chief source 

 of the prosperity or a commonwealth, will no doubt 

 result, in future years, in giving to Nevada a greater 

 meed of solidity than she could" ever hope to receive 

 from her mining interests alone. Of the 100,000 acres 

 of land devoted to agriculture in the State, the culti- 

 vation of barley requires about one third annually, 

 only about 150,000 bushels of wbeat being raised, 

 while over 500,000 bushels of barley were produced 

 during the past year. Oats, potatoes, bay, apples, 

 peaches, pears, plums ; cherries, apricots, grapes, 

 strawberries, gooseberries, and other fruits, vegeta- 

 bles, and cereals occupied the remaining acreage, and 

 good crops were the rule in the more fertile regions 

 and where irrigation was available. 



Grazing. The State of Nevada, notwith- 

 standing its sterility, is a fine grazing country. 

 Sheep-walks and cattle-ranges are numerous, 

 and it is estimated that there are not fewer 

 than 1,000,000 head of cattle in the State, 

 100,000 head of horses, and 500,000 head of 

 sheep and goats. The portion devoted to 

 grazing does not exceed one fourth the area of 

 the _ State, and, were it stocked to its fall ca- 

 pacity, the income from this source would be 

 near $10,000,000 annually. Its population is 

 not above 50,000; the income of stock alone 

 is not less than $50 for each person living in 

 the Stnte, and, if fully stocked, $200 per cap- 

 ita. ^The stockmen realize the advantages of 

 this State as a beef-producing country, and are 

 fast bringing it into use. One of the finest 

 stock-ranges available is that section of the 



State lying between 28 and 38 north, and 

 range 33 and 36 east, containing 400,000 

 acres. Following the meanderings of the 

 Humboldt river, it extends about fifty miles 

 along that stream, with not less than twenty- 

 five miles average width. Much of the land 

 on the river will produce a crop of grain with- 

 out irrigation, and, in fact, in such years as 

 the last, fine wheat has been grown and ma- 

 tured on the "bench-land." But the distance 

 from market makes grain-raising less profitable 

 than stock-raising. 



Finances. The report of the Comptroller for 

 the year ending Dec. 31, 1884, shows: Total 

 property-tax, $248,079.11 ; tax on proceeds of 

 mines, $16,354.19 ; from miscellaneous sources, 

 $31,917.34. The net amounts of cash paid into 

 the State Treasury, by the several counties, for 

 the year footed up $254,933.77; receipts from 

 all sources, $524,857.30; apportionment to the 

 different funds of the balance in the treasury 

 Jan. 1, 1883, and the receipts for the fiscal 

 year beginning Jan. 1, 1883, and ending Dec. 

 31, 1884, $861,195.37; amount expended dur- 

 ing the fiscal year 1883, $571,931.83. The 

 assessed value of all the real and personal prop- 

 erty in the State for the year was $27,728,- 

 172.81. During the year the gross yield or 

 value of the mines was $7,487,634,25. 



The State levy, as now fixed by law, is 90 

 cents on each $1 00 of taxable property. The 

 rate can not be reduced, in the opinion of the 

 Comptroller. He says: "It will not, however, 

 be amiss to say that there is not a doubt that 

 the assessment of property could be greatly in- 

 creased, the rate of taxation proportionately 

 reduced, and equal and exact justice substituted 

 for gross injustice by a compliance with the 

 law on the part of assessors. The property in 

 some counties is probably assessed at nearly 

 its cash value, but in other counties, that which 

 does not escape taxation entirely is assessed 

 far below its value." 



The depreciation in property valuations for 

 1884, as compared with 1883, is $1,160,873.78; 

 in net proceeds of mines, $189,721.56. "The. 

 State for several years," says the Comptroller, 

 "had less taxable values and a much higher 

 rate of taxation than at present. The State 

 of Nevada, instead of being bankrupt, owes no 

 man nor corporation a dollar, and its warrants 

 are promptly paid on presentation. Her in- 

 debtedness is all to her irreducible school 

 funds, and the interest she pays all goes for 

 the support of her public schools; and the 

 debt of Nevada, over and above cash on hand 

 applicable to its payment, does not amount to 

 six dollars per capita of its population." 



Political. A Eepublican State Convention 

 met in Virginia City on April 30, and chose 

 delegates to the National Convention of the 

 party. It put forth a platform containing the 

 following resolutions : 



That the Eepublican party has at all times been-, 

 and still is, tbe friend and protector of labor, and as 

 such considers the advent of the Chinese race into 





