California Agriculturist 



.ikXtOi 



E^mwm s^r^ooK JTouri^iar^i,,, 



Vol. 6. 



San Jose, Cal., i^prll, 1875. 



Uo. 4. 



A FINE HERD OF SHORT-HORNS. 



Everybody who visits San Jose should take 

 a ride to Ahim Eock Springs, over the grand 

 new drive from San Jose to that jioint. And 

 they should bear in mind that at the Avenue 

 Eanch is one of the finest herds of Short- 

 horns on this Coast, the property of Cyrus 

 Jones & Co., breeders and importers. The 

 drive, which leads around hills that overlook 

 the valley into a deep canon, wild with stream, 

 forest and rocky declivities, where is a warm 

 spring and other attractions, is becoming 

 noted by all tourists. After rising to the top 

 of the grade, a branch road leads to the right, 

 to Buena Vesta Point, a grand outlook over the 

 valle)', donated to the public by the proprie- 

 tors of Avenue Ranch. The road continues 

 to the stock yards and residences of the pro- 

 prietors. 



Mr. Cyrus Jones, who has principal charge 

 of the fine stock department, is a breeder 

 long known in Illinois and Kentucky and 

 noted for his success. What brought him to 

 this State was partial failure of health in the 

 inclement climate of his native home. But 

 he came here to make California his home, 

 and has chosen a locality at once healthy and 

 adai^ted to the business. 



Gen. Giles A. Smith, whose fine residence 

 commands a magnifilent view of our valley, 

 is a partner upon the same farm, as was Mr. 

 F. H. Hicks, lately deceaseed. 



These gentlemen came here about two years 

 ago with their stock, and an acquisition it 

 was to California when they came. Our far- 

 mers have been so slow in arriving to an ap- 

 preciation of such stock, that, to less confi- 

 dent and persevering men, the results, so far 

 as sales are concerned, would have been some- 

 what discouraging. But the people here, as 

 well as in the East, are fast awakening to the 

 advantage of breeding the best stock. 



This herd is fast increasing in numbers and 

 value. Only one thing has been really dis- 

 couraging, and that was a disease common in 

 California, and ajjparently peculiar to this 

 State, that attacked this herd last Fall. It is 

 common here among herds that are in good 

 condition — seldom attacking animals poor in 

 flesh. It may be properly called the "Xellow 

 Disease," as the first symptoms are, ex- 

 crement hard and yellow, and afterwards 

 the skin all over the animal gets as yellow as 

 saSron. The bowels are constipated, the appe- 

 tite fails, and the animal eats earth till its 

 bowels are completely clogged with it. The 

 disease has been considered incurable, but al- 

 though every animal in this herd was attacked 

 only four died, but these were very valuable 

 stock and the loss is severe enough. At the 

 time of our visit most of the others were well 

 and all were considered safely over the com- 

 plaint. The animals that died were examin- 

 ed. The spleen showed a mass of corruption 



when cut into, th-j kidneys were badly affect- 

 ed, and the bowels were plugged up with the 

 earth the animals had eaten. The gall was 

 enlarged, and the liver affected. When the 

 disease appeared, the animals had been eat- 

 ing nothing but dry feed for some time, and 

 had had the run of a stubble field, with 

 plenty of good water, air and exercise. The 

 successful treatment consisted iu opening the 

 bowels with physic, giving clysters to aid 

 evacuation, and assisting each organ to do its 

 proper work in freeing the bowels and blood 

 of impurities. The animals are now in good 

 order, and show little ill effects from the sick- 

 ness. 



The two breeding bulls of this herd are of 

 superior blood. Master Maynard, three years 

 old, of fine form and pedigree. Duchess pre- 

 dominating, is a model of symmetry. We 

 lost the notes we took the day we visited the 

 herd, and cannot give particulars as to names 

 and pedigrees, but Mr. Jones has them all 

 at his tongue's end, as familiarly as possible. 

 The two year old bull is also very fine ; in- 

 deed, these two bulls were selected East last 

 Fall by Mr. Joues, aud are of the best blood 

 extant. Among his fine cows are two that it 

 is hard to choose between for perfect beauty. 

 They cost Mr. Jones $1,600 each. One of 

 them has a red IjuU calf which Mr. Joues 

 values at $1,000 — no less — and he is worth the 

 money. A finer lot of young calves were 

 never seen on this Coast. The most of them 

 are bull calves — unfortunately, Mr. Jones 

 thinks, for him, but we tell him forhmatdy for 

 this State, as our stock men need hundreds of 

 such to breed to their herds. We expect 

 Jones & Co. will publish the pedigrees of this 

 herd soon. 



It ^AW ijay any stock man to visit Avenue 

 Ranch, talk with the proprietors, and judge 

 of the merits of the animals for himself. 



"FAIR" TACTICS. 



The feeling among the mass of the farmers 

 in this valley against pool-selling-horse-racing 

 at our fairs is growing so strong that the 

 jockey members of the Santa Clara Valley 

 Agricultural Society feel put upon their met- 

 tle to use every means to protect their horse- 

 gambUng interests. 



A great majority of the life members seem 

 to be horse jockey men, who have been called 

 in more to manage races than to advance the 

 industrial interests of the community. To 

 draw the lines still closer, and discourage per- 

 sons who are interested in elevating the in- 

 dustrial above the sporting interest from join- 

 iug the Society, the memt)ers raised life mem- 

 berships from $25 to $50. 



The annual meetings for electing officers 

 and doing other business are held in Jauiiary. 

 Annual members, to be able to vote, must get 

 their tickets at or before that meeting. A 

 disposition was beginning to be shown by 

 several farmers aud others to get annual 

 memberships, costing $5, so as to attend the 

 meetings aud take part in the business of the 

 Society, instead of waiting until the Fall fair 

 to get annual membership tickets after the 

 biisiupss arrangement for the season had all 

 been made. Now, in order to still further 

 defeat the disposition of the worlcingmen.who 

 have always represented the industriid feat- 

 ures of the fair, the jockeys have erected a 

 fortification of defense by allowing no7ie but 

 life members to vote at their business meetings. 



One of the active annual members, Mr. A. C. 

 Erkson, tells how this last move was made: 



At an adjourned meeting of the Society, in 

 the latter part of January last, the Commit- 

 tee on Constitution and By-Laws, consisting 

 of Gary Peebles, Coleman Younger and Oliver 

 Cottle, reported among other things that none 

 but life members be hereafter allowed to vote 

 at the meetings of the Society, thus ruling 

 out all the annual members. 



There were just fourteen members present 

 when this report was made. When the ques- 

 tion came up on the adoption of this amend- 

 ment to the Constitution, Mr. A. C. Erkson, 

 an annual member, opposed it; setting forth, 

 among other reasons, that it would disfran- 

 chise a great majority of the members who 

 now contributed to the support of the Society. 

 Almost all the funds received now by the So- 

 ciety come from annual members, and it 

 •would be manifestly unjust to deprive them 

 of their vested rights to share in its manage- 

 ment. 



Mr. Peebles and Mr. Younger urged the 

 necessity of such a change in Constitution 

 principally for the reason that it would be very 

 easy for some designing person or persons to 

 procure the memberships of enough other 

 persons to out-vote tha life members, who 

 have hitherto had the principal control of the 

 institution, and to alienate or sell its real 

 estate or to squander its funds in building a 

 pavilion, or iu some way to injure or destroy 

 its usefulness. 



In reply to that argument Mr. Erkson re- ■ 

 marked that such statements and insinuations 

 were anything but complimentary to the great 

 mass of working farmers in this county, as 

 well as to the mechanics who have contribut- 

 ed of their money and time and trouble in 

 making the exhibitions the success they have 

 been, and such aspersions on their honesty 

 and good faith would be resented by them. 

 Mr. E. remarked that he had contributed some 

 $75 in the payment of annual dues, which 

 was at least three times more than any one 

 present had contributed; that he had served 

 on committees of various kinds, and had the 

 interests of the Society as much at heart as 

 auy life member could have, and he believed 

 he expressed the sentiments of four-fifths of 

 the annual members when he said that if you 

 pass this vote disfr.anchising them you have 

 struck a blow which will be fatal to the future 

 welfare of the Society. 



Mr. O'Donnell, Mr. Ryland, Mr. Jones, 

 Mr. Cottle and one or two others sijoke on 

 the question; every one of them being iu favor 

 of excluding annual members. The question 

 was then put and carried, every one voting 

 for the change except myself. I then bowed 

 myself out, saying that I could be of no fur- 

 ther use to them — Jlr. Ryland kindly remark- 

 ing that "although no longer a voter, thej' 

 would be very glad of my counsel and any 

 other assistance I conld render." 



The idea that there would be a disposition 

 on the part of annual members to squander 

 the means of the Society, must have been ad- 

 vanced to blind honestly inclined members to 

 the real objects of the jockeys. The only 

 iuterest that any anuual member who is oj)- 

 posed to making horse-racing a leading inter- 

 est has shown, is to correct some of the 

 abuses that already exist, and advance the 

 Society and the people. But if any one has 

 $5 to pay for a membershij) he can still have 

 the houor of being one. If he cannot vote, 

 he can "render assistance" and give aid and 

 comfort to the cause. 



