California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



tion. Much land was plowed when too wet; 

 some was allowed to lay in this condition till 

 it was bilked into lumps that no harrowing 

 could pulverize. Of course, on such soil only 

 light crops will be produced. Much land was 

 too lightly harrowed after plowing and seed- 

 ing — merely scratched in. Such shows the 

 drouth, and is spotted. ■ Farmers who are 

 careless, or by trying to do too much do not 

 do it well, are the ones who wiU be punished. 

 We saw no summer-fallowed crops, but wo 

 found many advocates of the system. The 

 objection seems to be that one can hardly af- 

 ford to let laud lie idle a whole year to get a 

 crop the next, when four years in five a good 

 croj) is assured without all that trouble. Sev- 

 eral are talking of trying it, though, on about 

 one-quarter of their laud another year, "for 

 luck." One thing they are determined not to 

 do any more, that is, to wait to see whether it 

 is going to be a good season before sowing 

 their grain. Several who did wait, then sowed 

 after the last promising rain on muddy soil, 

 will have to harvest by pasturing. Had late 

 rains been abundant, the late sown grain 

 might have been the best. 



THE PBICE OF FAKMS 



of 170 acres varies from $40 to $75 per acre. 

 Rich garden spots at San Felipe and near 

 town range from $200 to $400 per acre, in 

 small lots, and are advancing all the time. 



AN IMMENSE OECHAED 



of over 300 acres, in one body, on what is 

 called the San Joaquin Ranch, four miles 

 northeast of Hollister, was this Spring set 

 out by Flint, Bixby & Co. There are 65,0U0 

 trees in this little California orchard, mostly 

 almonds, but numbering many prune and 

 apricot trees. The soil is gavelly adobe, easy 

 to work, and rich enough for the purpose. 

 With proper care, this orchard will, within 

 half a dozen years, speak for itself. One can 

 ride nearly two miles alongside of it in a 

 straight road. 



ARTESIAN WELLS 



are being bored in this and adjoining valleys. 

 At San Juan are two fine flowing wells 150 

 feet deep. At San Felipe are several flowing 

 wells. We saw Mr. Patterson, the well known 

 well-borer of San Jose valley, boring a well 

 on Phillips' ranch. He has gone 410 feet 

 through rich soil, and expects soon to strike 

 a flowing stream. We couldn't help thinking 

 how would some of the farmers in New Eng- 

 land like to have 400 feet of soil dropped 

 upon their farins, where stones are the prin- 

 cipal crop. But in California valleys, for 

 miles and miles in extent, anywhere from 50 

 to 500 feet of soil is nothing to be wondered 

 at. 



EXTRA VALUE OF FINE OVER COM- 

 MON CATTLE FOR BEEF. 



While at Hollister we had a long conversa- 

 tion with Sir. Oscar Peck, an old friend and 

 experienced butcher, on the question of com- 

 parative values of common and well-bred stock 

 for beef. 



Mr. Peck says that Spanish steers five 

 years old will average about 500 pounds 

 dressed weight, while one-half to three- 

 fourths Durham or Devon steers, same age, 

 will weigh about 700 pounds; also, that owing 

 to the heavier hides, more rough taUow, and 



extra heavy loiu and prime cuts of beef, the 

 fine cattle will average worth to the butcher 

 one cent per pound more on foot, dressed 

 weight. 



Let us look at the figures. Common beef, 

 the present time, is worth five cents on foot. 

 A five year old fat Spanish steer, 500 pounds, 

 would bring $25. An improved American 

 steer, same age, would weigh 700 pounds, and 

 be worth six cents, or $42 — a difference of 

 $17 per head in favor of good breeding. The 

 cost of raising the well-bred animal is no more 

 than the low bred. 



Last Christmas Mr. Peck bought six head 

 of Cotswold and Southdown cross-bred fat 

 sheep for $6 per head that weighed, dressed, 

 120 pounds each. The pelts sold for $2 each. 

 Common fat sheep were worth $3 50 per head 

 at the same time, and would average only 50 

 jjounds each — pelts worth $1 25 each. Any 

 one can figure for himself the superior profit 

 of the fine sheep to the butcher. 



If farmers generally fully understood the 

 amount of clear profit there is in breeding and 

 raising only the best breeds of stock, there 

 would be everywhere a demand for the best, 

 and fine breeding males to grade up the com- 

 mon stock would be the order of the day. It 

 costs too much to raise cattle to sell them at 

 low prices with profit. It is what can be re- 

 alized above cost that counts, and viewed in 

 this light there is at least three to one in favor 

 of weU bred stock. 



A NEW AND IMPORTANT IN- 

 DUSTRY. 



There has just been established in San Jose 

 an industry that must prove of great import- 

 ance to California, and of interest to our citi- 

 zens and all inhabitants of the Northern 

 States especially. It is a dyeing house and 

 tannery for the tanning and coloring of An- 

 gora goat pelts and preparaiug them for use. 

 Mr. Henry T. Welch, who served an ajipren- 

 ticeship at fancy dyeing in Portland, Maine, 

 his native place, and who has been employed 

 as dyer at the San Jose Woolen Mills some 

 four years, lias, after three years experiment- 

 ing, succeeded in dyeing Angora goat pelts a 

 beautiful, glossy, permanent black without iu 

 the least injuring the skins. There has been 

 no difficulty heretofore in coloring the mohair 

 alone with the use of hot dyes, but to color 

 pelts without ruining the skins has been 

 something that no other man in America has 

 succeeded in doing. One or two firms in 

 Europe have dyed furs and pelts black, but 

 even they do not leave the skin strong and 

 soft. Mr. Welch has perfected a process of 

 his own that surpasses anj'thiug ever before 

 discovered. The natural gloss of the mohair 

 is not only not injured, but seems to be in- 

 tensified. The dyes do not have to be applied 

 hot, yet they so permanently color the mohair 

 that no acids alter the color, and even chlo- 

 rine gas will not destroy the black. Mr. W.'s 

 attention as first called to this matter by some 

 Angora goat raisers who wished to get pelts 

 colored. He experienced no difliculty in col- 

 oring any excepting dark brown and deep 

 black colors. His success is the reward of an 

 indefatigable determination and long, patient 

 expeiimentiug. 



Mr. McCracken, of Lewis & McCracken, 

 Angora goat breeders, San Jose, has entered 

 into copartnership with Mr. Welch in this en- 

 terprise. The firm McCracken & Welch have 

 erected a dyeing house and tannery on tho 

 Guadiilupe creek just west of the San Jose 

 Woolen Mills, where thej' are prepared to tan 

 as weU as dye sheep, goat, deer, wolf, fox and 

 other skins and furs in any quantity and in a 

 manner that cannot be surpassed in the world. 

 They prefer to tan the skins they dye, as the 

 dyeing process is best commenced before the 

 skin is completely tanned, and when the work 

 is finished it is nearer perfectly done in every 

 resiject. But they can color the fur on skins 

 that are already tanned, and finely, too, but 

 it is more trouble to do so. 



We have visited the establishment, examin- 

 ed the skins and the tanned and colored pelts, 

 fuis, etc., and are satisfied, as is every one 

 who has examined the work, that success is 

 certain. 



Now as to the importance of this discoverj', 

 it can hardly be over-estimated. There are 

 no prettier or better buggy or sleigh robes 

 than can be made of colored Angora gout 

 pelts. The glossy mohair is heavy and wavy 

 naturally. No better over-coat robes for cold 

 countries can be made of any material. The 

 skins can be taken from the animals as soon 

 or as long after shearing as one chooses, and 

 long or short fur or mohair is the result. Wo 

 have seen ladies' capes and cloaks made and 

 trimmed with Angora that were very beautiful. 

 There is no nicer trimming than a pure white 

 or black Angora strip from a tanned pelt. 



Now that the buffaloes and fur bearing ani- 

 mals generally are getting scarce, the An|;ora 

 will be found an excellent substitute for many 

 IHirjJoses; ami now that the breeding and rais- 

 ing of Angora goats on this coast is proved to 

 be a success, and must become a great indus- 

 try, the matter can at once be seen to be quite 

 important. Half the annusJ increase of all 

 flocks are males, chiefly valuable for pelts 

 and meat until they are very high grade, when 

 of course the mohair will be valuable for some 

 years before kilhng. But every goat above a 

 three-fourths grade will make a valuable pelt 

 whether young or old. The market for these 

 beautiful and valuable pelts will be almost 

 uuUmited and as -nido as the uses to which 

 they may be put. 



We will not overlook the fact that the An- 

 gora pelts have been beautifully tanned and 

 finished and manufactured into robes for some 

 years by Mr. Eberhardt, tanner, Santa Clara. 

 3Ir. E. deserves much credit for his enterprise 

 in this department of his business. He has 

 given much encouragement to the breeders of 

 Angora goats, and demonstrated the wide 

 utility of the tanned pelts. The dyeing of 

 them by Mr. Welch has put the finishing 

 touch to the trade, and as a result a new im- 

 petus will be given to the Angora business, 

 and wealth will flow to our State in equal 

 proportion to the demand and supply, which 

 must be continually enlarging. 



. ■>!■»■ 



Along the river, above Sacramento, for a 

 distance of eight or ten miles, there is one 

 vast alfalfa field, some of it standing waist 

 high. The farms here are generally di\'ided 

 off into small fields, and hogs, cattle and sheep 

 kept in the different divisions. — Sac. Agricul- 



