

^lir^li. Em 



Vol. 6. 



San Jose, Cal., October, 1875. 



ITo. 10. 



LETTER FROM WOODLAND. 



Enterprising Farmers- -Alfalfa— Irrigation 



— Milk and Honey- Farm Machinery — 



Fine Stock — Poultry — Kaisin Vineyard — 



Corn — Wheat, etc. 



Editors California AGRictTLTORisT and 

 Live Stock Journal: — Thinking a few items 

 from this part of California wonlj be of in- 

 terest to your many readers, and leaving it to 

 yourselves to say if they are worthy of jnibli- 

 cution, I venture the following: 



Woodland is a stirring town of about three 

 thousand people, situated seventeen miles 

 northwest of Sacramento, and on the line of 

 railroad from the latter place to Knight's 

 Landing, and is surrounded by some of the 

 most productive land I have seen in the State, 

 and if not for the heat and hot North winds 

 I should consider it the Farmers' Paradise. 

 In this vicinity are large bodies of white oak 

 lbs., per acre. Thrashers are now at work 

 on clover seed, but there are many fields that 

 will make another crop of hay in a few weeks 

 more. The beautiful green clover and the 

 delightful fragrance from the blossoms has to 

 be seen and enjoyed to be appreciated. 



The wheat crop has been good for this sea- 

 son. Summer-fallowing is in general favor 

 here, lands so treated yielding from 30 to 40 

 bushels, when winter sown yields but 15 to 

 25. The gale of last spring did serious dam- 

 age to wheat, consequently many are looking 

 for a variety that will ripen after the high 

 winds cease. Proper wheat has been a favor- 

 ite seed, but its ripening too early makes it 

 objectionable. Club seems to be the choice 

 of many for next season. 



Last week I saw on the farm of J. Fowler 

 a fine sight of 70 acres of corn of different 

 Hogs are kept on it the year round, and a 

 drove of 100 is a common sight. In this 

 vicinity there are between 2,000 and 3,000 

 acres of clover. It makes an excellent article 

 of hay when properly cured. Dairying is not 

 carryed on as largely as it might be, but there 

 is no reason why this county should not be 

 the " Orange County " of California. 



Farnham is one of the largest and best 

 butter makers here. He makes about 100 

 lbs., a week, and for color and flavor it can- 

 not be excelled. Alfalfa clover also gives the 

 bee keeper great advantages ; I saw GO lbs., 

 of delicious honey made in three weeks taken 

 from two hives. 



Many Alfalfa clover fields this season have 

 yielded 5 tons of hay per acre, besides a large 

 amount of pasturage ; others, 3 or 4 tons be- 

 sides a crop of seed varying from 200 to 300 

 press to you the many advantages of these 

 clover fields. 



Every thing seems to thrive on Alfalfa. 

 Here are to be seen fat animals, clover-fed. 

 verts to irrigation at once. I can hardly ex- 

 trees, which no doubt gave the name to the 



town. Shade and ornamental trees do not 

 thrive as at Santa Clara. Live oaks are a 

 rarity. 



The Farmers of this section show an en- 

 terprise that might with advantage, be a copy 

 to farmers in other portions of the State. 

 To add to the natural jjroductiveuess of the 

 soil, they make use of the waters of Cache 

 Creek for irrigation, and if some of our dry 

 land farmers could see the Alfalfa clover^fields 

 now growing a third crop, they would bo eon- 

 varieties, some of it planted 25th of June 

 and growing from 5 to 11J>^ feet high. The 

 soil, with proper cultivation, would produce 

 100 bushels per acre. 



Land here is worth from 20 to 200 dollars 

 an acre according to location and improve- 

 ments. 



Farmers are using the best improved ma- 

 chinery. For thrashing, Eurights straw 

 burners are being introduced. Here, also, 

 derricks with horse forks are used with near- 

 ly all thrashing machines, also Jackson's 

 self-feeder and elevator ; a great labor saving 

 machine. I have seen Jackson's Traction en- 

 gine used for thrashing, propeled over a 

 rough road and drawing separator, traps 

 waggon, etc. Derrick's (I think it is) Per- 

 petual hay-press is in favor here. It makes 

 compact bales that I have not seen equaled. 

 Ten tons of it can be stowed on a single rail- 

 road car. 



I have visited the poultry yards of Dr. J. 

 W. Prather, and though his choicest birds 

 were away to State Fair, I saw enough to 

 satisfy me he has very choice poultry. His 

 yards are located in clover, so his poultry 

 have green feed the year round. 



Before closing this I must mention the 

 farm and vinej'ard of B. B. Blowers. I saw 

 sights there that would astonish even old 

 Californians. , Mr. B. has 25 acres devoted to 

 table and raisins gi'apes, and if wine men 

 would visit his vineyard and see his " lay 

 out " of raisins, no other argument would be 

 needed with such of them as desire prosperi- 

 ty and have the good or their race in view. 

 For bearing, size and ilavor of Mr. B's. 

 grapes and raisins, it will be hard to equal 

 them anywhere. I saw vines bearing a second 

 crop that had on at least 40 lbs., of grapes ! 

 Mr. B. dries his grapes on the ground, but 

 this year he is trying a cement floor in the 

 field. He has 700 yards of this floor already, 

 and so constructed that in case of a raiu, 

 water will drain ofl' quickly. I also saw the 

 effect of two methods of prunning of one 

 kind of grape vine. One way caused the 

 vine to be almost worthless as a bearer, the 

 other made the same varfety very prolific. 

 From 120 lbs., of grapes, Mr. B. has made 



45 lbs. of raisins. 



There again I saw clover fields and the ef- 

 fect it had on stock, especially in its wool 

 and mutton producing qualities on some 

 graded Merino sheep belonging to Mr. B., al- 

 so some of the get of buck, "Silver Horn." 

 A lot of Merinos imported from Vermont and 

 owned by Mr. George Hammond were very 

 fine. A lamb Ty^ mouths old get of " Vigor " 

 of Ohio weighed 107 lbs. On 10 acres of 

 clover, Mr. B., has had for five months, 150 

 heads of sheep and 10 of cows and horses, 

 and there will be feed enough for months yet. 

 Mr. B., discovered that cattle and sheep that 



had access to his grape cuttings — of which 

 they ate freely in the spring — did not bloat, 

 showing perhaps, that stock running on 

 succulent clover need dry feed as well. Much 

 more might be said of this Yolo County, but 

 fearing I intrude on your space, I close. 

 Yours truly, A. R. Woodhams. 



Woodland, Yolo Co., Sept. 20. 



The Old Sayinff : " There is no peace for 



the wicked " may be all correct, but it seems 

 as though there was little for those who right- 

 eously choose to escape from the wicked in 

 this vicious age. 



The settlers at Lompoc made their by-laws, 

 forbidding the sale of alcoholic liquors within 

 the colony, with au honest and earnest de- 

 sire to live in peace, and bring up their chil- 

 dren in security from the woi-st foe to human 

 happiness. They had a right to do this, and 

 now they propose to maintain that right; we 

 hope they will. But through a loop-hole in 

 their by-laws, the enemy was admitted into 

 their midst and the fight has commenced. 

 The war with alcohol can never be ended 

 short of total prohibition. Between it and 

 abstinance there is an irrepressible conflict 

 One or the other must fall. 



The Lompoc colony by-laws permit the 

 sale of alcoholic preparations by druggists 

 upon the prescription of a physcian. A sa- 

 loon keeper has only to start a " drug store " 

 and either be a " physician " or else have a 

 confederate capper to carry on the vile busi- 

 ness there/ This game has already been com- 

 menced as we published in a correspondence 

 last month, and the ladies revenged the death 

 of an innocent victim by spilling the liquor 

 in the whisky shop, after the keeper had re- 

 fused to comply with the request to sell no 

 more as a beverage. Now " legal redress " 

 is demanded by this trespasser upon peacea- 

 ble society, and, as law seldom means justice 

 in this country, it is impossible to foresee the 

 result. The malicious liquor men wiU go to 

 any length to crush out temperance in any 

 form so threatening to their "business." 

 Unscrupulous of lawyers can be found to hound 

 the people, and, if they will stand it, they 

 wili be driven to allow whisky mills to tri- 

 umph over them. We can only council one 

 thing ; let your by-laws mean total prohibition 

 and fight it out on that ground in defiance of 

 any power that whisky cau command. The 

 eyes of the world arc upon yon, and every 

 temperance man and woman in the land will 

 "lorv in your indomitable determination to 

 maintain your inalienable right to hfe, liber- 

 ty, and the pursuit of happiness. 



List of New Advertisements. 



Saddlery— Empey & Lennai-d. 



Market— E. C. Munu. 



Real Estate — James A. Clayton. 



Sewing Machines— G. L. Bigelow. 



Jeweller — Houriet & Co. 



Dentist — Arthur Gore, Santa Clara. 



Jeweller — L. Chopard. 



