50 



California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



all money thrown into their game, the 

 same as monte and faro banks do, the 

 winner to pay the percentage to the 

 game. Of the tens of thousands of dol- 

 lars that go into pools over and over 

 again during several weeks of horse- 

 racing, how much, think you, is lodged 

 in the game? What a convenience for 

 these gamblers to be made respectable 

 by law, and be subsidised by the State, 

 and be allowed to virtually control the 

 the fairs which are ostensibly held in 

 the interests of agriculture and its kind- 

 red industries! How nice to be patron- 

 ized by gaiet}' and beauty ! How flatter- 

 ing must it be to a gambler's profession 

 to be able to draw to its support the 

 presence, and the dollars and dimes, of 

 gentlemen and ladies, and boys and girls 

 who walk in the highest strata of so- 

 ciety ! 



In New Yoi'k. Illinois and Wisconsin, 

 we believe, pool-selling or other gamb- 

 ling is not allowed at agricultural fairs. 

 In Canada no horse-racing is allowed 

 within five miles of any place where a 

 fair is being held, diaring the time of the 

 fair. The testimony of our exchanges 

 is all one way, that where there is no 

 horse-racing there are better and more 

 successful fairs. In Canada their agri- 

 cultural fairs are probably the best sup- 

 ported by attendance of the people and 

 by exhibitors of any fairs in America. 

 Where the industrial interests alone are 

 fostered, the fairs have better success 

 financially than do fairs where horse- 

 racing is fostered. And it requires no 

 _ very deep reasoning to sec that the grand 

 results of fairs conducted to benefit in- 

 dustry must be vasth' more profitable to 

 the people. 



We hope our legislators will favor the 

 best interests of the people, and throw 

 pool-selling where other gambling is de- 

 posited — on the criminal list. 



We have never opposed the exhibition 

 of horses. All of their desirable quali- 

 ties should be shown — their strength, 

 speed, action, .stepping, walking, train- 

 ing, etc., to the best advantage. We 

 believe that our fairs might be grand ex- 

 hibitions of everything worthy included 

 ed in the list of jiroducts of a civilized 

 people. We much desire to see them 

 become such, and hope our Legislators 

 will subsidize no societies or fairs that 

 include pool-se!ling, liquor-selling and 

 other demoralizing practices in their ex 

 hibitions. 



WIDE WAGON-TIRE BILL. 



Santa Clara county has been provided 

 with a law, by our present Legislature, 

 to regulate the width of wagon-tires. 

 This has been enacted to prevent loaded 

 teams from cutting the roads to pieces. 

 The expense of changing the felloes and 

 tires of wheels will be considerable— a 

 heavy tax upon many persons in the 

 start, but the benefit in preserving roads 

 will probal)ly, eventually, pay,, ami when 

 once established will be a good rule to 

 follow. 



Here is the act, in substance, as ap- 

 proved: All wagons used on public 

 roads in this county, or wagons of any 

 other county, used in this for habitual 

 teaming, shall have tires as follows: If 

 the axle in its vertical diameter be one 

 and a half inches, the tire shall be two 

 and a half inches wide; if one and three- 

 foir.ths inches, three inches wide; if two 

 inches, three and ii half inches wide; it 

 two and one-fourth inches, four inches 

 wide; if two and a half inches, four and 

 a half inches wide; if over two and a half 

 inches, five inches wide. Or, if the axle 

 be of wood, then the tiro shall be as fol- 

 lows: For wagons constructed to carry 

 one and a half tons burden, the tire shall 



be two and a half inches wide; if to carry 

 two tons, the tire shall be three inches 

 wide; if two and a halt tons, three and 

 one fourth inches wide; if three tons, 

 three and a half inches wide; if four tons, 

 four and a halt inches, and all over five 

 tons the tire must be five inches wide. 

 This act takes effect after the first of 

 May, 1878. 



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K^ We are di'termined to adhere to ovir resolu- 

 tion to adniit none but wortliy but-inese adverti.s- 

 ing in our coluraue, and to keep clear of patent 

 medicine, liquor, and other advertiKemeuts of 

 doubtful influence. 



The large circulation, the desirable class of 

 readers, and the neat and convenient form, rend- 

 nrs this Journa[ a choice medium for reaching 

 the attention of the massee. 



Notice to Eastern Advertisers and 

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li^ Hereafter no proimtitum for advertising 

 in this journal will be entertained without pay 

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EDITORIAL -NOTES. 



E. M. Sishop & Co., who have lately 

 gotten up a fine directory of San Fran- 

 cisco, are at work vigorously on one for 

 San Jose. We judge by the pains they 

 are taking that it will be a most complete 

 affair, and a really reliable guide. 



The Archer Railroad Bill was cal- 

 culated to regulate the price of fares and 

 freights on raih-oads in an equitable man- 

 ner, allowing ample compensation to 

 railroad companies. The Assembly 

 passed it — the Senate Committee report- 

 ed adversely. If this means defeat, it 

 also means that the mibnnds otrn tlie. peo- 

 pl"- 



Retrograding.— The State Legisla- 

 ture has icpealcLi the laws providing for 

 the schooling every child, called the com- 

 pulsory education law; also, the law al- 

 lowing w-omen to hold public educational 

 offices. Either there is something radi- 

 cally wrong in our system of law-making, 

 or else in the law makers themselves. 

 At any rate, whoever looks for acts su- 

 perior to the mental and moral calibre of 

 our representatives will evidently be dis- 

 appointed all the time. 



Several fine contributions are held 

 over for our next issue, and some depart- 

 ments are left out for want of room this 

 month. 



Premiums. — Any subscriber who has 

 ordered books or chromos from this of- 

 fice, and has not received the same, will 

 confer a favor by at once notifying the 

 publishes that the matter may be at- 

 tended to. Mistakes will sometimes oc- 

 cur. Letters and articles sent do not 

 aUvays reach the proper destination. It 

 will cost only one cent to drop ns a card. 

 We design that every one shall get what 

 he is entitled to without fail. 



The local rain- fall for the season, 

 up to the middle of March is 19.8 inches. 

 This is the exact measurement kept by 

 Mr. Ethell at the San Jose Bank build- 

 ing. After the most stormy winter ever 

 known on this coast, the weather cleared 

 up on the 13th ult. with a fair promise of 

 fine weather. But, as the longer we live 

 here the less we know about what will 

 follow, we will not venture to prophesy. 



A Sample. — Those Legislators who 

 advocate the bill compelling publishers 

 of newspapers, etc., to append the name 

 of the writer to each article published, 

 are probably very wise and efficient rep- 

 resentatives, in their own estimation; 

 but if the exact estimate in which they 

 are held by their constituents generally 

 could, by any possible means, be com- 

 prehended by their immense intellects, 

 they would have reason to "bag their 

 heads." (Signed"", 



S. Haekis Heekino. 



The visit of Dr. Mary E. Walker to 

 this coast, and her lectures to the people, 

 have made for her many warm friends 

 .amongst the better classes. She ven- 

 tured to give expression to many whole- 

 some truths, which were obnoxious only 

 to such as were viciously inclined. In 

 defense of honest marriage, of virtue and 

 morality she uttered noble and feeling 

 sentiments; while the way she handled 

 libertinism, free-loveism, and the l>ad 

 generally, was a caution to youthful 

 looseness and gray-headed reprobates. 

 The doctor's talks are calculated to make 

 whoever hears them, hold purity in a 

 higher estimation and despire wicked- 

 ness with a deeper contempt. 



McCall's Road Grader is certainly 



a very superior implement. It is so con- 

 structed as to be completely under the 

 control of the manager, upon side-hill or 

 level ground, in heavy or light work. 

 The wheels .are set on crooked axles th.at 

 can be turnad to any degree of pressure 

 against the furrow-lifter, with a lever 

 and coupling ratchet. It will work right 

 or left with equal facility, and at any 

 angle to suit light or heavy, hard or soft 

 ground. The scraper is swung to a turn- 

 table resting upon the running gear, the 

 whole weight of which can be thrown 

 upon it at will. A neater, or more ad- 

 mirably constructed device adajited to its 

 work, it is hard to im.agine. 



There are three of these MeCall grad- 

 ers now at work upon the Mount Ham- 

 ilton road, doing each the work of over 

 fifty men with ordinary scrapers. By 

 the way, the construction of the Mount 

 Hamilton road is being pushed with 

 vigor, nearly all the men employed being 

 white men — not Chinamen. This we 

 are glad to notice, as there are hundreds 

 of our own race who really need the 

 work, and to send to China for a road 

 which can be made at home would not 

 be true ecououiy. 



fhe^p *ind ^m\$. 



ANGOEA PROFITS-A FEW FIG- 



^r> 



UEES ABOUT MOHAIR 



£V rT has been asserted by some outside 

 parties that there was no profit in 

 Angora goats' fleece — that sheep's 

 wool will pay much better than mo- 

 hair. Until lately the owners of 

 Angoras have not been .able to fully re- 

 fute the charges, o%viug to the fact that 

 the low grades, brought from common 

 goats, would not prove anything. Now 

 that there are many high, and more pure- 

 bred Angora goats than formerly, facts 

 and figures are abundant to show that 

 there is profit in breeding for the mo- 

 hair. 



We can present figures from three dif- 

 ferent breeders: Mr. C. P. Bailey, of 

 S.an Jose; Stockton & Biiffin, of Hornitas. 

 and Mr. Gilmore, of El Dorado. Mr. 

 Bailey weighed several of his best pure- 

 bred fleeces, which ran as follows: Buck 

 Borneo '2d, five years old, eleven months' 

 growth of fleece, 8J2 Itis; a two-year-old 

 buck, one year's fleece, ly^ lbs; ewe, 

 Scotch Woman, six years old, twelve 

 mouths' fleece, G^^ lbs; ewe. Queen of 

 Monterey, three years old, twelve months' 

 fleece, 6 lbs; ewe, two years old, 5% lbs. 

 The above fleeces are worth $1 per lb, 

 net. From a flock of 1,000 young goats, 

 one and two years old, were sheared 

 1,000 pounds. These were grades from 

 7~8ths to .31-32ds, and the fleece will 

 average worth 60 cents per pound. Mr. 

 Bailey says that .he can get as good re- 

 sults from 31-32ds and 63-64ths .as from 

 pure-breds. Soon there will be many 

 such, as the high-breds are increasing 

 wonderfully fast now. 



From a private letter written to Mr. 

 C. P. Bailey, of San Jose, we are per- 

 mitted to take the following f.acts and 

 figures of Messrs. Stockton it Bufl'um's 

 flock: They commenced grading up from 

 the common goat and grade bucks, 1.5- 

 lOths and 31-33ds, in the j-ear 186-1. The 

 bucks were purchased in Ohio and driven 

 across the plains by Thom.as Brock, from 

 whom they obtained them. These and 

 similar grades were used a few years, 

 when they obtained pure-breeds, and 

 have used nothing but pure-breeds since. 

 Owing to a limited range, they have but 

 a small flock. They have readily sold 

 their surplus stock for fair prices, always 

 carefully selecting and keeping the best 

 goats for breedess. Their flock now 

 consists of 550 head, of this number 36 

 are pure-breeds and the balance grades 

 from 7-8ths to 127-l'28ths. Last year 

 they shipped 1,500 pounds of mohair to 

 New York (being the clip for two j-ears) 

 and sold it for 85 cents per pound, un- 

 assorted. They have a better clip this 

 year, and ejipect a good price for it. 



Messrs. Stockton & Buft'um send fig- 

 ures of forty fleeces weighed sepai"ately. 

 One pure-bred ewe sheared 7 Ihs; one 

 31-32ds owo's fleece weighed 7 lbs; a 15- 

 lOths ewe sheared 6^4' H>s; a 7-8ths ewe 

 sheared i]'^ ll>s; five 7-8ths ewes sheared 

 18:-'4 lbs; throe 1.5-lGths sheared 17?^ ibs; 

 two 31-32ds ewes sheared 13 '4 lbs; four 

 pure-bred ewes sheared 25)4 lbs. One 

 of their pure-bred bucks sheared 7% ibs, 

 and a pure-bred buck kid 3J.j lbs, while 

 a grade kid sheared •! '4 lbs; twelve kids 

 sheared 30 lbs of fine mohair; three pure- 

 bred bucks sheared 20 lbs. But the most 

 remark.able fleeces were the wethers'. 

 One wether sheared 9J,j lbs! ten wethers , 

 sheared 76 lbs of tine mohair. We must 

 make special mention of the produce of / 

 wethers. Evidently they will make the ' 

 best mohair. The expenditure of vital 



