California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



iuul (^ui^. 



gi-ow into a prominent, permanent and 

 profitable industry of the Pacific slope. 

 San Jose, Oct. '2()th, I'STC. 



THE ANCORA COAT INTEREST 

 IN CALIFORNIA. 



BY C. P. BAILEY. 



,y many the breeding of Angora 

 goats has been regarded as an ad- 

 venturous and novel enterprise, 

 engaged in mostly by Californiaus, 

 who are notably on the alert for 

 something out of the line of every- 

 day investsnents. 



As early as the days of Moses we have 

 record of the use of goats' hair in the 

 construction of the curtains of the tab- 

 ernacle. From that time to the present 

 the Angora goat has occupied the same 

 country and has been the principal 

 source of wealth to its inhabitants. For 

 many years past England and France 

 have very nearly monopolized the trade 

 in goats' wool or mohair. The city of 

 Bradford, England, is engaged almost 

 exclusively in the manufacture of mohair 

 goods. Several of the factories that 

 started years ago with small capital, 

 have amassed princely fortunes, and now 

 have nearly the whole world for cus- 

 tomers. 



These valuable animals were first im- 

 ported to the United States in 1848, and 

 taken to the Southern States; and as 

 there were very few common goats in 

 that country, bi'eedershad to rely almost 

 entirely on the imported stock for in- 

 crease. This proved too slow and ex- 

 pensive an undertaking for any save a 

 few wealthy men. Two bucks from this 

 first flock were brought to California in 

 18(11, and in 18tj7 several Angoras, in- 

 cluding a number of does, were brought 

 here from a flock imported by a Mr. 

 Cheeuery of Boston. Since that time 

 the business has grown steadily and be- 

 come cpiite popular, and there have been 

 quite a number of importations of jjure 

 bred Angora goats. 



In California, and in fact the entire 

 Pacific coast, the Angora has found a 

 home very similar to his native country, 

 and as there were plenty of common 

 goats here, the work of in-breeding has 

 gone rapidly on; and now, only ten 

 years since the first pure bred buck and 

 doe arrived iu California, there are over 

 '200,000 grade Angora goats, and we are 

 ah'eady commencing to export mohair. 

 Many of the high grade goats are pro- 

 ducing as heavy and as fineHeeces as the 

 imported pure breds. 



The displays at the Oregon, Nevada 

 and California State Fairs this present 

 year, have been by far the largest and 

 finest ever made in America, and the 

 amount of attention they have received 

 from enterprising business men genei-- 

 ally, shows that they are steadily and 

 surely winning their way among the 

 solid industries of our country. 



The Jamestown Alpaca Mills at James- 

 town, N. Y., and the Farr Wool Mills at 

 Holyoke, Mass., are completing sharply 

 for all the fleece produced on this coast, 

 and are paying from seventy-five cents 

 to one dollar per jjound for all fleece 

 over five inches long. They manufac- 

 ture it into an endless variety of the 

 most elegant patterns of ladies' dress 

 goods. 



The Angora Eobe and Glove Com- 

 pany of San Jose, Cal., though com- 

 ]jarativcly a new enterprise, find ready 

 market for all their manufactured goods, 

 and are prepared to purchase all the well- 

 cured goat skins offered them. 



From the above facts and figures it is 

 evident that the breeding of Angora 

 goats is destined to continue, and to 



FINE SPANISH MERINOS. 



The very large and finely-developed 

 Spanish merino sheep exhibited at the 

 late County Fair in San Jose by Mr. B. 

 F. Watkius, show favorably for this 

 breed. The only objection that has 

 been urged against the Spanish merino, 

 has been its size. They are said to be 

 inferioi for mutton sheep; but such 

 sheep as Mr. W. exhibited seem to re- 

 fute this idea. They were as large as 

 any shown, excepting one pen of Cots- 

 wcilds. Certainly the finest wool and 

 highest priced, is long merino wool. 

 Sheep-breeders generally prefer them to 

 any other iu California where ranges are 

 broad and often hilly. Such fine sheep 

 would be the very best to cross with the 

 Cotswold to make a perfect mutton 

 sheep, and at the same time one that 

 will produce a fine, long, strong staple 

 of wool. As the ranges become smaller, 

 and as farmers generally get to keeping 

 small flocks, there will be an increased 

 demand for heavy sheep. It will also 

 pay any sheep-owner to obtain the best 

 stock to improve his sheep and increase 

 the quantity and value of his wool pro- 

 duct. 



but on one tree the fruit shriveled when 

 half grown. A few almond trees did 

 well enough last year to show they are 

 at home. Mr. S. cultivates the land be- 

 tween his trees, raising potatoes, pumji- 

 kins, horse-radish, beans, tomatoes, pep- 

 per, etc. He has a good alfalfa patch, 

 takes horses to pasture, and has plenty 

 of hay, does not waste the manure, but 

 applies it to corn land and thinks this 

 pays. Now I hiive neglected to mention 

 the figs, wainuts, and the lady's flowers. 

 She clelights in the beautiful, and it 

 needs a poet to describe the surround- 

 ings of her home. 



J. EUMFOED. 



October, 187G. 



LETTER FROM KERN ISLAND. 



Ed. Aokicultukist : I wish I had the 

 last number of your journal before me, 

 but no, it has gone — been loaned out; 

 wish I could subsci-ibe for half a dozen 

 numbers to send around, and keep one 

 on file, or, better, wish everyhoili/ would 

 subscribe. A lady to whom I took the 

 last numlier remarked, "Why, it is the 

 best paper I ever saw — so much more in 

 it to read worth reading than iu any of 

 my other i>apers; and the receipts are so 

 good." You hit the nail with that ed- 

 itorial on the cause of hard times, and 

 no hope from either of the principal 

 parties. They are both rich men's pai'- 

 ties. When will the working men learn 

 to put up and vote for men who will 

 represent labor as well as aqnial ? 



But I was to tell your readers of Mr. 

 Stine's place, that they may have some 

 idea of what can be done on this Kern 

 Island. Himself and wife came here 

 with almost nothing eight years ago, 

 took nj) IfiO acres pre-emption, and went 

 to work on it, set out willow fence posts 

 which are fine trees now, from which 

 posts enough could be cut to fence more 

 than half a dozen farms; grajje vines 

 planted have made a fine arbor, some of 

 the Rose of Peru in the vineyard nine 

 feet apart, I am told produced one hun- 

 dred pounds of fruit last year to the 

 vine, which sold for six cents per pound. 

 Last winter he grafted many of the mis- 

 sion vines with Muscat and Malaga; 

 some by cleft graft and others by boring 

 a hole in the stock and driving the new 

 cutting in; both did well. From one 

 strawberry plant in the garden they now 

 have an acre. Lawtou blackberries do 

 well. Peach trees are large, healthy and 

 vigorous, most of them seedlings, but 

 all producing heavy crops of large fruit. 

 Apricots and nectarines grow to perfec- 

 tion. As to pears, I never saw them 

 do better, the trees breaking down with 

 the crop, and though it has often been 

 stated we could not <'Xpect ajiplrs to do 

 well in this M-arm climate, his place 

 proves this a mistaken UV:a, for they do 

 as well as in Pennsylvania or New Jer- 

 sey, the same old kinds. I ate an early 

 harvest apple there, that by its flavor, 

 carried me right back to Jersey. Plum 

 trees, most of them, have also done well. 



"■^"""i'-l.^iJW^I.'i 



.lU 



THE RAINFALL. 



The following is the rainfall to date, 

 measured by the gauge at the Bank of 

 San Jose: 



September ir, 01 inches 



■2;i ()'.) •' 



Total for September 



OotobcT 16, 12 M 



'total for October 25 



Total for the season 3.'> 



Two days drizzling wet weather threat- 

 ened serious damage to the ungathered 

 grajje crop. But fortunately it cleared 

 up and dried away the wet before the 

 grapes commenced to rot. 



.25 



Price of Wheat-— it is a safe rule to 

 go on, to hold wheat or other grain for 

 a raise when it is selling below an aver- 

 age price; particularly when there is not 

 an over sui^ply produced. This year all 

 authentic reports agree that there is 

 not an over production for the 

 markets of the world. Two cents per 

 pound is not quite an average price. 

 For the last ten years wheat has aver- 

 aged over two cents in San Francisco. 

 The late indications of a war between 

 Russia and the balancing powers, over 

 poor, rapacious Turkey, promised a rapid 

 advance in prices. Notwithstanding 

 present fluctuations, it is safe to calcu- 

 late that wheat will bo two cents before 

 the end of six months. 



We Fully intended to write up some- 

 thing iu reference 'to the conducting 

 of State and County fairs this month. 

 The gamblers have had it all about their 

 own way this season. When we get 

 cooled down over our disgust for the 

 whole contemptible humbug, we 

 endeavor to treat upon the subject. 



will 



The Statistician, published by L. p. 

 McC!arty, San Francisco, we find to be 

 the most reliable book of reference that 

 we get. It is in the form of a neat little 

 book, published monthly, only $2.50 a 

 year. Single copy, 50 cents. It is wor- 

 thy your examination. 



Three Months on Trial.— There are 



thousands of persons iu California who 

 only need to see a few copies, of the 

 Cal. Agricultoeist to become subscri- 

 bers. We want our friends to send us 

 as many names as they can. The fol- 

 lowing letter from a gentleman in South- 

 ern California will show you why we 

 desire to place the paper before the 

 people. It will bring us now subscrbers 

 without sending out drummers, who 

 take the lion's share of proceeds; 



LaBallena, Oct, 15th 1876. 

 Cal. Agriodlturist Pub. Co. : Gen- 

 Uenwn — Inclosed jileaso fine 10c for the 

 Cai.. AGKTcur.Ti'RisT thrco months on 

 trial ; should prefer the Numbers Oct. 

 Nov. and Dec. I was reading the num- 

 ber for Sept., with which I was much 

 pleased. I like its wholesome straight- 

 forward tone. If you keep it uj) as good, 

 I shall subscribe for the coming year. 

 Y'ours Respectfully. 



Tools for the Farm. 



There is no better way for a farmer to 

 invest a few dollars than by buying a 

 few tools for the farm. Much time and 

 expense can be saved by repairing bro- 

 ken farming tools yourself instead of ear- 

 ring them to a carpenter and paying a 

 high price for a job which perhaps you 

 could have done as well if not better 

 yourself, and at a cost of less than one 

 quarter the price paid for the work. 

 There are many days of leisure in the 

 early iiart of the winter that you can 

 devote to the overhauling and repairing 

 of the farming tools to be used early in 

 the spring, and have them in prime 

 order when the hurry of spring work be- 

 gins. Supposing you have a broken rake 

 handle ; instead of throwing it away, lay 

 the head by, or if you have an old han- 

 dle, put that into the good head and you 

 have a whole rake that will last you as 

 long as a new one costing thirty cents. 

 If you brake a pitchfork handle, don't 

 buy a whole new fork the next time you 

 go to town, but buy a handle and put 

 the old tine into it and you have as good 

 a fork as can be bought, and for less 

 than half the cost of a new one. Look 

 about your buildings and note the im- 

 provement you could make to guard 

 against the cold of the coming winter, 

 both for your family and stock, and you 

 will see that a few dollars expended for 

 a few well selected tools will be a pay- 

 ing investment. 



We would suggest the following tools, 

 all of which are first class and can be 

 had for the annexed prices. 



1 Cut-off saw ?2 25 



1 Rip " 2 50 



1 Jack plane 1 25 



1 Short jointer 150 



1 Square 1 75 



1 Hammer 1 00 



1 Draw shave 1 25 



4 Chisels 3 00 



1 Mallet 60 



1 Brace 2 00 



1 Screw driver • 40 



1 Oilstone 100 



2 Gimblets 15 



2 Augers 1 J<- and 2 inch 3 00 



6 Bittsassfd • 4 00 



1 Wrench 1 25 



Total J2G80 



Probably, if one went with the cash in 

 hand, the 'tools could be got for $25,00 

 or by taking a cheaper grade, for $20,00. 

 With what are enumerated above, a 

 man could make anything from a house 

 down, while nothing that needed re- 

 pairing on the farm in the way of wood- 

 work need be taken away, and in all 

 probability the value of the tools could 

 be saved inside of two years. It will 

 l^ay you all, icell, to make the invest- 

 ment, especially if you have any boys 

 old enough to learn. Let them use 

 them, directing their efl'orts at first, 

 yourself. By a little showing they will 

 goon learn to handle tools skillfully, 

 and gain a knowledge that may be as 

 useful to them in after year's as farming 

 itself. Encourage the boys. Don't 

 catch them by the coat collar and jerk 

 their breaths away if you happen to find 

 them "fussing" to make a traj) for rab- 

 bits, chickens or the like, but speak 

 kindly and show your interest in their 

 welfare by "lending a hand to help 

 them." — Ex. 



Arrears. — Subscribers who are in 

 arrears are reminded that this is the sea- 

 son when a farmer can pay up and 

 should do so. As our circulation in- 

 creases so do our expenses. Send along 

 your arrearages and subscribe for 1877. 

 Send the amount at once, and a new 

 subscriber for the coming year. It is ex- 

 pensive to send out agents, and we can- 

 not afford to do it. Whether you get 

 bills or not, please remember us. 



