170 RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA. 



sive volunteer crops of barley, the last and least crop amount- 

 ing to thirty bushels per acre ! 



In 1860, the largest barley counties of the state were — Yolo, 

 which produced 1,541,640 bushels; San Joaquin, 912,500; Al- 

 ameda, 630,750 ; Contra Costa, 350,000 ; Sacramento, 300,683 ; 

 Santa Clara, 300,000; Yuba, 243,761 ; Butte, 241, 340; Santa 

 Cruz, 212,000; and Nevada, 207,000. 



§ 136. IVheat. — Many kinds of wheat are cultivated here, 

 of which the main are Chili, Australian, Odessa or Old Cali- 

 fornian. Red Mediterranean, Sonora, Oregon White, Bald, and 

 Egyptian. The general diA^sion of wheat into " winter" and 

 "spring," common in the wheat-growing districts of the East- 

 ern states, is unknown. All our wheat may be set down as 

 spring wheat. When winter wheat is brought here from 

 abroad, it does not thrive the first year ; but in the second 

 year, having been converted into spring wheat and acclimated, 

 it yields well. The Chili gives general satisfaction, and is 

 more cultivated than any of the others. The Australian has a 

 tendency to smut, but this is corrected with blue vitriol. 

 These two form three-fourths of the crop ; the other fourth is 

 made up chiefly of Mediterranean and Sonora. The Egyptian 

 yields largely, but has little gluten, and is fit only for coarse 

 bread or maccaroni. All the acclimated wheat of the state is 

 white ; though imported red seed shows its color the first year, 

 but in the second year it loses its redness. 



The qualities in which the best wheat excels are glutinous- 

 ness or strength, flintiness or dryness, whiteness of color, thin- 

 ness of skin, cleanness, plumpness and size of berry, and 

 weight. 



The value of wheat depends, to a great extent, upon its 

 strength. In this point lies its chief difference from potatoes, 

 which always do and must occupy an inferior place upon our 

 tables. Much gluten in flour renders the dough tough, makes 

 handsome bread, with the air-bubbles in it small and uniform 

 in size, and retains moisture, so that the bread will weigh 

 much in proportion to the flour used ; while if the amount of 



