AGRICULTURE. 229 



ploughs. Generally the cost of ploughing in small farms and 

 on the strong soils is estimated at various prices, from two 

 to three dollars per acre. 



The following is an estimate of the expenses of a wheat 

 crop in Stanislaus County, per acre : ploughing, $1.25 ; seed, 

 50 cents ; sowing and harrowing, 75 cents ; heading and stack- 

 ing, $1.25 ; threshing, $1.25; rent $2 ; sacks $1.75 ; hauling, 

 $1 ; total $9.75. A yield of twenty bushels to the acre, worth 

 $25 in good years, would leave a nice profit. The hauling 

 varies greatly in different places, and the prices and seasons 

 are so irregular that it is unsafe to rely upon them. 



It is a custom with some farmers in the San Joaquin Val- 

 ley to divide their land into three parcels. One is ploughed 

 and sown ; another, having lain fallow the previous season, is 

 simply sown and harrowed ; and the third is ploughed to lie 

 fallow. Another rotation of a less prudent character is to 

 plough and sow a third; let another third volunteer for 

 grain ; and another volunteer a second time for hay. 



Wheat is sown from the first of November to the first of 

 April. The most certain crops are those sown early; the 

 largest are those sown late in favorable years. If the amount 

 of rain is small or moderate, the earliest sown fields are the 

 best ; but if the spring be wet, the early-sown fields are sur- 

 passed by those sown about the first of February. Wheat is 

 usually sown after barley and oats. The best farmers prefer 

 to sow between New Year's Day and the middle of Febru- 

 ary. Most of the sowing is done broadcast, but drills are 

 used to a considerable extent. One ploughing is, by most 

 farmers, considered sufficient. The harvest comes from the 

 middle of June to the middle of July. 



162. Barley. The soil and climate of California appear 

 to be particularly favorable to the growth of barley, which 

 formed, previous to 1860, a larger proportion of agricultural 

 produce here than in any other part of the world. It is a 

 hardy grain, preferring a sandy or gravelly soil, and dry cli- 



