306 Report on the American and Canadian Meat Trade. 
tages. But in winter the advantages rest wholly with them, and it 
is for this and other reasons that we may expect their competition 
to tell most heavily against English farmers in the winter season. 
In reviewing the land-resources of America I must not over- 
look the fruitful States of California and Oregon. Though 
placed on the far side of the great continent, some 3000 miles 
from the Atlantic Ocean, they are not too far away to influence 
in a greater or less degree the exportation, from the Eastern and 
Middle States, of dressed meat to Europe. Together they con- 
tain upwards of 200,000,000 acres, much of which is under a 
magnificent climate. In the production of the finest fruits of 
various kinds, California stands almost unrivalled. Besides 
being a celebrated grain-raising State, it is already becoming 
noted for its cattle and sheep ; of the former it has 1,075,000, 
whilst of the latter it has one-third more than any State in the 
Union, viz., 6,750,000. There are some immense farms and 
cattle-ranches in California, of which the following extracts, 
copied from the 'Pacific Rural Press' of May 19, 1877, will 
give an idea : — 
" Dr. Glenn, of Colusa, has the reputation of leading in the line of grain- 
farming, and he has now 45,000 acres under cultivation. He is making cal- 
culations on a crop of 10,000 tons of grain, against 18,000 tons last year. He 
has already purchased 200,000 sacks to put the grain in." 
" Haggin and Carr, of Kern County, had 30,000 acres in their stock farm 
before they began operations under the desert land-law, and now they have, 
perhaps, as much more which they will bring under irrigation. The crops 
this season are, 2000 acres of barley, 1000 acres wheat, 175 acres corn, and 
3000 acres alfalfa. The stock consists of 10,000 head of cattle, 20,000 sheep, 
500 head of horses, and 1000 hogs. The working force at the present time is 
625 men." 
On the 20th of March last, a number of gentlemen met in the 
Granger Hall, San Francisco, for the purpose of making arrange- 
ments for the incorporation of a Fruit and Meat Shipping Com- 
pany. The proposed plan is to establish slaughterhouses at 
some principal railroad shipping points ; there to dress the meat, 
beef or mutton, and ship it in quarters in refrigerator-cars to San 
Francisco or the eastern markets. The capital stock was placed 
at 100,000/., of which two-fifths were subscribed immediately. 
This company will send fresh meat to the Eastern States, and 
they in turn will send an increased supply to Europe. Cali- 
fornia's one great drawback — the same that so much reduces the 
agricultural value of many portions of the Western States — is 
its meagre and precarious rainfall. But for this it would be, 
perhaps, the finest and most delightful of countries. As it is, 
however, the droughts are commonly of long duration and ter- 
rible in severity ; and it sometimes happens that farmers have 
to kill off a portion of their flocks and herds in order to save 
the lives of the remainder. Mr. Horace J. Smith, writing to 
