DEVOTFD TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE. AND THE 
DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 
VOL. III. 
LOS ANGELES, C’AL., JUNK, 18 mi). 
No. <i. 
LOS ANGELES COUNTY AS A STOCK 
COUNTY. 
Mkrmiih. Cabteb ami Rick. Although the 
name of your paper would seem to eoiifloe 
your contributors to horticultural sub¬ 
jects, still I think that all matters relating 
to agriculture arc legitimate subjects for 
discussion. This county has many and 
great capabilities. Within its boundaries 
there are great varieties of soil and 
climate, each of which has its special 
adaptation—some parts to semi-tropical 
and others to northern fruits; but the 
large body of moist, irrigable valley lands 
are especially adapted to the production 
or corn, wheat, barley, roots, and, on 
nocount of their largo yield of native 
gvansc-s and alfalfa, tiro particularly 
adapted to Hie raising of all kinds of 
stock. When animals can have a full 
supply of green feed all the year, they 
are always kept in a thrifty, growing 
condition upon food which is produced 
at small cost. They grow to a larger 
size, mid are mature at. an earlier age, 
than in countries where similar animals 
are kept in state of semi starvation 
IV-r half of the year. Hero, on account of 
the mildness of the climate but a small 
proportion of the food is required t«j »u« 
tain life, and all the surplus i* utilized in 
the uiaintainaiH'O of growth and production 
of flesh; or, in other words, but little food 
gi>e*i to waste, and notch to prufll,. In the 
northern part of the State, tu» green gni-s 
lusts but mi or seven month*, and in most 
cases utock during the remaining five or 
su months of the year have „ hard time to 
keep " soul and body ’’ together, until 
crass comes again, in nnlimuy seasons; 
but, during the iiimxitiupltd eold of the 
past winter, the rains having destroyed the 
dried grass, and the long ronliiitied fronts 
lire venting the growth of the voung grww . 
large quantities of cattle ‘and sheep 
perished with hunger and cold, and the 
profits of years of haid work were lost. 
At the Haim time, in this county there wan 
the greatest abundance of food for tin 
linos tin* stock we- lutd hero, on the 
natural ginaac-H, which mu noil product , 
Without care or cultivation. But if our 
lauds should in tho future be devoted to 
Hie extent of their capacity to tho muden- 
j tntion of beef cattle or dairy cows, it is a 
1 moderate estimate to say ‘that they will 
fully feed three head per nrre, giving them 
all they can eat three hundred ami sixtv- 
fivB day* '« U>e year. To do this would 
require artificial food, *ueli na alfalfa, 
roots, coin fodder, Ay., which would have, 
to be raised and fed to them. But (here 
would be this advantage. After the stock 
got fat, I bey would never fnll off in con¬ 
dition. but would bn always prime hoof, for 
which the In tellers pay tho highest price 
During the summer months, when the 
pasture* are flush, everybody lias fat 
I stock, and price* rule low; but in the 
winter, stock kept on the ranges are in¬ 
variably poor, ami fat stock are in demand, 
and then is the time when our Los Angeles 
stockuian makes his profit Heretofore, 
San Francisco got Lei fat utock from 
Nevada during tlm winter; but now the 
Eastern demand lakes the Nevada cattle, 
and San Francisco during the past winter 
had to gather up her fat beef where nhe 
could get it. This county furnished part 
of it, and could hnve sold her mine, if we 
had had it; hut wo supplied them with fat. 
mutton exclusively for several months. 
We hnve in this valley large tract* of | 
wot land, only suitable for pnMWage. upon \ 
which tin grn-s is always green These 
lauds can minify ami cheaply la- cue'limed 
with wire* and live posts, and the stock to 
put in them can uIwiivm be bought at low 
Primm during the spring and summer, 
and turned into the enoloituic, where they j 
min hi kept Without can nr attention until 
•hn hoiivy rain- set in, when they i an lie 
he removed to drier lands adjoining. which 
produce during ih- rainy months heavy 
growth of burr clover and alfileitlla. upon 
which they falLeri during the winb r. In 
oiii ordinaly years, cattle kept hi !hi« way 
would require no provision in the way of 
ha* , tint to bo sure that his beef stock 
would not fall away la-tween the old and 
Mew glass. In- should have solin' provision 
of hay , or an alfalfa pasture, to put them 
on, until the new grass aoqutreii sufficient 
untwtnm-e t-> hi. lain atul fatten. \ laig. 
amount of stock could be handled in Hits 
way at but small expense. The cost of 
fencing would ho principally for the wiri 
which ia indestructible; the live posts, of 
willow or cottonwood, In mg ml on or 
ueiu the ground where they ore to stand; 
and the saving in vaqueios and their ot 
penscs would be very great— one man 
would be sufficient to look nfl*r two or 
three thousand head of .-attic during uu.-t 
of the rear These lands, being kept tn-u-i 
by perennial springs, an- utintbclmi by 
drontliH or dry Ke.iisunu; so there would bo 
mi risk of loss from them In fad. if (|.n 
(dock wane properly attended to, then 
would bo no possible elianc nf loss f,, ni 
any quarter; and the profit w -uld* - rtainly 
be large. His a chance for a capitalist, 
and, us (hero are many places suitable, 
there are chances for several of them 
Smaller capitalists would have to v nb nt 
themselves with smaller tract* of Ian-1, 
raise the food for their slock, ke* p ir n 
to tho acre, nud, bv extra ran , they will 
produce a finer quality of ln-f, ir-d .it an 
extra price for their extra expense. 
\Vn. R. Ou*i>. 
Vltt*WTfiuj. ('oHum-eix. m .-ion at 
Sun Francisco, M,v jpith, «d«,tcd tL<- 
following officers Provident, H.oj-m] 
Hnnwlhy. Vice President, ('harh-* \ 
W t-luion-; Treasurer, Ch»> King. ,H«-cr* ■ 
lory, Dr. Jno -I Bleindalc rim Com 
mission will go to work, ami great good i« 
expected to result from thair Ul*or* 
Their flint report wdl Is* made *l»nit 
Nuxemln'r. nud it into !*• hoped that mr 
trinoyatdiate will give nil the aid th« % . nn 
Each dirt nit i-.'inlu -sjoio r I-. ho|.| ono 
or more viticultural inn ting-, U> di«cus* 
■ubj*et» of intend. and rap- it to the 
SUli Hon'd; the whole to b. compiled 
and pubh-lic.l fm the public good We 
hope t** 1*- able to atiurmtieix hi tun m xt 
tsaua *luq anil whan- this district will 
meet The f4,0tM’> appropnab 1 by thi 
Stale was apportioned for rxpruwin, as 
follows: Sviaiv of Sec rater x. one tear, 
tl.SOO; rent of ufli e*. $:•'.«> foiimhiiig 
offices, fini); transportation expin • . i<f 
( oiumissioio is for M ini annual m *.< ting*, 
1210; in*i*te ating phylloxera and xin*- 
1 1menses, and •totinofiT, printing and in* 
cnlerituls, $1 290. 
