806 
DEC. 43 
THE BUBAL HEW-YOB&EB. 
<£ toto |trt. 
A PLEASANT JAUNT IN CALIFORNIA. 
J. B, ARMSTRONG. 
There have been penile showers; a few 
more, and plowing and Feeding will fairly be¬ 
gin in California, to continue through the next 
three months, until completed. The time of 
sowins makes little difference In the date of 
harvesting; though, as in the Atlantic States, 
it sometimes makes a difference in the pro¬ 
duct. November lies between the parched 
season of Fummnr aud the rains of winter. It 
is a month of Indian summer—a sort of neu¬ 
tral ground, where the seasons meet in amity. 
Sea breezes stop blowing, and the days and 
nlphls are the perfection of a calm, mild cli¬ 
mate. with just enough rain to lay the dust. 
For once, avoiding the customary routine 
letters ot the. correspondent about, crops and 
fertilizers and insect pests. I will take you. my 
friendly reader, with me on a little trip across 
the Santa Ro°a Valley, to Russian River, and 
beyond, a distance, of twenty miles. You may 
ride, invisible, without once opening yonr 
month, if you choose, though using your eyes 
and ears for ten hours to almost as good ad¬ 
vantage as If you had paid for an overland 
ticket and spent a week coming hither. 
The road is level and smooth, and bordered 
all the wav with farms. Picket fences, made 
of redwood, driven a foot into the gronnd, 
and wired at the top, are the common inclo- 
enres. The material must be hauled a long 
way : and. becau°e the wood Is as durable as 
red cedar, it is the custom to build neat, picket 
fences at first- There are, here and there, fine 
old Oaks scattered over the fields where they 
are burning stnhhle to prepare the ground for 
the plow. Columns of smoke are rising in 
various directions, above the. free tops: and 
here, as we pass a well-kept place, three miles 
out, a man with a plow is running a furrow 
next the. fence, to keep the fire away. His 
home like, white dwelling stands back behind 
the orchard and a 10 acre vineyard. There 
are children aud women gathering grapes in 
50 pound b^xes. The bunches often weigh 
four or five ponnds; but the average may not 
exceed two. Some apples are on the trees, 
but more are on the ground, in golden piles, 
where they will remain all the rainy season 
until spring; unless sold. They keep as well 
there, iD this climate, as anywhere, 
"We meet a four-horse wagon loaded with 
grapes piled high in boxes, with bunches of 
luscious Muscats and Black Hamburg's. The 
winery pays from $15 to $35 per ton for 
grapes. The average yield of a vineyard is 
about three tons an acre; the labor to produce 
a crop is much the same as for corn. But my 
Invisible companion can no longer restrain bis 
curiosity. He wants to kDow why the vine¬ 
yard and the orchard are plowed and harrowed 
until not a weed can be found ? Well, my 
dear sir, experience has shown that without 
cultivation we get no crop of fruit in this 
dry climate, fn the course of our trip you 
shall see many orchards and vineyards gone 
to ruin for want of cultivation. This farm is 
a heartsomo place to live on. There are 160 
acres, with good improvements and water. It 
looks like some Pennsylvania homestead in¬ 
habited for generations ; so rapidly do places 
age in this region. It would possibly sell for 
$75 per acre. Quite a grove of evergreens, 
Monterey Cypresses and Australian Gums, 
from 30 to 75 feet in hight, ornament the lawn. 
Their growth is so exceedingly rapid that one 
may grow a forest like these in five or six 
years. 
At the next, ranch we see a young chap rid¬ 
ing on a chisel cultivator, an invention ap¬ 
parently of the Evil One to promote laziness. 
He is driving four mules, and trying to scratch 
in some of the shattered grain left from the 
harvest, for a crop of hay next year. Ou fair 
land, with a favorable season, he may cut two 
tons of hay per acre; the likelihood, however, 
is that he will not get one. Our best farmers 
plow and sow as for a wheat crop. 
At the blacksmith’s shop, which is surround¬ 
ed with horse.B waiting to be shod and wagons 
aud farm implements to be repaired, we meet 
O. A. Taylor with a load of pumpkins of most 
preposterous size, even for California. Some¬ 
thing like the following colloquy takes place: 
" Good morning, Mr. Taylor. What do those 
pumpkins weigh ?” 
“ They average over 100 pounds each.” 
“How many tons do you grow on an acre?” 
“This year the crop is short; it will not 
exceed 40 tons on an acre and a half. Last 
year we grew 75 tons on a lot of one acre and 
three-quarters." 
llis land is a rich, alluvial deposit, from the 
overfl iw of Mark West Creek. Driving along, 
we find the journey enlivened with the songs 
of blackbirds and larks. The blackbirds feed 
In large flocks over the stubble fields, and are 
a great pest to farmers. Lurks perch on the 
fences, making music beyond compare finer 
than any -warblers we ever heard, Their call 
begins low and clear, and swells with pro¬ 
longed and musical notes till the air is full of 
melody. They are numerous, and add a great 
charm to out door life. 
We cross the Laguua, dry iu the summer, ou 
along bridge resting on piles. The timbers 
and flooring arc bolted and clamped down 
firmly, for It is sometimes many feet under 
water during the rainy Bea«ou. Even now. the 
waters are appearing in pools. They always 
rise mysteriously before the rains set in. This, 
perhaps, is owing to the shorter days aud les¬ 
sened power of the sun's rays in autumn. 
We meet other teams ; some are loaded with 
wheat. My invisible friend wants to know 
why all the men wear full, shaggy beards, 
and loDg, unkempt hair; why they affect 
slouched hats with broad brims, and big boots 
with trousers stuck iu the legs. Well, we sup¬ 
pose it is because most people here have been 
miners, or soldiers, or frontiersmen, rougbiug 
it always and delighting in adventures of all 
kinds. The unambitious, easy-going citizen 
stayed at hone, while California is populated 
with a great many men who do not take kind¬ 
ly to civilization. They pride themselves upon 
their rough manhood, and the kmdly climate 
enables them to live almost iu the open air. 
There is uo winter, and uo'hing is needed but 
a shelter from the rain. Still, there are many 
others who possess all the comforts aud re¬ 
finements of older communities. 
The mountains have feeu in view all day, 
at first distant aud blue, with daik and bright 
patches of color, forests and pastures, on their 
sides Early in the morning mists curled 
around the loftiest peaks; as the sun's rays 
gained power, they gradually dissolved in 
snowy fleeces and drifted inlaud across the 
valley. When we stop to water our horses in 
Greene Valley Creek, my sight-seeing com¬ 
panion may gaz; at the sands and pebbles 
shining in the water. For. though we have 
been long enough here to kuow better, one 
cannot but think, “ Who knows, there might 
be quartz somewhere above, and gold may be 
glittering in the sand?” And so there is 
wherever there arc streaks of black sand ; but 
it is not often in paying quantities. Pits of 
charcoal burners are scattered among the low 
hills, and the air is heavy with smoke. 
A b*w miles beyond we come to the ranch 
of Lawsou Ross, where four cork trees arc 
growing in his lawn. The seeds were furnished 
by the Department of Agriculture at Was'-lug- 
ton. in 1858. They are about twenty feet high 
and afoot in diameter, with evergreen foliage 
and bark thick enough for vial corks. Mr. 
Ross grows a meadow of Texas Mesquite grass 
on his wet land, whi h yields two tons of good 
bay per acre. He states that it has driven 
the red sm rel out entirely. In his other fields 
he only succeeds in keeping the latter pest 
down by raising hoed crops and frequent cul¬ 
tivation. The writer does not know, but thinks 
the Mesquite would not be hardy north of lati¬ 
tude 35 deg. north, ou the Atlantic side of the 
contiucut. 
As we approach the river, the character of 
the country changes. We climb hills, and 
descend long defiles bounded by forests of huge 
Redwoods, and Fir, aud Laurel; all valuable 
timber for the carpenter. Along the streams, 
growing wild, are Suowdrope, Azuleas, Caly- 
canthus, (Sweet-scented Shrub) purple aud 
white Ceanothus. und Ferns with great branch¬ 
es like young Palms. Though well along iu 
November, the foliage is green, except along 
the water, where there arc tbickcls of Maples 
aud vines, with pretty red aud yellow leaves, 
illuminating the woods, like a fringe of lire. 
Our drive ends at the cabiu of a woodman 
near the river, where, as we drive through the 
ford, there is a fifty-acre field of Alfalfa, knee- 
high and growing rapidly. Five years ago it 
was a dense wilderness of Redwoods, as at¬ 
tested by the stumps yet standing. The Kor- 
bel Bros, sawed up tbe timber, cleared off the 
land, put in Alfalta, aud stocked the place for 
a dairy. The cattle are not pastured ; but tbe 
hay is cut three times a year, yielding from 
one ton to a ton and a half per acre each mow¬ 
ing. It 6eems as if every condition for suc¬ 
cess exists. The soil Is a deep, sandy loam 
that preserves its moisture; and its fertility 
is evidenced by the enormous growth of tim¬ 
ber which made over 100,000 feet of sawed 
lumber au acre. The owners state that Al¬ 
falfa hay is the equal of auy kind for stock. 
They were familiar with It under the name of 
Lucern in Europe, aud say there can be no 
doubt of its success anywhere in the Middle 
States, if planted on good ground. The 60 il 
must be plowed deep and made as mellow and 
fine au an onion bed before sowing. Twenty- 
five pounds of seed per acre, bushed in. is 
the proper quantity, aud corn-plauting time 
is the scasou for sowing, except iu Califoruia. 
Santa Rosa Co, Cal., Nov. 15. 
RURAL SPED1AL REPORTS. 
Onto, Clarksfield, Huron County Nov. 25 — 
Wheal was a fair crop, from 15 to 40 bushels 
to the ucre. Hay was a very light crop—not 
moro than one-half an aveiage one. Corn 
was scarcely an average crop, owing to the 
cool weather. Potatoes were a light crop, but 
of good quality. 
This township is principally devoted to the 
dairy interest. We have three cheese and but¬ 
ter factories in our township. The season has 
not been favorable for this branch of industry, 
owing to short pastures and low prices; though, 
perhaps, tbe latter part of the seasou will pay 
better. There arc about 1,200 cows kept in 
this township—five miles square. Notwith¬ 
standing the low prices of cheese and butter 
that have prevailed for two years, I am satis- j 
fled that dairying has paid bitter than anything 
else we could have doue on our lands here—l 
mean to those thut stuck to it. The trouble 
with many is, they buy a lot of cows, milk 
them one season, or, perhaps, two, then sell 
them for what they can get.; and, when they 
settle up. it they don’t have their pockets 
all well filled with cash, they blame the busi¬ 
ness. I have kept a dairy of from 15 to 30 
cows for the past ten years, and am well satis¬ 
fied that I could not put my farm to a better 
use. But, like any other industry, to insure 
success requires careful management. Of the 
seeds received of you last spring, I can truly 
say they have more thau paid me the cost of 
your paper, as the plants and their fruit have 
beeu a constant source of pleasure from their 
springing up to their maturity. Tlte Golden 
Rural is a good tomato; but not quite equal to 
the Acme, iu that the latter is larger, a little 
more solid, of a little better flavor, aud has 
the advantage of the Goldeu in appearance. 
They ripened about the same time, with me. 
I had 14 pounds of healthy potatoes from the 
two small Beauties received. I planted the 
six Voorhis Watermelon seeds by the side of 
my Blount corn; five of them came up and 
produced 16 melons, weighing 106 pounds; the 
largest weighed 23 pounds. All ripened, 
though four of the late ones were not as good 
as the others, and were quite small; the others 
were exquisite. I regard this as an excelleut 
variety, having a very thin and tender rind, 
affording a larger eatable percentage of the 
melon than any other kind 1 have ever raised. 
My Blount corn has (lone remarkably well, of 
which you will hear more from my special 
premium report. a. j. b. 
Ohio. Mt. Vernon, Nov. 26.—The weather is 
cold here at present, but it is all for the best, as 
many things were needing a change, especially 
wheat that was sown early. When I last wrote 
I predicted a rise in the potato market, but, 
alas! the tubers have done as the Rural pre¬ 
dicted—gout* down, down. They sold readily 
at40ets. and 50ete. at digging time; now they 
briug ouly 30 and 35cts. I had about 800 
bushels myself, but by watchiug the It URAL’S 
general reports, I sold them from the field at 
40 aud 45cts. We have a ready market for all 
farm and garden produce now. Wheat sells 
for $1.15 per bus.; oats, 37cts.; corn, 40cts ; 
potatoes, SOcts.; beans $1.50; cabbage $4 per 
100; celery, $3 and $4 per 100. M. w. 
Wis., Freedom, Outagamie Co., Nov. 20.— 
We could not ask for more favorable weather 
for work ou the farm than we have had this 
fall. Plowing is mostly all done. Fall wheat, 
of which there is more than the usual amount 
sown, has made a fine growth aud Is looking 
well. Roads have been good and business 
lively, especially that of marketing tbe last 
season’s crops. To-day tbe wind is in the north¬ 
west, aud it will freeze quite hard to-night; in 
fact, the weather is decidedly wintry, as tbe 
circle drawn around the dry maple-wood fire 
iu the Open fire-place plainly indicates, j. r. 
Kansas, El Dorado, Butler Co., Nov. 24.— 
Our most thrifty farmers are from Illinois, 
Michigan and Ohio. Last year, on a special 
plot of ground, I planted two kiuds of corn— 
the Chester County Mammoth and Kansas 
Yellow Dent. The latter has a very large, loDg 
kernel, and the former a very long ear, with 
small kernels. I crossed the Dent on the Mam¬ 
moth, to get the large kernel on the large cob, 
with perfect success. I intend to follow up the 
cross, as I am so well pleased with the corn. I 
estimate the yield to he over 100 bushels of 
shelled corn per acre. Next year I shall 6Ct 
apart an acre of ground for experiments, and 
test all the different kinds of corn I can ob¬ 
tain. Why should not the readers of the ltcf- 
ral, in every section, experiment with corn 
and other farm products, and report their ex¬ 
perience through the columns of their paper? 
Such a practice must benefit farmers gener¬ 
ally, besides benefiting and interesting the 
experimenters. [Wo think so, too.—E ds]. I 
have everything ready for winter, but as yet 
the weather is summer-like ; though we expect 
every day a blizzard—the name given here to 
a thoroughly wintry storm. n. j. b. 
Oregon, Oakland, Douglas Co., Nov. 13.— 
We have had splendid weather for seeding. 
Lots of grain have been sowed, and it looks 
well. No frost to hurt anything yet. u. c.w. 
Va , Henrico Co., Nov. 39 .— The weather has 
bceu dry for the past three months; our craps 
. however, were very good for the season. Early 
plautcd cora was very light, but that planted 
late was good. Early potatoes were almost a 
failure, and late ones not much better. Wheat 
was a fair yield. Oats were very light. Hay 
was about half a crop. Sweet potatoes wer„ 
the best of all our farm crops, yielding from 
150 to 200 bushels per acre. I tested six kinds 
of tomatoes the past season—Acme, Golden 
Rural, Early Conqueror, Canada Victor. 
Trophy and Hathaway Excelsior. The Acme 
ripened first; next came the Conqueror; then 
the Victor, followed by the Goldeu Rural and 
Excelsior, and last but not least, the Trophy. 
All the seeds were sown at the sumo time ; the 
plants were set at the same time, aud all re¬ 
ceived tbe same treatment. Give me for early 
market the Acme; for late market, the Trophy, 
aud for preserving, the Golden Rural. Wheat 
is worth lrom $l.S0@l.40; outs about 35c. 
per bushel; corn 45<®50c.; potatoes. Irish, 60 
@70c.; sweet. 45@50e.; butter, 25@30c. per 
pound; eggs, 2S@30c. per doz.; apples, $1.75 
@2 per barrel; hay, first crop, $15@18 per ton ; 
second crop, $12@I5 per ton. w. b. n. 
N. C., Warren Co.. Thanksgiving Day.— 
Beautiful weather for closing up the harvest 
of corn or cotton. Wells and springs very 
low. No raiu to soak the ground for nearly, 
or quite a year. Cottou, 11c. Tobacco market 
opening strong ; best brings GOc. M. b. p. 
S. C., Aiken, Aiken Co., Nov. 20—Yesterday 
a couple of inches of snow fell here aod uow 
lies on the green bushes aud on the Roses iu full 
bloom, a rare and beautiful sight as they peep 
out front their snowy mantle. This is the first 
snowfall here in three years. s. o. 
Arkansas, Augusta, Woodruff Co., Nov. 25 
—It is pleasant to read such communications 
as appeared, ftom one of your Arkansas cor¬ 
respondents. in the Rural a few weeks since. 
A more iutimato knowledge of this much- 
abused portion of our country would softeu 
the asperities of many minds and be of mate¬ 
rial advantage to the State. I indorse all your 
correspondent has written, with the exception 
of wbat he has said of the sudden changes of 
climate; my experience of a ton-years’resi¬ 
dence has beeu that the changes are more sod¬ 
den aud severe than any ever experienced at 
the North, the thermometer occasionally fall¬ 
ing, in winter, 40 and 50 degrees iu a night; 
but, with proper care, these changes are not 
attended with any ill effects. Tbe season has 
arrived at a point when farmers see the results 
of their year’s work, aud are wearing smiling 
faces. The cotton crop, though fully a third 
6hort of last year’s, bas, owing to the remark¬ 
ably fine weather all during Utc picking, been 
saved in flue condition and briugs tho top of 
tbe market. The crop has been made at less 
expense than in years previous; consequently 
less goods were bought on credit, and there is 
more money in baud now to show for tbe 
year’6 labor. The “credit system” in farming 
is year by year “growing smaller by degrees 
aud beautifully less.” Cottou is au expensive 
crop to raise, at best, but by giving more at¬ 
tention to hogs, corn and small genius, our 
farmers are gettiug to be more self-supporting, 
aud at ihu same time they have nearly gotten 
rid of that incubus of debt contracted during 
the flush times succeeding the “surlouder.” 
Although cotton is the staple here, the soil and 
climate are very favorable for cereals. Corn 
thrives wouderfully, yielding 85 to 40 bushels 
per acre under the ordiuury scant aiteutiou 
given it, and under good cultivation running 
as high as 65 bushels. This lust figure was the 
average yield of a fifty-acre field last year, as 
giveu me by the owner. I4e also says Ibut he 
sold none for less than 50 cents per bushel, 
and part of it he sold at $1 per bushel. Iu 
this heavy bottom laud soil wheat does nut do 
very well, though it is raised in spots all over 
the couuty. and a steam flouring mill at this 
place couverts it into flour. Small fruits do 
well, aud it is from Arkansas, I think, that 3t. 
Louis gets her earliest supplies of strawberries, 
etc. The attention is not given to the raising 
of iruits that should be, and there Is motley iu 
the business to the mau that will take hold of 
it understandiugiy. Last seasou 1 followed 
out the Rural’s instructions iu regtod to 
growing tomatoes ou a trellis, and like the 
results so well that I propose this winter to 
put up a permanent trellis for my ucxl sea¬ 
son’s vines. The fruit ripened earlier and 
better than by the old method, aud the vines 
were loaded with fruit iu all stages of matur¬ 
ity when they were killed down, about four 
weeks since, by a heavy frost, Cotton is sell¬ 
ing at 10$c ; corn, 05c.; Irkh potatoes, $1 35 ; 
sweet potatoes, 75c.; butter, 25c,; eggs, 30c.; 
chickens, $2.50 4 doz., beef. 8@l0c. $ lb. s. 
®j)f Querist, 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS, 
Hurdles for Sheep. 
J. U., Marshall, H 'is., referring to Prof. E. 
W. Stewart s article on Mutton and Wool, in 
Rural of Oet, It, a^kB wbat is meant by the 
rolling hurdles therein recotnmeuded for tho 
purpose of confining sheep to certain limits on 
different parts of tho farm. 
Ans.—T he roll Lug hurdle common in Eng¬ 
land, and used to a considerable extent in this 
