1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
253 
beyond where our fore-fathers stopped. The Cultivator 
at its commencement, had a high and aspiring motto— 
“ To Improve the Soil and the Mind ”—and I believe 
it has faithfully adhered to this principle up to the pre¬ 
sent time. 
The agricultural community generally, is not divided 
(in respect to their employment) into sects and parties; 
but is engaged in common, in raising the products of 
the soil. I hope to see such a spirit of liberality that 
each one will feel free to exert their energies to ameli¬ 
orate and improve the condition of mankind generally. 
At the present day, the odium is somewhat dispelled 
that used to deter many from engaging in agriculture; 
it engages the attention of some of the first men of the 
age; and is acknowledged to be not only an honorable, 
but a profitable occupation. Rusticus. Quaker Springs , 
N. F, June 12, 1849.__ 
Agriculture of California. 
Eds. Cultivator- —The following extracts are from 
a letter received by me from my brother-in-law, Joseph 
Aram, who removed to California with his family, in 
1846. The portion of, the letter which relates to the 
agricultural res-urces of that country, I thought might 
not be uninteresting to many of the readers of The Cul¬ 
tivator. The letter is dated Pueblo de San Jose, Up¬ 
per California, March 9, 1849. Daniel H. Wright. 
Castile , Wyoming county , N. Y. 
11 Can crops be raised in California without irriga¬ 
tion V* 
Wheat, barley, corn, and oats need no irrigation, they 
do well on the prairies; but vegetables need water, 
though on low damp ground, they do well. 
What do grains yield per acre V* 
Wheat from 25 to 75 bushels per acre; barley the 
same, corn from 15 to 20 bushels; oats grow sponta¬ 
neously over a great portion of the country;—I have 
frequently seen those that would yield from 60 to 70 
bushels per acre. All kinds of grain are scarce and 
dear. 
Plowing for wheat commences in December, and we 
sow from that time till the first of March. Farming has 
been neglected on account of the mines. Wheat is 
worth $2 a bushel, corn $3.50, barley $5.00, potatoes 
$4 .50, butter per pound, $1, eggs per dozen $1, horses 
each, $50 to $200, mules $100 to $300. American ox¬ 
en, a yoke, $200, California oxen, $100, beef cattle, 
each, $8 to $12, wagons $200 to $1000. The scarcity 
makes the price. There is nothing cheap but beef cat¬ 
tle. 
Lumber is worth $75 per thousand feet, very scarce 
at that ; it has sold for more. Nails 10 cents per fb., 
by the keg. 
Monterey has about 5,000 inhabitants, Puebla, 2,- 
000, San Francisco, 5,000. 
Forty-six vessels came into the port of Monterey, and 
eightv-four into San Francisco, during the past year, but 
no whalers,—they are afraid to come in, for their hands 
would run away to the mines. The extent of the bay 
of Monterey is considerable—it is 15 miles across its 
mouth;—the harbor is a narrow neck running into the 
main land; it is properly an arm of the sea. San Fran¬ 
cisco has taken the lead the past year, being better si¬ 
tuated for the mines. 
The Spaniards depend on selling horses and cattle for 
their subsistence. The Americans get their living by 
skinning the Spaniards, and many have grown rich at 
that. The latter are very indolent, and much given to 
gambling. 
We have a variety of fruit,—pears, the best that I 
ever saw; apples rather poor quality—-need grafting; 
peaches, very good; quinces, most excellent; grapes 
are good; apricots, nectarines and figs, but not good. 
The changes of the seasons are as follows; The 
rains commence about the first of December, and we have 
occasional showers from that time until the month of 
March; the balance of the year has no rain. But ve¬ 
getation does not suffer as much as you might imagine; 
the soil seems adapted to the climate. 
The Spaniards build altogether with dobies or unburafc 
bricks; most of the Americans build frame houses. 
But those dobies make a most excellent house. 
Grain is always threshed immediately after it is cut 
— trod out by horses. 
There is some very good water, and considerable ve¬ 
ry bad—the springs are good, but many of the wells 
are poor. 
Bilious diseases are the most common. 
The face of the country is mountainous with valleys 
between. For agricultural purposes, the valleys are 
generally good, the hills and mountains arc only valua¬ 
ble for grazing. 
The people transport their produce in carts drawn by 
oxen, from the interior to the towns on the coast. 
“ What is land worth?” 
The price of land is rising fast. I have a piece of 
land containing between three and four hundred acres, 
for which I paid, two years since, $200, now it would 
bring $4,000. Lots in Monterey are worth from $100 
to $2,000, without buildings . m 
Wagon timber is scarce near the coast, but in the vi¬ 
cinity of the mines, there is an abundance. 
We have plenty of saw mills, but they are standing 
idie, those that tended them having gone to the mines. 
The forest trees are, oak, pine, red-wood, madro.ne, 
cedar, live-oak, white and red fir. The timber is con¬ 
fined to the hills;—the plains are generally open. I 
have seen abundance of red-wood timber three hundred 
feet high, and from 12 to 15 feet in diameter at the 
base. 
The streams overflow in June and July, when the 
snow melts on the high mountains. The rains during 
winter raise the streams, but not to overflow. 
It is about 200 miles from the coast to where the gold 
is found; the gold mines run north and south, parallel 
with the coast. 
We have plenty of fish, but few fishermen. Also, 
deer, elk, antelope, grizly bear, and wild horses and 
cattle. But no one stops to hunt now—-except the 
Spaniards, who go out now and then to catch wild hor¬ 
ses, which are becoming so valuable that it is quite an 
object to catch them. Cattle and hogs are as fine here 
as I ever saw. Our Spanish cows cannot be beat by 
your Durhams, only they will kick. 
This would be a fine country for bees, if they could 
be got here; but it is somewhat singular, there are 
none to be found. 
Weather in Virginia. 
Eds. Cultivator. — I see in the Cultivator for June, 
1849, page 178, a piece headed the weather, and as I 
keep a sort of diary, I concluded to send you an account 
of the weather with dates. I live thirty miles west of 
Norfolk. Nov. 3,’48, frost and ice; 5, rain; 6, fair and 
sold; 8, frost, cold and fair; 9, ice; 12, rain;16, fair 
and pleasant; 18, rain and very chilly; 19, snowed; 
20, ice; 21, ice; 25, warm; 20, frost and ice. Deo. 
2, rain; 12 to 16, rain; 19, very warm; 28 to 31, ioe. 
Jan. l,cold; 3, freezing of nights to 7; 9,snowed; 11, 
very cold; 21, rain; 24, cold and fair. Feby. 1, rain; 
6, fair and very cold; 8, freezing; 13, fair and cold; 
15, snowed six inches deep; 18, snowed; 22, snowed; 
24, fair and pleasant; 26, storm, wind and rain; 28, 
storm continues. March 1, rain and very chilly; 11, 
delightful; 20, cloudy; 31, fair and pleasant. April 1, 
cloudy and chilly ; 5, clouds and sun; 10, fair and warm; 
12, fair and windy; 14, fair, cold and blustery; 15, ice 
I ineh thick and very cold; 16, ice; 17, fair and cold-— 
