TABLE, Exhibiting the number of acres of Land under cultivation in California, during the year 1857, with the amount of Wheat, Barley and Oats, raised thereon. COUNTY. No.Acres Wheat. Barley. Oats. Alameda..... Amador Butte cultiva'n Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. 52,583 14,000 252,000 29,350 1,174,000 3,474 156,365 7,509 1,245 31,125 2,342 58,550 410 8,200 12,965 3,496 53,868 4,000 64,017 395 4,334 100,080 1,266 63,330 Mendocino. 30,000 3,689 Stanislaus. 9,798 Sutter 55,335 4,689 117,225 8,000 200,000 787 7,038 3,298 45,078 80 20,000 3,871 1,600 72,668 7,290 142,237 TABLE Exhibiting the number of acres of Land under cultivation in California, during the year 1858, with the amount of Wheat, Barley and Oats, raised thereon. COUNTY. No.Acres Wheat. Barley. Oats. cultiva'n Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. Acres. Bushels. Alameda.. Amador 7,509 1,476 22,140 1,828 56,000 12,803 256,060 24,044 721,320 5,412 324,720| 36,560 300 7,500 68,220 238 6,240 Sierra Siskiyou 145,000 56,420 5,500 137,500 4,440 1,200 24,060 8,000 160,000 1,000 25,000 5,340 159,200 1,000 30,000 1,870 26,592 700 1,400 575 t Solano... 22,123 7,000 140,000 4,833 145,000 3,500 122,500| 37,255 8,258 165,160 6,567 164,175 833 24,990 The exhibits of the grain crop for the years 1856, 1857 and 1858 have been, with a few exceptions, compiled from the returns of the different County Assessors. When it has been found necessary to seek other channels of information, the most reliable have been applied to, and the greatest care exercised to use such estimates as would approximate to the actual amount raised. In the table of 1858, the returns of the counties marked with an asterisk (*) have been obtained from private sources, except those from Santa Barbara, where the estimates of last year are inserted. The amount of land under cultivation in 1856, was five hundred and twelve thousand acres; in 1857, six hundred and eighty-four thousand acres; and in 1858, seven hundred and fifty-seven thousand acres. This is exclusive of the land inclosed for grazing, etc., which in 1858, amounted to one million one hundred and fifty-nine thousand eight hundred and thirteen acres -making an aggregate of one million nine hundred and sixteen thousand eight hundred and thirteen acres of inclosed land in the State.* WHEAT.-The amount of land in cultivation in 1856, was 171,869 acres, producing 3,879,032 bushels-average 22 bushels per acre; in 1857, 164,642 acres, producing 3,205,484, averaging 19 bushels per acre; and in 1858, 186,464 acres, producing 3,568,669, averaging 19 bushels per acre. Napa County, in 1858, was the heaviest wheat growing county in the State; number of acres 16,000, producing 500,000 bushels, average 31 bushels per acre. This yield, though beyond the average, may be regarded as a fair estimate of the capacity of the land in this State for the cultivation of this important cereal. For the past few years, the crop in several of the most extensive grain-growing districts, has been severely injured by smut and the existence of severe drought during the early part of the season; the crop however, for the present year, is more uniform and it will no doubt become more so hereafter, when the character and adaptation of the soil is better understood. The President of the State Agricultural Society, E. L. Beard, Esq., in his address of 1856 before that body, says: "It is now a well ascertained fact, established by several years' experience, that California stands without a rival in respect to her capacity for producing wheat and other small grains. She produces it in larger quantities to the acre, of better quality, with more certainty and with less labor, than any other country in the known world." BARLEY.-The number of acres in cultivation in 1856, was 150,674, producing 4,519,678, averaging 30 bushels per acre; in 1857, 216,991 acres, producing 5,088,330 bushels, average 23 bushels; and in 1858, 237,692 acres, producing 5,382,718 bushels, average 22 bushels per acre. No portion of *The amount of inclosed land, compiled from the Assessors' Reports for 1857 and 1858. For the purpose of comparing the prolific character of the soil of this State with that of New York, we have compiled from the census of 1855, the following interesting statement of the productions of that State : Wheat-acres cultivated, 795,487; bushels, 9,092,402; average, 111⁄2 bushels. Barley-acres, 212,608; bushels, 3,563,540; average, 16% bushels. Oats, average 20 bushels; Rye, 10% bushels; Buckwheat, 8% bushels; Corn, 21 bushels; Potatoes, 70 bushels; Peas, and Beans, 15 bushels per acre, each. The amount of Barley raised in this State during the year 1858, exceeds the aggregate of the crop of the entire Union in 1850. the Union will approach California in the cultivation of this grain. It is of no ordinary occurrence for a crop of barley to average from fifty to seventyfive bushels to the acre, and the following extract from the Report of the Visiting Committee for 1856, of the California Agricultural Society, will best illustrate the extraordinary capacity of the land in this State for the culture of this important grain: "Near Alviso, Santa Clara County, there is a field of barley, fifty acres in extent, which has averaged, the present season, forty-three bushels to the This is the fifth crop from a single sowing; it has received no special care and may be regarded as a memorable example of a succession of volunteer crops." acre. OATS.-The number of acres in cultivation in 1856, was 32,402, producing 1,107,359 bushels, average 341 bushels per acre; in 1857, 44,966 acres, producing 1,201,405, averaging 264 bushels; and in 1858, 44,616 acres, producing 1,322,231 bushels, an average of 294 bushels per acre. Crops of this grain have frequently averaged 75 bushels, and a crop of 32 acres in Alameda County, which received a premium at the State Agricultural Fair for 1856, averaged 134 bushels to the acre. In Del Norte County during the season of 1858 two crops of oats yielded an average of 125 and 157 bushels, respectively, to the acre, and a crop of barley, 100 bushels to the On one farm the crop of grain averaged as follows: Wheat 34, barley 62, and oats, 75 bushels to the acre. acre. INDIAN CORN.-The returns from thirty-three counties, give the crop of 1858 as follows: 12,978 acres producing 620,323 bushels, average 48 bushels per acre. Los Angeles, Napa, Santa Barbara and Sonoma, are the principle corn-growing counties of the State. Los Angeles County in 1857, produced from 2,728 acres, 272,800 bushels, an average of 100 bushels per acre. RYE. The returns from twelve counties, exhibit the produce of 1858 at 41,235 bushels from 1,641 acres, an average of 25 bushels per acre. San Mateo, Siskiyou and Sonoma, are the principle counties which raise this grain; the crop of Sonoma is 7,160 bushels from 358 acres, an average of 20 bushels. BUCKWHEAT.-The returns from eleven counties for 1858, are 862 acres, producing 22,360 bushels, average, 26 bushels. Alameda, Santa Cruz and Sonoma, are the leading counties in the production of this grain. BEANS. The returns from nineteen counties, exhibit the crop of 1858 at 6,335 acres, producing 158,571 bushels, average 25 bushels. Los Angeles, Marin and Santa Cruz, are the most extensive producing counties of the State. PEAS. The returns from seventeen counties for the year 1858, show 1,387 acres in cultivation, producing 41,929 bushels, averaging over 30 bushels per acre. The counties of Humboldt, San Joaquin and Sonoma, raised a heavier crop thnan any other counties of the State. POTATOES.-The returns from thirty-three counties show the crop of 1858 at 1,465,239 bushels, from 15,888 acres, average 92 bushels per acre. The counties most extensively engaged in the production of this important esculent are Monterey, Napa, Sacramento and San Mateo. The average of the yield in Sacramento was 230 bushels per acre. Number of acres in cultivation, 831, producing 191,300 bushels.* of 78,630 bushels from 489 acres. SWEET POTATOES.-The return for 1858 from ten counties, exhibit a yield The average yield is 160 bushels per acre. The largest yield in a single county was from Sacramento, acres 166, bushels 37,200, average per acre, 224 bushels. VEGETABLES. The returns from thirty counties for 1858, show that 23,500 acres were appropriated to the cultivation of vegetables. The remaining counties will probably increase the amount to about 40,000 acres. HAY.-The yield of the entire State for the year 1858, exceeds 150,000 tuns. Six counties, alone, have reported 72,963 tuns. BUTTER. The returns from twenty-five counties for 1858, exhibit a production of 2,001,584 pounds of butter. The largest yield in a single county is in Sonoma, 621,000 pounds; the next is in Sacramento, 281,600 pounds; Santa Clara is the third, yielding 200,000 pounds. The remainder of the State will probably increase the aggregate to 3,000,000 pounds. CHEESE. The returns from twenty-three counties for 1858, exhibit a production of 1,263,610 pounds of cheese. Sonoma produced 384,150 pounds, Santa Clara 250,000 pounds, and Contra Costa 100,000 pounds. EGGS. -The returns from twenty-eight counties show that 1,371,525 dozen of eggs were produced in 1858. Alameda produced 450,000 dozen, Santa Clara, 200,000 dozen, Sacramento, 120,860 dozen, and Contra Costa, 126,000 dozen. COTTON.-The experiments of the past two years have demonstrated the adaptation of the soil and climate of California to the culture of this valuable staple. Small quantities have been raised with entire success, in the counties of El Dorado, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Shasta and Tuolumne. The quality of the article raised in El Dorado is * From less than one acre, in the county of Humboldt in 1858, there were raised 30,000 pounds of potatoes, and from three-fourths of an acre, in the same county, over 19,000 pounds. Many of these specimens were over four and one-half pounds each, and all perfectly sound. The following specimens are inserted as an evidence of the capacity of the soil of California, most of which were exhibited at the State Agricultural Fairs of 1855-'58: "Two pumpkins, from Sacramento, weighing two hundred and ten and two hundred and forty pounds; a beet, grown by Col. Hall, of Sacramento City, weighing seventy-three pounds; a carrot, weighing ten pounds, measuring one foot and eight inches in circumference and three feet and three inches in length, there were fifty in the same bed of equal size, the seeds were sown on June 25th and the carrots dug Sept. 20th; a tomato, seventeen inches in circumference; a squash, weighing one hundred and forty-one pounds; an onion, weighing two pounds and fifteen ounces, and measuring twenty-two inches in circumference; a cornstalk, twenty-one feet and nine inches in hight; watermelons, from near Nevada-twenty-seven gave an aggregate of five hundred and fifty pounds; a sweet potato, from San José, weighing eleven pounds and two ounces; an Irish potato, from Bodega, weighing seven and a quarter pounds; a bunch of potatoes, of the Oregon red variety, frem a single eye, weighing ten pounds, grown at the forks of the Turnback Creek, near Sonora; grapes-several bunches, weighing over four pounds each; peas, second crop, fine and good, from Los Angeles; a citron lemon, sixteen and a half by eighteen and three-quarter inches in circumference, weighing two pounds and fourteen ounces from Los Angeles; fig tree-a slip one foot in length and five-eighths of an inch in thickness, was planted April 1, and in the month of September, following, was eleven feet and six inches high, and nine and a quarter inches in circumference at the base, with a corresponding growth of branches; peach trees, in twenty-eight months from the planting of the seed. bore fruit over nine inches in circumference, and weighing from seven to eight and a half ounces; there were thirty-four of these large peaches on one tree; an apple, measuring fifteen and one-third inches each way, weighing twenty-three ounces, grown in the Yamhill Orchard." |