File:Marvels of the new West - a vivid portrayal of the stupendous marvels in the vast wonderland west of the Missouri River - comprising marvels of nature, marvels of race, marvels of enterprise, marvels (14762739434).jpg

Identifier: marvelsofnewwest1889thay (find matches)
Title: Marvels of the new West : a vivid portrayal of the stupendous marvels in the vast wonderland west of the Missouri River : comprising marvels of nature, marvels of race, marvels of enterprise, marvels of mining, marvels of stock-raising, and marvels of agriculture, graphically and truthfully described
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Thayer, William Makepeace, 1820-1898
Subjects:
Publisher: Norwich, Conn. : Henry Bill Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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santer than a room, in win-ter as well as summer — this is because one does not much need ahouse. The dwelling is a less important part of the farm than withus. The climate even in the northern counties does not oblige youto have a costly or substantial building; and while the farmer mayand does work in the soil in every month of the year, and has thus anenormous advantage over his Eastern friend, on the other hand I donot exaggerate when I say that what a farmer in Iowa, Minnesota, orKansas must pay out in two years for fuel to keep him and his familycomfortable in winter, and for the shelter of his cattle from cold,would pay his way to California, and, if he chose well, almost buyhim a farm. Mr. Nordhoff adds some interesting facts. Near Marysville, afarmer, finding that his orchard of apples, pears, etc., did not pay aswell as formerly, bethought him of the castor-bean. He planted sev-eral acres as an experimental crop, found that his soil was suitable MARVELS OF AGRICULTURE. 685
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686 MARVELS OF THE NEW WEST. for it, anu I saw on his place one hundred acres in castor-oil. Theplant, which is with us in the East a tender, ornamental shrub, wasplanted and hoed or ploughed like corn, and, when ripe, a press in ashed at the edge of the field made the oil. In the East his adventurewould have needed a solid brick building for his machinery, as wellas costly drying and bleaching rooms. Here the oil was bleachedunder a rainless sky, and a shed which could not have cost fifty dol-lars, sufficiently protected his engine and press. In the Napa valley a farmer thought hops would pay. Heplanted ten acres, and two crops gave him a handsome little fortune.Some years ago farmers within reach of the San Francisco marketplanted cherries; and I know a man whose cherry orchard, whereinChinese pick the fruit at a trifling expense, has netted him for sev-eral years past thirty dollars a tree. The following table shows the number of acres in hops, in severalcounties of California, and

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