A Start In Life. A Journey Across America. Fruit Farming In California - free ebook by C. F. (Charles Finch) Dowsett

LONDON: DOWSETT & Co., 3, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.

Plans, Maps, Views, Books, Samples of Fruits, Soils, etc., etc., of Land at Merced, in California, may be seen at the Offices of...

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MESSRS. DOWSETT & CO., 3, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London,

where also further particulars and introductions to the owners at Merced may be obtained....

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THE SPECIAL ADVANTAGES

my clients offer settlers at Merced are:— 1. A permanent supply of Water, for a perpetual water right accompanies every lot of land sold. 2. Contiguity to a Railway Station on the main line, and to a Town, with commercial, professional, educational, social and religious advantages. 3. Instruction in Fruit culture gratis by a specialist, who is paid by my clients to instruct settlers on their lands. 4. A rich Soil, of which, on another page, an analysis is given. 5. A ready Market for produce. Bu

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COMPARISON AND WARNING.

I have already said that applicants should verify for themselves the statements made by persons who, like myself, would be personally benefited by their settling upon the lands offered for sale. Letters sent to this country, and advertised by agents as a guarantee of advantages, written by persons soon after arrival in California, and who have not compared the place of their location with other places, can scarcely be a sufficient recommendation. Some parts of California advertised in this count

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CAPITAL REQUIRED.

It is recommended that settlers intending to establish Fruit farms, should have a capital of from £600 upwards; but those who have a smaller capital—say, £300, or even £100—may, in other ways, find some opening for employing it, if accompanied with intelligent, industrious, persevering work. To ensure the stability of a building the foundation ought to be substantial, so in like manner a good start in life goes a great way towards ensuring a successful career. By success I do not mean the making

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3, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London,

so that they may have every assistance in enabling them to come to a decision as to whether the start in life I offer them at Merced, in California, is one suitable in respect of their inclination, capital, abilities, and energy....

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WITHIN A FORTNIGHT OF LONDON.

To prove the convenient access of this land, called "British Colony" from London, I may say that on November 22nd, 1890, I left Liverpool in the Cunard steamer "Etruria," which reached New York on the following Saturday evening, just too late for the Custom-house officers to examine the luggage, so that we could not go on shore till the next morning. I stayed over the Sunday (26 hours) in New York, leaving on Monday by the first overland train, and after calling at innumerable stations, and stay

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LONDON TO CHICAGO.

Travelling in generations past was an important event in one's life, but now a journey across an ocean and a continent is a very commonplace affair. Books of travel used to be read with avidity, but now that so many persons travel, and the wires keep us in touch with all the world every day, the history of a journey is a small event, and one which to those not specially interested would scarcely perhaps be read; nevertheless, as some of my readers may have to go over some of the ground I have re

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CHICAGO TO SAN FRANCISCO.

The train was due at Chicago (December 2nd) at 9.45 a.m., being exactly a 23 hours and 45 minutes' run from New York. Having crossed Chicago from one terminus to another, I found that three trains left Chicago by which I could travel to San Francisco—two were slow trains, and one a fast train; but, by whichever train I went, it would make no difference as to the time I left Omaha, and consequently no difference to the time I should arrive at San Francisco, so I went on by one of the slow trains,

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SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW ORLEANS.

The train reached Merced at 10.23 on Monday night, December 8th, 1890, where I was met, and in a spacious family buggy, drawn by a pair of good horses, I was very soon at the residence of my client, Mr. C.H. Huffman. The continuous day and night travelling by rail, and the taking of voluminous notes all along, had caused a constant excitement which told upon the nerves, and for two days I felt as though I needed absolute rest, but, remembering that I had already been long absent from my office,

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NEW ORLEANS TO LONDON.

On leaving New Orleans we run through swamps, and presently skirt the Gulf of Mexico and travel on. The next day (December 23rd), we feel it perceptibly colder, for we are going north. The country is cultivated in sugar, cotton, rice, grass, etc. We breakfast at Atlanta, and after leaving that place, the scenery puts me more in mind of England. In going through Georgia, I was told that the same black families which now occupy many of the small wooden houses, or "cabins," which I see, are the sam

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California.

I will now say something about California, and then proceed to describe the lands for sale, and the prospects of those who will settle upon them. California lies on the genial coast of the Pacific Ocean, midway between the too cold regions of the North and the too hot regions of the South. To be exact, the mean temperature in San Francisco in the month of January, averages about 49°. It has varied from 53° to 39°. The record of 32 years shows that between sunrise and sunset it has not been so lo

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CURRENCY.

As the currency in California is dollars, not pounds, we must ask our readers to accustom themselves to dollars. A dollar is 100 cents, and, roughly speaking, a cent is equivalent to a halfpenny, so that a dollar would be worth, of our money, four shillings and twopence. Its value, however, varies a few cents according to the place where it is exchanged. Bank of England notes or pounds are never worth less than four shillings and twopence, i.e., 480 cents or halfpennies, which, of course, is fou

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MERCED.

The lands I have for sale are situate in the County of Merced, in California, about 150 miles by rail from the City of San Francisco, They are designated "British Colony," and at the nearest point are just one mile from the boundary of the town of Merced, and two miles from the railway station, hotel, shops, etc. Merced town is lighted by gas and electricity, has water laid on, telephones, telegraphs, Court House, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Methodist C

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THE LANDS FOR SALE.

Merced is situated in the celebrated San Joaquin Valley (pronounced San Wharkeen), which is an immense level of fertile land, the soil generally being of a rich sandy loam, but in some districts, such as that I am now offering for sale, of a deep rich black loam of a highly productive nature, in fact, it is the decomposed vegetation and alluvial deposits of past ages, than which nothing could be more fertile. We have good evidence that the land is especially suited for the production of prunes,

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PRICE OF THE LAND.

The prices of the land for sale are 75, and 100, and 150 dollars per acre, according to position. Two-thirds of the purchase-money may remain on mortgage as long as the interest is paid at 8 per cent, per annum, which is the lowest interest payable in California. The mortgagor is liable to the Government for the taxes, which amount to 1-1/2 to 2 per cent, per annum, so that he would really only receive 6 to 6-1/2 per cent, interest. All mortgages are publicly recorded, and so the property is ves

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AMERICAN SURVEYS.

According to the American surveys the country is arranged in squares, as shown on all the maps. A "section" is a square mile, or 640 acres. A "township" is 36 sections, i.e., six miles on each of its four sides. A quarter section is 160 acres, and the lands are so arranged that a roadway is reserved around each quarter section 60 feet wide, and the land for such roadway is taken from each side, so that each owner has to contribute 30 feet to such road, and, of course, he has the benefit of the f

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SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE OF FRUIT CULTURE.

Few settlers would have the requisite special knowledge of Fruit culture without some instruction, and, therefore, the owners of the land have engaged the services of Professor Eisen, at a fixed salary, so that all settlers on their lands may have the benefit of the Professor's instruction, free of charge . Professor Eisen is well known as a specialist in horticulture in California. He has just published a book on the raisin industry in California, which may be seen at our offices. The culture o

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CANNED FRUITS.

Wholesale buyers come round the country to buy the Fruit crops while on the trees. An enormous trade is done in America in canned Fruits; the hotels, steamers, railway cars, and private families use them largely at all meals, and America itself seems to be a sufficient market for ages to come for all the Fruit and vegetables its State of California can produce....

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How to start with a capital of 20,000 dols.

Leaving a balance of 2,585 dols. for first payment of land, or for other improvements and unforeseen expenses. Profit the fourth year should be about 4,000 to 5000 dols. at the lowest....

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How to start with a capital of 10,000 dols., i.e., say £2,000.

This clear after expenses have been deducted. The farmer can take care of 20 acres himself, with occasional help. With 40 acres he requires one man more, his son or hired help. The first three years he will only make his living ordinarily so; after that time he will make money. Poultry, and vegetables should, during the first year pay for all expenses at least, and in many instances leave a large surplus. All this depends upon the capacity of the settler. With good land such as this 100 dollars

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How to start with a capital of 8,000 dols., i.e., say £1,600.

The fourth and fifth years there should be a gross profit of at least 2,650 dols. a year, enough to pay for the balance due on land....

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What some people have started with, and come out all right.

But ordinarily, this is too little, as the planting of the land cannot be proceeded with at once, and work must be procured among the neighbours, etc. The estimates, were furnished us by Professor Eisen, who remarked that, probably, in giving estimates all persons would vary somewhat, but these, and other estimates which he gave, are really more than estimates, because they are the actual results of past experiences....

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PROFESSOR EISEN'S OPINION.

Professor Eisen writes:—"I am of opinion that these lands (British Colony, Merced) are amongst the very best in the State for raisins; still, as I explained to you, I do not advise any one to put his whole interest in the raisin industry, as the market for this Fruit is limited. For other dried fruit, especially for prunes (French plums), apricots, peaches, and nectarines, the market is practically unlimited, and as our population increases yearly 1,500,000 people, it will be seen that our marke

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PRICE OF FRUIT TREES.

The prices in California of young Fruit trees for planting, for the season 1890-91, are given as follows:—...

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WHEN FRUIT TREES PAY.

The Fruit trees enumerated above would begin to bear the second year, but only the fourth year would they bear any considerable amount; the fifth and sixth years they would come into good bearing, and should then yield a profit of, say, from 100 to 350 dollars per acre. At seven years the orchard should be in full bearing, and never yield less than 150, and, possibly, 450 dollars per acre. Instances have been known when prunes, peaches, and pears have produced from 750 to 1,500 dollars per acre

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POSITION OF A SETTLER.

The position of a settler, then, is that for the first three years he cannot depend upon his crop of Fruit to maintain him, but must either have sufficient capital to support him during that time, or else earn his living in some other way. To be idle, and live on capital, would not, of course, suit any man who meant to succeed, and therefore he would fill up his time in cultivating garden and poultry produce, for which there is always a demand, or in getting some occasional employment....

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COST OF BOARD AND LODGING.

At Merced railway station is a very large hotel, and the cost of board and lodging for emigrants is only 25 dollars, i.e., say, £5 per month; to usual visitors it is 60 dollars a month....

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RAISIN CULTURE.

The Pacific Rural Press , referring to the raisin vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley, California, states:— "What is especially interesting to the home-seeker in connection with this information, is the fact that everyone of these vineyardists is prosperous. No other horticultural industry is so profitable as the culture of the raisin grape, in no other is the work so pleasant, and no other yields a return so quickly." An acre of Muscat vines in full bearing will yield from two to three tons of

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IRRIGATION.

"A piece of land at Riverside, below the flow of water, was worth 300 dollars an acre. Contiguous to it was another piece not irrigated, which would not sell for 50 dollars an acre. By bringing water to it, it would quickly sell for 300 dollars, thus adding 250 dollars to its value. As the estimate at River side is that one inch of water will irrigate five acres of Fruit land, five times 250 dollars would be 1,250 dollars per inch, at which price water for irrigation has actually been sold at Ri

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OLIVE CULTURE.

"The growth of the olive is to be, it seems to me, one of the leading and most permanent industries of Southern California. It will give us, what it is nearly impossible to buy now, pure olive oil, in place of the cotton seed and lard mixture in general use. It is a most wholesome and palatable article of food. Those whose chief experience of the olive is the large, coarse, and not agreeable Spanish variety, used only as an appetizer, know little of the value of the best varieties as food, nutri

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SPECIAL OPENINGS.

There are now at Merced special openings for a nurseryman and a dairyman; the latter would be by growing alfalfa (lucerne) and raising poultry for at present the Merced people often have to get poultry and eggs from San Francisco, 150 miles off....

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POTATO GROWING.

A settler might make a really good return out of potatoes while his Fruit trees are maturing, which is a food more in use in America than in England. Potatoes are not only served at luncheon and dinner, but also at breakfast everywhere, and, if every settler planted his land with potatoes, there would be no fear of overstocking the market. Mr. Eisen states that potatoes yield from 50 to 400 sacks to the acre, and sell at prices varying from 90 cents to 2 dollars per sack. If only 50 sacks were g

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COST OF GOODS, &c., AT MERCED.

per lb. Beef (to boil), 8 to 10 cents Beef (steak), 10 cents Beef (shoulder), 10 cents Beef (choice), 12-1/2 cents Beef (porterhouse and tenderloin), 15 cents Veal, 10 to 15 cents Mutton, 10 to 12-1/2 cents Pork, 10 to 12-1/2 cents Sausages, 12-1/ to 15 cents Corned beef, 8 to 10 cents Bacon, 12-1/2 cents Hams, 15 cents Tongues, 10 cents Flour, 4-1/2 to 5 dollars for a barrel weighing 200 lbs. Tea, 25 cents to 1 dollar Coffee, 24 to 45 cents Candles, 15 to 20 cents Chocolate, 25 cents Cod fish,

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THE LAND JOURNEY FROM NEW YORK TO MERCED, CALIFORNIA.

"Our fares from New York to Merced, viâ New Orleans, are:—1st class, unlimited, £19 19s. 0d.; limited, £18 4s. 7d.; 2nd class, £12 8s. 4d.; 3rd class, £12 2s. 9d., all rail; £11 1s. 11d. by steamer to New Orleans, and thence rail, food, and sleeping berth on steamer included. The charges for sleeping car berths are:—1st class, 22 dollars; 2nd class from New Orleans, 3 dollars. There are no 2nd class sleepers to New Orleans, except on the fortnightly excursion trains from Cincinnati, leaving that

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ANALYSIS OF MERCED SOILS.

Having fitted up a portion of one of my offices with all the requisites for carrying out quantitative analyses of surface soils, I requested Professor Lobley, F.G.S., etc., to analyse the four samples of soils which I brought with me from Merced. A general analysis of four samples of soil from Merced, California, has given the following results:— The organic matter is available for plant growth. The inorganic matter, soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, is (with the exception of the alumina it m

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REQUIRED TO PURCHASE.

Messrs. Dowsett &amp; Co. have applications for Landed Estates, Country Houses, Town Houses, Farms, Villa Farms, Building Lands, Cheap Sections of Land for the People, Ground Rents, Colonial Lands, and General Land and House Investments. Messrs. Dowsett &amp; Co, invite owners wishing to sell, and who have not yet employed an Agent, to employ them: they do not appreciate instructions which are sent to several Agents, but they are prepared to give careful, intelligent, personal attention

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LANDS AND RESIDENCES FOR SALE.

Country Houses, Town Houses, Landed Estates, Farms, Building Lands, Ground Rents, and Investments generally in Lands and Houses, See "The Land Roll," which for one penny may be obtained of Messrs, Dowsett &amp; Co., 3, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London....

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