from the chaff and other impurities. He patiently awaits the coming on of a suitable wind, when the straw is blown off from the wheat by tossing it high into the air with wooden forks constructed for the purpose. To get rid of the chaff, the same labor is gone over again with a large spade, instead of the fork. Still, more or less of sand, gravel, and clay, remain. These impurities are imperfectly removed by washing the wheat in large and porous baskets. Another plan is to turn a small current of water through a trough filled with the grain. After being dried. upon blankets or raw hides, the wheat is considered ready for the market or the mill. I find I have omitted to mention, in the proper connexion, how the small stones and unthrashed ears of wheat are separated. For this purpose, a screen or sifter (if the words can be so applied) is thus made and moved; a large raw hide is procured, and is perforated, by burning, with a large number of very small holes. Two men move the sifter, each taking an end, by alternately jerking it rapidly towards each other. The wheat passes through the small perforations in the skin, leaving behind such impurities as the wind did not carry off in the previous processes. The diseases to which the wheat crops of the States are so liable appear to be here entirely unknown; at all events, I have met with no one who has ever seen the Hessian fly or the joint worm. The much dreaded rust of the States is here effectually prevented by the clearness and dryness of the climate. However, at long intervals, the grasshopper has been known to appear in such countless multitudes as to cause most serious injury to the growing crop. This insect, after an absence of 18 years, reappeared in the valley of Taos in 1845. Since then they have gradually diminished, year by year, until they no longer prove a serious evil. In that year, however, they were so numerous and voracious as often to destroy an entire field of wheat in a single night, devouring not only the leaves, but the entire stalk down to the surface of the ground. The young and tender wheat was alone attacked; that which had acquired some height and hardness escaping almost untouched. Hence, early seeding was found to be the safeguard against their inroads. These insects were not only destructive to wheat, but also to cabbages, peas, beans, and almost all other tender and growing plants. They were, more or less, numerous and destructive in all parts of the Territory. The New Mexican farmer carefully preserves the wheat straw, and upon it feeds his horses, mules, and donkeys during the winter months. It would seem to be remarkably nutritious, as these animals, when so fed and not overworked, remain at least in good condition, if not fat. The price of wheat this year is $3 the fanega in some parts of the Territory, whilst in others it is sold at half that price. The wants of the United States troops furnish at this time the only market we have that is of much consequence. Flour, of the best quality, is now furnished to the army at $7 per 100 lbs. Should their purchases continue to be made here, instead of in St. Louis, as formerly, a few years will doubtless reduce the price to $3 per cwt.; whereas the freight alone on flour brought from the Mississippi valley has never fallen short of $8 per hundred. Dairy Husbandry, Sc.-I have never seen, since my first arrival in this country, in 1847, so much as a single ounce of New Mexican butter, though a little is said to be occasionally made. The butter that is used in this city is brought from Missouri, and varies in price from 50 to 75 cents. All persons who are acquainted with this country acknowledge it to be one of the finest grazing regions on the face of the earth; and were it not for the unchecked depredations of the Indians on all sides of us, it would be as preposterous to bring butter here as to carry coals to Newcastle." The small herds of goats and sheep that find subsistence in the immediate vicinity of the town, and thus escape Indian robbery, furnish to the inhabitants a precarious supply of inferior milk and cheese. Cow's milk is still less attainable, especially during the winter months. You ask in your Agricultural Circular, "How do you break oxen to the yoke?" The native oxen of New Mexico are subjected to the yoke at so early an age that the process of breaking is never one of much trouble or difficulty. The yoke is a rude and primitive affair. A light piece of cotton-wood is fashioned at either end, so as to adapt itself to the posterior part of the horns of the ox, to which it is securely lashed by strips of raw hide. A rope of the same material connects the central part of the yoke with the beam of the plough, or tongue of the wagon. This plan, of course, increases the burden as felt by the ox, and diminishes his effective strength. The custom, although a bad one, must needs continue to prevail here, as the country furnishes little or no timber that is well adapted to the construction of ox bows. The Mexican carreta, or cart, is a two-wheeled vehicle, so heavy and so rudely contrived that the draught power of two, or at least one yoke of oxen, is consumed alone in moving it. This inconvenience is now somewhat remedied by the substitution of the wheels of American wagons, which are yearly brought here in large numbers by the merchants. The New Mexican plough does not differ materially from the pictures familiar to school boys of the Roman plough, anterior to the Christian era. A piece of timber, with two branches, is the material of which it is made. One branch serves for the beam, and is left about six feet in length; the other is left eighteen inches or two feet long, and answers for the plough-share. A straight piece of wood is attached to the afterpart of this implement for a handle, by which it is directed. The oxen are urged on by a small stick, some five or six feet in length, armed at the end with a sharp nail. This is a cruel instrument, and is often used with such freedom as to leave the sides of the ox covered with blood. Grasses.-Artificial meadows are entirely unknown in this Territory; nor do the native population ever make hay of any kind. Since General Kearney's invasion, however, the natural grasses of the country have been cut and cured, in quantities greater or less, in proportion to the wants of the cavalry. Excellent hay, thus made has been this year delivered to the quartermaster in Santa Fé at $20 per ton. The grama grass, which is not found in any of the States, covers pretty generally the entire surface of New Mexico, both mountains and valleys. For the most part, it does not cover the ground very thickly; but in certain localities it is found sufficiently thick and luxuriant to be cut for hay. All experience proves it to be more nutritious than any cultivated grasses with which we are acquainted. Mules, and even horses, (the native, and those from a distance, after one year's acclimation,) will remain fat upon it alone, if otherwise well treated. Its fattening properties are due partly to the oil of the seeds, which are very numerous, and partly to its being well cured, in situ, by the natural aridity of the climate in the dry season. As the atmosphere is not sufficiently humid to produce vegetable decomposition, this grass retains its nutriment as long as it lasts. Hence it is that the sheep of New Mexico require no winter feeding. I doubt whether this grass could be profitably introduced into any of the older States of the Union; as, where lands are very valuable, its yield per acre would perhaps be too small to prove remunerative. There are other valuable grasses in this Territory, but, being of minor relative importance, they cannot be noticed in the limits of this article. Rye. I have never seen any of this grain in the Territory, and I cannot learn that it has ever been introduced, even by way of experi ment. Barley, oats, and buckwheat all succeed admirably. These crops, however, have never been cultivated to any extent. Occasionally, only, an American farmer will be found who produces enough for his own wants. Oats are said to grow wild throughout the mountains in the northern parts of the Territory. Root Crops. With the exception of potatoes, all crops under this head succeed here far better than they do in the States. They certainly, as a general thing, attain to a great size, and contain much more. saccharine matter. Mr. George Gould, of Taos county, has produced on old lands, unmanured, beets weighing as high as 17 pounds, turnips 16 pounds, and onions 14 pound. In December last, the late Governor Calhoun was presented with a beet which was within a fraction of a yard in circumference. All fruits, grains, vegetables, and plants generally, that grow in this singularly clear and dry climate, are remarkable for their extraordinary sweetness. The corn-stalk abounds in saccharine matter to such an extent as to furnish the native population with molasses. It is true this article is hardly so good as the most inferior Louisiana molasses, but this is doubtless owing to their rude and imperfect mode of manufacturing it. Those persons who do not supply their own wants purchase it at the rate of $1 50 per gallon. The beet, when grown in New Mexico, contains so unusual a quantity of saccharine matter that the manufacture of beet-sugar offers strong inducements to gentlemen of enterprise to embark in that business. A manufacturer would always find here a "protection" of at least ten cents on the pound, as that is the least cost of transportation alone to the merchants who import their sugar from St. Louis, and there is no apparent prospect that freight will materially diminish for a long series of years. The population of this Territory is something more than 60,000, and nearly all the sugar which they consume comes from St. Louis, Missouri. For the most part, the most inferior kind is brought, and its usual wholesale price ranges from 19 to 25 cents. Sugar brought from the valley of the Mississippi, in wagons, across a desert of nearly 900 miles in extent, surely could never compete with sugar made from the beet in this country, where labor is abundant at from $4 to $8 a month. The enterprise could not fail richly to repay the employment of skill and capital. But the manufacture of beet-sugar has never been attempted, perhaps, because there is no one in the country who has the slightest knowledge of the art. Our Irish potatoes are of excellent quality, and their cultivation is sometimes very successful; but on many occasions, from some_cause, which appears to be as yet unknown, the failure is complete. To say the least, the potato crop has heretofore been a very precarious one. A wild potato, similar to, if not identical with, the Irish potato, is found in the mountainous parts of the Territory, but they are too small and too sparse to repay the trouble of gathering them. I had intended to speak of the grape culture, and wine manufacturea very important interest of New Mexico-and also of sheep-growing, the most important of all; but as I have perhaps already written to a tiresome extent, it is proper that I should close. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, To the COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS. THOMAS E. MASSIE. BENTON, OREGON TERRITORY, SIR: Your Circular of the date of August, 1852, has just reached me, to which I proceed to make a brief reply. In the production of wheat guano is not used at all in this Territory. The average product per acre, to the best of my knowledge, is about 30 bushels. The general time of seeding is from 25th August until the last of October; but my experience has taught me that the best time to sow wheat is in the month of May, in this climate, which gives it eleven or twelve months to grow and mature. When thus sown, its yield has been as high as 40 bushels an acre on land newly broken; quantity sown is from 1 to 2 bushels. The yield per acre is increasing, from the better attention paid to farming. The Hessian fly and the weevil are not known in this country. The prices of wheat, at this time, cannot be considered as a general thing. It is now worth, at our barns, $3 per bushel, and our best markets are paying $5 per bushel; but this cannot last long. Corn is not much raised, but with proper management we can raise a sufficiency for home use. I raised at the rate of 30 bushels per acre on the small spot I planted. Oats I sow in October, about 2 bushels per acre, and the yield is most universally 40 bushels per acre. Peas and beans do well. Peas enrich the land rather than exhaust it. Butter.-Average yearly product of butter per cow, 75 pounds. Mode of churning is with the old-fashioned dasher churn. Average price per pound, 50 cents, though now selling at 75 cents at home. Neat Cattle.-Cost of rearing till 3 years old is nothing more than a little salt and a little time to look after them; worth at that age, for beef, from 8 to 12 cents per pound. Milch cows are worth from $60 to $85. Horses and Mules.-The raising of these animals is profitable, the expense of rearing being small. Sheep do well, and are profitable both for wool and for driving to the mines to be used for mutton. Turnips, carrots, beets, Sc., are very prolific, but are raised principally for home consumption. Irish Potatoes.-Average yield per acre, 200 bushels. Most profitable varieties are the Kidney and large Blues. Fruit culture is receiving great attention. We have most every variety of fruit trees adapted to our climate now in cultivation. The above remarks are brief, and, should they be deemed worthy to be inserted in your valuable book, I shall be more than compensated. Respectfully, &c., To the COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS. 23 O. C. MOTLEY. |