Volume 24 (1872) (424 pages)

SCIENTIFIC PRESS. {May 25, 1872. 326 Pacific Coast Products, and Their Future Market. [By Pror. E. S. Canr—Written specially for the Psciric Coast MeRcaNTILE DimEcToR.] California, with but little more than 500,000 inhabitants, or one and one-half per cent. of the National population, ranking in this respect as the twenty-fourth State in the Union, in the amount paid to the support of the government as income tax, ranks as the fourth. The asseesed value of property owned in 1870, was: real estate, $176,527,180; personal, $93116,908. Total, $269,644,088. On an actual value of $394,517,784 real, $234270,233 pereonal, ora total of $628,788,017. In estimating the prospective development of California we must add to the factors natural wealth, population and property—what carefully gathered facts show concerning the variety of her industries, and the characterietice of her peoLe. “ What is California Producing? Answering this question as briefly as possible, and eomewhat retrospectively, we have first, gold, of which in the last twenty-five years she has produced more than all the rest of the world. Though it is estimated that seven-eighths of the gold now in use iu the country has come from her mines, these vast tributaries to the world’e progress are by no meane exhausted. The actual decline in the gold product, and the depreciation of the value of mining property is owing to the discovery, of valuable deposits of treasure in neighboring States, which have attracted the roving mining population, and to the di-, version of labor and capital into other channels, rather than to impoverishment. The value of the gold produced in Cali-' fornia in the year 1870, as reported by the leading newspapers, was $23,000,000; of; eilver, (exclusive of that counted as part of the gold yield), $1,000,000; of quicksilver, $1,500,000; of coal, $1,000,000; miscellaneoue minerals, $500,000, making an aggregate of $27,000,000, or fifteen per cent. of the total annual value of the Industrial products of the State. Besides this we exported ores, which ought to have been smelted here, to the value of $1,064,671. The export of treasure this year, for the quarter ending April let, exceede that of last year by a million of dollars, not including any of that which goee east by rail directly from the minee. Tell she EVEL acon boosnanpee Joemeo ee $3,979,278.19 Add duties, net. . 1,528,864.48 + +6$5,508,142.57 $4,893,684.02 +. 1,187,810.01 $6,031,494.03 This treasure finds its market as follows: CDInG. 2. cc cee cesee enone nncee eneeteetcenene $1,747 246.00 Central American Ports se 196,223.09 Mngland sees cscs. 878,640.31 Japan 1,837, 757.43 New ¥ 1,052,816.19 o 500,000.00 10,000.00 170,000.00 The Japanese Government which took only $20,590 from ue last year, is requiring a large amount for its mint, and will not complete its re-coining for several years to come. The destination of the quickeilver and copper exported during the laet quarter, is taken from the oommercial statistics of the port of San Francieco. Quicksilver, Flasks Value New York. +» 502 $39,119 Mexico. 335 21,110 Austratia. 200 18,005 China. 6,300 84,062 Callao. 300 19,508 GEL connoeeots GBSbed 2,787 $195,804 Copper Ore. Great Britain.c.cecesserves 585 $35,257 Increase over same quarter 1871, $14620. Forty-five per cent. of the total annual value of California’s products is derived from her agriculture. After a careful comparieon of the report of the Federal Commission of agriculture 1868-9, with that of the State Surveyor General, and with the receipts of domestic produce at San Francisco from July 1st, 1869, to April 3d, 1870, compared with the same period of the previous harvest year, the value of these in 1870 was estimated at $89,000,000, classed as follows: Cereals (38,788,418 hush. at from $1 to $1 05 per DUBD.) ..eesersecteeersceseerer oreee $33 080,860 Hay, (388,133 tons at $15 per ton). Potatoes, peas, beans, and root crops Kitchen vegetables, sweet potatoes, and all products of that class. : Fruit trees and VineS..0+eeeesseee Domestic animals (increase and produc « 15,346 Improvements on farms by agriculturallabor. 20,000,000 Total. .cceccecs tees coeccennvererevercce $89,000,000 In the years 1868-9, there were 2,132,150 acres under cultivation, and 4,463,127 acres enclosed. In the year 1870, there was more than 1,000,000 of acres sown to wheot; in 1871, 1,478,891 acres, yielding 17,288,544 bushels. The unfavorable character of the last two seasons has temporarily depressed the wheat growing interest, which during the next few years must assume enormoue proportions, because it will continue to yield the largest return upon the amount of investment both in capital and unskilled labor which it employs. The available wheat lands of California now amount to five and a half} millions of acres, which will without doubt be increased by reclamation, railroad facilities, ete., to 13,000,000 acres. It is a reasonable expectation that wheat growing will be developed to one-half ite ultimate capacity in the next twenty years mostly by the plaiu farming hitherto employed which gives an average return of 17 bushels to the acre. Our best resulte as showu by country statistics fall twenty per cent. below the average yield in England. Wheat culture worthy of the name, would double these figures. ‘What Does this Great Staple Cost? By careful estimates made in the San Joaquin valley, where the best facilities for culture exist, the cost of putting in and harvesting one thousand acree may be stated thus: Ploughing, $395; sowing, $25.60; harrowiug, $58.28; heading, $232.38; threshing, $220; sacks, $1,950; hauling, $375; machinery, $150; seed, $1,000. Total, $4,406.26. A crop of twenty bushels to the acre, (which isa low estimate for that district in a good year) would give a yield of 20,000 bushels. Mr. Moseley of Stockton estimates the wheat product of the San Joaquin valley counties as far south as Tulare for this year at 13,500,000 bushels, at an average of twelve bushele tothe acre. Another eotimate of twenty-three counties with the San Joaquin valley with wheat at $1.00 per bushel and barley at 75 cents, gives the value of the two crops thus, wheat, $28,000,000; barley, $7,354,500. Total, $37,054,500. Friedlander’s estimate is that we shall have 12,000,000 centals or 20,000,000 bushels of wheat for export, worth at $1 per bushel, $20,000,000 in cash, enough to tax our facilities for transportation to the utmost. In the year 1870 the United States exported to foreign countries, as shown by the Annual Report on Commerce aud Navigation, 36,584,115 bushele of wheat, worth $47,171,229. Also 3,463,333 barrels of wheat flour, worth $21,169,593. The annexed table will show where the great markets of the world for this staple are to be found and their relative importance. Amount of wheat and wheat flour exported from the United States in 1870, acoording to the Annual Report of Commerce and Navigation, is as follows: ——WHEAT——~ . , WHEAT FLOUR Names of Countries. Wo. Bush. Be 2 Value. arrels, Value. To Australia..008 78,8: $82,182 62,260 $308,007 To China, Hongkong and Singapore .. 61,805 56,395 169,991 782,557 To Japan. .scsseserre 14,470 15,178 20,014 = 104,284 ‘To Sandwich Islands ST 886 8,557 42,820 To Eneland, 21,779,373 28,024,785 832,808 5,190,831 f 0. 3,053,868 297,520 1,759,429 699,935 5,225,061 59,623 351,568 ‘What Does it Cost to Move this Crop. From San Francisco to Liverpool, before the opening of the railroad, the cost was estimated at 40 cents, in gold per bushel. For the entire wheat region of the State to San Francisco it may be put at 20 cents a bushel, including handling, warehousing, and all other expenees. From the field to the English dock, one year with another, it costs 60 cents per bushel, and brings in that market 30 per cent. higher than any other American. The cost of transportation from Iowa to Liverpool is $1.25 per bushel. Our wheat costs in the English market nearly the same as the best Russian, the only grain which equals it in excellence. The cost of eending our grain to China, is $3 per ton, Barley and Other Products. California ie the first barley-producing state in the Union. The last official report showed 696,001 acres sown, producing 9,570,321 bushels. Of other grains there were oats, 113, 269 acres, producing 3, 714,480 bushels; rye 3,692 acres, producing 20,795 bushels; corn, 57,364 acres, producing 1,434,317 bushels; buckwheat, 803 acres, producing 13,479 bushels, Of minor farm products, peas, 94,106 bushels; castor heans, 682,325 pounds; potatoes, 3,092,177 bushels; sweet potatoes, 173,405 bushels; peanuts, 193,304 pounds; beans 503,201 buehels. Of hay, 460,018 acres, producing 685,446 tons. Taking the exportatiou for the quarter ending March 31st, 1872, as a basis, Mexico is the largest foreign consumer of our harley, the Sandwich Islands and British Columbia of our oats. Both China aud Japan are increasing their demand for these staples, Hop Culture has been very profitable in California owing to failuree of the crop in the Eastern Stateeand Europe. Eastern buyers have shipped 3,000 balés overland during the past year. Japan will prove an excellent market for all the hops which we can raise. Flaz Culturehas been steadily increasing with us. From the demand for flax straw for bagging purposes, 7,376 acres were planted last year producing 760,700 pounds of seed, which finds its present market in mills of San Francisco. Beet Culture may hereafter be considered as one of our most important industries, as it will relieve an immense drain upon our resources. The average annual importation of eugar into the port of San Francisco is something more than 50,000,000 pounds, worth, dutiee paid, about $5,000,000, Should the euccess of the Alvarado Beet Sugar Co., who manufactured one and one-quarter millions of pounds of sugar of the finest quality last year, (worth $150,000 in San J’rancisco), inspire our. farmers to co-operate in the production of this important luxury, we can easily retain the value of 300,000 acres of wheat which goee out of tho State to purchase an article in no respect superior to our own. For thie product our market is at our own door. Dairy Products. The late shipmeut east of 60,000 pounds of choice table butter is one of the most significant indications of progress iu California. The produce of last year was estimated at 4,419,627 pounds of butter, and 5,488,266 pounds of checse, Onethird of this is made in Marin county. Shasta county, one of the best dairy countiee in the State,is not included in the above report. There can be no doubt that dairy farming is destined to become one of the most profitable eources of wealth to the State. The Product of Our Vineyards. The raising of grapee and manufacture of wine and brandy hae been brought to a degree of perfection, which places the. present and prospective value of this industry beyond cavil. Our wines have received the highest encomiuns from competent judges both in the Eastern States and in Europe, and their reputation is uow beyond injury from liquor speculators, or unskilled manufacturers. ‘They have to compete in our home market with ‘* traveled” winee, which we are childish enough to import at a cost to ourselves of more than $550,000 dollars, while wo eend one-half of ourown product to the Eastern States, and our own champagne manufacturers are unable to supply the [astern and foreign demand. last year we produced eix million gallone of wine, worth $3,606,000, and one hundred and fifty thoueand gallons of brandy worth, dutiee unpaid, $112,500. This year we ehall produce from eight to ten million gallons of wine, worth at least, $4,500,000, with not lees than 200,000 gallons of brandy worth $150,000. Our markets will be the following pointe, named in the order of their commercial importance: New York, (which took from one firm in the years 1871-72, 476,814 gallone, costing $375,520), Central America, British Columbia, Russian Asia, Mexico, Japan, China, Honolulu, Liverpool, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Wool. Tt was not nntil 1854 that the breeding of fine wooled eheep commenced in California, ever since theu the quality of this product has been becoming more valuable, until at present the finest pasture tanches in the State are covered with flocks. In 1860 there were 900,000 sheep in the State, there are now 3,178,671. The censue returns ehow that the largeet proportional increase of the wool product of the country has beeu here, the last clip amounting to 17,565,935 pounds. Nearly all our manufactured wool finds a market inthe Eastern States; its value last year amonnted to $2,000,000. The present prospect is that our spring and fall wool clips will yield 30,000,000 pounds, and that the average value in gold will be about 40 cte. per pound, (that now coming in from the southern counties is selling at 41 cts.) making its ageregate value $12,000,000. The fruit and grape crops promise abundantly. It hag been computed that the aggregate agricultural and horticultural products of 1872, uot countiug beef, pork, butter and cheese, will be worth not less than $53,000,000, of which $35,000,000 will be exported. According to the estimates of 1870 before referred to, our manufacturee repreeent 40 per cent. of our prodnctione. During that year we exported lumber, chingles and other foreet products, bricks, brooms, blankets, billiard tables, glue, cigare, machinery and-iron work, barrels of flour, bread and crackers, with emall quautities of miscellaneous articles to the value of $2,202,205, also fish, to the value of nearly or quite $100,000. The product of the soap root, used as a substitute for horee hair was valued at $100,000. E have already exceeded the limits proposed to myeelf in this article. Of the United States imports for 1871 from foreigen countries, $13,099,687, went to pay for productione which California can grow and manufacture with unequalled facility. The sugar, butter, wine, raisins, etarch, olive oil, tobacco, eoap, imported to this State should have been produced at home. ‘We are consuming 300,000,000 pounds of rice, with excellent rice lands undeveloped. Our ores should be reduced, our wool and leather echould be manufactured here. The machinery for our mines, railroads, steamships, and the shipe themselves ehould be made here. All these things are needed to make us the commercial centre of the Pacific countries. Tron and Steel. The immense advance in the price of all kiuds of iron within a comparatively short space of time, has taken part of the commercial world by surprise; hutit could not have heen entirely unexpected shy any one who had watched the current of events, For the past ten years, the influcnce predominaut in the commercial world aud in the social state of Europe, have heeu tendiug slowly hut surely in this direction. The immense development of the manufactures of which the raw material is iron, the extension of its consumption over vast tegions where it was but hitherto little used, the rise iu wages and in general prices, and the result of the competition amougst the producers of pig iron, haveall concurredin bringing ahout the present high prices. The construction of the Crystal Palace in Londou in 1851, having all the frame-work of iron, suggested a new use for that metal. Since then it has heen used extensively as a material for house-huilding, for supporting pillars, stairways, etc., for sidewalks and bridges. Andsiuce then, the railroad system of the world, which ahsorhs such au immense quantity of won, may he said to have heen laid down. And now uses are heing found for it every day; the steamships of the world are now heing built of it. Then, duriug the last thirty years, the cousumption in the United States has increased in a tenfold degree; where a;thousand tons was nsed, six thousand is now used, and in this city, one house imports as much as the whole eight did, ten years ago. Then the iron trade of England with Austraha. Southern Africa and India has grown up siuce. Thousands of miles of railroad are constantly in course of construction in the latter country, as the cost of labor is next to nothing, and hundreds of ships leave England for it, freighted with iron, every year. Egypt has lately ahsorhed large quantities; Persia is heginniug to ahsorb foreign iron, and the quantity taken hy Russia from England for the great railway system, is simply enormous. Wages and the prices of necessarics of life haye arisen greatly during the decade, and the competition hoth between producers and sellers of iron has heen excessive. Hence, during 1871, the workmen in Europe came to the conclusion of ceasing to work at the rates at which they had heen previously employed, aud notified their masters to that effect. The latter promised them an advance after the new year, and that promise has heen kept. The stocks have heen low, as the manufacturers did not feel justified in keeping them up, on account of the unsatisfactory state of the market, at least this is what is alleged; certaiu it is that stocks are low, that they have been purposely kept so, and that orders are now high and cannot he satisfied. Tue Larcest Srove Founpry.—The stove foundry of Jewett & Root, Buffalo, is said to he the largest in the world. Thegreat stove warehouse is 100 hy 150 feet, and has seyeu floors, all, except the grouud floor and sample floor, heing piled with ever description of stove. (They have 250 distinct setsof patterns.) The foundry gives employment to 450 men, consumes from 40 to 55 tons of pig iron every day, and turnes out ahout 60,000 stoves a year. Gas.—In 1860, there were 810 gas companies in England aud Wales, 141 in Scotland and 64 in Tveland. The average price churged was $1.80 per 1,000 cn. ft. Iu 1863, there were 433 gas companies iu the Unitcd States, the price charged per 1,000 cu. ft., varying from $1.50 in Pittsburg, Pa., to $12.50 at Marysville, Cal. Stitt Burnine.—It is said several large coalpiles in Chicago have never heen extiuguished since the great fire. ~

SCIENTIFIC PRESS. {May 25, 1872. 326 Pacific Coast Products, and Their Future Market. [By Pror. E. S. Canr—Written specially for the Psciric Coast MeRcaNTILE DimEcToR.] California, with but little more than 500,000 inhabitants, or one and one-half per cent. of the National population, ranking in this respect as the twenty-fourth State in the Union, in the amount paid to the support of the government as income tax, ranks as the fourth. The asseesed value of property owned in 1870, was: real estate, $176,527,180; personal, $93116,908. Total, $269,644,088. On an actual value of $394,517,784 real, $234270,233 pereonal, ora total of $628,788,017. In estimating the prospective development of California we must add to the factors natural wealth, population and property—what carefully gathered facts show concerning the variety of her industries, and the characterietice of her peoLe. “ What is California Producing? Answering this question as briefly as possible, and eomewhat retrospectively, we have first, gold, of which in the last twenty-five years she has produced more than all the rest of the world. Though it is estimated that seven-eighths of the gold now in use iu the country has come from her mines, these vast tributaries to the world’e progress are by no meane exhausted. The actual decline in the gold product, and the depreciation of the value of mining property is owing to the discovery, of valuable deposits of treasure in neighboring States, which have attracted the roving mining population, and to the di-, version of labor and capital into other channels, rather than to impoverishment. The value of the gold produced in Cali-' fornia in the year 1870, as reported by the leading newspapers, was $23,000,000; of; eilver, (exclusive of that counted as part of the gold yield), $1,000,000; of quicksilver, $1,500,000; of coal, $1,000,000; miscellaneoue minerals, $500,000, making an aggregate of $27,000,000, or fifteen per cent. of the total annual value of the Industrial products of the State. Besides this we exported ores, which ought to have been smelted here, to the value of $1,064,671. The export of treasure this year, for the quarter ending April let, exceede that of last year by a million of dollars, not including any of that which goee east by rail directly from the minee. Tell she EVEL acon boosnanpee Joemeo ee $3,979,278.19 Add duties, net. . 1,528,864.48 + +6$5,508,142.57 $4,893,684.02 +. 1,187,810.01 $6,031,494.03 This treasure finds its market as follows: CDInG. 2. cc cee cesee enone nncee eneeteetcenene $1,747 246.00 Central American Ports se 196,223.09 Mngland sees cscs. 878,640.31 Japan 1,837, 757.43 New ¥ 1,052,816.19 o 500,000.00 10,000.00 170,000.00 The Japanese Government which took only $20,590 from ue last year, is requiring a large amount for its mint, and will not complete its re-coining for several years to come. The destination of the quickeilver and copper exported during the laet quarter, is taken from the oommercial statistics of the port of San Francieco. Quicksilver, Flasks Value New York. +» 502 $39,119 Mexico.. 335 21,110 Austratia. 200 18,005 China. 6,300 84,062 Callao. 300 19,508 GEL connoeeots GBSbed 2,787 $195,804 Copper Ore. Great Britain..c.cecesserves 585 $35,257 Increase over same quarter 1871, $14620. Forty-five per cent. of the total annual value of California’s products is derived from her agriculture. After a careful comparieon of the report of the Federal Commission of agriculture 1868-9, with that of the State Surveyor General, and with the receipts of domestic produce at San Francisco from July 1st, 1869, to April 3d, 1870, compared with the same period of the previous harvest year, the value of these in 1870 was estimated at $89,000,000, classed as follows: Cereals (38,788,418 hush. at from $1 to $1 05 per DUBD.) ...eesersecteeersceseerer oreee $33 080,860 Hay, (388,133 tons at $15 per ton).. Potatoes, peas, beans, and root crops Kitchen vegetables, sweet potatoes, and all products of that class. : Fruit trees and VineS...0+eeeesseee Domestic animals (increase and produc « 15,346 Improvements on farms by agriculturallabor. 20,000,000 Total.. .cceccecs tees coeccennvererevercce $89,000,000 In the years 1868-9, there were 2,132,150 acres under cultivation, and 4,463,127 acres enclosed. In the year 1870, there was more than 1,000,000 of acres sown to wheot; in 1871, 1,478,891 acres, yielding 17,288,544 bushels. The unfavorable character of the last two seasons has temporarily depressed the wheat growing interest, which during the next few years must assume enormoue proportions, because it will continue to yield the largest return upon the amount of investment both in capital and unskilled labor which it employs. The available wheat lands of California now amount to five and a half} millions of acres, which will without doubt be increased by reclamation, railroad facilities, ete., to 13,000,000 acres. It is a reasonable expectation that wheat growing will be developed to one-half ite ultimate capacity in the next twenty years mostly by the plaiu farming hitherto employed which gives an average return of 17 bushels to the acre. Our best resulte as showu by country statistics fall twenty per cent. below the average yield in England. Wheat culture worthy of the name, would double these figures. ‘What Does this Great Staple Cost? By careful estimates made in the San Joaquin valley, where the best facilities for culture exist, the cost of putting in and harvesting one thousand acree may be stated thus: Ploughing, $395; sowing, $25.60; harrowiug, $58.28; heading, $232.38; threshing, $220; sacks, $1,950; hauling, $375; machinery, $150; seed, $1,000. Total, $4,406.26. A crop of twenty bushels to the acre, (which isa low estimate for that district in a good year) would give a yield of 20,000 bushels. Mr. Moseley of Stockton estimates the wheat product of the San Joaquin valley counties as far south as Tulare for this year at 13,500,000 bushels, at an average of twelve bushele tothe acre. Another eotimate of twenty-three counties with the San Joaquin valley with wheat at $1.00 per bushel and barley at 75 cents, gives the value of the two crops thus, wheat, $28,000,000; barley, $7,354,500. Total, $37,054,500. Friedlander’s estimate is that we shall have 12,000,000 centals or 20,000,000 bushels of wheat for export, worth at $1 per bushel, $20,000,000 in cash, enough to tax our facilities for transportation to the utmost. In the year 1870 the United States exported to foreign countries, as shown by the Annual Report on Commerce aud Navigation, 36,584,115 bushele of wheat, worth $47,171,229. Also 3,463,333 barrels of wheat flour, worth $21,169,593. The annexed table will show where the great markets of the world for this staple are to be found and their relative importance. Amount of wheat and wheat flour exported from the United States in 1870, acoording to the Annual Report of Commerce and Navigation, is as follows: ——WHEAT——~ . , WHEAT FLOUR Names of Countries. Wo. Bush. Be 2 Value. arrels, Value. To Australia...008 78,8: $82,182 62,260 $308,007 To China, Hongkong and Singapore ... 61,805 56,395 169,991 782,557 To Japan. .scsseserre 14,470 15,178 20,014 = 104,284 ‘To Sandwich Islands ST 886 8,557 42,820 To Eneland, 21,779,373 28,024,785 832,808 5,190,831 f 0. 3,053,868 297,520 1,759,429 699,935 5,225,061 59,623 351,568 ‘What Does it Cost to Move this Crop. From San Francisco to Liverpool, before the opening of the railroad, the cost was estimated at 40 cents, in gold per bushel. For the entire wheat region of the State to San Francisco it may be put at 20 cents a bushel, including handling, warehousing, and all other expenees. From the field to the English dock, one year with another, it costs 60 cents per bushel, and brings in that market 30 per cent. higher than any other American. The cost of transportation from Iowa to Liverpool is $1.25 per bushel. Our wheat costs in the English market nearly the same as the best Russian, the only grain which equals it in excellence. The cost of eending our grain to China, is $3 per ton, Barley and Other Products. California ie the first barley-producing state in the Union. The last official report showed 696,001 acres sown, producing 9,570,321 bushels. Of other grains there were oats, 113, 269 acres, producing 3, 714,480 bushels; rye 3,692 acres, producing 20,795 bushels; corn, 57,364 acres, producing 1,434,317 bushels; buckwheat, 803 acres, producing 13,479 bushels, Of

minor farm products, peas, 94,106 bushels; castor heans, 682,325 pounds; potatoes, 3,092,177 bushels; sweet potatoes, 173,405 bushels; peanuts, 193,304 pounds; beans 503,201 buehels. Of hay, 460,018 acres, producing 685,446 tons. Taking the exportatiou for the quarter ending March 31st, 1872, as a basis, Mexico is the largest foreign consumer of our harley, the Sandwich Islands and British Columbia of our oats. Both China aud Japan are increasing their demand for these staples, Hop Culture has been very profitable in California owing to failuree of the crop in the Eastern Stateeand Europe. Eastern buyers have shipped 3,000 balés overland during the past year. Japan will prove an excellent market for all the hops which we can raise. Flaz Culturehas been steadily increasing with us. From the demand for flax straw for bagging purposes, 7,376 acres were planted last year producing 760,700 pounds of seed, which finds its present market in mills of San Francisco. Beet Culture may hereafter be considered as one of our most important industries, as it will relieve an immense drain upon our resources. The average annual importation of eugar into the port of San Francisco is something more than 50,000,000 pounds, worth, dutiee paid, about $5,000,000, Should the euccess of the Alvarado Beet Sugar Co., who manufactured one and one-quarter millions of pounds of sugar of the finest quality last year, (worth $150,000 in San J’rancisco), inspire our. farmers to co-operate in the production of this important luxury, we can easily retain the value of 300,000 acres of wheat which goee out of tho State to purchase an article in no respect superior to our own. For thie product our market is at our own door. Dairy Products. The late shipmeut east of 60,000 pounds of choice table butter is one of the most significant indications of progress iu California. The produce of last year was estimated at 4,419,627 pounds of butter, and 5,488,266 pounds of checse, Onethird of this is made in Marin county. Shasta county, one of the best dairy countiee in the State,is not included in the above report. There can be no doubt that dairy farming is destined to become one of the most profitable eources of wealth to the State. The Product of Our Vineyards. The raising of grapee and manufacture of wine and brandy hae been brought to a degree of perfection, which places the. present and prospective value of this industry beyond cavil. Our wines have received the highest encomiuns from competent judges both in the Eastern States and in Europe, and their reputation is uow beyond injury from liquor speculators, or unskilled manufacturers. ‘They have to compete in our home market with ‘* traveled” winee, which we are childish enough to import at a cost to ourselves of more than $550,000 dollars, while wo eend one-half of ourown product to the Eastern States, and our own champagne manufacturers are unable to supply the [astern and foreign demand. last year we produced eix million gallone of wine, worth $3,606,000, and one hundred and fifty thoueand gallons of brandy worth, dutiee unpaid, $112,500. This year we ehall produce from eight to ten million gallons of wine, worth at least, $4,500,000, with not lees than 200,000 gallons of brandy worth $150,000. Our markets will be the following pointe, named in the order of their commercial importance: New York, (which took from one firm in the years 1871-72, 476,814 gallone, costing $375,520), Central America, British Columbia, Russian Asia, Mexico, Japan, China, Honolulu, Liverpool, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. Wool. Tt was not nntil 1854 that the breeding of fine wooled eheep commenced in California, ever since theu the quality of this product has been becoming more valuable, until at present the finest pasture tanches in the State are covered with flocks. In 1860 there were 900,000 sheep in the State, there are now 3,178,671. The censue returns ehow that the largeet proportional increase of the wool product of the country has beeu here, the last clip amounting to 17,565,935 pounds. Nearly all our manufactured wool finds a market inthe Eastern States; its value last year amonnted to $2,000,000. The present prospect is that our spring and fall wool clips will yield 30,000,000 pounds, and that the average value in gold will be about 40 cte. per pound, (that now coming in from the southern counties is selling at 41 cts.) making its ageregate value $12,000,000. The fruit and grape crops promise abundantly. It hag been computed that the aggregate agricultural and horticultural products of 1872, uot countiug beef, pork, butter and cheese, will be worth not less than $53,000,000, of which $35,000,000 will be exported. According to the estimates of 1870 before referred to, our manufacturee repreeent 40 per cent. of our prodnctione. During that year we exported lumber, chingles and other foreet products, bricks, brooms, blankets, billiard tables, glue, cigare, machinery and-iron work, barrels of flour, bread and crackers, with emall quautities of miscellaneous articles to the value of $2,202,205, also fish, to the value of nearly or quite $100,000. The product of the soap root, used as a substitute for horee hair was valued at $100,000. E have already exceeded the limits proposed to myeelf in this article. Of the United States imports for 1871 from foreigen countries, $13,099,687, went to pay for productione which California can grow and manufacture with unequalled facility. The sugar, butter, wine, raisins, etarch, olive oil, tobacco, eoap, imported to this State should have been produced at home. ‘We are consuming 300,000,000 pounds of rice, with excellent rice lands undeveloped. Our ores should be reduced, our wool and leather echould be manufactured here. The machinery for our mines, railroads, steamships, and the shipe themselves ehould be made here. All these things are needed to make us the commercial centre of the Pacific countries. Tron and Steel. The immense advance in the price of all kiuds of iron within a comparatively short space of time, has taken part of the commercial world by surprise; hutit could not have heen entirely unexpected shy any one who had watched the current of events, For the past ten years, the influcnce predominaut in the commercial world aud in the social state of Europe, have heeu tendiug slowly hut surely in this direction. The immense development of the manufactures of which the raw material is iron, the extension of its consumption over vast tegions where it was but hitherto little used, the rise iu wages and in general prices, and the result of the competition amougst the producers of pig iron, haveall concurredin bringing ahout the present high prices. The construction of the Crystal Palace in Londou in 1851, having all the frame-work of iron, suggested a new use for that metal. Since then it has heen used extensively as a material for house-huilding, for supporting pillars, stairways, etc., for sidewalks and bridges. Andsiuce then, the railroad system of the world, which ahsorhs such au immense quantity of won, may he said to have heen laid down. And now uses are heing found for it every day; the steamships of the world are now heing built of it. Then, duriug the last thirty years, the cousumption in the United States has increased in a tenfold degree; where a;thousand tons was nsed, six thousand is now used, and in this city, one house imports as much as the whole eight did, ten years ago. Then the iron trade of England with Austraha. Southern Africa and India has grown up siuce. Thousands of miles of railroad are constantly in course of construction in the latter country, as the cost of labor is next to nothing, and hundreds of ships leave England for it, freighted with iron, every year. Egypt has lately ahsorhed large quantities; Persia is heginniug to ahsorb foreign iron, and the quantity taken hy Russia from England for the great railway system, is simply enormous. Wages and the prices of necessarics of life haye arisen greatly during the decade, and the competition hoth between producers and sellers of iron has heen excessive. Hence, during 1871, the workmen in Europe came to the conclusion of ceasing to work at the rates at which they had heen previously employed, aud notified their masters to that effect. The latter promised them an advance after the new year, and that promise has heen kept. The stocks have heen low, as the manufacturers did not feel justified in keeping them up, on account of the unsatisfactory state of the market, at least this is what is alleged; certaiu it is that stocks are low, that they have been purposely kept so, and that orders are now high and cannot he satisfied. Tue Larcest Srove Founpry.—The stove foundry of Jewett & Root, Buffalo, is said to he the largest in the world. Thegreat stove warehouse is 100 hy 150 feet, and has seyeu floors, all, except the grouud floor and sample floor, heing piled with ever description of stove. (They have 250 distinct setsof patterns.) The foundry gives employment to 450 men, consumes from 40 to 55 tons of pig iron every day, and turnes out ahout 60,000 stoves a year. Gas.—In 1860, there were 810 gas companies in England aud Wales, 141 in Scotland and 64 in Tveland. The average price churged was $1.80 per 1,000 cn. ft. Iu 1863, there were 433 gas companies iu the Unitcd States, the price charged per 1,000 cu. ft., varying from $1.50 in Pittsburg, Pa., to $12.50 at Marysville, Cal. Stitt Burnine.—It is said several large coalpiles in Chicago have never heen extiuguished since the great fire. ~