John Vonderlin: 1871 Pacific Rural Press: Notes on Half Moon Bay

Story by John Vonderlin

Email John: [email protected]

Hi June,

Mr. Carter was back just a few weeks later on July 8, 1871, in the “Pacific Rural Press,” with another in his series of reports on crops on the Coastside. Dan Quail must have been the headline writer for this one. Enjoy. John
Notes on Half Moon Bay.—No. 3.
Potatoe(sic) Culture.
The potato is a good crop with us, and occupies a prominent place among our products. Planting commences as early as December, and continues till about June. Digging commences the last of April and continues late in the fall. The yield of the earliest planted is generally light; in many cases not amounting to anything. This spring has been unusually severe upon such, owing to continued cold north winds—being almost entirely destroyed where not well sheltered. The land has, however, been again planted with late potatoes, or sown to English mustard or buckwheat; so the use of it will not be lost, the later planting is now coming in, and is a good crop. Two crops are usually made on early potato ground. After the potatoes are dug, the land is plowed and beans dropped and covered in the furrows; sometimes mustard or buckwheat is substituted. In either case it is as good as a summer fallow for a grain crop the year following. The best potatoes are raised in the sandy bottom lands—alluvial deposits—but as such lands are of small area, most of the potatoes are raised in the black sandy loam; even to the top of the hills.
Seed Potatoes.
Considerable inquiry is made every planting season for potato seed; no one appears satisfied to replant their own, they want something better; they even want something better than their neighbors. Quite a lot of Humboldts have been planted this season. Humboldts having a good reputation, were thought to be the best change of seed to be had. With some who have tried them heretofore they are no favorites, not doing with them any better than our own seed; at least not till planted two seasons. Some say they do not do so well. As there are doubtless worthless Humboldts, as well as of other kinds, the fault was probably in the brand they tried. I have seen some hard looking ones come here for seed. The best brand of Pescadoro, two or three years from Humboldt seed, appear to all do better and have been planted extensively. But with all that no such potatoes are now raised as were eight or nine years ago—neither in quantity nor quality. The San Francisco dealer knows that a real good potato is hard to get, and that the good ones are confined to a very few brands. It cannot be said that the land runs out, for land equally rich is broken up every year. We know that the potato country changes from place to place. Union City and Centerville, were all the go in the early days; then came Bodega, Tomales, Humboldts, Lone Bay, etc. The best now come from the last three named, and even there, the prime article is confined to a very few brands. How long they will hold the sceptre remains to be seen. They have held it longer than the others, probably for the reason that with the fate of their predecessors before their eyes, they have taken more pains with the cultivation, and more particularly in the selection of their seed. I refer to the late potatoes. The cultivation of the earlies has increased very rapidly with us, and no better potatoes find their way into market early in the season than those from Half Moon Bay. The seed potatoes introduced direct from the States, by the Americans, in their first settlement of this country, astonished the natives by their great yield and superior quality. They had been planting their potatoes here, over and over again, till they were small potatoes indeed. I am inclined to believe that we are following in their footsteps, and unless we change about, we shall also, soon get into the small potato business.
New Varieties.
In the Eastern States the great value of the potato crop is well understood, and more attention is being given to maintain a high standard of excellence. New varieties are introduced every year to take the place of those inclined to run out or which have proved of no value. We have not the experience, and may I say—not the time or means to originate new varieties; but we should by all means introduce into our State from the East, the new varieties, as they are proved valuable. There is no fear that they will suffer by the change; per contra they are most likely to improve.
With the facilities of the railroad, it is no trouble to have any variety one chooses to try at very short notice, and it might prove one of the most satisfactory experiments on the farm. Among the early varieties, the Early Rose was tried here, but being exposed to the cold winds was destroyed. A few of the ” King of the Earlies,” a successor to the Early Rose, have been planted and appear to do well. Potatoes the size of a turkey egg were on the vines at the expiration of eight weeks from planting. They are a white potato, with very small vines, appearing to run to tubers rather than to tops. Another potato, a great favorite in the East, called the ” Peerless,” a late variety, is being tried on a small scale by a few. They look very well, have a finer, softer foliage than the old stock, of a lighter green, and, as a stock fancier would say, show more of the thoroughbred. One objection to these potatoes is that they are white, the favorite color at the East; while with us the red has the preference. I will send you an item in regard to these potatoes when they are dug, and let you know how they do.
Irrigation for Potafoes.
I saw an extensive field of potatoes being irrigated last week —the only circumstance of the kind I have known on the coast. What it was irrigated for I cannot tell, a finer looking or more thrifty field I never saw. It gave evidence of the want of anything but water. The owners were Portugese, who probably hold the idea that the more moisture, the better the potato. I must keep track of that field, and see if it proves any better than its neighbors. In my opinion it will not improve the quality of the potato, although it may the bulk, and I should be afraid they would take a second growth. They were planted about the Ist of March. The best crop of early potatoes I have seen this spring was from Humboldt seed, planted the last of January and dug about June Ist. G.W.T.C.

John Vonderlin: 1871 Pacific Rural Press: George Carter’s “Notes on Half Moon Bay”

Story by John Vonderlin

Email John: [email protected]

Hi June,

This is from the June 24th, 1871, issue of the “Pacific Rural Press,” The author is George Carter, (G.W.T.C.) who was a regular correspondent from the Coastside for the paper. There is some great stuff, not all of it agricultural-oriented, coming up, just from what I collected today. Meg forwarded the “Suspension Chute” story to some Pigeon Point docents, who were very excited by its contents. Who knows, it might be found on an exhibit there soon. I’ve got to go back over it, while looking at the few pictures that I have of the chute, to get it all straight in my mind. A California invention?, no less. Enjoy. John
Notes on Half Moon Bay.—No. 2.
Editors Press:—ln the valleys, water is obtained from the streams for stock and household purposes, it being in some cases raised by hydraulic rams. On the hills, springs abound in such profusion that a farm of almost any size can be had with plenty of water. Artesian well boring has been tried in several localities, but without success. A heavy growth of timber, principally redwood, covers the coast range, and extends well down some of the ridges and valleys, furnishing an abundance of lumber, fencing and wood. Lumber sells at the mills from $14 to $20 per M., according to the proximity of the mill to the settlement. Split redwood pickets, six feet long, of which most of the fencing is made, sell at from $10 to $15 per M., according to locality. We have four sawmills and one grist-mill. A large double circular sawmill has just been put in operation on the Purrissima, by Messrs. Borden and Hatch, to take the place of their old water mill that has been in use since 1853, but which is too slow for these times. A great many changes have taken place here since that old mill first started, which can only be realized by those residing here at that time. With the exception of the Denniston and the Johnston ranches, and a very few small tracts, the entire country has changed hands, most of it twice and three times. Some who lusted for the flesh-pots of other lands departed, but were well satisfied to find themselves back into the fog again.
Cultivation of Oats.
The natural production of this coast is oats, which will stand more exposure, more wet or dry, and more miserable, slipshod farming than anything else that grows, except weeds. They seem bound to make a crop, no matter how mean it looks, as late as June. They have been sown on the tops of the hills, past the middle of April, and without a drop of rain have turned out over,  four tons of hay to the acre; the ordinary yield is about 60 bushels; although a yield of 75 or 80 bushels is not unusual. I had a field of over 100 acres that averaged 100 bushels per acre some years ago. Four-fifths of the grain raised is oats. The large white English oats were tried to a considerable extent, but were not found to answer, on account of the straw falling so badly, making it too expensive in harvesting. The Norway oats are being tried by a number this year, and in such different localities and soils as will prove their profit and adaptibility to this climate. They are making big, rank straw, very deep green and healthy-looking, and they look as though they would fall down upon small provocation; but as we are told that they do not lodge, we hope such is not the case. After harvest I will send you the results. [We shall look with interest for the fulfillment of the promise.—Eds. Press.]
Cultivation of Barley.
Barley is a grain that demands better culture than oats to insure a crop. As a crop it has not been very successful here, nor much of a favorite. Barley fields began to be scarce; but as its cultivation is being better understood, it will be raised more extensively. The yield has usually been light, although a crop now and then yielded so enormously as to stagger belief; but went to show that our climate was not in fault; that the trouble was in the cultivation. A field near Spanishtown, some years ago, yielded 150 bushels per acre of common barley! Last year a field of 50 acres of Chevelier barley yielded 66 tons of hay, besides 2,340 bushels of grain. On the John Pitcher farm, last year, 76 sacks of Chevelier barley, weighing 109 pounds each, were taken from one acre. Mr. P. admits having made a pet of it; but it shows how well land likes to be petted.
Benefit of Rotation of Crops.
These yields were by many attributed to chance; but the condition of the soil had the most to do with it. The fields were miles apart, and the land not above the average. The first-named was preceded by a crop of beans, the next by a crop of English mustard, and the last by potatoes; in each case the soil was left in fine condition. The showing of the barley fields this year promise two sacks of grain on every acre sowed, following the above named crops to one on land sowed last year to grain! There are a few exceptions to this, but very few indeed.
A close observation of the fields this season will satisfy any farmer that if he wants a heavy orop of barley he must sow upon land not in grain the previous year; and if not able to do this, to plow twice or three times. If he cannot do this, he had better let it alone and sow oats.
The Cultivation of Wheat
Has also been on the decrease for some years, for the reason that it did not do well generally, and that a heavy crop of oats could be taken off where only a light yield of wheat could be had. I have heard farmers say they could raise oats enough on one acre to buy the product of two in wheat. This was true enough so far as they were concerned; but the trouble is the same as with the barley, the plant not taking kindly to the climate. It requires better culture than oats, and does not get it. The finest piece of wheat in this valley, and the only real heavy piece that such soil as ours should produce, is in a field now under cultivation for fifteen years, till the crops began to look shabby for the want of rotation. Last year this field was sowed late for English mustard, but failing to come well, the field was plowed up, put in order and left to produce the handsomest field of grain in the valley this year. G.W.T.C..

Barry Parr: On Politics

Story by Barry Parr

Recount called off in GSD election http://coastsider.com/index.php/site/news/4028/

Lisa McCaffrey has called off the recount of ballots in the Granada Sanitary District election after less than one day of counting. Ric Lohman, Gael Erickson, and Leonard Woren have won the election.

Because the recount was not completed, the original count for the election stands, according County Elections Manager David Tom.