Daily Alta California, Volume 12, Number 29, 30 January 1860 — EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE. Suscol, Napa Co., Jan. 26, 1860. [ARTICLE]

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE. Suscol, Napa Co., Jan. 26, 1860.

The Suscol Ranch. Suscol, (pronounced Soos-c6le,) an old Indian name, the meaning unknown to me, is applied to a large tract of land in the southeastern part of Napa County, formerly known as the " Suscol ranch," but when used alone ordinarily means that part of the ranch near the Suscol ferry across the Napa creek, five miles below the town of Napa. This ferry is on the main road from Benicia to Sonoma and Petaluma, and its importance is increased by the possession of an inn and the vicinity of the large orchards and nurseries of Gibb and Thompson. The Suscol rancho belonged to Gen. M. G. Vallejo in 1850, when it contained 72,000 acres, extending eight or ten miles from Suscol creek, which empties at the Suscol ferry into Napa creek, southward along the bank of that stream and the bay to near Benicia, and including the site of Vallejo, once the capital of the State. Vallejo. The site of this place was well chosen. The land lies well for a great city; indeed, not a town in the State can boast of a more beautiful location. The harbor is good, large, safe, and convenient of access. In the immediate vicinity of the town are the rich plains or low lands of the Suscol ranch, not less than 10,000 acres of excellent soil for farming and gardens, almost as good as can be found in any body of equal extent in the State. Besides, the town has a close connection with the rich valleys of Napa, Sonoma, Petaluma and Suisun, and can easily be united by railroad with Sacramento and Marysville, and through them with all the interior of the State. Again, Vallejo might have a close connection with the San Joaquin and southern coast valleys by railroads running southward from Martinez, through Stockton and San Jose. Gen. Vallejo's plans were well conceived when he proposed to build up this town as the Capital, but the project was too extensive for bis means and the State's, as they then were, and it failed; and the place would be entirely deserted now if it were not for employment given to laborers by the United States navy yard and public works on Mare Island, which is separated from the town by a channel a couple of hundred yards wide. I have heard a rumor that Gen. Vallejo will make another attempt to have the Capital established at his town, but have heard no particulars and cannot vouch for the authenticity of the rumor. The Suscol Orchards. The Suscol orchards are among the eldest, largest and best in the State. There are two of them— one of about one hundred and twen-ty-five acres, belonging to Daniel Gibb, of San Francisco; the other of about eighty acres, belonging to S. Thompson, who resides on his place. Each of these gentlemen has several hundred acres outside of his orchard, most of it good land. Mr. Gibb has two thousand apple; 7,500 peach, 500 pear, and 135 cherry trees; 3,000 grape vines, 1,000 gooseberry and 200 currant bushes; 75 acres in wheat and 25 in barley. The place is under the management of A. F. Beardsley, a botanist, nurseryman, and seed collector, whose name is not unknown to botanists and nurserymen outside of the State, as well as to those on this coast. Mr. Thompson, besides his orchard, has a vineyard of 8 or 10 acres, and a nursery of about 20 acres — the oldest and largest nursery north of the bay. Both the orchards are seven years old, are of fine fruit, and their general features have been well managed. They lie at the foot of the southwestern slope of a bill, on a soil mixed of clay. and gravel — mostly adobe land — which has enough moisture for orchard and garden purpose', without irrigation. And yet it is not bottom land, for it is 12 or 15 feet above the bottom of tbe Suscol creek. The hill, about four hundred yards from Mr. Beardsley's bouse, contains some fine springs, which furnish a large supply of water through the year, and lie so high that by means of a lead pipe, their water might easily he carried to the top of any building on the place. Tae Winds at Suscol. There are very few trees on the Suscol plains, and those few all lean to the northeast, for it is a peculiarity of this vicinity that the north winds all come from the southwest. That is, the wind which blows from the north, along the coast, enters the Golden Gate, divide there, part going southward to the Santa Clara valley, and part blowing northward towards Suscol and Benicia, which it pas.es on its way to the Interior of the State. Items about Tale Lands. A Mr. Wolcott, whom I have met here, has given me some items relative to the tule lands — items which I do not remember to have seen published. He says that Mr. Davis, the owner of a large ranch in Yolo county, made an experiment in cultivating rice, last season, in some fresh water tule land, and succeeded in getting a good crop. Mr. W. did not know the details. Among the indigenous plants growing in the fresh water tule land is a bulbous root, called the " Chinese potato," because it is collected and eaten by the Chinamen. It is dug with a sharp stick, and considerable quantities are sent to the Sau Francisco market, where, if rumor be true, it is sometimes sold for as much ten cents a pound. The Chinamen go out to collect these potatoes in sloops, three of which, ordinarily, go together. After they have obtained their cargoes, they go to Rio Vista, in the Sacramento river or slough, where they discharge, and the potatoes are thence taken to San Francisco by the large steamers coming down daily from Sacramento. The time for gathering these wild potatoes is in September. Considerable quantities of the tule lands have been bought of late, and a number of person! are preparing to try various experiments in cultivating them. Thin land is above fie level of the ordinary tides, but is overflowed by the spring tides, which come once a month. To protect the land against these, a levee or bank, several feet high, must be made, with gates here and there, so that the water can be let in and out as occasion may require. The spring floods cover the levees and all, but do no damage except tearing away a little of the embankment. When the land is to be reclaimed, the levee should be made in the spring after the flood, and the water should be kept out until September or October, when the tule, having been dried and killed by the want of water, is set on fire and is burned out, the fire following the roots down ten inches into the ground. The land is then in a fine condition for planting, and extremely rich. A ditching-plow, similar to one in use in the western States, has lately been constructed in Stockton, for making the levees on the tule lands; all the dirt taken from the ditch being thrown out on the one side and serving there as an embankment. If this plow should succeed, and the rice should produce good crops, there will be a demand for the tule lands. But Mr. Wolcott rays another experiment of much importance bas been tried near the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and found to succeed admirably. This has been done to convert those swamps into rich pastures. Cattle will eat the tule but do not thrive upon it, as they would upon finer grasses — for the tule is only a coarse rash. But after cattle have run over the tule land for a time, the tules begin to die, and alfafa then soon has been found to take root, kill out what remained of the tule and do well. The hardier red top grass, does still better, for it will kill out the tule even if its seed be sown over tule land which has never been visited by cattle. H. THE PLACERVILLE-GENOA ROAD.- The road crossing the mountains between this place and Carson Valley continues unobstructed, notwithstanding the severe storms that have rendered this winter distinguished for its severity. Qtner routes claiming a less altitude have been impa'sabie from the depth of snow, and severity of the weather upon their summits Tbe greatest depth of snow upon the PJacrrvllle and Carson road has been five feet, and npon that altitude assumed as tbe measure of tbe Henness Pass, two feet has be*n tbe greatest depth. The greatest altitude of this road is about 6,700 feet, and the altitude of tbe Beckwourth Pass abont 2,000 feet less ; consequently, the mountain is said to diminish ia height as we go north. Those who make such an assertion do not seem to be aware tbat the Beckwourth Pass is not at the summit of the mountain, altbongb it is at the divide of ihe water ahed. The Middle Fork of Feather river rises a( that point, and runs in deep" cations through tbe main ridge of the Sierra. To reach] Beckwourth Valley, |wo high riders roast be pro'ied. ftom two thousand to three thousand teet higher than the ralley. A measurement by competent engineers will settle tbe question; (ill then we will maintain (hat the Placerrille route has less snow, and is easier of passage, and in every respect superior to any other route crossing toe mountains. — Jl'lactnille O!>ttrvir. . . ■ Victoria Jtsticb. — In Victoria, a man named Owrg* Becker, arrested for having alolan properly, appeared before Judea Pemberton, but as no proof could he brought against him, he was ordered to (nil bail, himself in £20, and two sureties in '£10 each. In default to receive three months' bard labor, as a rogue and a vagabond. - - — "■ -■;■ -■■ ' CASi-HAaccxno op Ibok. — Cast iron may be ease hardened ,by beiog rolled at a red heat lo equal parts of powdered prussiaM of potash, saltpeter, and sal-ammoDlae, and by being then placed whilst yet hot, in a bath containing 2 ot. prussiala of potash, aad 4 as.- sal ammoniac ia *v.ry gallon _ef eeld y»t»r, j^jfo , tnr VkdiWV t,