Daily Los Angeles Herald

We have been at great pains to ascertain the present condition of the wheat and barley crops throughout Los Angeles county. An unusually large area was sown early, our farmers having abandoned the old and faulty plan of waiting till the first rains had fallen before setting their gang plows to work. Of the early sown grain much has attained a good stage of growth. In the San Fernando valley the wheat is looking very much better, and is in a very much more forward state than at this time last year. This is also the case at Newhall. On the coast ranchos the early sown grain is in splendid condition, much of that on the Centinela having attained a height of eight inches. Favorable accounts reach us from the San Gabriel, the Monte, Savannah, the Azusa, Spadra, and other points. The crops are not suffering for want of rain, and they could go three weeks still without injury. There is also no difference of opinion in the belief expressed by the grangers that a very little rain will insure an excellent crop as to all the early sown grain. We can't well get less than three inches of rain in February and March, and they would guarantee the largest crop of the cereals ever known in Los Angeles county. As we have already had four inches, this would only be allowing for a total rainfall of seven inches for the entire season. In the famous year of drouth 1876-77 we had six inches, so that it is certainly reasonable to suppose that in a year which opened so auspiciously as the present we shall beat 1876-77 by at least one inch. While the anxiety about rain is natural, it is really overstrained. From a crop standpoint we are almost certain to do better this year than last. Drought has simply become an impossible thing in Los Angeles county. Having reduced our immense flocks of sheep to numbers which are easily handled, we shall hear of no more distress resulting from overcrowding scanty pastures, and even without the assistance of the mesa farms our rancheros will raise more than enough grain for our local wants. One fair rain in February and another about the beginning of March will place Los Angeles county on nine guaranteed sweating.