 The main products of these California Ranchos were cow hides (called California greenbacks), tallow (rendered fat for making candles and soap) and California/Texas longhorn cattle horns that were traded for other finished goods and merchandise.This hide-and-tallow trade was mainly carried on by Boston-based ships that traveled for about 200 days in sailing ships about to around Cape Horn to bring finished goods and merchandise to trade with the Californio Ranchos for their hides, tallow and horns.The cattle and horses that provided the hides, tallow and horns essentially grew wild.