Book ^ u / '"C 'J ^ ^ / CALIFORNIA ITS P RODUCTS RES OURCES INDUSTRIES and ATTRACTIONS WHAT IT OFFERS THE IMMIGRANT, HOMESEEKER, INVESTOR, and TOURIST : Published by the ; CALIFORNIA LEWIS AND CLARK EXPOSITION COMMISSION COMMISSION GOV. GEO. C. PARDEE, Commissioner J. A. FILCHER, FRANK WIGGINS. - - Deputy Commissioners EDITED BY T. G. DANIELLS NOTE.— The illustration on the cover of this book is a reproduction of an oil painting entitled " California," by Raschin. It is used here through the courtesy of the owner, Mr. Charles Newman, Russ House, San Francisco, Cal. SACKAMENTO W. W. SHANNON - - SUPERINTENDENT STATE PRINTING 1905 CONTENTS. PREFACE - - - - HISTORICAL SKETCH TOPOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA . - - - THE TRIUMPH OF IRRIGATION - THE MINERAL WEALTH OF CALIFORNIA THE OIL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA - HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA - ORANGE-GROWING IN CALIFORNIA - - ORANGES IN THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS - THE OLIVE IN CALIFORNIA - - - - VITICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA - - - RAISIN-GROWING IN CALIFORNIA - - THE FIG IN CALIFORNIA - - - - THE FORESTS OF CALIFORNIA THE LUMBER INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA THE FISHES OF CALIFORNIA CATTLE-RAISING IN CALIFORNIA DAIRY INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA - POULTRY-RAISING IN CALIFORNIA - THE HONEY INDUSTRY IN CALIFORNIA THE BEET -SUGAR INDUSTRY OF CALI- FORNIA COMMERCE AND COMMERCIAL RELATIONS OF CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURES OF CALIFORNIA - BANKS AND BANKING ----- CALIFORNIA'S SCHOOLS MORAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE IN CALI- FORNIA - - - THE OUTDOOR LIFE OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA'S HEALTH RESORTS - - TRAVELING IN CALIFORNIA PAST AND PRESENT OF THE FRANCISCAN MISSIONS OF CALIFORNIA - - - - CALIFORNIA'S CALL TO THE IMMIGRANT CALIFORNIA AT ST. LOUIS - - - - Pace. 3 Carrie J. Pratt J. A . Filcher X. P. Chipman Wm. E. Smythe - Lewis E. Anburii - Dr. a T. Deane - Arthur R. Briggx - E. J. Wicki>on A. H. Naftzger J. Parker Mliitnej/ George C. Roeding - Charles Ilundschu D. D. Allison - George C. Roeding W. H. 3fills - E. J. Holt - David Starr Jordan Peter J. Shields - Arthur R. Briggs - L. C. Byce - George L. Emerson - James M. Tai/hir 5 10 ^. 41 46 53 71 75 80 86 93 99 105 113 121 127 IM 138 143 145 Jawes D. Phelau 14! » Charles E. Bancroft - - 157 J. A'. Lynch 161 Robert Furlong - - 168 Rev. Charles R. lirown - 174 ]\'illia)n Greer Harrison - 181 A.J. Wells - 187 Elwyn IToffman - - 195 J. R. Knowland 203 John P. Irish - 212 215 AUG 14jy^« ^m PREFACE. The purpose of this book is to disseminate accurate information regarding California. It is to give those who seek enlightenment facts and figures that in every instance may be verified upon per- sonal investigation. There is no purpose in exaggerating the resources and attractions of such a marvelous land as California. One of the contributors to these pages writes : "I have told every- thing just as I would want it told me if I had in view a change of location. The truth is plenty good enough as to anything con- cerning California." That spirit, it is trusted, has been carried out in every paragraph and sentence of the book. Each subject has been treated by one who has particular knowledge of it and who has undertaken the task through love of his State and a desire to render it a service ; and also, possibly, because of a feeling that something which may have gone before needs more careful treat- ment. Some of the contributors are of national renown; all are recognized in California as particularly qualified to write on their several subjects. If the details of this little work are curtailed, it is because of an embarrassment of riches, rather than a lack of them. To amplify and supplement the matter here set forth the reader may obtain printed or specifically written information from any of several large bureaus maintained for that purpose up and down the State — the State Board of Trade and Promotion Committee of San Francisco; Chambers of Commerce of Los Angeles, Sacra- mento, Oakland, San Jose, Fresno, and Stockton; and if anything further is desired regarding still smaller communities, a board of trade or similar body maintained at every county seat and in most of the towns will, upon request, promptly forward reliable information. PREFACE. This book is a revision of the one issued by mandate of the law carrying the appropriation through which California was enabled to place an exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In that respect it is official, and by that fact it must be realized that it is in the interest of no individual; of no single community. It is for the whole of California— designated by one of the greatest of Americans as that "Empire of the Pacific," whose extent and importance he expressed in that title, and whose destiny he so clearly foreshadowed. With this brief introduction, the California Commission to the Lewis and Clark Exposition present this book, in the hope that it will be accepted as a true, earnest and impartial presentation of the conditions in California; as giving reliable information to all who may be seeking it. CALIFOKNIA Its Products, Kesources, Industries and Attractions. HISTORICAL SKETCH. By CARRIE J. PRATT. Many and diverse are the elements which have gone into the making of the "Golden State." Strangely different actors have played their part, and left their impress where they played. The country itself and its aboriginal inhabitants were long a source of attraction to the Spanish conquerors. In 1536, Cortes and his followers superficially inspected Lower California. They likened the land to the famous island of Amazons, described in the old Spanish romance, "Sergas de Espladian," in which the author speaks of "the great island of California, where an abundance of gold and precious stones is found." With the inherent poesy of the Spanish race they named the territory California, In 1542, Cabrillo sailed along the coast, and over a century later Viscaino explored it, mapping the bays of San Diego and Mon- terey, Sir Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth's daring buccaneer, in cruising the Pacific for Spain's treasure ships, discovered, in 1579, the bay which bears his name. He called the land "New Albion." Spain's desire for new possessions and the missionary zeal of the Franciscans under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra led to the colonization of California in 1768. This fervid religious enthusiast, and Jose Galvez, visitador-general to Mexico from Spain, fitted out four expeditions which set out by land and sea. The vicissitudes of travel were many. Finally, the travelers reached San Diego, and on July 16, 1769, they founded the mission of that name. Despite their exhausted condition, a detachment was sent northward to find the bay of Monterey, which had been mapped out by Viscaino. It was this party that missed its objec- tive point and found instead the important bay of San Francisco, This discovery led to the establishment of the mission of San Francisco, in the year of our national independence. 6 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. By the end of 1823, when the last and most northerly mission had been planted at Sonoma, these religions houses had grown to twenty-one in number and had acquired great wealth in olive, orange and grape plantations and herds of cattle and horses. The Indians were converted to Christianity, weaned from their barbaric and nomadic state, and induced to lead a settled life. The Spanish government provided a presidio, or military station, near each mission. The pueblos, also a sort of adjunct to the missions, were towns established to promote the settlement of the country. They maintained local and civil government independent of church or military rule. To Calif ornians of the present day, the missions are memorials of the older civilization which keep alive the con- tinuity of historic interest. The ruined buildings are a source of inspiration to artists and the motifs for much of the domestic, civic and religious architecture of Modern California. As the years rolled on, explorers of different nationalities now and again touched at points along the coast, but only the Russians established a settlement, which, however, was abandoned after a short period. The political situation of the whole country was much altered when, in 1822, the many revolutionary upheavals in Mexico cul- minated in her proclamation of independence from Spain. The republican government was unfavorable to the Church, and the Mexican congress enacted a law providing for the dispersion of the Franciscan fathers of California and a division of their vast principalities among the settlers and the Indians. Soon after this the secularization of the missions began. They were stripped of their wealth; the buildings were neglected, the Indians scattered, and the ownership of the land fell to the lot of the Mexican rancheros. These were mostly of Spanish lineage, whose principal occupation was the raising of cattle for hides and tallow. They were, on the whole, a simple, kindly and unprogressive people, much given to picturesque apparel, gay colors and fiestas. They rode a great deal, visited one another frequently, enjoyed many sports, music and dancing, lived to a ripe old age, and had very large families. These were the days of boundless hospitality, when every stranger was welcome at the haciendas and became a guest for as long as he chose to remain. Those happy patriarchal times of the splendid idle forties— how they vanished upon the advent of the gringo— the stranger from across the plains ! By 1846 a number of Americans had found their way to the new territory. They had come as trappers and traders, and were men of valor and sturdiness— the heralds of Anglo-Saxon suprem- acy. A spirit of local independence developed rapidly among them. This led to a silent conflict between them and the Mexicans, resulting in a jealousy of Mexican control and bitter political feuds between rival factions around Monterey in the north and Los Angeles in the south. About this time the attention of the United States government began to be strongly attracted toward California, and the French HISTORICAL SKETCH. / and the English were looking in this direction Avith a view to pos- sibly taking possession of the country. All the circumstances connected with the seizing of California will probably never be known. It appears, however, that the authorities at Washington, having determined on a war with Mexico and being fully aware of the importance to the United States of an extension of territory to the Pacific, resolved to take possession of California, so that after the termination of the war this country would become a part of the Union. At all events, Fremont, while engaged in conducting a scientific expedition on the Pacific Coast, received, in May, 1846, verbal instructions from an officer dispatched from Washington. He at once turned back, made his way to Sutter's Fort, then to Sonoma, where he organized a battalion of mounted riflemen, and prepared to make war against the Mexicans. On the 14th of June, 1846, a party of Americans took possession of the town of Sonoma and raised the Bear Flag. On the 5th of July following, this Bear Flag party declared their independence, made Fremont governor and issued a formal decla- ration of war. Two days afterwards Commodore Sloat, under orders from the United States government, seized Monterey, and Captain Montgomery raised the American flag in San Francisco. The conquest was completed by Commodore Stockton and General Kearny. By the treaty with Mexico in 1848, California became American territory, and another milestone was reached in its progress. Upon the acquisition of California the United States revenue laws were extended over the territory and San Francisco made a port of entry, but no further progress was made toward creat- ing a government. The discussion as to what should be done with California when acquired began in Congress in 1846, and the question of slavery or no slavery was at once raised. When it became American territory the question of its admission into the Union was counted as one of supreme importance. There were fifteen free states and fifteen slave states, and, of course, an equal representation in the Senate. The addition of the sixteenth free state would turn the scale and mark the beginning of a preponder- ance of free-state power in Congress. Against this, resistance on the part of the South was almost desperate. A furious conflict was waged between the oratorical giants of Congress, but nothing concluded. The dilator iness was most harassing to the Californians, who soon realized that a state organization was the only feasible scheme which promised the country a government. In accordance with this conviction the people, in September, 1849, framed a constitu- tion which forbade slavery. On the 9th of September of the fol- lowing year, 1850, and without having gone through any novitiate as a territory, California sprang into full being as a common- wealth and was admitted to the sisterhood of states. An important era dates from the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill, on January 24, 1848. The news that gold had been found 8 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. sped to the most distant parts of the world. A great tide of migration swept westward, and the vast Pacific was covered with the sailing craft of all nations. The mighty historic body of gold-seekers— the Argonauts— arrived in 1849. Many of tliese journeyed with ox team across the plains and struggled through the Sierra, braving the famine and horror of the desert and the perils of predatory Indians. Women and children shared with men the privations of the terrible overland trail. Simultaneously with the coming of the overland contingent, ships were fitted out for the long voyage around Cape Horn, and steamers were put on to carry people by way of Panama. The majority of the new- comers were young, unmarried men of brawn and vigor, con- temptuous of obstacles and reckless of their lives. They had the qualities which made them fit to do battle with and to overcome wild man and nature. They came with one idea— to get rich quickly and return home. The scramble for gold lasted until the mountains and gulches had been scratched over and a decline in gold production had set in. Then those who came to mine remained to till. The pick and the shovel gave way to the plow and the hoe. Instead of golden nuggets, the earth was made to yield a harvest of golden grain. This was the beginning of the great wheat-planting era, before the versatility of California's soil was realized. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 furthered the prosperity of the State and gave an impetus to the immigration of home builders. California's second "gold" discovery— the navel orange— dates from the seventies. Like Marshall's find, it was the magnet to draw to the State thousands of strangers. These, unlike the first- comers, were colonists who brought with them their household gods and set up homes, laid out orange groves, and awaited results. The orange was the incentive to other horticultural discoveries, and to-day California has no equal among the states, nor indeed, among the countries of the world, in horticultural possibilities. It has more acres in grapes than New England has in corn, and it produces more wine than all the rest of the Union put together. Its beet sugar is a formidable rival to the cane product of tropic lands. It exports raisins to Spain, prunes to Germany and France, and will very soon take the fig trade of the world from Smyrna. California, with a coast line about one fifth the total coast line of the United States, has, by value, one fourteenth of the fisheries ; it has the densest forests of merchantable timber in the world; its yearly gold output is up in the millions of dollars, and its oil wells now exceed and bid fair to outlast the productiveness of those of Pennsylvania. In comparison with the other states in the Union, California ranks second in area, twenty-first in population, and eighteenth in order of admission. Its coast line, measured in all its sinuosities, is nearly one thousand miles in length, and its eastern boundary conforms to the curve of the seacoast, so that its breadth is approx- imately the same throughout, averaging about two hundred miles. The total land area is 155,980 square miles. 10 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. To give a category of the State's resources and advantages would be an endless task. In his addres.ses to the people of Cali- fornia, in 1903, President Roosevelt said : " 'The Golden State' has a future of even brighter promise than most of her older sisters, and yet the future is bright for all of us. * * * In the century that is opening, the commerce and the command of the Pacific will be factors of incalculable moment in the world's history. * * * in the South Seas the great commonwealth of Australia has sprung into being. Japan, shak- ing off the lethargy of centuries, has taken her rank among civilized modern powers * * * and European nations have seated themselves along the coast of China. Meanwhile our own mighty republic has stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and now in California, Oregon, Washington; in Alaska, Hawaii and the Philippines, holds an extent of coast line which makes it of neces- sity a power of the first class in the Pacific. America's geograph- ical position on the Pacific is such as to insure our peaceful domination of its waters in the future if we only grasp with sufficient resolution the advantages of that position. We are tak- ing long strides in that direction. Witness the cables we are laying down, the steamship lines we are starting— some of them already containing vessels larger than any freight carriers that have pre- viously existed. We have taken the first steps toward digging an isthmian canal, to be under our own control; a canal which will make our Atlantic and Pacific coast lines in effect continuous, which will be of incalculable benefit to our mercantile navy, and above all to our military navy in the event of war. * * * Much of our expansion must go through the 'Golden Gate.' And inevitably, you who are seated by the Pacific must take the lead in and must profit by the growth of American influence along the coasts and among the islands of that mighty ocean, where East and West finally become one." TOPOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. By J. A. FILCH ER, California Commissioner to Lewis and Clark Exposition. In its topography California is distinct and striking. Two ranges of mountains practically inclose a great interior basin or valley. On the east is the high Sierra range, on the summits of which snow remains all the year; on the west is the low Coast Range, which gathers snow enough occasionally during the winter months to whiten its highest points a few days at a time. These mountain ranges converge at Elount Shasta in the northern part 12 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. of the State, and again at Tehachapi in the south. Tlie great valley lying between them is one expanse of practically level or unbroken territory, from 500 to 600 miles long and from 40 to 60 miles wide. The northern portion is drained by the Sacramento river and its tributaries, and is called the Sacramento valley. The southern portion is drained by the San Joaquin river and its trib- utaries, and is called the San Joaquin valley. These rivers empty into the easterly portion of San Francisco bay, and the Golden Gate is their common outlet to the sea. The eastern boundary line of the State between California and Nevada follows closely the summit of the Sierra, and on the western or California side the decline is very gradual, forming an immense watershed, embracing the gold-mining region of the State, vast forests of superior commercial timber, and in the lower altitudes, where less rugged, the great Sierra foothill fi'uit belt. The Coast Range consists of different spurs, and between these are valleys of greater or less dimensions that are exceedingly fertile. Among the most noted of these valleys north of San Francisco bay are Sonoma valley, Napa valley, Vaca valley, and Ukiah valley. Near Clear lake is what is known as Scott's val- ley, very productive, but of higher altitude. South of San Fran- cisco bay, not counting the many small and very fertile valleys in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, are Santa Clara valley, Pajaro valley, Salinas valley, Santa Maria valley, and several other extremely rich but smaller valleys in San Luis Obispo and north- ern Santa Barbara counties. South of the Tehachapi range, which terminates the great San Joaquin valley, is what is commonly known as Southern California. This part of the State is more or less broken by low mountains, but the region between them and the seacoast is extensive, and this and the valleys lying between the different mountain ranges are noted for a bountiful yield of every semi-tropic and other product that has helped to make California famous. Back of the mountains in Southern California lies the Mojave desert. On this desert, where water has been developed, plant products have proven profitable ; otherwise it presents to the eye a great expanse of unbroken sterility. This desert and the moun- tains that are too steep for cultivation embrace about 60,000,000 acres, or three fifths of the total area of the State, leaving about 40,000,000 acres, or two fifths of the area of the State, that is arable. Thus is the topography of California briefly outlined. The coast trend of the State being northwest and southeast, presents a right angle front to the Japan or equatorial current that ever comes up from the southwest to lave its shores. It is this warm current that gives California its temperate and equable climate, and it is this current that gives to the entire State, north, south, and central, the same general average temperature at points of the same altitude and the same distance from the sea. It is the topography of California that diversifies its climate more than latitude. Mountain ranges afford different altitudes, TOPOGRAPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS. 13 and altitude affects temperature. These same ranges govern air currents, and these again have a bearing on the climate. On the coast where the summer sea breezes are ever present, the temper- ature is greatly modified, and the atmosphere is refreshing. By reason of the cooler summers on the coast, the seasons are more backward. It is in the warmer vales on the eastern or valley side •of the Coast Range, or on the sunny slopes of the Sierra foothills, above the fogs and below the snow, where the sun shines always except when the clouds are passing, and in the sheltered valleys of the south, that the earliest of California's early products are grown. The entire Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, being sheltered from sea breezes by the Coast Range mountains, present an early field, but not so early as the foothills of the Sierra, or as the sheltered vales of Central or Southern California. These facts are mentioned as interesting to the prospective producer, since the earliest fruits and vegetables are generally the most profitable. In this connection it may be stated that a new mark (or date) for California's earliest fruits is promised by the products from the desert, not important now, but which are becoming gradually more extensive as from year to year more water is being developed. Enough of the sea breezes blow through the Golden Gate to affect the temperature of the great interior valleys by evening, and it is this influence which gives to them the delightful characteristic of cool summer nights. While the soils of the valleys and sloping hills are generally rich in the elements that go to make plant life, in some portions the soil is richer and more productive than in others. These differences, as well as the air currents that affect the temperature, have their bearing on vegetation, and especially on the fruit of the plant, and they are subjects that have to be studied by the farmer and the horticulturist. Temperature and soil elements affect not only production, but especially the quality of the product, and they must be considered by the producer. A luscious grape, for instance, can be grown almost anywhere below a certain altitude in California; but the grape of the warm interior would have too much sugar for a light dry table wine, while the grape of the cooler bay counties would not have sugar enough for a good raisin. Hence we must grow our dry wines in the cool bay counties and our sweet wines and raisins in the warmer interior. Dry, warm weather is essential also for successfully curing raisins, and hence Fresno and adjoin- ing counties in the heart of the great San Joaquin valley, where soil and climatic conditions are ideal, have become the great raisin center of the State. Again, with the Tokay table grape color is an essential selling quality ; it is therefore important to plant these grapes where there is plenty of iron or coloring matter in the soil. This is also true of peaches. For this reason the red iron soil of the Sierra foothills region is commanding attention as the field for the production of the best of these products. These are instances, but they serve to suggest caution in the selection of locality for any particular production. Prunes grow 14 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. to large size and are generally successful throughout the great interior orchard sections of the State ; but the best prunes, those which in thinness of skin, size of pit, texture of flesh, and delicacy of flavor come nearest the ideal, are grown in the valleys of the Coast Range. Thus. Santa Clara valley enjoys more fame from its prunes than has the county by reason of its possession of the Lick Observator}' or the Stanford University. Again, the foothills, so well adapted to peaches, table grapes, pears and certain varieties of plums, are not the best place for apricots. This fruit requires a deep, rich loam, and hence the river bottom land of the interior valleys and the deep, dark soil of the Coast Range valley's and around San Francisco bay can be depended on for the thriftiest trees and the best crops. Citrus fruits require a deep, rich soil and a congenial climate, warm in the summer and not too cold in the winter. The Avinter in San Francisco would not hurt an orange tree, yet the summer is too cool for the proper development of the fruit ; hence San Francisco and adjacent coast country are not properly within the California citrus belt. Nearly all the arable regions of Southern California have con- ditions favorable to citrus fruit production, and it is here nearly all the oranges and lemons are at present grown, yet the Sierra foothills and the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, where soil conditions are favorable, are extending their groves and adding each year to their output of this staple California fruit. It is said the olive will grow anywhere, even on impoverished soil, but experience has shown that, like all other fruit, it appre- ciates good soil, and responds generously to good care. There is much in soil and temperature in California and the adaptability of certain conditions for the best results in certain lines of products which the oldest or wisest inhabitant has not yet satisfactorily solved; but enough is known, as the result of exten- sive and expensive experiments, to suggest to the novice, or the newcomer, that he must exercise care in selecting a location for the pursuit of any particular line of husbandry. He may do fairly well in almost any lijie. almost anywhere, but what he should endeavor to learn is the locality in which he can do better in his particular line than he could do elsewhere. Ask questions, observe what others are doing, and make comparisons— this is the quickest, easiest and safest way to learn the truth. CLIMATE OP CALIFORNIA. 15 CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA. By N. p. CHIPMAN, President of the State Board of Trade. California must be counted among the most valuable posses- sions of the United States for many reasons; chiefly, however, because of the matchless climate of the State and the high economic value it bestows upon a large area of arable land whose coast line measures 850 miles from point to point, the average width of the State being about 200 miles. The south boundary line of latitude emerges on the Atlantic coast near Savannah, Georgia, and the north parallel near Boston, Massachusetts. Between these two latter points lie ten states of the Union. It counts for something to the nation that this extended coast line, on the Pacific Ocean, is fortressed by a region capable of support- ing many millions of people and that the coast to the Canadian boundary is backed by a country of almost boundless resources. It is not generally appreciated that all of France, all of Italy north of Rome, and half of Spain lie north of the north boundary of California. This relative position on the west coast of our conti- nent would suggest a mild climate, but not necessarily its unique and exceptional character. It is the purpose of the writer to bring to public attention the principal features of this climate and to show its economic value. Professor Alexander G. McAdie, District Forecaster of the United States Weather Bureau, San Francisco, states that the climate of California is controlled by four great factors: (1) The movements of the great continental and oceanic pressure areas (commonly called "high" and "low"), together with the move- ments of individual pressure areas; (2) the prevailing drift of the atmosphere in temperate latitudes from west to east; (3) the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, with a mean annual temperature near the coast line of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a great natural con- servator of heat, to which is chiefly due the moderate range of temperature along the coast from San Diego even to Tatoosh island (extreme northwest coast of Washington) ; and, (4) the exceedingly diversified topography for a distance of 200 miles from the coast inland. To this diversified topography is due the fact that California is a land of many climates, "from the hottest sub-tropical to the cold temperate, and from the driest desert to the most humid regions of the higher mountains and northern coast. ' ' The Sierra Nevada mountains form a natural boundary line on the east, rising gradually from the west to a height of from 8,500 to 14,000 feet, much above the snow line, and falling off to the Nevada plateau, which is about 4,000 feet above sea level. The 16 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. Coast Range mountains form a broad belt, traversing the entire coast, and consist of two or three parallel ranges from 3,200 to 5,000 feet high, and between these ranges are many rich valleys, some of large extent. The Coast Range merges into the Siskiyou mountains on the north, a connecting link with the Sierra, crowned by Mount Shasta; and the Tehachapi mountains, far to the south, form another connecting link. Between the Sierra and the coast mountains and these connect- ing mountain links lies the Great Central Valley of California, about 400 miles long and from 50 to 60 miles wide ; an agricultural district of great fruitfulness, comprising quite one ninth of the State. There is but little waste land in it. The northern portion is blessed by ample rainfall, and the southern part, Avhen watered, is every^vhere very productive, as is the entire valley. The Sacra- mento river runs south through the northern portion (Sacramento valley), rising near Mount Shasta; the San Joaquin river runs north through the southern portion (San Joaquin valley) ; the two rivers uniting near the middle of the great valley and flowing westward into San Francisco bay, and thence through the ' ' Golden Gate" into the Pacific Ocean. There is here a wide break in the Coast Range through which the summer trade winds find their way into the interior, an impor- tant factor in the climatic conditions of the valley. This sea breeze every summer afternoon blows up stream, north into the Sacra- mento valley and south into the San Joaquin valley, thus temper- ing the heat of the great valley. This influence, together with the drj^ness of the atmosphere, renders the occasional high tempera- tures of these two valleys more easily endurable at 110 degrees than is 95 degrees in the humid regions of the Eastern States. South of the Tehachapi mountains the Sierra continue at less elevation, and are locally called Sierra Madre. The wonderfully developed region known as Southern California lies west. On the east is the Mojave desert, and south and east the Colorado desert; important regions of the State as yet but partially developed, but of great fertility by the application of water, which the genius and enterprise of the people will surely bring in touch with the land. As in the north, the breaks in the Coast Range and in the Sierra Madre become important factors in modifying the climate of the interior. In Southern California and in Central California (San Joaquin valley) extensive irrigation systems already in operation greatly mitigate, if they do not satisfactorily supply, the lack of rainfall. Irrigation is also being much resorted to in the Sacra- mento valley. The prevailing winds come from the ocean and are Winds, principally from the southwest landward, producing a cool summer climate along the immediate coast. Fogs sometimes sweep in from the ocean, more or less unfavorably affecting the enjoyment of the climate, but by their moisture con- tributing to the growth of vegetation. These fogs are less harsh on the south coast. The heat rising from the great valley draws a CLIMATE OP CALIFORNIA. 17 strong current from the trade winds through the Golden Gate that divides as it passes and extends south to the Tehachapi mountains and north to ]\Iount Shasta, rendering the air of the valley more delightful. The same drift of the trade winds tempers the air far into the interior in Southern California. The high movintain bar- rier on the east, through the length of the State, deflects the cold wdnds that sweep down over the Nevada plains in winter from Alaska and prevents their entrance into the valley regions of Cali- fornia. Dry north winds sometimes blow through the great valley in summer, raising the temperature, and are occasionally injurious to grooving crops, but they seldom continue more than three or four days, when they are succeeded by the balmy and cool ocean breezes. Along the immediate coast the average winter and sum- mer temperature differs only about four degrees, and one of the characteristic features of the San Francisco climate is exemplified by the sight of furs worn by ladies over summer garments, and fires in sunimer are not infrequent. All along the coast, however, there are thousands of sheltered nooks and small valleys and sequestered spots, where the fogs and harsh winds of the coast have no appreciable effect and where the climate is charming and sunny to the last degree, both winter and summer. The terms "winter" and "summer," as commonly Rainfall, used in the Eastern States, have no application in California. The year is more properly divided into "rainy season" (winter) and "dry season" (summer). Prac- tically all the rain falls from about the first of November until April; the remaining months of the year are rainless, except in some parts of the mountains and on the coast north of Cape Men- docino, where occasional summer show^ers occur. Cereal crops mature in early summer after rain ceases, and no housing of crops is necessary for protection against rain in harvest time. The rainfall of California is a characteristic feature of the cli- mate. A word as to its source and cause will be interesting. Professor McAdie points out that over the North Pacific Ocean in winter there exists an area of low barometer (latitudes 40 and 60 degrees north and 130 degrees west to 140 degrees east longitude), while an area of high pressure overlies the greater part of North America with a southwest extension to the Tropics and west to the one hundred and sixtieth meridian. He says: "We shall find that typical wet winters on the California coast occur when this great North Pacific low extends well eastward overlying the conti- nent w'est of a line draAAai from San Francisco to Calgary (Can- ada). At the same time the great continental high area appar- ently recedes to the southeast. On the other hand, the pressure distribution characteristic of a dry winter on the California coast is marked by the prevalence of the continental high over the entire country' west of the Rocky mountains." Our A^dnter rain storms (barring an occasional one coming in from the ocean unheralded) have their origin off the coast of Van- 18 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC, couver, and curiously enough are attended in the great valley by south winds. The storms diminish in intensity as they travel south, tapering off as they approach Southern California. The table will show this graphically, from which will be seen also the great variations of rainfall within the State, and even within the great valley. In 1904, for example, the rainfall at Eureka, Hum- boldt county, on the innnediate coast, was 64.47 inches, and at San Diego l)ut 6.61. At Crescent City, Del Norte county, adjoining Humboldt (farther north), the rainfall reached 107.61 inches. At Redding, Shasta county (interior), the rainfall was 56.87 inches; at Red Bluff, forty miles south, 33.96 inches; at Sacramento, 20.99 inches; Fresno (center of San Joacjuin valley), 13.33 inches; Bakersfield (extreme southern point of valley), 6.68 inches. In the Sierra Nevada mountains the rainfall increases about one inch for every one hundred feet elevation. The direction of the coast valleys exerts striking influence upon rainfall and temperature, dependent upon the facility for the trade winds to reach them. The climatic and agricultural char- acter of the foothills, up to 2,000 or 2,500 feet, is much the same as in the valley. Even higher fine deciduous fruits are grown. Still higher are the lumbering camps, mining, and thousands of cattle and sheep are herded in summer where in winter the moun- tains are deeply covered with snow. Illustrative of the character- istic variations of climate it may he stated that in the vicinity of Truckee, Nevada county, elevation 5,819 feet, the temperature (January 23d) was 12 degrees below zero and the snowfall for the year was 200.5 inches. At Rock] in, Placer county, thirty miles west, elevation 249 feet, the lowest temperature was 28 degrees above. All the natural ice consumed in California was made near Truckee while oranges were being gathered for market around Rocklin. I have prepared the following table from the ' ' Annual ture^^^^~ Summary, California section, of the Weather Bureau," for 1904. It shows not only temperature of points; but also rainfall, elevation of points above the sea, clear and cloudy days. I have taken illustrative points in Northern and Central California, the coast country and the mountains. It will be noted that while the annual mean temperature of the Pacific Coast does not differ greatly from the annual mean of the Atlantic Coast, the average summer and average winter here and on the Atlantic are wide apart, and the extremes between the highest and lowest temperature are very great. It is this exemp- tion from extremes of temperature that constitutes the charm, and healthfulness as well, of the Pacific Coast. In tlie interior, especially in the great valley, the seasons show greater extremes of temperature, but, as already suggested, the dryness of the air renders these extremes less felt than on the coast where the air is more moist. The limit of winter cold is the test of what may be grown rather than the average temperature. And so we find citrus fruit flourishing from the north to the south end of the great valley, and orange-growing is a leading industry CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA. 19 CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA FOR THE YEAR 1904. County. Auburn Chico Red Bluff... Sacramento. Placerville.. Napa Marysville Willows... Vacaville . \\oodland Bakersfleld ... Fresno Porterville.. Stockton Hanford Merced Eureka San Francisco- S. Luis Obispo. Santa Barbara San Rafael Ilealdsburg... Monterey Watson ville .. San Jos6- Oakland Bodie Independence Quincy Sisson _. Summit Truckee. San Diego S. Bernardino. Riverside C^hino. Los Angeles... Anaheim Cuyamaca Claremont Barstow Azusa Placer Butte - Tehama. Sacramento... El Dorado Napa Yuba Glenn Solano Yolo Kern Fresno Tulare San Joaquin ._ Kings Merced Humboldt San Francisco. S. Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara Marin Sonoma Monterey Santa Cruz Santa Clara. .. Alameda Mono _ Inyo Plumas -. Siskiyou Placer Nevada San Diego S. Bernardino. Riverside S. Bernardino. Los Angeles... Orange San Diego Los Angeles... S. Bernardino. Los Angeles... 1,360 193 307 71 1,820 60 67 136 175 1-.3 404 293 461 23 349 173 64 155 201 130 56 52 1 2 95 36 8,248 3,907 3,400 3,555 7,017 5,819 93 1,054 851 714 293 134 4,543 1,200 2,105 540 Temperature. (degrees Fahren- heit.) 62.3 62.4 62.8 60.1 55.5 57.5 61.1 62.5 61.1 64.4 64.4 63.7 64.1 58.8 62.3 62.6 51.9 56.4 59.3 61.4 58.0 59.5 55.2 61.1 59.6 57.9 38.3 59.9 49.7 50.6 45.9 42.2 62.4 63.7 63.1 64.6 63.9 68.0 49.3 64.3 66.8 64.6 102 108 108 102 98 110 109 105 109 104 111 109 112 104 108 110 81 101 106 95 110 113 98 101 106 99 86 97 93 107 76 88 94 110 110 103 97 104 85 107 109 104 t 3£, 30 27 29 32 14 29 29 28 28 32 22 28 25 27 20 20 32 38 30 33 30 27 32 29 29 33 14 19 5 8 6 12 36 25 27 20 35 28 9 30 30 26 Precipita- tion. (inches.) 47.55 30.39 33.96 20.99 52.21 30.73 26.90 23.27 34.92 24.37 6.68 13.33 10.77 16.86 10.11 12.84 64.47 24.72 22.62 20.82 51.41 62.33 18.34 21.10 16.12 33.06 20.10 2.62 61.42 55.11 76.54 40.19 6.61 10.24 6.63 8.89 11.88 9.13 26.81 12.54 .80 13.68 ^£. 1.0 4.5 127.5 76.5 150.5 498.0 200.5 9.0 64 72 82 78 89 73 65 44 80 50 28 45 39 61 32 34 129 83 54 41 68 86 44 57 51 83 41 19 85 85 85 79 34 38 34 19 30 21 52 35 4 29 Sky. 219 118 269 156 208 194 172 217 239 167 250 233 255 175 187 149 240 271 313 307 63 50 75 78 13 95 62 50 118 37 38 54 115 56 53 99 83 76 134 >M in several counties of that valley. In Southern California both the heat and the cold are comparatively milder, although the read- ings of the thermometer do not much differ from points north of 20 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. the Tehacbapi. It is sliOAvn by tbe table that there were 186 clear days in San Francisco, as against 187 in Los Angeles during the year, although there were nearly three times as many rainy days in San Francisco. For abundant sunshine, resort must be had to the interior. For example. Red Bluff, in the north, had 210 clear days, and Riverside, in the south, 255. In truth, the California of "Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers" is pretty near the whole State, below high mountain elevations. As far back as we have any recorded history, and Climate Un- behind this, embracing traditions coming through the changing, early Mission Fathers, we learn of the same equability of temperature, the same balmy atmosphere, the same luxuriance of vegetation. Our soil may require renewing by fertil- ization, but our climate is as constant as the sun. The conditions which have produced the result are themselves unchanging, and so must be the result. California is a universal sanitarium. The climate of It is Health- the coast is invigorating, stimulating and delightful, Giving. neither hot nor cold; the laborer knows no fatigue except from physical exhaustion resulting from over- taxed muscles. The brain-worker yields only to failure of mental powers. In the interior valleys, in midsummer, the temperature is higher, and there is discomfort at times while working in the harvest fields and at the desk and behind the counter. But the dryness of the air robs the thermometer of much of its terror. The sensible temperature, i. e., the temperature we in fact experience or feel in the valleys, is less irksome at 100 or 110 degrees than in regions of greater humidity of the atmosphere where the reading is from 85 to 95 degrees. Sunstroke here is unknown. It is the common experience of persons coming into abnost any part of the State that they increase in weight and strength, are less troubled with nervous affections, sleep and eat Avell, and improve in health if ailing fi'om any cause'. The variety of temperature and climatic conditions Source of existing in the mountains, valleys and on the coast. Happiness, and the celerity and ease with which our inhabitants may change their immediate surroundings, constitute one of the great charms of California life. Thousands of families residing in the valleys find their way into the mountains or to the seacoast and have most delightful camping-out experiences; and this they may do in a few hours or a day or two at most, with their own conveyances. Our valleys and mountains lie so related to each other that no spot can be found devoid of scenic beauty. There is no dull monotony in the farmer's life as there is from necessity in the lives of those who reside on the great plain regions of the West, few of whom are ever permitted to enjoy the inspiring and elevating means of recreation and rest from labor which are a part of our life here. CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA. 21 Degrees of latitude cut little figure in determining Some Peeul- the readings of the thermometer, which is not at all iarities. true on the Atlantic Coast and in the West. The above table tells the story from official sources for 1904, and is valuable as covering the whole distance and interme- diate points, from San Diego near the south line of the State to Redding at the extreme north end of the Sacramento valley — eight degrees of latitude apart. The fact that latitude has little to do with our climate is a remarkable feature. It is not true of Italy, for there is a great variation there between the temperature north and south. It is not true of France or elsewhere along the west coast of Europe. We believe this to be a peculiarity unique and found only on this coast. This peculiarity is further attested by the fact that in all this vast region the same fruits are grown. Within a radius of fifty miles around Oroville, which is 150 miles north of San Fran- cisco and 650 miles north of Los Angeles, there were more than one thousand carloads of oranges raised last year and shipped out of the State, and they ripen earlier than in the south. Elevation has much more to do with temperature than latitude, for in high altitudes we find snow. Our mountain summer climate is extremely delightful and is destined to draw many Eastern people to the numerous charming retreats in the Sierra and the Coast Range. But after all is said, it must be conceded that climate Eeonomie is our greatest resource because of its high economic Value. value. The unthinking speak of climate as an attraction rather than a resource, but it is a resource because by its influence w^e are enabled to so marvelously diversify and increase the number of our agricultural products; and often, too, all these products may be grown on the same body of land. It is a resource, because man's labor here can be profitably employed every day in the year; because there is no month when vegetation in some form is not growing, and because it furnishes ideal conditions for the growth of irrigated crops. There is no time when all nature is at rest or plant life is sleeping. In the field, orchard, garden, factory, and in the mines; on the stock farm and in the dairy, every day is a day of productive labor. We commence shipping fresh deciduous fruits in May and there is no cessation until December. In November we begin to ship citrus fruits and they overlap the deciduous fruits and continue in fact the year through. Professor E. W. Hilgard justly sums up the matter thus: "Taken as a whole, California corresponds in its climatic features and adaptation to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa— a grand Riviera, with a partial background of the desert as well, where the date palm and the ostrich find a congenial home, and alluvial plains equaling in richness the famed delta of the Nile." 22 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. THE TRIUMPH OF IRRIGATION. By WILLIAM E. SMYTHE, Author of "The Conquest of Arid America. First of all, irrigation is not a substitute for rain. Rain is a substitute for irrigation, and a very poor one. Irrigation is an insurance policy on the crops. But it is far more. Irrigation is the mother of institutions ! An ideal place would be one where it never rains in the growing season, but where the genius of man, working in cooperation with favorable natural conditions, could direct the moisture just where and when it is needed, in accordance with the varying needs of different crops. This ideal condition is approximated in a large part of the arid region, including the major portion of California. The most striking effect of this ancient art, which has now become the inspiration of remarkable modern developments, is its social influence. In this respect it revolutionizes the character of rural life. For irrigation means small farms; small farms mean near neighbors; and near neighbors imply high social advantages. The best examples of irrigation communities combine the most attractive features of town and country life. They give at the same time the benefits of neighborhood association and the inde- pendence that comes from li\dng on the soil. The result is a high degree of equality such as is seldom realized elsewhere. In many a California colony the homes are as beautiful as in the famous suburbs of Boston and Philadelphia, and these beautiful homes belong to the many, while those in the suburbs of great Eastern cities represent the few who have succeeded better than the average. Irrigation is the great teacher of cooperation. Men are com- pelled to associate and organize in distributing water over their lauds. From this experience it is easy to go forward to similar association in the sale of their products and the purchase of their supplies. For they soon learn that it is better to work with and for each other than against each other. This form of economic development is yet in its infancy, but is destined to extend in all directions and to have a very important influence on the future civilization of the irrigated region. The artificial control of moisture supplies the basis of absolutely scientific agriculture. The element of chance is wholly eliminated. ]\Ian asserts his control over the forces of nature. Among other desirable rasults, he gains the power of diversifying his crops to the utmost degree and thus becoming self-sufficient. With him, the rain does not fall upon the just and the unjust— that is to say, upon crops that need it and crops that do not need it. The straw- 24 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. berry vines may call for moisture in their own unmistakable lan- guage, and the call is promptly answered. The sugar-beets may crave only the uninterrupted sunshine in order that they may pack the largest possible amount of saccharine matter in their tiny cells, and the water is allowed to go singing past them. Thus, individuals and communities may become independent. National prosperity may pass and hard times come in its place, but the man who has a few acres of irrigated soil will continue to collect his living so long as water runs down hill and Mother Earth yields her increase. The most famous spots in California were evoked from desert or sheep-pasture by the miracle of irrigation. It does not follow that all parts of the State are worthless for agriculture or horticulture without it. But it is true, as Major John W. Powell said years ago, that "there is probably no acre of land in the United States the productive capacity of which would not be at least doubled by scientific irrigation." This is emphatically true of California, and the industry is being gradually extended into many localities which once proudly advertised that "no irrigation is needed." To those who are unfamiliar with it the actual process How Water of irrigation seems a deep mystery. They regard it Is Put Upon as an effort to overturn the laws of nature. The the Land. truth is that it is a perfectly natural process. The man who waters his plat of grass, and the woman who waters her dooryard pansies, are irrigators in a humble way. The citizen who grumbles at the sight of withered lawns in a pub- lic park during a dry summer yearns for irrigation without know- ing it. The control of w^ater for irrigation presents about the same problems to the engineer as the control of water for domestic pur- poses in large cities and towns. The water must be diverted from a flowing stream at a level high enough to command the territory to be irrigated; or it must be impounded in reservoirs at a season of floods or unusual flow, such as occurs everywhere when the ice and snow are melting; or it must be sought in the bowels of the earth by means of wells and lifted to the surface by pumps, except in the case of artesian waters, which flow out of the mouth of the well by reason of their own pressure. The principal diti'erence between securing a supply for domestic and for agricultural purposes is that in the case of the former the water must be as pure as possible, while in the case of the latter the impurities which gather in ponds and streams have a distinct com- mercial value as fertilizers. The sewage of Paris is used for irri- gation purposes with wonderful results, and the same thing is done in several Western cities, including Los Angeles. Irrigation works range from rude and simple ditches, taking their supplies from mountain brooks where the water has been diverted by means of small brush dams, to great masonry walls which block the outlet of deep canyons, holding back the water, which is thence transported through pipes, flumes and cemented THE TRIUMPH OP IRRIGATION. 25 ditches to rich lands miles away. In the one case the works have been constructed by a small association of farmers, using their own labor and teams ; in the other, millions of Eastern and foreign capital have been invested. In both cases water is led through main canals to central points in the territory to be reclaimed. These mains are of all sizes, depending entirely upon the volume of water required. From the mains lateral ditches reach out in various directions. The farmer taps the lateral with a shallow ditch, usually made with a plow, and thus conducts the water where he wants it through his own private system of distributers. The management of the water, when the system has once been perfected, is so simple that a child can attend to it. In the hands of the Indians and Mexicans of the southwest irri- gation was a stagnant art, but the white population studied it with the same enthusiasm it bestowed upon electricity and new mining processes. The lower races merely knew that if crops were expected to grow on dry land they must be artificially watered. They proceeded to pour on the water by the rudest method. The Anglo-Saxon demanded to know why crops required water, and when it could be best supplied to meet their diverse needs. The earliest method of irrigation is known as "flooding," and is usually applied by means of shallow basins. A plot of ground near the river or ditch from Avhich water is to be drawn is inclosed by low embankments called checks. These checks are multiplied until the whole field is covered. The water is then drawn to the highest basin, permitted to stand until the land is thoroughly soaked, and then drawn off by way of a small gate into the next basin. This process is repeated until the entire field is irrigated. This is the system practiced on the Nile, where the basins some- times cover several square miles each, while in the West they are often no more than four hundred feet square. There is both a crude and a skillful way to accomplish the opera- tion of flooding, and there is a wide difl^erence in the results obtained by the two methods. Indian and Mexican irrigators sel- dom attempt to grade the surface of the ground. They permit water to remain in stagnant pools where there are depressions, while high places stand out as dusty islands for generations. All except very sandy soils bake in the hot sunshine after being flooded, and the crude way to remedy the matter is to turn on more water. Water in excess is an injury, and both the soil and the crops resent this method of treatment. The skillful irrigator grades the soil to an even slope of about one inch to every hundred inches, filling depressions and leveling high places. He "rushes" the water over the plot as rapidly as possible and, when the ground has dried sufficiently, cultivates the soil thoroughly, thus allowing the air to penetrate it. The best irrigators have abandoned the check system altogether and invented better methods of flooding the crops. Cereals and grasses must always be irrigated by flooding, but the check system seems likely to remain only in localities where Spanish speech and traditions 26 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. survive. Flooding- is noAV more generally accomplished by means of shallow indentations or creases, which are not as large as fur- rows, but serve the same purpose. These are made by a simple implement at intervals of about twelve inches. They effect a very thorough and even wetting of the ground. The scientific side of irrigation is to be studied in con- nection with the cultivation of fruits and vegetables rather than with field crops. It is here that the English-speaking irrigators of California produced their best results. The ideal climatic conditions attracted both wealth and intelligence into the irrigation industiy. Scarcity of water and high land values promoted the study of the The Most Scientific Way, IKKRiATING DITCH — LINED WITH CEMEXT. best methods. Where water is abundant it is carried in open ditches and little thought is given to loss by seepage and evapora- tion. Under such conditions water is lavishly used, frequently to the injury rather than to the bcnelit of crops. But there are parts of California where water is as gold and is sought for in moun- tain tunnels and in the beds of streams. A thing so dearly obtained is not to be carelessly wasted before it reaches the place of use. Hence, steep and narrow ditches cemented on the bottom, or .steel pipes and wooden flumes, are employed. The precious water is applied to the soil by means of small fur- rows run between the trees or rows of vegetables. The ground has first been evenly graded on the face of each slope. The aim of the skillful irrigator is to allow the water to saturate the ground THE TRIUMPH OF IRRIGATION. 27 evenly in each direction, so as to reach the roots of the tree or plant. The stream is small, and creeps slowly down the furrow to the end of the orchard, where any surplus is absorbed by a strip of alfalfa, acting like a sponge. The land is kept thoroughly cul- tivated. In the best orchards no weed or spear of grass is ever seen, for water is too costly to waste in the nourishment of weeds. Moreover, it is desired to leave the soil open to the action of air and sunshine. Nowhere in the world is so naich care given to the aeration of the soil as in the irrigated orchards and gardens of California. Too much water reduces the temperature of the soil, sometimes develops hardpan and, more frequently, brings alkali to the surface. For these reasons, modern science has enforced the IRRIGATING PRUNE ORCHARD— TREES IN BLOOJl. economical use of water, reversing the Mexican custom of prodigal wastefulness. Of late years the application of water by furrows has been brought to a marvelous degree of perfection. "What is known as the ''Kedlands system" is the best type of irrigation method known in the w^orld. Under this system a small w^ooden flume or box is placed at the head of the orchard. An opening is made opposite each furrow and through this the water flows in the desired quantity, being operated by a small gate or slide. The aperture regulates the flow of water accurately and the system is so simple that, after it is once adjusted, it is as easy as the turning of a faucet. The farmer who grows his crops on a fertile soil, under almost cloudless skies, with a system controlling the 28 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. moisture as effective as this, may be said to have mastered the forces of nature. The quality of the fruit has improved immensely since the Cali- fornia methods were perfected. Every fruit-grower realizes that the profit in his business comes mostly from the first grade of fruit. Scientific irrigation makes it possible for him largely to increase the percentage of the best fruit, and the difference which this produces in the earning capacity of his acres is surprising. The Mission Fathers gave the natives their first les- The Field of sons in the art of irrigation, and the beautiful gardens Operations, and orchards which sprang up in the early religious communities illustrated the agricultural possibilities inherent in California soil and sunshine. But the modern era of FLOODING THE ORCHARD — W.^^TER-TENDER AT WORK. irrigation began fifty years ago with the founding of Anaheim, some twenty miles southeast of Los Angeles, b.y a colony of German- Americans. Anaheim is rightfully proud of its distinction as the mother colony. Far more widely celebrated, however, are Riverside and the numerous settlements which came into being as the consequence of its example and influence. Among these are Ontario, Pomona, Etiwanda, Corona, Redlands and many others. These famous communities represent the maximum achievement in home-build- ing on irrigated lands, and have no real rivals in any part of the world, so far as skill in the application of water and beauty of public and private improvements are concerned. All that was said at the beginning of this article about the peculiar social and THE TRIUMPH OP IRRIGATION. 29 economic advantages arising from scientific control of moisture is strikingly ilhistrated in scores of Southern California commu- nities. The streams in this part of the State are wholly of torrential character, and during the larger portion of the year present noth- ing but dry channels over most of their courses. But during the rainy season they are often roaring rivers for a few^ days at a time, while a considerable flow is maintained by the melting snows much later. The canals first built upon these streams obtain most of their supply from the surface flow, but later canals depend upon the water which has been caught and held in storage reser- voirs or upon that obtained from deep wells, some of which are of &•-•?»'■ IRRIGATING STRAWBERRIES. true artesian character and flow by means of their own pressure. The hunt for water goes on relentlessly from year to year, for it is the foundation of all values in this arid land. "What individuals may do alone, or small farming communities by means of coopera- tion, has been largely done. What is now to be accomplished by the hand of united and associated man we shall shortly see. Although Southern California was first to utilize irrigation, this is by no means the largest field of the industry. The beautiful southern counties enjoy a fame wholly out of proportion to their geographical area, which is greatly to their credit, and which is due to their success in putting water upon the land far more than to anv other single factor. But it is the region north of the Pass 30 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODIJ'CTS, RESOURCES, ETC. of Tehachapi -wliich was endowed by nature with the greatest val- leys of fertile soil and the most abundant supplies of water avail- able for irrigation. The climate, too, is fully equal to that of the south in productive capacity. Indeed, the earliest fruit of every kind, including oranges, is grown hundreds of miles north of Los Angeles. It is difficult to convince Eastern people that this is true, because of their inherited prejudices as to the meaning of northern and southern latitudes, but it is, nevertheless, a fact beyond all dispute. The great interior basin of California, inclosed between the Coast Range and the Sierra, extends north and south of the bay of San Francisco for hundreds of miles in either direction. The southern portion of it, known as the San Joaquin, has a number of great irrigation systems, any one of which supplies more land than is irrigated in the famous valleys of Southern California. In addition to these great systems, there are many smaller ones. Perhaps the most striking development is that in the neighbor- hood of Fresno, which is the center of the raisin district. Here a very poor cattle country has been converted into a land of small diversified farms, sustaining a comparatively dense population. The great valley of the Sacramento, constituting the northern half of the great interior basin, is even more abundantly watei'od so far as the natural supply is concerned, but is far more back- ward in irrigation development. This is due to the fact that rain- fall is heavier and more reliable, so that crops are raised without artificial moisture. The Sacramento region is now in the stage of transition from large to small farms and irrigation is being rapidly extended in consequence. In the beautiful coast region the same general statement is true, although the small farm unit has preceded irrigation in many localities. Certain classes of fruit are raised successfully by means of the winter rainfall, but the productive capacity of the soil is greatly enhanced by irrigation. Not only so, but irrigation makes it possible to diversify the crops to the last degree and to take full advantage of the wonderful climate by raising successive crops of small fruits and vegetables. This explains the rapid spread of the art in all portions of the State. Besides the celebrated districts in the north and south, with Avhich all travelers and readers are more or less familiar, there are undiscovered Californias lying away from the railroad lines and scarcely known to Californians themselves, yet full of potential- ities of developnient. These are on the eastern slopes of the Sierra, bordering Oregon on the north, Nevada on the east, and Mexico on the south. The most promising of these districts are the Honey Lake region, the Inyo country and the vast valley of the Rio Colorado. As a whole, it may be said that the irrigation industry of Cali- fornia is yet in its "infancy. Wliat has so far been done is little more than the foresliadowing of the great achievement which is to come, for something great has happened in the last two years. THE TRIUMPH OF IRRIGATION. 31 Private and small co-operative enterprises have done The Awak- ^vhat they could to assist California in the realiza- ening of tion of its economic destiny. And they have done Uncle Sam. well. But the task is too great for any power short of the General Government itself to carry to a successful conclusion. It is to be the labor not of years, but of generations, even of centurie.s. It is to cost not millions, but tens of millions. It is to benefit not individuals and local communities alone, but states, a nation, humanity. And its dividends are to be paid, not in pecuniary terms, but in lasting institutions, in the economic freedom of the race. The act approved June 17, 1902— the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill— started California on a new era of development. The money provided for the work of national irrigation is meager — the fund now amounts to something over twenty millions — but the principle established is of incalculable importance. Already national engineers are at work in making plans on two California streams for irrigation systems as great as those built by British genius on the Ganges and the Nile. These streams are the Sacra- mento in the north and the Colorado in. the south. When thase are completed the foundations will be laid for millions of new population and hundreds of millions of new taxable wealth. These systems may be made to provide not only for irrigation, but also for drainage of lands now rendered useless by annual overflow, and may also assist in the provision of facilities for navigation and for power. The greatest single example of the triumph of irrigation in Cali- fornia is seen in the big region formerly known as the Colorado desert. This is the delta of the river of that name, in the extreme southeastern part of the State, extending over the border of Mexico. Here daring private enterprise has undertaken what would have been an ideal task for the Government itself— the reclamation of something like a million acres of the most fertile land in the world. So recently as January 1, 1901, not a single white man dwelt in the region, and even Indians were scarce. On January 1, 1902, a party of a dozen surveyors had the place to themselves. On Jan- uary 1, 1903, two thousand settlers had arrived. On January 1, 1904. there were, approximately, ten thousand people there, with several towns, a railroad, telegraph, telephone, many stores, a national bank, and with seventy thousand acres in actual cultiva- tion. It sounds like a tale from the Arabian Nights, but it is absolutely true. And even the truth of to-day is pale compared with the promise of to-morrow. A great river brought under human control makes all the difference between hopeless desolation and the highest forms of civilization. California beckons to the waiting millions. By the grace of irrigation she can make room for them all, and not only make room for them, but give them a degree of social equality and economic independence such as no other land on the face of the 32 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. <3arth was ever able to offer them. To those who want homes, who want to work for themselves, who want to provide a futurQ,^ for their children, California spells Opportunity. THE MINERAL WEALTH OF CALIFORNIA. By lewis E. AUBURY, State Mineralogist. V. The world is familiar in a general way with the mineral wealth of our State, and the name of California is always associated with golden products ; but while gold has in the past been the chief mineral, and will be for some time to come, there are added almost yearly new discoveries of mineral substances of economic value. There has been a large increase in building operations in Cali- fornia within recent years, and with the prosperity that the State is now enjoying, it is reasonable to suppose it will continue for a long time to come. Builders and contractors have sought to avail themselves of the material within our borders, but while Nature has been kind to us and has supplied us with an abundance of raw material, man has been slow to take advantage of the gifts, and we find that instead of such material being entirely supplied at home, thousands of dollars' worth is annually imported. Notwithstand- ing there was $6,908,463 worth of structural materials produced in this State during the year 1903, an increase over the previous year of $2,799,440, the supply was not large enough to meet the demand. Until recent years a large percentage of California's buildings in cities as well as towns were constructed of lumber; but as mod- ern construction calls for fire-proof material of steel, brick and stone, there is no reason why the demand should not be supplied from sources right at home. Excellent opportunities are offered for the quarrying of granite, marble, sandstone, serpentine, slate, volcanic tufa, and other building-stones. Limes and clays are found in deposits contiguous to one another, from which the finest Portland cement can be manufactured. At present there are three established plants manufacturing cement in the State, and the demand is such that there is need for other plants. During 1903, 640,868 barrels of cement, valued at $968,727, were produced. With the demand which is being made for exterior building material, equally so is the necessity for supplying interior decora- tive material, such as marble, onyx, travertine, serpentine, etc. California abounds in these products, and splendid opportunities exist for capital to open quarries to supply the demand. THE MINERAL WEALTH OF CALIFORNIA, 33 In addition to structural material, a demand is also made for terra cotta, and pressed and glazed brick. Our very extensive IPORNL\. 35 tance. To illustrate the growth of it in this State, in 1887 there were produced 28,000 tons, valued at $112,000; and in 1903, 102.895 tons, valued at $211,365 ; or a total production in seventeen years of 1,027,183 tons, valued at $2,642,817. As the constant increase of population in California and commercial requirements mean an increased demand for salt, opportunity is also here pre- sented for investment. It is held by some miners and metallurgists that Niter. almost every mineral can be found in California, and while the statement is broad, discoveries of new products are constantly being made. One of the most important to the State from a commercial standpoint was the discovery of XWErsTY-MULE TEAM HAULING BORAX. nitrate of soda in San Bernardino and Inyo counties, in the'Deatli A'alley region. Some of these deposits were discovered years ago and prior to the advent of the' Santa Fe Railroad, but on account of the long distance of transportation it was found to be out of the question to work them profitably. But now that the new Salt Lake Railroad and the branches of the Santa Fe are approaching them, renewed interest will be taken, and in all proba])ility within a short period another important industry will be added to the many which are in profitable operation now. A rough examination of the niter deposits has disclosed the fact that in area they exceed those of Chile, but sufficient exploitation has not been carried on to determine the depth of the deposits and 36 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. actual percentage that can be obtained, except in a limited number of claims. To furnish an idea of the importance of the industry, and the steadily increasing- demand for niter in the United States, a few figures may not be amiss. In the year 1891 there were imported 99,663 metric toiLs of niter, valued at $2,579,930 ; for the year 1900, 185,022 tons, valued at $4,868,520 ; or an average value of $26.31 per ton. In considering the matter of niter production and consumption we should remember that the Chilean fields, from which we draw our supply, are gradually being exhausted, and that our soils which need fertilization, and our powder manu- facturers, are making increasing demands upon those deposits. It is only a question of a short time when these demands must be met, and this State will be looked to for the necessary supply. The deposits in California offer a promising opportunity for profit- able investigation. Like many other of the minerals produced in Cali- Copper. fornia, it has been only in recent years that the cop- per industry has received much attention, and it was not until 1897 that the amount of production had assumed large proportions, although the history of copper mining in California dates back to the early sixties. Copper has been found in practically every county in the State, the largest proportion of the metal produced being from Shasta county, where active development began in 1896. The industry has grown from a production, in 1887, of 1,600.000 pounds, valued at $192,000, to 19,113,861 pounds, valued at $2,520,- 997, in 1903. In the year 1901, copper to the extent of $5,501,782 was mined, and for a period extending from 1887 to and including 1903. there were produced 183,438,706 pounds of copper, valued at $25,549,309. A continuous copper belt, the longest so far discovered in the world, exists in California. But a comparatively small depth has been so far attained in the mines, and the results have been very profitable. Many excellent prospects have been discovered along this belt, but the lack of necessary capital has retarded develop- ment. A large proportion of the mines and prospects are situated convenient to railroad transportation, and abundant facilities exist for the economical mining and reduction of the ores. Copper min- ing is yet in its infancy in California, and while its permanency is assured, capital is needed for the proper development. While there are certain favored sections, other localities present equally good inducements, and at much lower figures than in some sec- tions where permanent mines have been developed. In the limited space of an article of this character it is impos- sible to treat this subject as it deserves, and to those desiring more particular information, the reader is referred to the "Copper Resources of California," published by the California State Min- ing Bureau, in which is given a full list of the copper mines and prospects in the State, together with the localities in which they are to be found, names and addresses of owners, etc. THE MINERAL WEALTH OF CALIFORNIA. 37 California is the only state in the Union that pro- Quieksilver. duces any commercial amount of quicksilver. In the year 1903, in the relative rank of minerals produced, quicksilver occupied the fifth place, with a record of 32,094 flasks, valued at $1,335,954. This mineral was mined as far back as 1850 at the New Almaden mine, in Santa Clara county, which was the sole producer until 1860, when the large demand for quicksilver caused an active interest in development. From July, 1850, to April, 1896, there were produced from New Almaden 953,018 flasks of 76V2 pounds each, or 36,452.94 tons of quicksilver. From 1887 to and including 1903 there were produced from the various mines 496,623 flasks of quicksilver, valued at $20,530,727. For many years the total annual value of production has varied comparatively little. Quicksilver has been found principally in the coast counties, and while occurrences have been noted in the Sierra Nevada range, the deposits in this range have not so far been found to be of LARGEST QUICKSILVER MINE IN THE WORLD — NEW ALMADEN. importance. In the past three years a renewed interest has been taken in quicksilver mining, and several old mines have been reopened. Comparatively little development work has been per- formed on prospects, of which there are many promising ones, principally in the counties of Lake, Colusa, Napa, Sonoma, Santa Clara, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Fresno. [Monterey, and Merced. No mineral substance has of recent years proved of Petpoleum. so much importance to California as petroleum. Wliile the permanence of the oil fields was questioned at the time they were but partly developed, there is at present no doubt as to the large supply which will be available to meet all requirements for many years to come. The oil industry is in its infancy, and the oil reservoirs have scarcely been touched— those which underlie the great San Joaquin valley, the region south of Tehachapi and the valleys of the coast counties. The price of oil has remained for some time at a low figure, but in my opinion it will be but a short time when the producer will obtain a much better price; and while making it highly profitable 38 CALIFOKXIA : ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. to him, oil will be sold at such a figure as to allow the consumer to use it much more economically than hard fuels. California was not prepared to use such a large amount of petroleum as was so suddenly thrown upon the market. The use of oil as a fuel on this coast was new, and until it had been developed that a perma- nent supply was available, those requiring fuel were skeptical and were in no haste to adopt it. Now that the question of supply has been satisfactorily settled, changes have been rapidly made from hard to liquid fuel, and its manifold advantages are made apparent to the consumer. The gro-wth of this important industry may be shown by the production of petroleum in 1887, which was 678,572 barrels, valued KERX KIVER OIL IIELDS. at $1,357,144, and the production of 1903, which was 24.340,839 barrels, worth $7,313,271, thus giving it second place in relative value of minerals produced for that year. The total production of petroleum from 1887 to and including 1903 was 64,021,056 bar- rels, valued at $34,381,268. Gold still maintains the lead in the mineral products Gold. of California. As new methods for the economical mining and reduction of gold are being introduced, the large amount of low-grade ores which in the past were not Avorkable are now attracting the attention of investors. Electric power transmission lines have been constructed through most of the districts of Northern and Central California, thus reducing an important item of cost. Thi-ough Southern California, in most of THE MINERAL WEALTH OF CALIFORNIA. 39 the mining districts, crude oil is used almost exclusively, and many desert mines which would have found it impossible to oper- ate to advantage but for a cheap liquid fuel are now being developed. Since the anti-debris law went into effect, hydraulic mining -has been carried on chiefly in Northern California where the streams empty into the Pacific Ocean and not into navigable rivers. In the regions where this class of mining was formerly carried on, and where the debris law caused a cesvsation of hydraulic mining, drift mining is being vigorously prosecuted. These old channels extend from Siskiyou county in the north to Tuolumne county in the south — several hundred miles. GOLD DKEDCIINi; — OHOVILLE. Where the many mountain streams empty into the Dredging-. Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys immense quan- tities of gold-bearing gravel have been deposited, and in order to recover the gold, dredges of different types have been introduced, which elevate the gravel, separate the coarse material and stack it to one side, the finer gravel containing the gold being passed over plates and riffles which recover it. The first dredge was installed at Oroville. Butte county, and the success which it met caused the employment of many others in that vicinity. Many improvements have been made, which have very materially reduced the cost of operation, until at the present time the larger dredges are able to handle the gravel at a cost approximately of 41/2 cents per cubic yard. The gravel varies in value from 10 to 50 cents 40 CALIFORXIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. per cubic yard, although in some instances the latter value is exceeded. So successful were the dredging operations around Oroville that numerous companies have in the past few years com- menced operations in many other localities, and dredge mining to-d-ay offers one of the safest classes of investments that can be made. The gold-bearing ores of California are mostly free milling and concentrating in character, and where this condition does not exist the ores are amenable to cyanide treatment. As stated before, many improvements have been made in the treatment of our ores, and the high percentages now saved have made it possible to work many old mines at a handsome profit, where a few years since they could not be made to yield more than expenses. California at present yields between $16,000,000 and $17,000,000 annually in gold, and from 1848 to January 1, 1904, has yielded the immense sum of $1,395,746,672. These figures, which are official, offer more evidence of the fact that California's gold mines are still large producers than any other argument which could be submitted. The aggregate value of the forty-four mineral products which are listed for 1903 is $37,759,040. This amount is increasing at the average rate of about $2,000,000 yearly. The purpose of this article has been to call attention in a general way to the opportunities for profitable investment in the various mineral products of the State ; but as lack of space precludes the possibility of entering into full details of each subject, for the information of those who are interested in investments in mineral products it is stated that detailed information has been published in the reports and bulletins which have been issued by the State Mining Bureau, Ferry Building, San Francisco. Also, mineral maps of the counties, on which are shown the location of the mines and deposits. Accompanying these maps are registers (or keys), with information concerning each of the mines or deposits. The Bureau also prepares an annual statistical bulletin, which fur- nishes the amount of each mineral product and the county in which it is produced. The last bulletin of this nature M^as issued for the year 1903, the production for 1904 not yet having been compiled. THE OIL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA. 41 THE OIL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA. By dr. C. T. DEANE, Secretary of the California Petroleum Miners' Association. Wliile for twenty-five years or move there has been general knowledge of the existence of petroleum in California, it has only been during the past five years that the great importance of its discovery has been adequately appreciated. Development work at different points has determined the exist- ence of a well-defined oil belt, stretching along the foothills the entire length of the State. It has been traced beyond our bound- ary, both north and south; spurs branch out toward the coast, and even into the ocean, as the Summerland district at Santa Barbara and the district lately developed in the northern part of Santa Barbara county. Some of the districts now in course of development produce an oil of 30 degrees gravity, while others go as low as 140 degrees; it is all, however, valuable, even in its crude state, for either fuel or refining, and unlike Texas oil, is free from sulphur. The production of oil during the last five years has been as follows : 1900 4.000,000 barrels. 1901 8.000,000 1902 18.000.000 1903 23,000,000 " 1904 estimated over 30.000,000 In 1902 California was the second state in the Union in the pro- duction of crude oil. I have no doubt that at the present time she stands first. The producing fields, beginning at the southern end of Ppodueing- the State, are as follows: Fullerton, Puente, Whit- Fields, tier, Los Angeles, Newhall, Ventura, Summerland, Santa Maria or Northern Santa Barbara district, Kern River, Sunset and Midway, McKittrick, Coalinga, Santa Clara county, and Half IMoon Bay. None of these fields, with perhaps the exception of Los Angeles, has as yet been brought into full production. The greatest oil field yet developed in California, and what bids fair to prove the most prolific in the world, with perhaps the exception of Baku (Russia), is the Kern River. Here are over 4,000 acres of absolutely proven land, capable of developing on every acre a well of not less than 100 barrels a day. At the pres- ent time there are over five hundred wells pumping, which pro- duced in 1903 over 15,000,000 barrels of oil. There is no reason why this district should not have two thousand wells, with a pro- duction of over 40,000,000 barrels per annum. Baku, with only 42 CAIJFORXIA : ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. 2,400 acres of proven territory, has been producing 50,000.000 to 75,000,000 barrels a year for ten years. We certainly can not be accused of exaggeration when we claim half the production from double the acreage. The balance of the oil produced last year came from Ventura, Fullerton, Whittier, Santa ^Nlaria, ^NEcKittrick and Coalinga. There are in the State at the present time 2,800 wells. At the beginning of this year there were forty refineries in the State. These refineries make kerosene, distillate, lubricants, asphaltum, coke, and many other by-products. The great refinery at Point Richmond, on the bay of San Francisco, constructed by the Standard Oil Company in connection with its pipe-line 278 OIL Wl.Ll.S Wiriii.N I UIU'OISATE LIMITS OF LOS ANGELES. miles long from Bakersfield, is one of the largest in the United States, with a capacity for handling over 10,000 barrels of oil a day. It was believed up to a few years ago that California oil with an asphaltum base coukl not be refined for kerosene at a profit, but the most of the kerosene we are using on the Pacific Coast to-day is being made not twenty miles from the city of San Francisco. One of the most important by-products is asphaltum. Asphaltum. This contains 99 per cent bitumen, and is absolutely impervious to water; consequently asphalt from oil is pure, while that imported is not in our sense a true asphalt at all, but a kind of bituminous rock filled with foreign substances, which are soluble in water, therefore easily destroyed by rains washing THE OIL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA. 43 out these particles of extraneous matter and leaving holes in the pavement made with it. In 1898 the output of asphalt from California refineries was 12,000 tons, while last year it had increased to 100,000 tons. Of this last figure, 90 per cent was exported to the Atlantic States and Europe. There are seventeen refineries producing asphalt at present, but the industry is growing so fast that inside of five years, it is believed, twice seventeen will be required to supply the demand. The oils of the Kern River and Sunset fields carry from 30 to 40 per cent asphalt. The amount of asphalt required for paving purposes alone, in OIL WELLS I^^ TnE OCEAN SUMMERLAND, SANTA BAKBARA COUNTY. the United States, aggregates over 200,000 tons per annum. There are so many uses for this valuable by-product, in building, roofing (which strange to say is almost fire-proof), laying the floors of cellars, curing the porosity of brick walls, etc., that a large amount of the oil production will be absorbed in this way. It takes about twenty-two barrels of crude oil to produce one ton of refined asphalt. The substitution of oil for coal in manufacturing plants and on railroads has necessarily displaced large quantities of the latter fuel. As California has little good coal, we import most of it from foreign countries, thereby sending out of the State millions of dollars a year; this money is now retained here and goes into the channels of trade. 44 CALIFORNIA : ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. The amount of coal imported into San Francisco duriuir the past four years was as folloAvs : 1900 l.C.24,120 tons. 1001 1.444,404 " 1902 1.20.5,082 " 1903 1,152,816 " Showing a falling oft' of more than 100,000 tons each year, and a dilferenee of nearly 500,000 tons between the years 1900 and 1903 ; and this at a time when business was more active than it had been for many years. Assuming that last year we consumed 20,000,000 barrels of oil, it would have taken 5,000,000 tons of coal at $6.50 a ton to have done the work that this oil did ; or if we estimate in dollars we would have sent out of the State $30,000,000 OILI.NU R0.\1)S. to pay for this coal, but which we retained here toward the upbuilding of the commonwealth. There is rapidly developing a large demand for oil in the sprinkling of roads. An oiled road is so much smoother, more durable, cleaner and less costl}^ that the rural authorities are fast adopting the plan of dressing them with oil ; and even in the city of San Francisco the driveways in Golden Gate Park, which bor- ders the Pacific Ocean, have been oiled for the past four years. It takes about 150 barrels of oil to oil a mile of road (the oil has to be heated to get the best results), and it costs less than $200 per mile. There will probably be at least 1,000,000 barrels used in 1904 for this purpose. Throughout the State we have already over two hundred miles of county roads, smooth and free from dust, by the application of oil, and it is only a question of a very few years before such a thing as a dustv or muddv road Avill be a curiositv. THE OIL INDUSTRY OF CALIFORNIA. 45 The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads are using oil exclu- sively in their locomotives and machine shops, and it is estimated that when they get their tankage set, these roads will use not less than 12,000,000 barrels a year. A locomotive uses about twenty- three barrels of oil a day. It is estimated that the Southern Pacific Company saves over $5,000,000 per annum by the substitution of oil for coal. These roads have also oiled their tracks for many hundreds of miles. Nearly all the gas companies in California are now using oil in the manufacture of that illuminant. As there is in the neighbor- hood of 16,000,000 feet of gas used in a day, there will be consumed over 1,000,000 barrels of oil per annum in this industry. California is as independent in the matter of cheap fuel as is any of the Atlantic States. Her oil is a better steam maker than coal, cheaper and more easily obtained. The oil fields already discovered could easily produce 200,000,000 barrels per annum (equal to 50,000,000 tons of coal), and there are other fields which have not yet been touched and may not be for many years; but the oil is there, and when the necessity arises the development will be made. Mr. Paul Prutzman, one of the best informed experts Cost of in California, writing to "London Petroleum Review," Wells. saj^R: "Data are not at hand from which to state definitely the cost of completing a well, except in the Kern River field ; in fact, at no other point are conditions uniform enough to allow one figure to apply to all parts of a field. In this district the average depth is about 1,000 feet, and wells can be contracted, including casing, at about $3,000 per well when sev- eral are to be drilled at once. Pumping rig and steam plant will, under the same conditions, add about $1,000 per well, and general improvements another $1,000, bringing cost of completed well to about $5,000. In the Sunset district the average depth is some- what less, but cost of well would be about the same as at Kern ; in the jMidway there is much more range of depth, and cost would run from $5,000 to $10,000; at McKittrick about the same; and at Coalinga, from $4,000 to $8,000." The cost of oil lands varies; the most expensive is in the Kern River district, where the little proven land there is for sale is held at about $5,000 an acre. In almost any of the other districts good land can be obtained for about $1,000 an acre. Of course, this last price is determined largely by the value of improvements surround- ing the property. There is always plenty of land to lease on royalty, and the ordinary royalty paid is from 12 to 20 per cent. The life of an oil district depends upon the number of Life of Oil proven acres and the depth of the oil land. Experts Wells in contend that about 20 per cent of the sand is oil, and California, that about SO per cent of the oil contained in the sand can be recovered; consequently, in a district where the sand is 300 feet thick, there should be a little less than half a million barrels to the acre, or a patch of 20 acres, roughly speak- 46 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. ing, should give 8,000,000 barrels. There are many wells in the Kern River district which have been pumping continuously at the rate of over 200 barrels per day for the past two and a half years, and Avhich show absolutely no diminution as yet. AGRICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. By ARTHUR R. BRIGGS. General Manager of the California State Board of Trade. Under varied conditions, farming in California has more features of interest and presents greater opportunities than in any other State. The wide range of products and the peculiarities of soil, climate and weather afford abundant scope for the energies and experiments of the wideawake tiller of the soil. Despite the impression that prevails in states east of the Rocky mountains, the rules under which farming is profitable elsewhere are applicable here. The stock-raiser in any other part of the United States would not be at a loss to understand the features of difference in stock-raising in California from those which obtain in the older states, and to adapt himself to them. The successful and intelli- gent farmer in any other state would be equally successful here, and his experience wherever gained would be as useful. If the business involves less expenditure and less care on account of more favorable conditions, this would not necessitate the unlearning of anything, nor operate against the introduction of methods that have been successfully employed in other states. This statement applies to all branches of agriculture, for the reason that farming, like any other occupation, involves a fundamental knowledge, for- tified with practical experience, and the intelligence to understand the importance of adapting that knowledge and experience to different conditions. When it is understood that California, the second state in size in the Union, has a total land area of 155,980 square miles, or 99,827,200 acres, of which 28.9 per cent, or 28,828,931 acres, were included in farms when the census of 1900 was taken, some general idea of its magnitude as a farming area is received. But no part of California has yet been developed to its capacity, either as to products or in the selection of such as are ultimately to be of the greatest profit. Intensive farming has been exemplified in several counties, but not one of them has its whole cultivable area in crops. Another consideration in estimating the agricultural possi- bilities of California is that the soil and climate are favorable for the growth of all the products— that is. valuable and high-priced AGRICUl/rUKK IN CATJFOKNIA. 4/ crops— which made the region around the ^Mediterranean unique and gave it an exclusive trade, until California intervened; also, that here in the same localities and in adjoining tracts, the raisin, the fig, corn and other cereals, and all the vegetation and fruitage common to the strictly temperate zone, thrive to perfection. That the extensive grain fields of former years have been or are being converted into farms of less acreage devoted to a new culti- vation, and that the combined harvester, which cuts, threshes and sacks the grain ready for market, with its thirty-two mules as a propelling power, is gradually being supplanted with the machinery suited to smaller holdings, are evidences of a new and more modern civilization which is in the line of industrial prog- COilBIXKD nAR\i;.STEK AT WOKK. ress. But this does not remove California from the list of large cereal productions. The grain product of the State, though small as compared with some former years, for the season 1902-03 aggregated 537.909,500 pounds or 8,965,158 bushels of wheat, 875,000,000 pounds or 182,291,666 bushels of barley, 12,085,200 pounds of rye and 117,500,000 pounds of beans. Agriculture in California, it should be understood, has passed through several phases. Immediately after the subsidence of the characteristic era of placer mining, the cultivation of cereals began on a very large scale. Fruit was considered to be only of advan- tage for home needs. When it was discovered that green decid- uous fruits could be successfully marketed as far eastward as the Atlantic coast, and ultimately in Europe, and that the distribu- 48 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. tion of canned and dried fruits might be effected on a larger com- mercial scale, other branches of farming began to attract attention. Intelligent experiments led to the discovery of many fruit varieties that could be successfully grown and marketed. The limit of products that may be grown in California is co-extensive with the range of products in all semi-tropical and strictly temperate lands. i\Ieans have been discovered to pollinate the fig, so that in California the Smyrna fig is successfully pro- duced, and promises eventually to suj)ply the world. That this is no idle dream is shown in the fact that already California raisin-producers, after but few years' experience, practically have the whole United States as a customer. The prunes of California have driven French prunes largely from the American market, and are pressing the foreign market for a leading position. Cali- fornia dried and canned fruits have secured the trade of the United States and have for several j-ears been extensively exported to Europe and to other parts of the world. No agricultural experiment that has ever been tried in Califor- nia has been a failure from the viewpoint of production. It is accepted as a fact that "everything will grow in California." Its great variet}' of elevation and of climate provide all the conditions essential for plant growth. The most forbidding deserts blossom like the rose at the magic touch of Avater. Plenty awaits only industry, intelligently applied, to give large rewards in all parts of the State, with the exception of the higher altitudes in the mountains. The foothills and the valleys, the interior and the •coast counties alike, are prolific in agricultural products. In the northern and central counties of the State crops have been •annually produced at commercial profit without artificial irriga- tion; but it has been demonstrated that artificial irrigation not only enhances the yield greatly, but is an assurance of success. Wherever there are well-established irrigation systems, fruit crops are certain and large. The southern counties of California have from the beginning been compelled to rely upon artificial irriga- tion, the rainfall south of the Tehachapi Pass being much less than in the counties farther north. The northern and central ■counties have also of late years created large and successful irriga- tion systems. Governor George C. Pardee has recently pointed out what must arise in increa.sed fruitfulness from the great irrigating canals and their laterals. In an address on irrigation he said: "Here in California we have seen the benefits of irrigation. Thirtj^-five yeare ago the district where Pa-sadena, Redlands and Riverside now are was a desert on whose lean and dreary acres a few head of cattle Avere able to get a precarious living. It was a land of cactus, rattlesnakes, jackrabbits and coyotes. Out of what was then desert there go, this year (1903), alone 30,000 cars of oranges; several great cities now people its former solitudes, and Southern California has become a land of wealth and luxury. What brought it all about? Why, nothing but the wedding AGRICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 49 together of irrigation water and the desert. AVithout the irrigat- ing ditch Los Angeles could be nothing but the village it was before, and Pasadena, Redlands and Riverside could have no existence. There would be no oranges there, and the millions of dollars that this industry alone brings into them would not be theirs. A quarter of a century ago, Fresno county, that produces by far the greater part of the raisins the United States now uses, was practically a desert, worth, for sheep pasture, in the spring- time, two or three dollars an acre, although the average rainfall there is about nine inches per annmn. Since the water of Kings river has been put upon it, in that district where formerly the sheepherder was lord of all he surveyed there are now 65,000 acres AFTER THE THRESHING. of irrigated land. The great valleys of the San Joaquin and Sac- ramento, from Bakersfield to Redding, with the great rivers traversing them from end to end, now, with here and there a small and notable exception, raise but a tithe of what should there be raised. The towns are small and few and far between, and one rides sometimes for miles without seeing even a farmhouse. Yet the 20,000,000 acres of land lying in and immediately tributary to those great valleys is at least as fertile as that at Riverside and Fresno. And were its owners to put their dependence no longer in the rains that fall from heaven, but would turn upon their acres the water that now runs swiftlj^ by them to the ocean, vil- lages, towns, cities would spring up like magic, and, where now but tens of thousands live, millions would have their habitation." 50 CALIFORNIA : ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. Some i(,lea of the fruit industry of the State may be had front the statistics of shipments for the year 1903. These are compiled by the California State Board of Trade, and are as follows: 104,198 tons of green deciduous fruits, 299,623 tons of citrus fruits, 149.531 tons of dried fruits, 39,963 tons of raisins, 9,377 tons of nuts, 69,689 carloads of fruits by rail and sea, 8.661 car- loads of vegetables by rail and sea, 9.733 carloads of wine and brandy by rail and sea, 88,084 carloads of fruit, vegetables, wine and brandy by rail and sea. There was a net gain in 1903 of 10,546 carloads as compai-ed with the shipments for 1902, of which 7.395 carloads were citrus fruits. Vegetables made a gain of 1,705 carloads; wine and O.N TUK WAY TO MAKKKT. brandy a gain of 865 carloads; canned fruits a gain of 1,356 car- loads, and green deciduous fruits a gain of 380 carloads. The raisin output in 1903 was greater than that of any preceding year. The shipment of oranges from Noi-thorn and Central California was 2,246 carloads; being an increa.se of 598 carloads as compared with 1902. Most of California's oranges are grown in the south- ern part of the State: practically all the fresh deciduous fruit was shipped from Northern and Central California. The raisin center is in Fresno county and vicinity; the prune center is in Santa Clara county and vicinity; of the dried fruit over 85 per cent goes from the northern and central portions of the State, and these sections give an exceedingly large percentage of the canned fruits; the walnuts are principally grown in the souths AGRICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 51 while the ahiionds are mostly from the north; the fresh peaches, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, etc., nearly all go from north of the Tehachapi mountains, which divide Southern California from Central and Northern California. The ainiual production of wine is now about 30,000,000 gallons. The beet sugar production during the year 1903 amounted to 65,360 tons. This industry is capable of large increase and is attracting considerable attention. Experience and scientific exper- iments, as well as climatic conditions, attest the superior merits of California for sugarbeet-grownng. The opportunities for development of tobacco-growing are rec- ognized. The peculiar quality of soils in California renders fer- GKAIN BAliGES OX THE SACRAMENTO KIVEH. tilizing unnecessary for the tobacco plant, which is a material saving as compared with other states. The absence of frost during the growing season is a feature of importance in the cultivation of tobacco. Parties most familiar with tobacco-growing contend that it will ultimately be largely engaged in and be profitable here. Livestock-raising is very largely and successfully engaged in. The foothill and mountain districts, at one time erroneously con- sidered among waste lands, furnish rich pasturage— the higher mountain elevations in summer, and the foothills in winter— thus giving favorable conditions the year around. Animals in this State mature and reach their growth at an early age. A two-year- old animal attains about the size of a three-year-old in other states. 52 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. A large area of alfalfa during the last few years has added greatly to the livestock interests. Stock-growers are now supplied with the finest breeds of cattle for all uses and extensive herds are found in all parts of the State. The breeding of hor.ses and mules has been a prominent factor in agricultural development. California thoroughbred horses have stood in the front rank for many years. In the earlier development of California the sheep industry became a prime factor. As late as 1876 sheep numbered nearly 7,000,000 and the annual production of wool reached over 56,500,- 000 pounds, bringing over .$10,000,000 to the State. Other agricul- tural pursuits became more profitable, besides the demands of increased population displaced sheep husbandry, and after 1876 sheep-raising declined in importance. It is, however, still a large industry, both for mutton and for wool, and will continue to be, as the ranges unsuitable for cultivation in the foothills and moun- tains are well suited to this industry. The present production of wool for the State aggregates about 22,000,000 pounds. Hogs are extensively raised, but not in sufficient numbers to supply home needs. With the increased acreage in alfalfa and the extension of the dairy interests this branch of farming is on the increase. Indian corn, the great product of the Middle West for fattening hogs, is lacking in the State, and its substitute is barley, which is found to be equally well suited to that purpose. This branch of farming is capable of large increase. On account of the quick returns and the sure profit it afi'ords, hog-raising is attracting much attention. Despite the fact that every possible condition favorable to the poultry business exists, large quantities of eggs and poultry are imported annually. It may surprise farmers in the East and West when the fact is known that some farmers in California send to the town store for butter, eggs and chickens. Eggs and chickens are generally the by-products of the Western farm, but they go a long way toward the support of the family. The California farmer has yet to learn the value of the farm by-product. As to the profits of poultry as a distinctive and separate busi- ness, statistics are not obtainable, but there are successful poultry farms in this State. There can be no doubt of the wisdom of every farmer raising poultry for his own wants and some for market. The production of honey is worthy of consideration. In the central and southern portions of the State, and to some extent in Northern California, the business is made a separate occupation; the output is large and finds inarket in the East and West. As a by-product of the orchard and farm, bee culture has value. In orchards it has been found that bees aid in the pollination of the fruit-tree blossom. It will therefore be seen that agriculture in California covers a wide .scope and affords opportiuiity for important development. The last quarter of a centur}' has given demonstration sufficient to HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 53 justify expectation far beyond any present development. The application of scientific methods is bringing into this department of industry intelligence and capital from various parts of the world that promises great results. This, coupled with peculiar climatic conditions, gives to farm life and the country home features of attraction hitherto unknown. Through quick and fre- quent communication with towns and cities by the introduction of electric car service, which the development of electric power makes possible, the element of ease and comfort is brought into intimate relation with rural life and the rural home. For free information in respect to California, address "California State Board of Trade, Ferry Building, San Francisco, Cal." HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. By E. J. WICKSON, Professor of Agricultural Practice, University of California, and Horticul- turist of the California Experiment Station ; author of "CaJifornia Fruits and How to Grow Them," and "California Vegetables in Garden and Field" ; Horticultural Editor of the "Pacific Rural Press" of San Francisco. Certain facts which are of great interest and importance in connection with fruit-growing in California are these : First — Fruit-growing and the manufacture of fruit products constitute the leading industry of California. The output, from its beginning on a large commercial scale about 1880, has sho^vn an average increase in value of about $1,500,000 per year, and has now reached a total annual value of more than $35,000,000. This constitutes California the greatest fruit-growing state in the Union. Second— The reasons for this eminence of California in fruit- growing are several : (a) The possession of a climate which insures the life and thrift of the tree or vine. This can be appreciated when it is understood that, except at elevations greater than those chosen for fruit plant- ing, there is no cold severe enough to freeze the ground and no winter-killing of trees. (&) The length of the growing season, the absence of summer rains, the brilliance of the sunshine, and the adequacy of sun heat promote size, beauty and quality of fruit and favor the manufac- ture of evaporated fruits at a minimum cost. (c) The combination of conditions, which benefit the growth of both semi-tropical and temperate zone fruits, gives California com- mand of a variety of fruits which no other state possesses in such 54 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. fullness and perfection. This will appear more clearly as the different fruits are separately discussed later in this paper. (d) The occurrence in California of vast areas of deep, loamy soils, rich in plant food, easy to cultivate and encouraging root growth to a depth of ten feet quite generally and occasionally twice and even thrice that depth, as shown by actual digging. Though this is true, it is also true that shallower soils are success- fully employed in groAving fruit. Third— Aside from natural conditions of climate and soil, fruit- growing has reached its present eminence in California through the high intelligence, energy and business ability which are found in the agricultural population of the State. These qualities of citizenship have made it possible to develop methods of growing, preserving and distant marketing of fruits which are new and characteristic of California. The employment of these methods, coupled with the acceptable nature of horticultural work and the opportunity to pursue it nearly the whole year, renders it possible for a horticultural worker to accomplish with ease and comfort twice the work which can be compassed in climates which add the embargo of Avinter to the depression of hot, moist summer weather. Fourth— Bnt after all, and probably, the underlying secret of success in California fruit-growing is the conception of the tree or vine as a producing machine which must be developed and maintained in the highest degree of efficiency. This idea of a tree widely prevails, and in commercial plantings is sharply and diligently pursued. The tree must have the best shape to bear a fair amount of large, well-developed fruit. It must be a low tree in order that all work upon it can be most cheaply done. It must grow every year a sufficient amount of strong, new wood, and to do this it must be pruned to prevent over-groA\i;h and over-bearing. On the other hand, satisfactory gro^\•th and fruit-bcaring must also be promoted by constant cultivation of the soil and by irriga- tion and fertilization, w^hen necessary. It must be protected in its strength by the alisolute destruction of injurious insects, blights and diseases. All this signifies that the tree must be main- tained in full possession of its producing powers, and the Cali- fornia grower expects to stand beside his trees, constantly training and pushing them to their work and generously assisting them to all that they need to do it well. It is this conception of the grower's relation to his trees and the discharge of the duties which such relation requires, which have brought to California fruit- growing such notable success and wide repute. Fifth— Ca\\iorn\a fruit-growing has reached its present emi- nence because of the wide application of business principles in production and in trade. Many of the leading fruit-growers Avere formerly prominent and successful in manufacturing and com- mercial' affairs at the East and abroad. They brought to Cali- fornia the Avisdom born of experience. They invented neAv proces.ses and appliances and they applied the most adA'aneed com- mercial methods. Thov matchecl the favoring natural conditions 56 CALIFUKXIA : ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. of soil and climate with their o's\ti skill and energy in using them to the best advantage. They have demonstrated the advantage of cooperative organizations for handling fniits in the packing-house and in the markets so clearly that California methods are com- manding attention in all parts of the world. VARIOUS FRUITS COMMERCIALLY GROWN IN CALIFORNIA. It may be most interesting and convenient to those seeking infor- mation about California fruit-growing to state a few of the lead- ing facts about each of the fruits, under its own name, and for ease of reference, an alphabetical arrangement will be followed in each of the groups into which the fruits naturally divide themselves. DECIDUOUS ORCHARD FRUITS. California has about 3,500,000 apple trees in orchard, Apple. of which one fifth are not yet in bearing. The success attained in growing a winter apple very satisfactory to the trade and capable of distant shipment constitutes this fruit one of the most promising and popular at the present time. About one thousand carloads are shipped beyond state lines and a con- siderable quantity reaches the London market, selling at the high- est prices. There are two distinct branches to the apple industry of California : one is the growing of early varieties like the Astrachan and Gravenstein for sale in the northern parts of the Pacific Coast and in the interior mountain states before the earliast apples can be ripened in those parts. The localities where these early varieties are chiefly grown for such shipment are in the Sac- ramento valley aud the foothills surrounding it. The forcing heat of the spring and early summer brings these varieties quickly to notable size, crispness and flavor. This heat, however, con- tinued into the summer and autumn, makes the same districts quite ill-suited for the growth of winter apples, which are pre- maturely ripened and lack quality and keeping power. The second branch of the California apple industry, then, the production of winter apples, is undertaken in parts of the State quite different in climate from that of the early apple regions. The requirements of a winter apple are full.y met by two main divisions of the State, viz. : The smaller valleys close to the coast, in fact, in some cases, the coa.st flats, where the exposure i.s directly toward the cooling breezes of tlie ocean which produce a cool summer — a long, slow-gro^\ang sejison, which develops the greatest beauty and high- est quality in a winter apple. Similar results are also produced by the climate found at an elevation of from 2,500 to 5,000 feet on the interior plateaus and in the mountain valleys. The coast district has developed a greater commercial apple industry than the moun- tains, because transportation facilities for .shipment are vastly better; but as the State advances the mountain districts will be employed in this production much more largely than at present. The greatest apple district of the State is the Pajaro valley, includ- 58 CALIFORNIA: ITS PRODUCTS, RESOURCES, ETC. ing parts of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, centering at Wat- sonville, wliicli shipped about one thousand carloads of apples in 1903. The counties next prominent in apple-growing are Sonoma, Mendocino and San Luis Obispo, Avhile many other counties have good apple orchards in less total acreage; in fact, from San Diego on the south to Siskiyou on the north, localities exist which aft'ord the elevation or the coast exposures which favor the production of good winter apples, and planting is progressing in all these districts. California has about 3,000,000 apricot trees, which Apricot, stand in the open air without protection of any kind and bear large, luscious fruit. That apricot trees can do this constitutes one of the unique features of California fruit- growing and proclaims it different from fruit-growing in other states, for, excepting a few localities in other parts of the Pacific Slope, California has a monopoly of apricot-growing. And yet the apricot does not find all parts of California suited to it. The whole northwest quarter of the State, north of San Francisco bay and west of the high ridges of the Coast Range, does not grow apricots com- merciall}', nor does this fruit anywhere ascend above an elevation of 1,500 feet upon the foothills. It is particularly a fruit of the pro- tected coast valleys south and east of the bay of San Francisco to the southern end of the State; also of the great interior valleys and lower foothills, avoiding, however, the low places in these valleys where spring frosts may injure the crop though the tree is not hai'med. For these reasons it is wise to choose locations for the apricot with some discrimination, but such large areas of land are practically so safe that the present great product can be several times multiplied if the Avorld's markets should favor it. The Cali- fornia apricot is of superior size and quality, and in canned and dried forms is finding a free field in the countries of northern Europe for any surplus which is not required in the United States. A point of advantage with the api'icot, as with the pear and peach and to a less extent with the nectarine and plum, is that it has three great lines of demand: first, as fresh fruit, of which 231 carloads were shipped to Eastern markets last year ; second, as canned fruit, with a product of 648,716 cases, each containing two dozen 214- pound cans; third, 20,000,000 pounds of dried apricots. Nearly 3,000,000 apricot trees are growing in California; counties having over 100,000 trees each are as follows : Santa Clara, Solano, Ven- tura, Los Angeles and Alameda, while several other comities closely approach that limit. Some of these counties are five hundred miles apart and their success with the apricot shows how widely suitable locations are distributed over the State. The cherry is one of the lesser orchard fruits of Cali- Cherry. fornia, because the regions which favor it are fewer and because its commercial field is less; but in the size and quality of the fruit and the prolific bearing of the tree the cherry is a great fruit in locations which meet its requirements. The cherry requires a modification of summer heat and of the dry- ness of the summer air, and for these reasons it does not thrive on HORTICULTURE IN CAUIFORXIA. 59 the interior plains, even \vhen irrigation is employed to regulate soil moisture. In the coast valleys, however, in the upper part of the State, in the smaller valleys tributary to the great Sacramento valley and on the river lands, where depth of soil prevails and modi- fication of air-dryness is secured by abundance of adjacent water, the cherry behaves magnificently. Elevation also secures conditions suitable to the cherry in some cases, notably in Southern Cali- fornia, where the product of trees in mountain valleys at an eleva- tion of 2,000 feet or more is satisfactory and profitable, though the trees on mesas below, where citrus fruits thrive, are disappointing. There are about 750,000 cherry trees in California, of which Santa Clara, Alameda, Yuba and Solano have the largest plantings. DKYIXG FRUIT. Cherry-drying has never largely prevailed in California. The shipment of fresh fruit to the East has overcome its chief difficul- ties and is now rapidly increasing — the shipments of 1903 aggregat- ing over 200 carloads. Cherries are constantly growing ni volume as canned fruit, the product of 1903 being about 200,000 cases. The acreage at the present time is extending on the basis of the improving shipping and canning demand. The peach is the greatest orchard fruit of California Peaches, of the deciduous class. A tew years ago it was sur- passed in acreage by the prune, but the prune was over-planted in situations not befitting it, and such unwise exten- sions have largely disappeared. This restores the peach to the supremacy which it held previous to that unfortunate incident, as 60 C.VT.lP^ORXIA : ITS PROnrCTS. RESOURCES, ETC. it has had no revevsos. but has rather gained continually in popu- larity. The peach has a very Avide range in California. It goes bej'ond the apricot in the coast valleys north of San Francisco; it goes beside the apricot -wherever the latter thrives in the interior; rises a thousand feet above it on the foothills, and goes lower on the plains into the frosted areas with less danger. The peach is a grand fruit almost everywhere ; it has a ripening season with different varieties and different locations from Ma\^ to December, though, of course, the midseason varieties constitute the great commercial crop. The varieties most largely grown are of Cali- fornia origin, being chiefly selected chance seedlings taken up by enterprising nurserymen on the approval of the growers with whom they originated. These varieties have gained fame by embodying qualities acceptable to three main lines of disposition indicated by these notes of the product, viz. : Shipment of fresh peaches overland in 1903, 1,867 carloads (the greatest volume of any deciduous fruit) : canned peaches, 676,000 cases (the largest canned product of any single fruit) ; dried peaches (1902), 50,420,000 pounds (larger than any other tree fruit excei)t the prune). This product, as indicated above, is derived from nearly all parts of the State, though mainlj^ from the great interior valleys (the San Joaquin and the Sacramento) and the foothills. Four counties (Placer, Fresno, Tehama and Santa Clara) have over 500,000 trees each, while Kings, Solano, Sonoma and Tulare have over 200,000 trees each. About ten other counties go above the 100,000 mark. The California peach, though it is now eminent, has even a greater future before it. The nectarine is a smooth-skinned peach, but it bears Nectarines, no comparison with the peach in product or popu- larity. The canned product of nectarines is but 344 cases, and the dried product but 600,000 pounds. California pro- duces a magnificent nectarine, but the demand for the fruit does not justify the effort. Because of conditions favoring the growth of pears Pears. of the most popular market sorts in greater beauty and volume than they can be produced in older states and countries, the California pear has connnanded wide attention in distant parts of the United States and, like the apple, has com- manded the highest prices for the fresh fruit in the London market; in fact, the pear stands next and very close to the peach in this trade, 1,719 carloads being shipped out of the State in 1903. The pear also is high in canning, the product being 423,831 cases; in drying, the same is true, as the normal annual output is about 6,000,000 pounds. The ])ear resembles the peach in its Avide range over coast valley, interior valley and foothill situations, but it extends beyond the peach, for it goes to an altitude of 5,000 feet on the mountains and it descends to the lowest places in the valleys, for neither frost nor standing water can avail against it. It escapes frost by its slow start in the spring, and it endures water and even a degree of alkali in the soil by the hardy char- HORTICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 61 acter of its roots. In ripening, also, it is not injured by a degree and duration of heat which ruin the quality of a winter apple. Until very recently the pear was free from the "fire blight" in California, and there seemed no limit to the possibilities in pear- growing. At present blight shows itself, but is restricted in area and may be circumscribed. The pear census shows the existence of about 1,800,000 pear trees. The leading pear counties are Solano, Santa Clara, Placer, Fresno, Sonoma, Sacramento, El Dorado, Contra Costa, Yolo, Yuba, etc., but almost every county in the State grows the fruit in commercial quantities. The vari- eties grown are comparatively few and the Bartlett is chief, because there are fully two months between the first to mature J' ^i