New-York tribune., 1872-07-03
CHEAP FARMS.
ro1rn rupouGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

FARMS AND FRUIT GROWING
IVRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRiBUhhI
VIsAIIA. Tulare Co., March 2i.-Visalla Is III q
ferment-a very mild fcrment-at the approach VI 'n
railroad. don't kno" 10" 'no
occa wouId act II railroad was within 80 miles OF ther
ri, p,ooo and approaching at the rate OF mile Gay;
, ,hov ,vould regard the engineers imagine WIN
smetbjnp of the same horror and aversion WIN "hoh
80, iesories OF civilization are regarded by about
ono tird NJ Visalia For this town has long Deeh 'nc
Mecca NJ the Pike. His cattle wandered over million
~ acres bereabouts his will law hisvaqueros were
tbe ministers OF his WILL and bis voice was pno'V
onniop. And now comes the railroad, and-bnt must
,at the pike speak his own sentence: Hero you're
bringing in this railroad, and that will bring crowd Vi
small farmers; the Germans VIII rush In mere soon "o
whole darned country will be fenced in before you ho"
H. and then 1t will be ruined forever ana h"Nin.
gone thus far John Pike opens his mouth niue "u'i'
and lets out mixture of profanity and tobacco Jcc'
which presently leaves him In possession OF thc roo
The railroad is really great civzer 1t not only q'e'
the Indianst drives of tho Pixies. They are sehg oo
sheen and emigrating by scores to Arizona ana you
were here now you might buy Town lots ana iains d'
very moderate prices from men who don't mean 10 i've
near no rajlroadnot they know It," They showed me
man down here who refused, some years ago. 10 iet
the telegraph wires pass over his farm. 3" lie dldht
want the whole country to know every time he whppeu
his children" said and when 1t was explained To MN
that the wires did Of themselves take cognance OF
nassing events he replied; "We, any how, hed Always
bearn that IL killed corn" There are Pixies with prop
erty, and Pixies without When he has farm you may
know IL by house, with room on each slue' ana u
broad open passage in the middle carpets there are
none and you 60 in you shall find that they COOK Dy
an open fire. and that bacon and srinsy green's ana corn
pone are his fare He may worth 100000 bis
door-yard is in litter, and his women are DedragSed
and frowsy and his children keen eyed horscjockey
looking and neglected and his first offer OF hospitality IS
whisky He is not bad creature; proiane he Is; ana
rougb, till rough seems too mild word; but he Is hosp-
able after his way; and If you not preGmpor OF
16O acres" he Will treat you well
GREAT CATTLE VALLEY.
Then there is the Pike who no land. sometimes
be is rch too for has CATTLE and they feed by hund
reds on Congress land with the rest But oenest he Is
Door; he lives in a wagon. saw man who had been
living in his for 20 years. and had raised iamY
I'm it, After the wagon tolls harmless Old COW, WIN
three or four calves following it, "1ts wonderful how
prolific the cattle Of these fellows are even In dry sea-
son" said TO me In Nisalia. "Wby I've seen one
of them come with single heller, that bad at
least four calves all born IN the same year." This poor
John Pike has the knack of appropating other peoples
calves and turning them necessity demands, into
sugar. coffee, bacon, and -four Wei, the Pikes poor
and rch are panic struck. They are getting ready to
leave the country before the railroad shall utterly ruin
It, And they are Their empire Is gone. The small
farmers are not following the railroads they precede 1t
and all over the great plain south OF Vsaa, ana in the
foothills and even down the shores OF the great
Tuare Lake. you little boxes Of houses standing far
apart signs Of small farmers who have here chosen
each his lGO acres. and who will no longer be worried
and bulied by the cattle-owners You are to under
stand that the great San Joaquin Valley which contains
about square miles, aDOut 153Go0cO acres, and
$50 miles long, by from co to 40 miles wide, has been
given up ever since the Americans came into the conn
try TO cattle and horses The farmers have year after
year encroached upon the cattle so that now few cattle
are found north of Mcrced and as far south as the San
JOAQUIN River the farmers disputng the land with
cattle and anteopes and you may see herds OF cows
and antelOpes feeding within half mile OF thousand
acre field of wheat.
HOMES FOR TAKING.
But south OF the san joaquin, cattle have been until
now supreme and their owners-who were not and are
not owners of the soil, but moro squatters-have as
sumed all the power and airs Of lords OF the country
They would have bought mp tho whole country before
now were it not reserved from the clutches OF such land
monoposts When the Southern Pacific Railroad char
ter was granted by Congress- that corporation received
az has been usual land grant OF alternate sections for
90 miles on each side OF its road 1t is entitled 20 build
two lines If the map il to be trusted one running from
Gilroy across the Coast Range, visaa. and rheDce
southwark, by way Of Bakersfield, to the Tehatchap
Pass and by way Of San Bernarino to Fort Yuma the
other south and east Tdare Lake. through the Bakers
field country again. anu Dy way VI
to Fort Mohave. Now, when Congress makes a land
grant to railroad it reserves, by custom which IL OF
extreme importance and which yet Ia little understood
in the East all the sections from sale, ana holds
them exclusively for settlers under the homestead ana
preGmption laws Thus land monopoly Is entirely pre-
vented You may buy Go acres from the railroad com
pany but you cannot buy single from the Gov
ernmen unless you settle it and improve II for
wear and the country thus withheld from general sale
IA in fact dedicated to the OF small farmers, for no
man acquire great body OF land lying tosrther
and no one wants two three alternate sections
Thus the great fertile San Joaquin Valley Is kept open
by law homes for the homeless. 1t has still. as
nearly can ascertain without reckoning the foot
hills about two millions and half acres Of land owned
either by the Government or the railroad company
one half by each and upon the Congress land any ct
zen has the tight to settle. taking 50 home
stead for nothing 10 acres by preempon and actual
settlement 81 80 per The railroad sections are
sold also in So lGO 32O $40 pieces and the com
pany gives actual settlers five years in which to make
their pa yments.
BRAUTPUL COUNTRY.
Now over this immense tract fertile country cattle
and horses have roaming for years. and numbers OF
men have become nch by grazing, without owning an
acre Of land. may have farm. but he does not
keep his cattle IT, He lets them Craze the great
unincosed common he gathers them up once year. In
the Spring and brands the calves; he sells them when
they are fat and he resents invasion OF his rights
the entrance of upon this soil upon which he has
grazed his cattle He opposes the no fence" law, be-
cause he knows that the preempor cannot afford tofence
on his 100 acres He drives his cattle upon his poorer
neighbor's wheat field aud destroys 1t IN a night. He
tells you that the country tit for farming that 1t
Is desert; that his cattle sarving that 1t would
take support sheep that 1t has no water
how does his stock live that too hot and TOO cold
and too full Of aka and too heavy. and too light and
in short he bs to you II he thinks you are preemptor
and he dared he would shoot you But his empire has
departed he longer rules supreme; the preemptors
are In the majority and defy him. The small farmers
have this year given notice to the cattle that II
the cattle trespass they will be killed and the courts