New-York tribune., 1872-04-13
A WESTERN VALLEY.

sAN BERNARDINO -CARELEss FARMINS - How
MUCH LAND DOES FARMER NEED I-rwo
CROPS A YEAR-A COLONY EXPERIMENT
INDIANS As LABORERs.
IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE ThibU
SAN BERyARpINo. Feb. 2-San Bernardno,
which s point seldom visited by tourists, and but little
known to the Eastern settler farmer, lies sixty miles
east from Los Angeles, under the mountain range iro
which t takes s name. IL has climate moro enar"ihs
and healthfu in Winter Los Angeles, and no hoter
In Summer but there have been cases here IN the ~"
grounds of a mild type Of intermittent fever. This 10
not prevalent however and occurs was told oy an III
teigent physician Of the place, chiefly among the class
who drink the strong grape brandy OF the region ahd
live otherwise carelessly The Sen Bernardno 'aley'
which contains &C. OOO acres was bought years ago
by the Mormons In 1881, Brigham Young cahed MS "s
ciples to Salt Lake, but large nupber Teiusee 80
FROM here, and are stll living here in peace IheV cali
call themselves Josephtes believe, and are an indus
trous quiet people The valley they bought s aDund-
antly watered and appears OF the most frut
full parts OF the Southern country All the fruits ana
grains which raised Los Angeles grow here as wei
some better. have not seen anywhere more
thrifty orange and olive than at two farms
near this town. The valley has not only abundance
OF running water. constant the year round, but
a large number OF flowing artesian wells have
been bored; they get flowing water OF very
good quality at from 100 to 800 feet, and II u
usual TO make a seyen-inch bore, which gives water
enough 10 space vi iH0 S"'.J
between Angeles and Bernardino varies greatly
in quality. Some parts very fDe. About hue
bottoms, where you may stop 10 dine, there is
hrstclass farming land; ten miles beyond you
reach the famous Cocamupgo vineyard, which pro
duces a great deal OF what seems to me a poor and
very spirtuous wine, and also good deal OF brandy
Beyond that you for ten miles a tract which
was once believe. fertile, but has been covered by n
wash Of owlders stOnes and gravel from the mountains
Then you enter the valley after which thls town Is
named. which. with the adjoining foothills, contains
great tract OF rstcass farming and orchard ahd-p'r
haps as much half million OF acres most or II easily
watered good proportion this Il in private hands
great tracts but large part OF IT Ii Congress
land now reserved entry until the sontbern Pacbe
Railroad shall have located It's alternate sections, b
likely to be open entry at the double minimum rate
within year OF Is months
WHERE ONLY MAN II LAZY"
In the mean time noticed hat farmers are powins
large spaces OF this Congress land, and sowing II with
wheat and barley intending 20 get crop OH before II s
open to entry buy the Land OF Government or OF
the Railroad Company. by and BY Unimproyed farming
land the town. with water easily accessible Is solo
from s. in tracts OF from 30 TO 100 acres
Improved farms are not readily bought there are but
a few. aud they valuable company of Costa
Reans recently bought 2Oo acres, near the town.
and intend believe 10 raise sugarcane, well as sub
tropical fruits and. they have capital, they WILL no
doubt succeed Fencing costs u 50 per rod for proper
board fence lumber, such used for houses and fenc-
ing SIS per 1900. Common farm horses cost from $50 to
$50 and cows $50 one OF the oldest settlers in the place
very intelligent practical farmer, told that irr ga
ton was not necessary grain crOps They barley
here on the first 0f January anti after taking Of crop
FROM ca bushels 10 the acre, plant corn on the
same land and get their second crop fully rpened, and
often much 10 bushels per acre. on new land
100 bushels OF corn or bushels Of barley not an I'M
common crop; and was shown large field, which, Tor
| ssivay "a "A
one OF corn every year Alfalfa is cut seven times In
the year. and yields from Is to Il tuns per acre II
| Is fed TO mich cows aud 10 plow horses, ana hogs
| keep fat On it in this climate Where nature mas
| done 80 much, you would, perhaps, expect
| 10 find that man had made beautiful
garden OF this valley. You would he grevously dl7ap
pouted Cultivation is too often careless men live for
wears ON a place without planting the most valuable
fruit trees there il lack Of neatness IN the iarm
surroundings and air OF poverty and thrftlessness
about the houses which dsappoint an Eastern man /
supposed at that the people were sluggish anu
thrifess because they lay out Of the way of market
but this is not true san Berrarno has an important
traffic with Arizona found a miller who has 10 buy
wheat IN san Francisco keep his mill running oats,
which row perfectly here were brought from the upper
country for this place, in the same boat in which came
TO san Pedro barley brings cents pound here, and
only u cents In San Francisco aud believe there IS but
one market garden the town. though man might
!
strawberries. There Is no market for man who bas
nothing to sell" Is an old adase.
METHODS OF CULTIVATION AND RESULTS.
or course this unthiit Is not universal found seEero
wen-kept farms the town; and their owners were
all doing WELL and making good deal OF money IN
ac wherever found farmer with produce TO SELL he
amazed NE by telling me how readily he found pron
able market. wine from its bulky nature, is perhaps
the most difficult article 10 sell IN such place as this
but farmer who makes $500 gallons year. assured ne
that he sold ALL the ground. for 80 cents per gallon
and he had not even barrel left, over year old AS
Won drive over the uncutvated part OF the plain, you
see occasionally the white oury ei9rescenee or aAal
Frequently farm would extend into the midst OF ths
alkal land and was assured b. the farmers tha with
proper handling IL became after the first crop their beet
land They pow in bariey-straw' which rots quickly
and they say so amelOraes the soil, decomposes the
oIkalI that the following Winter they may put III barley
wheat or corn OF course where irrigation is praeuced'
the farmer Is toleraby independent Iof drouhs; but
much Of the farm land In this valley ia not irrigated
and farmers told me that in such land they counted
upon seven good seasons In ten years. The grass
hammer which did some damage last year In
all this Southern country, comes, 1t u SAID,
after a dry season. Some farmers thought
that erasshoppers Id not breed on plowed land do
not know how this may be- they spoke from nut uln-
tied experience but It seems probable from what WAS
told that the scourge is lessened when the soil Is ire
on+ty and tboroughly cultivated. The neighborhood
Of san Befnardino appears 10 me an admirable country
for thrifty farmers. Land is cheaper than near Los
Ancees water IL abundant there is still maeh very
valuable Congress and ra.road land; there Is goou
arat far all prodncts; the soil is almost universally
excellent and do not doubt that thrifty New-Engand
or New-York farmer would here raise large family IN
comfort and independence 40 or at most 80 acres OF
land and If he planted 10 IL acres in oranges ana W
nuts would in 10 years, have handsome income WIN
,ieno labor for the rest OF his lie BY the Tune tne
- a. ae,t,e5 the Southern Pacific Railroad, whose