Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-09-24
Questions Answered.

Register-Dear Sir: DESTROYS OF obtaining re-
liable information concerning the value and
location of agricultural lands in the counties
of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego,
their contiguity te points whence produce
may be shipped, chief towns, with approx
and the character of the population, would
feel under obligation to you If you would fur
nsh me with such Information on the above
points as may be at your command.
Hoping to hear from you at your conven-
ience, am,
JAS. S. BIERY,
The agricultural lands in Southern
California lie Immediately OH the
coast between the coast range of
mountains and the sea, which is gen.
orally level plain of rich sandy soil.
Spurs of the coast range of mountains
cross the plain, running out so asto form
immense precipices rising abruptly
from the sea-thus forming series of
valleys along the coast from San
Francisco to San Diego; occasionally
there is a side valley formed by
stream which heads far back in the
mountains. These side valleys are
fertile, healthy, and generally well
watered. All the level lands on the
coast are very productive after heavy
rains in the Winter; but occasionally
we have what we call dry Winter
ten to twelve inches of rain. After
such Winter the crops and vegeta-
ton are very light, hence the impor-
tance of getting land in such localities
as can be irrigated. The facility for
irrigation controls the price of land
quite as much as the convenience to
market. In the immediate vicinity
of Santa Barbara or Los Angeles-say
two or three miles-the best farming
lands can be purchased for S25 to $50
per acre. These lands can all be irri-
gated. Lands equally as good, but
upon which no stream of water runs,
can be had for SIS to $50. Some of
these lands have produced crops for
twenty years without water, and arte-
sian wells can be sunk upon almost
any part of the valley with almost a
certainty of getting flowing well at
depth of two to three hundred
feet. One artesian we'll will irrigate
from ten to forty, and sometimes a
hundred acres of land. In San Diego
there are no streams with which to ir-
rigate land except the Santa Marga-
rita, and that valley belongs to one
man, who will not sell any portion of
it at present. The valley of Santa
Barbara is small-three to five miles
wide and sixteen to twenty long-the
city is Immediately on the coast, the
atmosphere cool-sometimes a little
too cool-for healthy people it is a very
pleasant little city and valley. There
is population in that city of about
1900. Los Angeles valley is about
eighteen miles wide, and forty miles
long, with three rivers running across
it, all fine streams. The city of Los
Angeles contains 1900 inhabitants,
and its situation is about fifteen miles
from the sea coast on the Los Angeles
river. We have railroad communica-
with the harbor at Wilmington. There
are three other railroads centering in
this city and running out in different
directions. One of these roads is des-
tined to connect us with San Francis
co and another with Texas. There
are seven towns of smaller size in the
valley, besides many large farming
communities, with store and post
office. The population in all these
counties is made up principally of
good class of people, industrious, civil
and law-abiding. God has distributed
his blessing among US. He gave San
Diego good harbor for shipping pur-
poses, but gave them little to ship.
He gave to Los Angeles and Santa
Barbara rich, fertile valleys and an
open roadstead to ship from. The cli-
mate is excellent in all these counties.