Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-24
Semi Tropical California.


fact that semi-tropical fruits are pro-
duced in great perfection in certain
isolated localities scattered through
out the southern part of the State
where the soil and climate happen to
be exceptionally favorable, still the
appellation semi-tropical is only cor
rectly applied to that part of the State
where such productions are the rule,
and not the exception. The true
semi-tropical section of California is
to be found only in that part of the
counties Of Los Angeles, San Bernar-
dino and San Diego which lies be-
tween the Sierra Nevada mountains
and the Pacific Ocean. The mountain
range, rising from 1000 to 10000 feet
above the level of the sea, serves in all
cases as partial and in many places
as q complete barrier to the destruc-
tive and dessicating north winds
which so often blast the hopes of the
cultivator in other parts of the State.
The sea-breeze, so harsh and rough on
the northern coasts, here becomes soft,
gentle and delicious. Nature seems
to have exerted herself to create a
climate so temperate as to avoid the
extremes of heat and cold; for q
country where the soil is ineXhausti-
bly, fertile, the unfailing productive
ness of which is assured by an abund-
ant supply of water for irrigation,
which can be obtained in q very large
portion of the aforementioned Sec
tion. Rain is an uncertain depend
ence in all parts of California-more
particularly so in the southern part of
the State; and although good grain
crops can occasionally be produced on
dry lands in favorable seasons, no
lands in this district can be considered
certainly and unvaryingly productive
except the portions which are natu-
rally moist or those which have cer-
tain and unfailing supply Of water for
irrigation. No matter how fertile the
soil or how favorable the climatic
conditions may be, no man can sue
ceed in the cultivation of semi-tropi-
cal fruits without reliable supply of
water; therefore, the only part of this
semi-tropical district which is worthy
of consideration is the part which
possesses water for irrigation. With
the exception of a few isolated valleys
of small extent in San Diego county,
the great bulk of these lands lie in
the valleys of the three principal
rivers of Southern California - the
Santa Ana, the San Gabriel and the
Los Angeles, with their respective
branches. The San Gabriel Valley,
including San Fernando, San Jose and
Los Angeles Valleys, contains about
200, 600 acres, of which probably 100,-
600 acres can be irrigated, either by
bitches or artesian wells, all of which
are within the limits of Los Angeles
county. The Santa Ana Valley, in
San Bernardino county, contains
about 200, 900 acres, 100000 of which is
irrigable, principally from the river,
which flows through the center,
the balance being irrigable by
artesian wells and by small
streams flowing from the mountains.
That part of the Santa Ana Valley ly-
ing in Los Angeles county contains
about 100000 acres, all of which is ir-
rigab.e either by bitches or artesian
wells. Outside of these two principaI
valleys there is possibly 10000 or 15,-
600 acres of irrigable land, principally
in San Diego county. According to
the foregoing estimate, there is in this
district about 415,OOO acres of irriga-
BILE land, capable of sustaining COM
fortably 100000 people, estimating ten
acres to a family of five. That guam
tity of land in tropical fruits would
yield very comfortable income to a
much larger family, but as only the
lands that have certain elevation
above the sea are suited to the growth
of semi-tropical fruits, the low and
moist lands would be devoted to the
culture of tobacco, corn, or alfalfa,
particularly the latter; ten acres of
irrigated alfalfa will furnish abundant
feed for fifty dairy cows, whose pro-
duce in butter and cheese would make
an industrious family rich in few
years. If all the lands suitable to the
growth of alfalfa in Los Angeles and
San Bernardino counties were utilized
and stocked with good dairy cows, the
dairy produce of this section would be
greater than that of the whole State,
in the north it requires ten acres to
sustain one COW with dry feed half of
the year. Whilst here one acre of al
fa'fa will sustain with constant green
feed from four to six cows the entire
year; and in consequence of the supe-
rior feed the produce will be not only
superior in quality but at least fifty
per cent. greater in quantity. And
although the products of the dairy are
not of a tropical nature, they are just
as rich in color, and far better adapted
to the needs. of humanity. This fa-
vored country can produce almost
everything in the line of agricultural
productions just little better than
anywhere else. We lack only one
thing, and that is an energetic and
industrious population; they are COM