Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-02-13

A week or ten days ago the HERALD,
which has steadily discouraged the idea
that this was to be dry year, said that
this season remarkably resembled that
OF l874-75. We called the attention of
our readers TO tho fact that that was the
year OF the great Centinela land sales, in
which, after copious rains in November,
no rain fell for months. So pronounced
was the economy in the rainfall that
year, until tho advent of 1875, that the
projectors Of the Centinela colony were
obliged to postpone their previously an
nounced public sale until the 18th of
February. BY that time, as will un-
doubtedly be the case now, abundant
rains had fallen, and the sale took place
with great eclat. The recital of the
facts which we have narrated is not a
whit affected by the circumstance that
the purchasers at that sale, at very mod
crate prices, afterwards permitted them
selves to be stampedod by talk of dry
lands. Mr.. d. Freeman, of the Cent
nel9, afterwards relinquished his idea o.
colony, tried the experiment of raising
wheat and barley in the famous year o
ls76-77, succeeded even in that infelici
tous year. and has succeeded ever since
Repeatedly, during the current year,
the HERALD has announced that droutl
is now and is henceforth forever impos.
sible in Los Angeles county. We are no
longer cattle and sheep county, from
which the word drouth, rs applied to
this section, has gained its dread signif
canoe. We are now wine ard brandy
making and agricultural county, with
the best conditions of growth of any
section with which we are acquainted
on the American continent.
Without pretending to say when 1t
would rain, or howit would rain, las mat
ter of fact the HERALD put in four years
inwhich it never missed in its weather
vaticinations) this jorunal has steadily
commended that we would have an abund.
ant rainfall. Our faith, which was
large enough to move the San Fernando
mountain ont of the line OF the Southern
Pacific Railway, has never been in the
slightest degree disturbed by the fact
that the rains were delayed. There have
been specially abundant years in Los
Angeles county, in which splendid
money results We're recorded in which
the bulk of the rains came as late as
March. As it is now we are to have a
plenitude of crop guarantees before the
middle of February.
Wesay crop guarantees advsedly, be-
cause, never in the history of Los Ange-
les county, have we been so well placed
to benefit by even an average rainfall as
now. The area of country sown in the
cereals is something simply without pre-
cedent. In the San Fernando valley
there are at least twenty thousand acres
now seeded which were never sown be-
fore. In the neighborhood OF Newhall
the average has been largely increased
All around Spadra and Pomona the
gang plows have more than then
usual quota of work. Towards the
coast, to say nothing Of the colossal
farming operations of Mr., d. Freeman
on the Centinela and Sausal Redondo
ranchos there are tracts, sown to the
cereals, reaching from the Cahuenga
foothills to the sand-dunes, embracing
tens OF thousands of acres. In add
ton, Mr.. ID. Freeman alone has twenty
Thousand acres in wheat and barley.
: Taking the whole range Of the coast,
there areinnumerable small farms whose
owners will make small fortunes in
grain this year, Around Spadra and
Pomona, in the San Gabriel valley, in
the Monte and about Downey City and
Pomona, grain will be abundant. Elk
tensive sections in and around the Mer
ced ranch will also tell a story of prolific
yield. In addition, it gives us infinite
pleasure to know that the six thousand
acres lately sown to grain, by enterpris
ing lessees OF Col. R. S. Baker, of til,
Laguua ranch, will, in the first year Of
the lease, yield splendid return to thes,
energetic capitalists. To cap large figures
with small ones, the fifteen hundre,
acres in grain, sown by Mr.. j. L, Hollen
beck, will share the good fortune OF tn
couHty at large, and literally reimburs
our banker friend. We may remark, {
PEASANT, that Mr.. Hollenbeck, who ha
abandoned the Presidency of q bank /
become a farmer, has made money ever.
year by the change.
The fact is, that the present will be 1
golden year in Los Angeles, The boom
which is certain to come will be sup
ported by a superb productive total. Il
no section Of the State have the pro