The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-07-26
cALIFoRxIA DErEsDED
an Ola LYON County man Replies 70
EIder Hrovn.

IN Old Lyon County Nan Replies TO /
Elder brown.
ONTARIO, Cal, July Is, 1858
TO the Editors Of Tine NEWS.
have read. in . recent issue of TIE
NEWS. a letter headed .'Stlck TO Kansas,
and entitled. aElder S. G. Browns I'm
pressions of California; As some of
those impressions may work an injury
to both Kansas and California. / ask to
have short say thereon. Elder Brown
says that from Emporla 10 Los Angeles.
a distance of 2.200 mites. he saw no
country adapted 30 farming, ana that
all attempts iE that direction are by irris
CATION" One of the lessons Kansas
needs to learn is that The most perfect
and profitable farming ia the world can
Id is being done by irrigation A few
practical irrigators in the almost unin-
habitable southwestern Kansas would
Don make that the most valuable as
we'll as the most desirable part of the
State to live in. Irrigated lands in this
country produce from one to three crops
a.year and aIioays the largest yield and
the most perfect produce. The products
of a single acre frequently sell for from
$500 to $1,000. Ten or twelve tons of
grapes are frequently gathered from one
acre; and such grapesl The Elder new
er ate any grapes grown east of the
Rocky Mountains that would compare
with them for richness and flsvcr. You
would smile, Mr.. Editor, TO see them un-
load these grapes. When they are for
wine they are handled with fork Just
the same as Kansas people handle hay.
The Elder says people live in this
country for climate alter saying the land
is worthless. Well, what's the use of
having land If the climate will sell for
tor from 500 TO $1,000 per acre, unim-
proved climate, at that: When men
who have plenty of money come here
and buy climate at those prices, how can
the Elder say that the country is not
prosperous and on the "declIne.n The
Elders story don't hang together very
well when read by the light OF facts and
history. For instance, that poor crop OF
wheat the Elder saw is this year worth
about $50. O00, 600; our mines yield $780,
900 900; our wool sells for $4,000 900
fruit and wine for $10,O00.000; cattle
and sheep for market. So, 100000; fax
silk and cotton, 100000. Suppose you
! tell Elder Brown To come to Californis
again and stay long enough to learn tC
farm by irrigation and then go back tc
western and southwestern Kansas an6
ne may do his state some good by teach
| ing her people how t. irrigate her val
leys. When she lacks water her peo
pie must have enterprise enough to &c
hundreds of miles, if necessary, into tht
mountains and pipe or flume the melt
ing SHOWS down into the dry valleys, a
they do IN this state. tell you The fact
Messrs. editors, and the Elder might a
we'll make note Oi 1t, the people o
CALIFORNIA;, like the people o
| Kansas, are not the kim
who go into ''dccline' cas-
lily or early. 1t is really too
bad that the Elder should go all owe
California and several other states ant
territories and find nothing pleasant +
his eyes till he reached the home O
Mormondom.
like Kansas. 1 like her people ant
her laws, and too, say, "stick to Kan
sas,'' but l like California, also, AM
don't like to have the Elder belittle on
system of farming and convey the idea
which is already too prevalent for tn
good of Kansas, that farming by irrigs
tion is not farming at all, only "attempi
in that direction" / hope to see tn
temperance laws of Kansas In all thei
growing perfection copied onto tn
statute books. of California. IwOul
like TO borrow these with the temper
ance sentiment behind them from KaI
sas but don't know of anything else sh
has that we need
The following sentence from til
Elders letter would make anyone VIII
has any acquaintance with California
and also knew something of Junctio
City. smile. "From Denver l cam
to Junction City, where. it seemed Xix
had come to land of plenty, wheI
everything can be raised that heart ca
desire" l have said enough and wi
only add that the world can't beat Cal
fnrnia in raising vegetables and fruit
either in perfection Or variety.
N. G. Gill