The Press., 1884-08-14
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
Pomona Cal Aus

.
 Editor of The Press We had visit last week from your old townsman, Wm. N. Thompson, formerly of the firm of Thomp- son < Whiton. He is looking well and likes California, but has sold his store at Los Angeles and come with view of set ting here, as it is one of the best if not the very best, town in the state. Miss E. A. Lee is spending her vacation at Santa Mo- nica beach with party of friends from Pomona, where the waves of the Pacific wash the western boundaries of Uncle Sam's farm, and is enjoying life as we'll as mortals can in this limited sphere, to all appearance. She will return 1n few weeks and resume her old place sA the academy, where she is much liked.
 It is well known that California has mil lions of acres of as rich land as there is in the world that is perfectly useless for cul- tivation without water, and as the country had been for hundreds of years in the hands of the Spaniards and Mexicans, of course water was not developed except by natural flow. The Mexican will build his adobe house on the banks of the rivers, and dig a little ditch from the river to his little garden, and his wife and children will raise enough to live on while he sits upon stone in front of the house, satis- fled that he has reached the climax of all 
 earthly good.
 The presiding elder of this district re- gently preached sermon here upon the importance of being established in doe Urine, and illustrated his point by saying that a Mexican was always established on rock in front Of his house, and if he should pass that way twenty years hence he should expect to see the same man es- tablished in the same place, if he were yet alive. With the land in the hands of such men, improvement was impossible, and the country is long way from yankee land, as all who have passed the immense distance can affirm.
 In 1849, when gold was discovered, em- igration began from the east, but as all traffic was via. Cape Horn in sailing ves- sels, it was very limited, and the demand for quicker passage was the means of the building of the Panama railroad, but Col. Fremont was the first to make the passage over land which resulted in the great Santa Fee stage route. For many years gold was the only object sought, and miners would pay any rrice for provisions, for they must eat, and so some turned their attention to agriculture, and supplied the demand, and found that it paid better than mining.
 At that time the most of the territory was controlled by ranch men, who frown- ed upon all settlers, and as there were no laws to protect the farmer, his crops were destroyed by the cattle that ran at large But as the population increased the de- mand for railroad facilities resulted in building the roads that now cross the con- tinent, previous to which very little was known of the interior of the state. With these avenues open emigration increased ten fold, and the people made laws to pro tect themselves, and compelled the ranch men to keep their cattle upon their own land, under the care of herder.
 Then came the Yankee with his capital and bought large tracts of land on the line of the roads, dug canals and sunk artesian wells, and then sold small farms to settlers, with 8 water right for each acre for irrigation, and they having found that fruit culture was best adapted to the soil and climate gre growing orchards which rival, if they do not surpass, the garden of Eden. The crops of oranges, lemons, figs, necterenes, lines, apricots, apples, pears, prunes and plums are very abun- dant, while peaches and black kberries are like the corn in Egypt in the seven years of plenty-they are without number.
 Through the kindness of my friend, M. M. Dewey, recently had drive through the chino ranch, containg thirty eight thousand acres, where they keep ten thou sand head of as sleek fat cattle as I ever saw, and several hundred horses. This is where Los Angeles, Pomona, and the join- ing towns get a large part of their supplies of beef, which is retailed at twelve to twen- ty cents pound for the best. The best mutton chops are sold for ten and twelve cents.
 I saw statement in The Press that the crops Tn California were being destroyed by grasshoppers. The story probably has about as mvch foundation as the story of the three black crows; it is the first that we have heard of it here, yet while these pests may be doing slight damage in some localities, the damage to the wheat crop by rust caused by the late rains is much great CT, as thousands of acres are not worth harvesting, and will be left on the fields, while much of the crop is being destroyed by fire. Twenty-Five hundred acres were recently destroyed in the San Joaquin (pronounced San Haw-kee) valley, and one man lost thirty thousand dollars. GILT. - Doilp