Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-05-10

Two years ago the Lagnna Rancho
was q sheep pasture. The surprise was
great that these fertile acres should 80
long have been allowed to serve so prin-
tive purpose. Their owner, two yenrs
ngo, leased them COR period OF seven
years, II we remember Alright, to num-
ber Of cnterprising gentlemen, who have
dedicated them TO agriculture. The first
year Of the experiment the lesaees merely
held their own. 1t was supposed, until
the advent Of the late Spring rains OF
last year, that the entire investment
would, for that season, be lost. Not so,
however; for, though there wns buta par
tial crop,i in hay and grain. the lcssees,who
pay Col. r. S. Baker q yearly rental OF
$4,000, recoupcd themselves for their
outlay aud found that. besides. they had
upon their hands a splendid rancho.
whose soil had been thoroughly broken
TO the plow. This, of itself, was great
thing AS to property which had been
impacted for hundred years by the
tread Of myriads OF sheep. The enter.
prising men who inaugurated the Lagu-
ma experiment reasoned that II, during
the whole period of their lease, they
should harvest two good crops, they
would more than repay themselves for
any possible disappointments, counting
in both rent aud all other outlays.
Thus, when the copious rains OF the cur
rent season set in. these gentlemen found
themselves in possession OF ten thousand
acres Of the best broken land in Califor-
mia, with q plant perfectly adapted to
their purpose.
As the case stands to-day the La
guna rancho will probably yield three or
four hundred thousand bushels of wheat
and barley. At the lowest conceivable
market piice for the cereals, the pro
jectors Of this colossal agricultural ex.
pertinent will be able. by one years crop
alone, to assure themselves of sub
stantial success. Without counting ON
tho future, the proceeds OF the current
years crop will pay the rent for the
whole period embraced in the lease and
will guarantee funds sufficient to seed
the land for tho remainder of the term
for which Colonel Baker has surrendered
his quite royal CONAN to this unique
but highly successful experiment.
The Lsguno ranch comes sheer up to
the city line and stretches to that branch
of the San Gabriel river which runs
north of Downey City. To-day it's
whole cxpanse is covered by a luxuriant
crop of the cereals. There could not pos
sibly bo more exhilarating sight than
that which spreads southwark from
Los Angeles towards Dawney City.
1t is hard to believe that, for time
whereof tho memory of man runneth not
to tho contrary, this most fruitful of ran
chos has been devoted to pasturage.
There is no exaggeration in looking for
wheat and barley enough to sustain
small commonwealth as the result OF in
telligently directed labor on the ton
thousand acres OF this rancho. In ths
East it is very different indeed to predi-
cato assured profits as result of asso
ciated effort in agriculture. In Los An.
geles county it is simply q matter Of
course. Allowing for an occasional dry
year, on the supposition that those who
enter into these colossal enterprises have
the necessary capital, there is no more
certain or remurerative investment than
that which makes agricultural produc.
ton its basis.
We cannot forbear reflection as TO
the future of the Lsguna rancho when its
present lessees shall have surrendered
their trust. l'y that time the city OF Los
Angeles will bo socking new boun.
daries, and the swelling tide of popula
tion will naturally impinge upon this
ranch. Then, very naturally, this
splendid spread of fertile land will be
broken up and sold in small homesteads.
The cereals will be replaced by the
vine, the olive and the citrus fruits, and
it is no strained expectation to look for
population of fully ten thousand soals
on an expause which probably does not
now contain dozen families just such
developments as that which we are
outlining as probable on the Laguna
ranch are those which have made South
ern California, and Les Angeles county
particularly, distinctive in the sense of
miraculous settlements anl unexpected
and wonderful growths. There are to-
day in this section dozen settlements
whose history ia more remarkable than
anything which we have suggested as an
early possibility of the Laguna ranch,
whose fecund acres align the southern
boundary OF our city OF the Angels.
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