Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-07-31
COLONIES IN CALIFORNIA
PICTURESQUE FEATURE OF PA
CIFIC COAST LIFE.
The Anaheim Colony-DifIiculties En-
countered by the Early Squatters
The Cultivation of Fruit.

The Cultivation of Fruit
One of the most interesting features of
Southern California, to one who visits it
for the first time, is the colony system,
which has done So, much to develope the
country and to demonstrate the capabili-
ties of the soil and climate. Los Angeles
is the centre of large number of colonies,
all of which have made great progress,
while the last few years have seen imita-
tions of these started on several other
counties with equally good results. The
colony system has manifest advantages
in country where water for irrigation is
indispensable. No man, unaided unless
he be large capitalist, can develop o
water supply sufficient even for a small
ranch. The principle of cooperation
holds good here and has been adopted
by all these colonies. Without water the
land in most of the southern counties is
worthless save for the growing of grain;
with water it will produce beautiful
crops, and the fruits of the tropical and
temperat Gnes flourish equally we'll.
Hence, tl5lerst requisite for the success
of any colony is a full supply of wafer.
Given this, with fairly good land, and it
is the fault of the managers if a colony
1oes not thrive like green bay tree.
Perhaps the oldest colony in Southern
California is Anaheim, about twenty five
miles from Los Angeles. 1t was started
On the cooperative plan by Germans
nearly thirty years ego. Nothing could
be more forbidding than the stretch of
cactus-covered country which they Sc
lected and obtained for a small sum, be-
cause the owners of the ranch supposed
that it was the poorest land on the place.
Even the cattle gave this tract a wide
berth, and in the estimation of men who
held the land as valuable only for the
growing of grain or the grazing of cattleit
was as i'll adapted for the making of
homes as slice of the Colorado or Mo-
jave desert. But these German colonists
were not frightened by the cactus grow
ing in great clumps on the sandy soil,
nor by the doleful predictions of failure
which they heard on every side. They
parceled out the twenty acre plots by lot,
and each man set to work to develop his
domain. They were mainly men who
had been bred to wine making, and they
naturally chose the grape as their chief
reliance. The years brought many
changes. Other colonies started in what
was originally regarded as little better
than desert; the railroad came to them;
about one-half of the original settlers de-
parted for various causes, and their
places were filled by Americans; the
land increased in value as its capabilities
were tested and found not wanting. In
word, the men who came to Anaheim
with small means have now an ample
competence, and many of them may be
ranked as wealthy. With German phlcgm
they did little for many years TO encour-
age new corners to make their homes in
Anaheim, and to-day the dwellings of
the richest men of the colony bear no
comparison to those in the more enter
prising calonies near by. But for SUBJ
t. tihe rIafkihSeih,c o'PeYnRps;a teSr.
Doty--were the only people who we
not surprised when the new teacher gay
up the school at the end of the term, an
. was quietly married to the young d
rector.
The chairman of the school board
wondering over it yet.-Emma a. Oppe