Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-03-21
LOS ANGELES GROWTH
The Bases on Which Her
Prosperity Rests.
OUTLOOK FOR THE SEASON.
Corn, Wine and 0il-Milk and
Honey = Rich Gifts OF
Pomona.

POMONA.
Only twice in the history Of theworld
has the growth Of Los Angeles during
the past five years been equaled. These
exceptions are in the cases Of Chicago,
in her most palmy days, and Of Kansas
City in her similar period. For. a little
adobe town Of 10000 inhabitants to be-
come q well-built city Of rising $4,000 in
half decade is something decidedly ol
the phenomenal order. Away IRON
here, where the causes Of this prosperity
are not understood good deal has been
said of ''boom" in Los Angeles, the
meaning Of the phrase being that heI
growth was rather spasmodic than sub
stantial, rather artificial than real,
forced and not healthy. the effect Of
special effort and not of natural causes
The only reasons in the minds OF strang
ers for taking such view is the wonder
full rapidity Of the increase. 1t hai
been hard - believe that sucf
thing could be the natura
outprowth Of circumstances. resting OIL
a solid basis of local resources. Her'
at home the fact has been realized tha
no spscial effort has been used or needed
TO set Los Angeles moving fast along the
upgrade Of improvement. 5he grew
so very rapidly because OF the previous
unnatural repression OF one OF the fines
regions under the sun. The "Old Man
of the Sea" ON the back of the country
was negative rather than positive. The
lack Of connection with the outside
world was the obstacle in tho way Of
her FORMER improvement. There was
no market available for any product OF
the soil. To get here for the benefit oi
the climate was q slow, wearisome and
expensive undertaking. All wanting to
develop the country was
THE CONNECTION WITH MARKETS.
The railroad came making transpor.
tation facilities to San Francisco and
with all the markets OF Eastern cities
This was the open sesame to the period
Of unparalleled prosperity, which has
made the name of Los Angeles one of the
most widely known and enthusiastically
discussed Of any in the country. She Ia
now the Mecca Of health and wealth 10
which more eyes are turned than to any
other spot the sun in his daily rounds
shines upon.
The railroad did not make this pros.
perity. 1t merely made its development
possible. The conditions all were here.
They lay buried in the rich soil Of the
broad plains, and on the slopes OF the
foothills. They beamed on the land in
every ray Of the genial sun
which kisses all the landscape into life
and beauty. They sang and sparkled
along the channel of every little mount
ain stream coming down from the per-
petual SHOWS upon the SUBMITS to fer
tilize the valley from the ''Sierras to the
Sea-" Where these streams failed their
kindred ran far beneath the surface,
ready to come up at the tap Of the augsr
TO sparkle in the light copious How Of
blessing, making the seeming desert
blossom as q rose. Where fertile soil
failed In the rocky ribs Of the mount.
aims, and on the bald, parched deserts,
the possibilities of corn, wine and oil
were replaced by seams of metal from the
Kingly gold and Queenly silver, through
the whole list, even to the plebeian iron
and coal; and by salt, soda and other
useful metaloids. Where these were
wanting came the rock formations, from
the aristocratic grain of the marble
vein to those giants of architect.
ural strength, limestone. granite,
seudstone and other similar sources OF
wealth. Even the Yucca plant, 30 long
thought TO be an utterly useless thing
on the mountain sides, is found TO be
one of the best fibres known for the
manufacture of fine papers, and is now
9 newly added source Of wealth to the
country.
THE AGRICULTURAL WEALTH
OF Southern California is the most phe-
nomenal on the earth, for both variety
and abundance Of lrofit in the pursuit.
For the commoner products of the soil.
cereals, root and leguminous crops nc
sun or soil are better adapted. all things
considered. There are growing this
March day, in Los Angelesoounty alone,
nigh onto 500, 900 acres OF the various
grains, including nearly all the cereals
known to husbandry. Whether cut for
hay, or let mature for the header and
thresher, no farming of the same kind
anywhere will pay better. There will
be an average OF two tons of hay pei
acre. II will bring the farmer S25 an
acre IL carried until next winter. In.
deed it will average that price for ths
season. The cost OF seeding, cutting
baling and hauling will be under $40 al
acre. The net result will not be mucf
less than SIS an acre for the whole hay
crop. II let mature for wheat or bar
ley the threshers will run out an average
OF not much less than 20 bushels of th,
former and 80 Of the latter. II may sci
cheap. whichever grain a farmer hai
this year, but it will not return hin
short OF $40 an acre as an average for al
the wheat and barley in the country
The expense OF seeding. harvesting
threshing, sacking and hauling i
heavy one in the aggregate
But II one is TO compare the lot Of th'
wheat grower here with that he find
elsewhere, II must be borne in mind tina
the average yield of the wheat fields o
the great West one year with another il
the prospect for prices next year doe
not hold out to him o golden hope o
more than half dollar bushel on tn
farm. There are few cereal farmers il
Los Angeles this season who viii not ne
more out of his years industry than viii
his brother growers on the prairies or il
the oak openings Of the West.
For corn.growing there is no land il
the country so prolific as that belt Il
Los Angeles county where this industr,
is attempted. On any OF the damp land
along the river bottoms and ii
the oiensgas maize attains
luxuriaDce not surpassed in Souther
Illinois, Indiana or Missouri. Cases or
on record where so bushels an acre hay
been gathered from the lands of Lo
Nietos, Downey City, Westminster an
Gospel Swamp. The price of corn her
ranges at all times much higher thai
10 any OF the Western States, and III
the farmer makes much larger profit
There are thousands upon thousands o
acres In this State where two crops
year can be raised, one Of barley whic
grows upon the winter rains, and one 0
corn planted after the barley crop is Gu
In May. Some of this land has to
irrigated for the second crop, or corn.
TAKING UP VEGETABLES,
Potatoes now are a paying crop, and
when the Chinese coolies are gone, hur
dreds OF good citizens will be able Il
make q comfortable living, build u,
happy homesand help forward the gensri
prosperity Of the country in this enter
prise. All root and leguminous crop.
cabbages, caulfower. celery and kin
dred food plants grown here to perfee
tion. The beauty OF IL Is that they ms
tore in this climate in winter. The da,
Il not far distant when the train loads {
vegetables will be shipped to the mar