Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-21


still owned by the Government for the
most part. The universal testimony is
that it is as fertile as the best. 1t is COW
cred with grass and flowers during sew
eral months OF the year, and is capable,
under irrigation, of producing the most
luxuriant and profitable crops.
Artesian well-boring has proved sue.
cessful in places on the desert, but the
expense is, of course. greater than else
where. The region is one of the most
healthful on the glove. Its hot, dry a.
mosphere is found copgenial by many
people. 1t is especially adapted to the
production OF certain crops, as the fig
and raisin grape. 1t produces in some
places as fine wheat as is raised any
where. But TO become habitable for any
more than few scattered families or
small communities, it must have water
to save its crops in summer. We have
an engineers report with regard TO Little
Rock creek. He finds ample winter flow
to furnish irrigation water, if stored, for
270 900 acres, allowing one inch to five
acres, and estimates the evaporation at
sixty.six inches during the year, thirty
inches during the months of July,
August and September. He finds sites
and gives estimates for two reservoirs,
the largest one having capacity of
644 900 600 gallons and to cost
$l25 900. There is reported from the
same locality 500 acres to which water is
applied 200 600 acres irrigable, one half
of which belongs to the Government !;
value of irrigable land, $50; non-irrigable,
$l.25 per acre. There are fourteen miles
OF ditches and seven artesian wells with
an average depth of $40 feet and average
flow of II inches.
THE COUNTIES OF LOS ANGELES AND ORANGE
Have an area OF 4,Sl2 square miles, or
.079 $50 acres. Their population is fully
$50, 900 souls. Without irrigation, not
one quarter of this number would now be
living there, and this in spite of the fact
| that we produce more than one-balf of
the corn of the State, almost altogether
without irrigation, that We have nearly
80, 900 acres of good land that requires no
irrigation; that we have very productive
oil-fields, and last, out not least, We raise
the finest horses in the world.
The irrigated area then is about 150,-
900 acres, and this is the basis of main
tenance for 113, 900 people. theoretically,
no incre ase of this population is war
ranted without corresponding increase
OF irrigated lands. Factories and mineral
developments, travel and transportation
by land and sea, and the healthfulness of
her climate, would add to the population,
but the cost Of living would be increased
in proportion to growth. The homes Of
the poor would no longer be those of
people who control their own destiniee,
and this would become rich mans para
disc, thing not to be desired.
Ten years ago the population of the
counties was little over 80 600. Fifteen
years ago, the land on which Pasadena
now stands was held at 81 per acre. In
seven years 1t was valued and sold in
large quantities at $500 to 81 900 per acre.
This was for orchards. not city lots
orchards made possible only by sup
ply of moisture for the roots of the trees
during the long arid season of the year.
So with the great foothill region
along the base of the Sierra Madre range,
from Tejunga and Crescenta Canada on
the west, through Altadena, Sierra Ma
DIRE, Lamands Park, Santa Anita, Mon
rovia, Duarte, Azusa, Glendora, Alosta,
San Dlmas, Lordsburg. the Ontarios,
Cucamopga, Rialto, Redlands, and over
the San Gorgonio Pass into the desert at
Indlo, and again at Riverside and Ar
lington, and places too numerous to
mention, the growth has been proper
tionate to the extent to which irrigation
has been carried. The region men,
toned was almost worthless, even for
grazing purposes, and was as incapable
of sustaining population as the Mojave
desert itself Now visit it and you will
| find it the most charming region and
the most valuable land in all California,
or in the United States for that matter.
This region is covered with a network of
conduits for the water obtained from the
mountains. In every direction, either
above or below the surface, like SPIDERS
web, the bitches, fumes and pipes are
leading the life-giving fluid. 1t is for
the most part above the region of
wells, 60 that the water for all
purposes has to be brought in. Where
no provision has been made for supply
ing locality from running streams, a
resort is made to other methods. The
mountains are bored and tunneled for
the seepage and spring water, wet places
in the coves and gulches are under
mined, springs are cleaned out, and
reservoirs of various sizes constructed to
increase and store the flow. Pipes are
laid for long distances into the cations to
bring the trickling streams from their
hiding places to the light and usefulness.
Ingenuity and experience as we'll as
capital are required to find many of
these waters. Much money has been
expended to little purpose in such work.
But great many inches of flow have
been obtained in this way-much more
than enough to compensate for all the
outlay in this direction.
In the ranges of hills between the
mountains and ocean, water has been
and is being developed in the same way.
But the difference in the soil and the
moisture borne to them on the ocean
breeze renders less water necessary, and
the same enterprise in obtaining it has
not been displayed. The Whittier
colony is notable exception to
this rule as to enterprise, though
not as to need of irrigation.
The last report of the State Engineer
gives the figures forever 900 miles OF irri-
CATION conduits in these counties. His
estimates, however, are incomplete, as
he himself states, owing to lack of pro-
visions for the prosecution OF the work.
This year, the office of State Engineer
being abolished, the work has not been
prosecuted, and We have to rely upon
such data as We can procure. There are
probably nearer 500 miles of such con-
duits in our counties. The character of
these oonduits is continually changing.
Fumes are being substituted for earth
bitches, and cement or iron pipes for