Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-02
LANDS OF TIE STATE.
VAST WEALTH IN THE CULTIVATION
OF THR SOIL.
Complete Exposition of the Landed
Wealth of California and its
Productive Capacity.
IFrom the Sam FRANCISCO Examiner.I


soil than in digging for gold. The early
settlers brought with them the experience
of Eastern farming and the hoary tradi-
tions Of agricultural requirements which
had existed in the Old World since the
birth of history. The economic conditions
existing here were entirely obscured BY
ignorance of their value. Miners paid
fabulous prices for -four, corn and potatoe;
shipped by way of the Isthmus of Panama
from the Eastern States and went without
the luxuries which they never dreamed the
soil of California could produce.
It's not difficult to understand their err
ror. Imagine vast plains and valleys ab-
solutely devoid of perennial vegetation,
with the exception of groves OF live oaks
scattered about at wide intervals; no per-
ennial grasses or flowers on the plains, bat
instead all ANNALS dying with the passing
of spring and leaving the plains with an
aspect of desolation that was dreary and
uninviting in the extreme; and upon all
this an annual rainfall that all human ex-
perience had found was entirely too small
for the needs of crops of any kind what
ever-there being, as rule, no rainfall at
all from June to October, and only from
six to twenty inches in the winter, as
against thirJy-six to seventy-two inches
in the Eastern States.
The story of the discovery that all the
best products of the temperate and semi
tropic countries of the world could be
grown here with Incompatible ease and at
an unheard-of profit need not be told; it
was a lesson slowly learned, and only after
all old experiences had been swept aside
and disastrous and numerous failures had
been encountered.
Once interest was awakened, expert
mentation went forward briskly and pro-
dueed astounding results; and out OF all
these struggles. failures, experiments, cast
ing aside of old methods and adopting OF
new, came the present condition OF things,
wherein is seen the fact that in California
there is a wider diversity OF agricultural
products than in any other country In the
world. and that hey are cultivated, ma
tured, harvested and placed upon the mar
ket with more pleasure and comfort and
profit to the producer than anywhere else
on the globe.
One condition persists, however, and will
persist for all time, and that is the one
which is inherent 10 agriculture here the
experiences of the older States cannot be
brought into successful operation in Cali
foruia. This is fact which the intending
settler cannot too strongly impress upon
his mind, and il is a determination not to
accept it or an inability to understand ii
that has clouded the judgment of men who
have kept away.
Take, for instance, the matter Of prices
for land. Many intending settlers are APP
palled at what appears to be extrayagant
prices demanded in some of the more pop
ulous sections Of the State.
For nearly twenty-five years the intend
ing immigrant has had the choice OF an
almost unlimited variety of climatic, social
and commercial conditions. Compare
lively, the prices asked for land in CalitOr-
mia were higher than the rates demanded
elsewhere west of the Mississippi river.
To the superficial view, land in California
had reached its maximum in value. Good
agricultural land in the Northwestern and
Western States is deemed to have reached
its highest point at value Of $50 to $50 an
acre. Twenty years ago good agricultural
land in California reached this stage OF de-
yelopment When, therefore, the immi-
grants had their choice between Texas,
Kansas. Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota
and Dakota, where lands were obtainable
at S. to $40 an acre, as against California,
where agricultural land was held at from
SIC to $50 an acre, they chose the former
localities, under the somewhat Unsuitable
but mistaken belief that lands III Califor-
MIA had already reached their full develop
ment. They were basing their estimate of
the possible valuation of land upon its
capacities for producing grain, wheat, cat
tie and hogs. They were oblivious of the
fact that climate is a controlling factor in
the capabilities of the soil When land is
purchased at $40 an acre, which, through
cultivation and improve may develop
value of $50 an acre, we have an enhance
ment of 800 per cent. of the original pur-
chase price; but where the climate admits
of culture which makes it possible to take
land at $50 an acre, and, by devoting 1t &c
those productions permitted by the higher
possibilities of climate, make il worth from
$500 to $3.50 an acre, we have resultant
percentage of LOCO per cent. to 2,50O per
cent. of the purchase price OF $50.
Whereas land adapted for vItculture
could be bought in this State at from $40 &c
$50 an acre, a fully developed bearing vine
ward is salable at from $500 to $500 an acre
1t is often extremely difficult for an intend
ing purchaser to realize the importance o.
these facts Eastern experience in this par
tcular proves a snare and pitfall. An ex
PLANTATION of the increased prices of land II
California lies in the fact that upon 1t may
be grown articles of consumption which
are in great demand, and which can be pro
duced nowhere else in the United States
These have been imported from othel
countries at heavy expense, and whe1
grown here, where exist natural advant
aces not eniOVed even in the countries tC
which they are indigenous and artificial IA
cilities which have no parallel anywhere
Weld profit surprising in reliability anc
extent any that ever before had been Sc
cured from attention to similar productions
II REQUIRES certain superior order of intel
Igerce 10 grasp that fact and to rely upor
its operation within reasonable bounds.
A few interesting facts compiled for the
private information of q Congressional
Committee, which recently visited this
State, may well be given here as showing
that California is naturally abandoning The
growing of cereals and devoting her atten
lion to fruit and wine The fruit and wint
crop of 1883 yielded S25, 100000 on an acre
age of 100000 Barley, corn, oats, rye anC
wheat yielded $40 600, 600 on an acreage O
2.560,000. Thus, although the acreage il
fruit was only 8 per cent. the acreage IL
grail, the income from the land in frui
was twice as great as that from the land il
grain. Stated more fully, the income ron
the land grown to fruit was five and hal
times as great, acre for acre, as that grown
to grain. II is hardly necessary to 60 any
further to show why the prices Of land ar
not as low here as in the other Western
commonwealth which have been inviting
immigration.
It is ascertained that there are SO 00'
arabic acres of land in the State. The val
leys of the San joaquin and Sacramento
have large share of this, but there ar,
many others, such as the Santa Clara val
lev, the Salinas valley, the Sonoma valley
and others.
1t is owing to the fact that there are NJ
summer rains that California produces TIL
finest fruit of all kinds belonging to tn
temperate and semi-tropic zones. 1t il
ONLY rain that prohibits the growing o
wine and raisin grapes in the States border
ing the Gulf of Mexico. 1t is the absence
of summer rain that gives California mo
nopoly of apricots, cherries and prunes
Figs are grown in the Southern States, bu