The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-15

by sending out of it, to China, not less than
forty thousand dollars per diem of their
earnings through every day of the 365-are
s gaining an alarming foothold upon this
fpeninsula. Between their hordes-silent
\ and unObtrusiYe, but omnipresent and UNI
northumberland the English who already
fully own and control its better northern
half, the United States may as well say
adios to any future interest in this corner
of our continent. It is no visionary notion,
but solid fact, that while our august law
makers are prating of American progress
and the application Of the Monroe doctrine,
foreign powers are quietly possessing them
selves of tempting tid-bits Of territory,
almost under the shadow of the eagles
wings.
Ever since the first efforts Of the United
States government to restrict Chinese i'm
migration were inaugurated, schemes to
evade the exclusion acts have kept the
heather busy, with more or less success on
his part. One by one, as they were pointed
out, have imperfections in the existing stat
utes been corrected, until it was thought
that at last a law had been framed which
the pigtails could not get behind with their
forged certificates of citizenship But now
il would seem that a new scheme is on foot,
which If allowed to succeed, will increase
the Objectionable importation an hundred
fold and render it more difficult than ever
10 check. The story is, OF course, vigor-
ously denied by the promoters of the al
legged enterprise-but 1t comes from sources
too reliable to be ignored, and, true or false,
IS as follows:
Il will be remembered that in the winter
of 1SS7-SS, the Mexican government,
through Gen. Carlos PachecO, secretary of
The department of public works, colonial
ton, etc, made concession to Gen 7.
Masac, OF Il parallelogram of land, 300
square kilometers in superficial area, of
gold placer and mineral grounds in what is
known as the Real del Castillo district of
Lower California This enormous grant of
ll6 square miles, was Il very valuable one
besides its extent, and came about through
President DiaZ's personal friendship for
Gen. Masac, the latter having served IN
Mexico under Macmillan, and after the
fall of the empire had been prevailed upon
by DiaZ to remain in the country. Not long
ago Gen. Masac was in San Francisco, in
conference
WITH THE SIX CHINESE COMPANIES,
and though the matter was kept as quiet as
possible, and the general resolutely refused
to be interviewed, few of the facts leaked
out. AS is well known, the main object Of
the six companies is to import into Califor
MIA Chinese direct from the t1owery king
dom, by wholesale, so to say, and in this
case it will be managed by bringing over
shiploads of coolies and landing them at
Ensenada-the first port in Mexico below
the United States line, only sixty five miles
from San Diego, and now controlled by the
English The first human cargo will be
distributed over the various claims in the
Mexican territory, where they will remain
until second shipload arrives, whereupon
the first lot of thousand or more will be
collected together, the newcomers put into
their places, and the first consignment paid
of, with instructions to cross over the line
into Upper CalifOrnia-ther ultimate GeSti-
nation when leaving China. And the pro
cess thus inaugurated can be repeated as
often as desired, especially as the Britlshers
who occupy the northern peninsula enter
tain as yet, no prejudice against the pig
tails. l should have mentioned before that
the available farming lands of General
Masa's grant will be utilized for colonizing
purposes, and the immense fields of gold
placers leased for a long term of years to
the six Chinese companies of San Fran
cisco.
Some months ago, a party Of Celestials
direct from China, who have spent many
years in poppy-raising at home, visited this
peninsula for the purpose of examining it,
TO ascertain whether a good quality Of
opium could be produced here. They spent
weeks in careful survey, going as far south
as Magdalena Bay, and finally declared
that nowhere, not even in the fiOwery king
dem, had they ever seen a soil and climate
so well adapted to the growth of the poppy
as on the northern half of Lower California,
lust back of the sea-shore. They tried
hard to buy 500 acres of land (Which was
then in the possession of the Americans),
and could they have obtained 1t, would
Immediately have settled Chinese colony
on the same and gone in extensively for the
opium industry. Should these silk -sl,irted
gentlemen return with their offers. and the
cash in hand, they might not find 1t so
difficult to purchase of the aristOcratic but
generally impecuuious present owners.
In an interview with one of these China
men, who for twenty years had been the
superintendent of
AN oPIUM-RAIsING COLONY
in China, he told me that he preferred the
black poppy to either the white or red, as
it yielded better and was much more hardy
than the other varieties. The seed, he
says, is sown in beds, and the young plants
afterwards set out in rows. By the second
year, the poppy has grown large enough to
produce some gum, but is at It's best when
from three to ten years old. Two China
men can easily take care Of ten acres of
plants; but these must be men who
thoroughly understand the business They
can be hired for about forty dollars per
mouth and board. The seed will cost 81
per acre. Each acre, after the second year,
will yield annually from five thousand TO
eight thousand dollars; so you see there Is
money in it. When the producer is able TO
do so. it pays the producer to keep the
opium till it is five or six years old, as like
wine it is then much better and commands
correspondingly higher prices.
In fayy of pDrr horn states farmers
have experimental a little with the white
poppy-but opium is not likely to ever fig
ure largely among American products.
Mr.. Pratt, the United States consul at Te-
heran, who has been studying opium cul
ture in Persia-where very fine article is
Observation-Disclosures that he believes large
regions in our southern states, and partic-
ularly in California, are well adapted to the
cultivation of the white poppy; and in his
valuable report he gives a detailed account
of the Persian method of cultlvating 1t.
Though the abuse of opium mas brought the
drug into great disrepute,i 1t serves manyuse-
full purposes in materia medica, and should
be made a wealth-produclng source
wherever practicable. The poppy, like the
olive, does not want the best soil, nor much
water, but thriyes in the rockieSt and most
barren places, with the thistle, cactus and
cholla Most of the hills and plains
and cahons of Baja California are
carpeted with red and yellow blooms, their
wonderful height and luXuriance proving
that this is its native soil and climate.
Speaking of queer industries-next to
ranch of wood lice, or cochineal insects,
there is nothing more curious than ostrich
farming There is but one hacienda of this
sort in Lower California that ] am aware
of-not far from Mulege-and that is yet
in the experimental stage. The immense
birds which stand from nine to ten feet
..ir their stnclkings.n are kent in cnrrals.