Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-06
Richard Gird's Little Cali.
fOrnia Farm.
A Townsite, a Railroad and
Thousands of Cattle.
Ontario Seven Years Old With 1000
Souls in Her Borders.
A Rich District Where Los Angeles and
San Bernardino Counties Join.
Crystal Water.

/
railway, at a. m. sharp. In little
over an hour he was landed at the On
tario station, having bowled along at 8
very rapid pace over the level and solid
roadbed, distance of nearly forty miles
His final destination was the Chine
ranch house, the residence of Richard
Gird. The ranch lies south of Pomona
and Ontario, stretching away towards
South Riverside. The Chino ranch
forms the boundary line between the
counties of Los Angeles and San Bernar-
dino for distance of twelve miles. At
no point can it be crossed in less than
six or seven miles. 1t embraces hill
land, mesa and bottoms, including all
the most desirable classes of soil The
area is about 90 900 acres. 1t is all the
possession of Richard Gird. There
are $4,000 acres of it already
under one of the very best
water systems in this section. The
supply is inexhaustibly abundant and
as clear as crystal. The sources are a
dozen or more artesian wells, whose
fountain head is far up in the "ever-
lasting hills" where the SHOWS of San
Antonio glisten in the August sun.
These dozen wells may be increased to
hundred whenever more is needed. 1t
Is all brought In pressure pipes for
many miles to the Chino lands, to
the Chino townsite and to the Chino
ranch house. At almost any point a 60
pound pressure can be had. At Mr..
Gird's house the hydrant, with fire hose
attached, will throw big stream not
only over the house, but over the top
OF the highest poplar tree in the yard.
At Ontario little train was found
waiting the arrival of the South
ern Pacific train to take the
mail and passengers over to Chino.
This road, some six or seven miles long,
was built by Mr.. Gird for the uses of
his ranch and for the convenience of
those dwelling at Chino, town laid out
in the center of the ranch. From Po-
mona to South Riverside and into the
Temescal canon beyond that point, the
Pomona and Elsinore railroad bed is
graded, passing through the town of
Chino also. This is relic of boom days,
but is not lost labor. 1t will be utilized
some day soon. The Southern Pacific is
now seriously considering the advisable
lty OF taking the road and completing it.
1t is pretty certain that if this company
does build to San Diego it will be by this
route. The road taps the Chino, South
Riverside, the San Jacinto, Murietta,
Monserate and nearly all the best little
valleys in San Diego county. There are
ten miles of road-bed graded, which is
worth something, and every inch OF that
ten miles is good country.
Below the townsite lies 14,000 acres of
damp land that will produce alfalfa or
corn without irrigation, and Mr.. Gird
has few little corn patches of 1,200
acres each on these bottoms. Some of the
corn has only just been planted, and the
latest put in the ground looks best of
all. He has barley that was sown only
few days ago, and this will yield good
crop. There are half a dozen living
streams running through these bottom
lands that live all the year through. The
rainfall on the Chino averages nineteen
inches year. The temperature is very
equable, frost being unknown, and
eighty degrees being warm for summer.
1t may run above that, but only a few
times year.
Mr.. Gird's home is an ideal country
residence 1t is embowered in trees,
surrounded by lawns of ample area and
all as green as emerald and as soft as
velvet. The home is presided over by
Mrs, Gird, as graceful hostess as ever
welcomed guest. Her taste is mani
fest at all points about the house. No
shooting is permitted near Chino, and
as consequence the locust trees are full
of linnets, mocking birds and Baltimore
oreoles. This is about the only place in
Southern California where this bird of
bright plumage is seen. Now and then
pair wanders over the hills to the
south and is found at Placentia, Fuller
ton and Anaheim.
The Chino is stocked with fine cattle
and still finer horses. Mr.. Gird milks a
little band of a few hundred cows and
makes butter for all the towns around
him. The cattle do we'll all the year
bottoms, mesas or hills. Amongst the
pedigree, roadster strains and heavy
draft horses. The beauty of the place is
noble scion of Senator Stanford Is
Electioneer. "Woolsey," is 7 years old,
bright bay, with very dark name, tail
and lower limbs. He is perhaps the
handsomest horse that lives. He is a
lull DIOUllCl W bSuiiOl. OOnlC VI LIS
colts, l, 2 and years, are handsome as
pictures.
The Chino ranch contains vast de-
posits of bituminous rock, and the roads
through the grounds all about Mr.. Gird Is
house are all paved with this. 1t is as
good as any in the state. There is oil in
the hills, too, that one OF these days
will prove fortune.
Chino is likely to get the first sugar
beet factory in this end of the state.
Mr.. Gird has been experimenting
with the beet for three years
with very satisfactory results. He
| has rendered tests-and he makes
these himself, having very fine appar.
atus, and being decided saoan in such
branches of science-that show IA to e
per cent. of sugar. He has taken beets
that had been in the ground a year anc
gotten IL per cent. results, whereas il
other regions the sugar beet loses its
saccharine properties if not gathered
within period of six weeks after they
reach maturity. These results have
been reached on the Chino in the
middle of winter, when the beeti
were flooded with water. Mr.. OxnarC
will visit the Chino some time within {
month, and then it is probable that ar
rangements will be made to put up .
factory. The Mckinley tariff bill offer
| q houutv of two cnnta a. pOund for nj