Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-09-19


the agriculture of California may be said to
be distinctive and peculiar. As now ad-
mitted to be applicable TO the varying con-
ditions of the different portions of the State,
the area of arabic land in the State may be
presented as follows:
Acres.
San Joaquin g. ,S45 $50
Sacramento ,09o 1N
Russian River and Santa Clara. 5000 900
Lands lying between the alluvisl lands
of the sacramento valley and the San
joaquin valley and below the line of
an equal elevation at 900 feet........ 5000 600
Between the line of an equal elevation
at from two to four thousand feet...... 1000 600
Diego coast climate. 3OoO 900
Total. 80 ,444, 600
Thus the present ascertained area of
arabic lands aggregates 81, Al, 600 acres.
The irrigable area of the San Joaquin val
ley by definite ascertainment is 5,545, $50
acres. In large proportion OF this area
there is sufficient annual rainfall to mature
annual crops of cereals, but the acreage
above shown is irrigable from the water
shed of the western flank of the Sierra Ne
vada mountains. To this must be added
about 100000 acres on the west side of
the San joaquin valley, excluded from the
State Engineers report as not receiving
sufficient annual precipitation of moisture
to mature crops of cereals, but irrigable
from storage reservoirs in the Coast Range
The acreage of the Sacramento valley is
5 59S. 720 acres. This entire acreage re-
ceives sufficient rainfall to mature annual
crops of cereals. The Sacramento and the
San Joaquin valleys together comprise
twelve per cent. of the entire acreage of
this State.
Ofthe arid land south of the Tehachapi
not included in the above calculation, there
are at least 100000 acres reclaimable BY
irrigation.
The possible arabic acreage of California
may be therefore set down at $4,000 900
acres.
Much of the timbered slopes of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. and also of the
Coast Range when cleared, are suitable for
the production of red clover, timothy and
many of the fruits of the temperate zone.
Their timber resources, however are the
source of great wealth, the annual value
OF the lumber produced in tie forests be-
ing estimated for several years at 81 ,000, 600
per annum.
There is no portion of California which
would not be greatly benefited by the de-
velopment of irrigation. The valley of the
Po, embraced within the provinces of Lom-
bardy, Piedmont and Valentia, in Italy,
comprises 5,120,000 acres, or $4,000 less
than the arabic acreage of the Sacramento
valley. The two valleys of the Po and the
Sacramento have many points in similar
ity. First, the area is about equal. Sec
ond the single central drainage runs
through the entire length of each, with
lateral tributaries from the mountains on
both sides. The annual precipitation of
rain the valley of the Po is about twice
that received in the Sacramento valley.
The river Pc has thirty very considerable
tributaries. The Sacramento has ten con-
siderable tributaries. The arabic area in
acreage is in favor of the Sacramento val
ley. Close resemblance may be observed
between the fertility of the soils, the clem-
ency of winter climate, the tropical heat of
the summer, the facilities of transporta-
ton to the seaboard, etc., and the contigu-
ity to the sea coast But, with these, par
allels cease.
The population of the valley of the Po
exceeds 100000 inhabitants, while the
population of the Sacramento is less than
10000. Over 100000 of the population
of Italy are registered as engaged in un-
skilled occupations or in the production of
raw materials, and of these, over one-half
are credited to the valley of the Pc. Thus,
over 100000 of inhabitants find in the
irrigated area profitable employment for
their labor, where over like era in Cali
fornia. depending wholly upon the annual
precipitation of rain, 100000 people begin
to fee. what is called the pressure of popu-
lation.
Reduced to cultivation by systems of
irrigation, and Sacramento and the San
Joaquin valleys could be occupied by 90
10000 of people, without exceeding the
density of the population of the Valley of
the Po.
Concerning the coast counties, the most
considerable valleys are those of Salinas
Santa Clara, Napa and Sonoma; that is to
say, Santa Clara, Napa and Sonoma pre-
sent the greatest density of rural popula-
ton in California. They are under the
highest state of cultivation in conformity
with the most approved methods of agri-
culture and horticulture as justified by
experience and developed by practice.
They are devoted chiefly to the production
of wines and fruits, and while wine making
and fruit growing are not by any means
confined to them, they furnish an excellent
illustration of the superior return made to
labor by the diligent and intelligent cultiva-
tion of that great diversity of product so
favored by the climate of California.
The fruit and wine product of the
year 1883 aggregated in value S25 900, 600.
$l5,000,0 600, is to be credited to the three
valleys under consideration.
The acreage of California devoted to
barley, corn, oats, rye and wheat aggre-
gates 2, 800, 900 acres. The value of the pro-
duct for the year 1888 was $4,000, GOO.
The acreage devoted to fruit is about 240,-
600 acres, equal to about per cent. of the
acreage devoted to cereals, and yet the pro.
duct of the orchards and vineyards was
valued at S25, 100000, or so per cent. of the
value of the crop of cereals for that year.
The distinctively agricultural popula-
tion excluding those engaged in horti-
culture, in this State, is less than 100000
inhabitants, including juvenile members
of families and agricultural laborers And
yet carefully compiled statistics of the
value of the product Of field culture, ex-
Guiding fruit, for the year 1888, exhibit the
following:
Wheat SS2,0O0 700
Cattle and 3OOO0OOO
Barley lUUyuVoU
Cereals, unspeeihed. 1880 900
0OOOO0
Dairy 6,OOJOOO
Total 500 $50 900
The operative mining population of Cali
fornia, including, as above specified, minors
and employed laborers, is less than $4,000.
The product of their labor, compiled from
authentic sources, is as follows:
Gold and So coo 900
quicksilver. ,300OOy
bullion and lead............-.......... l,250,0OO
other base 100000
Coal 100000
s23 $50 900
Thus while the populations engaged in
the two classes of industry are approx
alxr ha No ,Af ar,aiV.