The Republican., 1891-01-16
SMALL PLANTATIONS.
Their Establishment VIII Make SoutherA
California a Rich Country.

What are the chances for family oil
very moderate means to obtain a foot
hold and thrive by farming in Southern
California? can not answer this bet
ter than by giving substantially the ex-
oerience of one family, and by saying
that this has been paralleled, with
change of details, by many others. ot
course, in a highly developed settle
mont where the land Is mostly cultl-
waited, and its actual yearly produce
makes its price very high, it is not easy
to get foothold. But there are many
regions-say in Orange County, and GER
tainly in San Diego-where land can Dc
had at a moderate price and on easy
terms of payment Indeed, there are few
nlaces, as | have said, where an indus
trious family would not find welcome
and cordial helT in establishing 1'Sel1'
And it must be remembered that there
are many communities where life IS
very simple, and the great expense OF
keeping up an appearance attending
life elsewhere need not be reckoned.
A few years ago professional man IN
New England city, who was in del
icate health, with his wife, and hVe
boys all under sixteen, and one too
young to be of any service, moved to
San Diego. He had in money a small
sum, less than a thousand dollars. lie
had no experience in farming or horti-
culture, and his health would not have
permitted him to do much field work in
our climate. Fortunately he found IN
the fertile FL Cajon Valley, fifteen
miles from San Diego, farmer and
fruit grower who had upon his place a
small unoccupied house. Into that
house he moved. furnishing it very sim
ply with furniture bought in San
Diego, and hired his services to the
landlord. The work required was com
paratively easy, in the orchards and
vineyards, and consisted largely II
experimenting other laborers. The pay
was about enough to support his family
without encroaching on his little cap
ital. Very soon, however, he made ar
rangements to buy the small house ant
tract of some twenty acres, on which hi
lived, on time, perhaps making partia
payment. He began at once to put on
an orange OECuiEu pldhS "a "a
! this he accomplished with the assistanc
of his boys, who did practically most o
the work after the first planting, leav
ing him n chance to give most of hi
I DAYS to his employer. The orchard an
] vinevard work is 50 light that smar
t intelligent boy is almost as valuabl
3 a worker in the field as man. Th
e wife, meantime kept the hous
and did its work. Housekeepin
= was comparatively easy; little fue
T was required except for cook
), ing: the question of clothes wa
d a minor one. In that climate wants ft
o fairly comfortable existence are fewe
t than with us. From the first, almos
: vegetables raised upon the ground whll
l. the vines and oranges were growing
contributed largely to the support of II
: family. The outdoor life and freedo
:, from worry insured better health, ar
V the diet of fruit and vegetables, suit
Q Bile to the climate, reduced the cost
o living to minimum AS soon as tt
p orchard and tho vineyard began to pr
Q duce fruit, the owner was enabled
d quit working for his neighbor, and gi'
o all his time TO the development OF h
Ie own place. He increased his plantin
he added to his house; he bought a pie
of land adjoining which had a grove
eucalyptus, which would supply hi
with fuel At first the society circ
was small, and there was no school. b
the incoming Of families had increas
the number of children, so that an e
cellent public school wSs establishe
When saw him he was living in &C
ditions of com Portable industry: his la
had trebled in value; the pair OF hors
y which he drove he had bought Chez
"a "a for they were Eastern horses; but t
~ climate had brought them up so tt
), the team was a serviceable one in go
~ condition. The story is not one
=" brilliant success, but to me it is mu
"a more hopeful for the country than
~ other tales heard of sudden wealth
~ s lucky speculation. 1t is the foundi
~ in an unambitious way OF comforta
~ ~ home. The boys of the family "
~ branch out, get fields, orchards, vi
~ Yards of their own, and add to the so
- producing industry of the count
~: This ord erly, contented industry,
IL creas.ng it's gains day by day, little
''4SS little is the life and hope of any Sta
| .On Charles Dudley Warner, in Harp'
Magazine.