The Delta independent., 1891-07-08

miles without seeing lesf. > spear of grass
or living Hidx. The country in appearances
va. tHuGE the seps as some part. ofthis
before settlement. There wss seemingly no
sad to nonotony sud dust. Toward evening
was surprised to see y grssshopper. All
alone WAS the grasshopper. n" leaf, nor
blade, nor spear Of grass, nor thing that had
the green Of life saw he. The dusty rock,
the dirty sand, the wsedless, baked and
parched earth were there, and everywhere
that he could e,he saw the same. No
thing of motion, breath, or life, was there to
keep him compaqy. He stretched his g.
aud scratched his nose, and all the while
looked sad. On imaginations wings his lit
tie mind seemed to fly, t" fields Of waving
corn and juicy grnss, to lands where plants
aud SHRUBS and vines suck the humid sub
stance from the earth, and from tho sun
steal heat, and bud and leaf, and creep and
climb and grow. And never think Of how
this valley looked O few years ago, without
remem mberins this grasshopper.
To-day we have q valley that will com pars
favorubly with any new country on the
globe. There is no better soil. BY means Of
irrigation it is enriched each year, instead o
impoverished. At the end of . hundred
years it will be better than it ia to-day.
Many people suppose that farming by Irri-
CATION is the exception; as a matter Of fact
more than half the ground that is titled on
this earth is cultivated by irrigation. In the
beginning you frequently heard the opinion
expressed that in a few yeurs al the land of
this valley would he worth ten to fifteen dol
lars an acre. Now, all that is Wndsy u fair
state OF cultivation is wortl, fifty dollars per
acre. Our land produces abundantly. The
yield per acre in Wheat oats and similar crops
is as great as can be found anywhere. Our
wheat makes the choicest -four in the MIR
ket. Our potatoes cannot be excelled. Our
possibilities as fruit country are as yet
hardly dreamed Of. There is no renson why
the annual fruit product Of this valley
should not bring the farmer many millions,
no reason in the yorld. Ysu will hear It
said of course that no matter how much we
raise, we can only sell limited quantity;
that our market is neeessarially home mar.
ket, aud that we Bsed not hope to look for
buyers beyond the San Juan. This is wrong
and the narrswest view possible. II this
the better off he would be.
According TO this doctrine the cokl fields Of
Pennsylvania, the corn fields of Illinois,
Iowa and Nebraska, the cotton fields Of
louisiana, Mississippi, Rnd Georgia, the
forests Of Maine and Michigan and the fruits
| of California have been to each of the states
| named. a source Of misfortune and withsut
| profit. With this reasoning ! have no
/ patience. In California their fruit lands is
worth per acre 81 900 and upwards, and the
amount of fruit consumed nj home j. hardly
| a drop in the bucket. Their distance from
the center Of population is rs great as our
country will admit. and vet yon never hear
anything about over fruit production in that
state. The trut, is the product is purcnased
in the east before it il ripe. The eastern
men buy up the whole product and ship it
out. To such an oxtent is this the case that
good California fruit is cheaper At retail in
Chicago than in many parts of California.
Our land is just ss COED, for many kinds of
fruit, better. In a shor. time our fruit land
| will be sought for and bring just as much as
the fruit land of California.
The school system of America is its pride.
We are proud Of the schools of this valley
and in them oan give our children all the
educational advantages usssssary to the hap
piness and success Of the citizen and the life
and safety of the nation. In our country to
day there is more equality. more liberty than
can be found in any ether country. We haYe
= splendid past, bright future.
| in this country 1t makes little difference
| vi hath slrn,w ha Hryt l,rsN nIl in
cottage or in = palace. 1t matters little
/ whether you start at the base. or half way up
the inountain's side. 'Tis more often an sd
vantage 70 begin at the lowest point, for if
the summit be the goal to which We all
aspire, LIS who starts at the bottom and step
BY step and day by day, with courage and
patience laLors with his burden till half Of
the distance is measured, IL better able to go
from that point on. than one who makes
life's first effort half way up the hill. A
man IN climbing the mountain of life, gathers
strength in going up asa ball that rolls
down gathers snow. II we lesin at the bot
tom We know what it is TO he poor, we know
what it is to labor, and Psrhap. we b.ssme
acquainted with want. We experience sor.
row, misfortune and appointment, and
failure for many days may be- our ooInpan.
ion, but with q stout heart, We battle on, and
along tile same pathway we meet Joy. Isirth,
intelligence, happiness, success, charity mud
love, and when we rennh the journeys end
acquainted with the world. with ourselves
and with our fellow men.