Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-05-23
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
What Are the Chances There fox Men OF
Small Capital?

Hmhn NhpltaAs
Capital is necessary for successful
agriculture or horticulture in Southern
California. But where is it not needed2
In New England? In Kansas, where
land which was given to actual settlers
is covered with mortgages for money
absolutely necessary to develop itP
But passing this by what is the chance
in Southern California for laborers and
for mechanics? Let us understand the
situation. In California there is no eX-
ception to the rule that continual labor,
thrift and foresight are essential to the
getting of good living or the gaining
of n competence No doubt speculation
will spring up again. 1t is inevitable
with the present enormous and yearly
increasing yield of fruits, the better in
telligence in vine culture, wine-making
and raisin-curing, the growth of mar
ketable oranges, lemons, etc., and the
consequent rise in the value of land.
Doubtless fortunes will be made by en-
terprising companies who secure large
areas of unimproved land at low prices,
bring water on them, and then sell in
small lots. But this will come to an
end. The tendency is to subdivide the
land into small holdings-into farms
and gardens of ten and twenty acres
The great ranches are sure to be broken
mp.
With the resulting settlement by
Industrious people, the cities will again
experience blooms" but these are not
peculiar to California. In my mind l
see the time when this region because
it will pay better proportionately to cul-
tivate small area) will be one Of small
farms, of neat cottages, of Industrious
homes. The owner is pretty certain to
prosper-that is, to get a good living
(Which is independence and lay aside
little yearly-if the work is done by
himself and his family. And the pc
culiarity of the situation is that the
farm or garden, whichever it is called,
will give agreeable and most healthful
occupation to all the boys and girls in
the family all the days in the year that
can be spared from the school Aside
from the blowing, the labor is light
Pruning, grating, budding, the picking
of the grapes, the gathering of the fruit
from trees, the sorting, packing and
canning, are labor for light and def
hands, and labor distributed through
the year. The harvest. of one sort and
another, is almost continuous so that
young girls and boys can have, in well
settled districts, pretty steady employ
ment-a long season in establishments
packing oranges; at another time, in
canning fruits; at another, in packing
raiSins.
1t goes without saying that in the
industries now developed and in
others as important which are in their
infancy (for instance, the culture of the
olive for oil and as an article of food,
the growth and curing of figs, the gath
ering of almonds, English walnuts
etc., the labor of the owners of the
land and their families will not suffice
There must be as large proportion Of
day-laborers as there is in other regions
where such products are grown. Chi
nese labor at certain seasons has beer
a necessity. Under the present policy
; of California this must diminish, and it!
, place be taken by some other. The pay
for this labor has always been good. /
is certain to be more and more in de
5 mand. Whether the pay will ever ap
proach near to the European STANDARD
is question, but it is fair presump
e ton that the exceptional profit of tn
f land, owing to its productiveness, will
= for a long time keep wages up
: During the boom" period all wage
!, were high, those of skilled mechanic
!. especially, owing to the great amour
= of building on speculation. The ord
t nary laborcr on a ranch had $50 mont
e and board and lodging; laborers of
e higher grade, 50 to $3.50 day; sl1ille
q masons, 49, carpenters, from $3.50 to S;
s plasterers, 81 to IS; house-servants
e from S25 to S35 month. Since tn
= boom, wages of skilled mechanic
l. have declined at least % per cent, an
there has been less demand for labo
generally, except in connection wit
II Embarrassing and harvesting. 1t woul
# be unwise for laborers to go to Califol
:. MIA on an uncertainty, but it can b
said of that country with more conf
dence than of any other section that il
peculiar industries, now daily increa'
% ing, will absorb an increasing amour
- of day-labor, and later on it will rem,
~ nerate skilled artisan labor.-CharlC
- nnd1av WnrDar in Harnar'c Nar
zine.