Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1891-01-30
SMALL PLANTATIONS.


CaelfoFnfo . Rich Coontry.
What are the chances for . family Oh
sery moderate means to obtain . foot
hold and thrive by farming In Southern.
California? can not answer this bet
ter than BY giving substantially the ex-;
perience Of one family. and by saying
that this has been paralleled. with
change Of details, by many others. OF
course, in = highly developed settle
mont, where the land is mostly cultij
gated. and its actual yearly produce
makes its price very high, it is not easy
10 get o fOOthOld. But there are many
fegions-say in Orange County, and GER
sainly in San Diego-where land can 30
Dad at moderate price and ON easy
terms Of payment Indeed, there are few
places. as have said, where an indus
srious family would not find welcome
and cordial help in establishing itself
And it must be remembered that there
arc 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 five
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. He
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 Ell Cajon Valley. fifteen
miles from San Diego. farmer and
fruit grower who had npon his place .
small unoccupied house. Into that
house he moved. furnishing it very SIM
ply with furniture bought in San
Diego, and hired his services to tho
landlord. The work required was COM
paratively easy. in tho orchards and
and consisted largely in
other laborcrs. Tho pay
was about enough to support his family
without encroaching on his little cap
ital. Very soon. however, he made ar
to buy tho small house and
tract of some twenty acres, ON which no
lived. on time, perhaps making partial
payment He began at once to put out
an orange orchard and plant vineyard;
this he accomplished with the assistance
of his boys, who did practically most OF
tho work after tho first planting, leav-
ing him chance to give most of his
days to his employer. The orchard and
vineyard work is so light that smart
intelligent boy is almost as valuable
a worker in the field as a man The
wife, meantime. kept the house
and did its work. Housekeeping
was comparatively easy; little fuel
was required except for cook.
ing; the question of clothes was
a minor one. In that climate wants 70,
a fairly comfortable existence are fewer
than with US. From the first, almost,
raised upon the ground while
the vines and oranges were growing,
largely to the support of the
family. The outdoor life and freedom
from worry insured better health, and
the diet Of fruit and vegetables, suita-
BILE to the climate, reduced the cost OF
living to a minimum. AS soon as the
orchard and the vineyard began to pro-
duce fruit, the owner was enabled tc
quit working for his neighbor. and give
all his time to tho development of his
own place. He increased his planting;
he added to his house; he bought piece
Of land adjoining which had a grove OF
which would supply him
with fuel At first the society circle
was small, and there was no school. But
tho incoming of families had increased
the number of children, SO that an OK.
cellent public school was established.
When l saw him no was living in con.
ditions of comfortable industry; his land
had trebled in value; the pair Of horses
which he drove no had bought cheap, |
for they wore Eastern horses; but the |
climate had brought them up SO that
the team was serviceable one in good
condition. The story is not one OF
brilliant success, but to me it is much |
more hopeful for the country than the
other tales heard OF sudden wealth or
lucky speculation. 1t is the founding |
in an unambitious way of q comfortable |
home. Tho boys of tho family will |
branch out get fields. orchards, vine
yards of their own, and add to che solid |
producing industry of the country. |
This orderly, contented industry. in
its gains day by day. little by
little, is the life and hope Of any State.
Charles Dudley Warner. in Harper's