The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1892-07-23
Our Correspondent Takes Her
Readers
Through the Great and wonderful
State Of California
On Historic, Descriptive, and In
cidental Tour,
Full Of Valuable Information and Inter.
esting Narrative, Clothed in the
Best Of English, that give vivid
Pen Pictures ola Marvellous
Country, and most De-
lightful Journey.
Special cor. of the New DOMINION.

than California. From her snowy
mountains to her fertile valleys the
mercury marks her range from the
poles to the tropics.
Lying between the Sierra Nevadas
and the Coast Range chiefly, her val
ley soil has been washed down from
the mountains, leaving them bare
and rugged, without hint of verdure,
but piling up richness in the low
lands. Piling up there an almost
exhaustless strength and fertility of
soil, but exposing even a greater
wealth in the ores disclosed in the
PERCEPTIONS mountain rock. 1t was
her mineral resources that made Cal
iforla the Mecca of adventurous spir-
its early in our history.
Suffers Fort is still standing in
the outskirts of Sacramento, from
which in lS4S Gen. Suffer sent out
his expedition among the Indians,
which returned with gold bearing
rock, and in 1S49 one hundred thou
sand miners crossed the borders of
this Western Eldorado.
Although the discovery of gold
brought to California her first over
whelming wave of immigration, the
fertility of her valleys has drawn to
her more stable population. The
richness of this soil is simply mar
velous, but it needs water, and only
by irrigation is it made to blossom
into such rose empowered Eden.
Irrigation Of the state was begun un
der Spanish rule, it was fostered by
the Fathers, whose good example has
been more generally initiated in this
than any other direction-but it was
for long time conducted by private
enterprise However, in 1887, the
Wright Law provided that all own
ers of land that can be irrigated from
certain stream, and citizens of a
certain district can organize them
selves very much after the manner
of public school district, agree upon
methods for using the water, and
share the cost. If necessary, bonds
are issued to raise the funds and
such bonds are first lien upon the
land. The land is so increased in
value that the bonds are considered
a good Avestment.
1t was told of some Kentucky
members of the Editorial Associa
tion that their hearts sank within
them when they saw the prominence
given to water supply, even after
having been met at Barstow on the
| border of California by train bear
ing car loads of fruits, flowers and
wines.
However, their fears vanished, and
they swelled the chorus of praise
of the land when they saw how more
water made more corn, and more corn
meant more whisky.
There is variety of fruit grown
throughout these fertile valleys, but
certain portions are more particular
ly given up to the culture of certain
products. Our journeyings through
the State-an we really described
network over it's southern portion
were arranged with view of show
ing as the centers of it's varied in
dustries.
Wherever we stopped we were
greeted with floral arches and col
umns. were given banquets and balls,
had the freedom of the car lines for
the cities, and carriages were provi-
| ded for driving us to whatever was
most interesting, sometimes through
miles of orange ranches, again
through acres of vineyards to i'm
| mense wineries, where we might car
| ~ away baskets of wine if we willed.
Then again we were taken to some
| high land where the panorama of
beautiful valleys was spread out be-
fore US, or to some quaint old mis-
sion surrounded by gnarled olive
trees which the fathers had planted
more than hundred years before.
The scene was constantly chang
ing one, and the trip well planned
to impress in delightful way the
states vast resources.
In San Bernardino county we Wis.
| tied the orange district of the Uni
ted States. This county is three
times as large as Massachusetts, con-
sequently has room for, and offers,
a variety of attractions. Scarcely to
be considered among these, however,
is the Mojave Desert, the alkaline
basin of vanished sea; from which
the flying sand beats in through car
windows, parches the throat and
makes the lips dry and cracked
In the southwest part of this coun-
ty are about nine hundred square
miles of the richest soil imaginable,
which supports nine tenths of the
population San Barnardino, River
side and Redlands are beautifully
situated in the midst of this earthly
paradise. The air is heavy with the
fragrance of the orange blossoms,
and through the dark, green leaves
CLEANS the wealth Of Topaz fruit.
There are here 2,276,000 orange
trees, and the shipments are larger
than that of any other county in the
States.
Certainly there can be few drives
surpass that on Magnolia Avenue at
Riverside. 1t is fifteen miles long
and one hundred and twenty five feet
wide, and bordered with pepper and
palm, with cypress and magnolia
and orange trees.
1t was in this region that the
agents of the Temescal tin mines
boarded our trains, and left with
each of us a souvenir in the shape of
tin dollar, that has caused me more
trouble than any other of the posses
siors have accumulated on this
trip, because, being in my purse, |
have repeatedly offered it for services
rendered.
Another lie nailed" said the re-
publican editors, when they received
it.
"Another lie" scornfully answered
the democratic quill drivers.
In Fresno county we reached the
center of the raisin industry. and
Fresno, the county seat, is the point
from which the great shipments of
the San Joaquin valley are made,
shinments of wine wool raisins and