The herald., 1893-12-24
LOTS Of MONEY IN ALFALFA,
Southern California the Poor
Mans Paradise. !.
Hay and Hogs Rival Oranges as q
Paying Crop.
A Strong Presentation of the Way =
Man OF Small Means Can
Make Big Profits 81
Ranching.
LEY L. N. HOLT.


Southern California has always been
a very peculiar country. Its products
and climate taken together have besn
very much different from those OF any
other section o. the United States.
The G. G. OF @. GLORIOUS climate of
California; has been whistled around
the world for two or more decades, and
the public at large has always supposed
that this peculiar expression referred
moro particularly to Southern Cslifor-l
MIA, and that the other portions Of the
state we're not in it. II
The golden orange has elways been
considered an emblem of an earthly par!
adiae, where people rolled in wealth and,
reveied in luxury; where everybody
had immense incomes and where boomHi
would never burst.
Business men have left their homes in,
the east, their business Offices, stores,.
factories and banks, to retire to private,
life, buy an orange grove and live in
ease and comfort with not wave of
trouble to roll across their peacefull
breasts, or words to that effect.
Educated and refined people have
come here by the thousands because of
their conditions, and they-msny of
them ct least-have been successful
contented and happy.
AS result there is immense wealthy
in many sections of Southern California;
today, and a high grade of society, foundl
in few portions of the world.
Because of this condition of affairs, iti
has been considered that hog and
hominy should have no place in SUCH
an earthly paradise. What hog in
heaven? God forbid!
But q change has come over the spiriti
of our dreams. The $1,000 an acrei
orange crops are not 30 numerous - |
they were. 1t has been discovered that
choice locality, good cultivation. careful
management, regular fertilization and
other necessities must be faithfully Oh
served, or the ledger balances of the
orchardist would not be az fattering a.
they were. or they might be.
| Unusual frosts, unusual winds, and
unusual commission merchants, havel
upset all the previous calculations; andl
while orange orchards under proper conf
ditions and managements are still prof-i
liable properties, the people have prac-
tically quit for q, tiue the planting Of
| orange trees.
But what about alfalfa? l met James
Kerr few days ago and asked him
what he knew about alfalfa. Mr.. Kerr
was raised-so to speak-on alfalfa. He
/ lived several years at Compton. in this
county, then he lived on the moist
lands in the San Jacinso valley for l0I
years. During all this time he has
been more familiar with alfalfa than
any other crop.
Mr.. Kerr replied that he knew Just
enough about alfalfa to be confident
hat ~ "a T. III
than in oranges, for oranges are the rich
mans luxury, while alfalfa is the
worlds necessity. He said: II can
take 20 acres and put it into alisliR and
another man can taks the same area
and put it into orange orchard, and in
10, Is or 20 years will be away ahead
of him financially"
Mr.. Kerr went on to say that alfalfa,
was a staple crop, that could be turnedI
into coin at any time as O rule. That
the price of hay always ranged from s6|
to $14 per ton. That a good alfalfsI
ranch would, with good supply Cd
water. turn off from to 10 tons of hay,
per acre regularly. and that there;
were practically no failures. That ell.
falfa farmers on moiet lands could clear
$40 an acre net every year and that with,
water to use for irrigation this snm!
could be increased to $50 or even $8Ol
per acre.
Mr.. Kerr said also as a rule the alfalfa
| farmers were the most independent;
in Southern California. A man can 90
upon piece of land. such ss the land in,
the valley below Daggett, under the
Minneola canal, now being constructed.
He can get government land for $l.25
per acre, and water right for $40 per-
acre Oh long time, by paying e.quarter
down, and for 50 per acre he can plant
out 10, 20, 20, so or even 100 acres oH
alfalfa. He can get a crop of within,
six months, and three crops within 10
months. These crops will average a ton
TO the acre, and tho hay in that locality
is worth from $40 TO SIP per ton; but
say it is worth $6 per ton in the stack,
which is at least 81 per ton net, and he
has made $12 net per acre the first year.,
and this 10 increased to $40 net eech
subsequent year, even figuring on hay
at low price that has never been known
/ to exist, and with the prices now in
vogue he would clear $50 an acre the
| first year, and $50 an acre each eubse-
quent year. Look at the small invest
ment-about $28 an acre for an alfalfa
farm that will pay for itself the first
season, or at least pay for itself in two
seasons. figuring the price of hay at the
lowest bedrock prices.
But suppose hay becomes a drug ON
| the market? Why. get the hogs and
cattle and have them convert the alfalfa
into pork and beef and make even mord
money than by selling the hay.
81 have no patience" said Mr.. Kerr.
| with the man that says this country Il
no place for poor man. If poor man,
cannot get a start here today under the
conditions now in vogue. it is because he
is too indolent to get living anywhere
on Gods green earth. What SoutherH
California has lacked heretofore has been
cheap lands and cheap water. and anE
company or combination of men Wild
can bring these two elements together
at q price within the reach OF men ot
moderate means is benefactor of mani
kind and is doing good thing for thi3
section of the state"