River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-08-22
California Letter.

I
two counties join, they have scarcely
4 anything in common.
Orange county is the smallest in
the state-l2 full townships: but
owing TO its circular form it has
about the same number fractional ones
which in all amounts TO about 100
sections, or $4,000 acres. But what
the county lacks in quantity it makes
up in quality. 1t is the greatest
agricultural county in the state (of
its sizel. 1t is nearly on sea leyel--in
the Santa Alnd river bottom: does not
require irrigation. Alfalfa, corn and
hay grow in abundance; hence dairy
ing, stock, cattle and hog raising.
There is considerable pea land near
the sea. This land crowns the finest
celery TO be found anywhere. 1t is
shipped by carloads north and east.
There were 200 acres planted last
spring in body, besides smaller
plots. While the orange and lemon
groves do well owing to fogs which pre-
vail near the sea. The fruit is smutty
and does not sell well i'm the east.
but all kinds of deciduous fruit do
we'll. The English walnut does
better there than on higher ATTITUDES:
so does the apple and the pear. Land
is held very high in price-from $500
to 81, 900 per acre, according TO loca-
tiOn and mprovements.
The county is well provided with
railroads connecting with Los Angeles,
Riverside, San Diego and Newport
The county has 20 miles of coast line,
but has no good harbor Newport is
a fine watering place and expects to
rival its eastern namesake some day.
Santa Anna, the county seat, has
population of over 5000 Olive,
Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange and
several other villages dotted over the
level land, make the country very
home-like.
San Diego county has over 220 full
townships, and with its 60 miles of
coast line, 30 miles on the Colorado
river on the east and 100 miles on the
Mexican border on the south (which
is not east and west). These fractions
will equal about 10 townships more,
which would make a total of s,46O
sections. or nearly five and a half
million acres. Now it is doubtful
whether San Diego county has as
many acres Of as good farming land
as Orange county. There are some
narrow valleys running from the sea
with struggling settlements. The
county has only two short railroads of
about p miles each.
Escondido, % miles from Oceanside
by rail, was the only inland town in
1890 that had population of 800.
About three fourths of the county is
a dry desert, while the Colorado
Irrigation Co. may reclaim some of
it near the river, but the greater part
lies too near to be reclaimed.
The city of San Diego has the
evenest climate i'm the state, or
anywhere else and has the best harbor
south of San Francisco. The city has
a population of about 1900, and is
mostly made up of retired merchants |
and "money bags" and their retain
ers, a mental class which has not
enterprise enough TO work fol them
selves. Boston men and money con-
troll the city. 1t is not a place to
make an independent living, but it is
very pleasant place to spend money. |
The only objection to a life in the
city is it is too close to the Mexican
border. A Mexican on has olcn soil has
about as little real manhood as a |
white man wants to come in contact
with.
Land is very cheap in San Diego
county. There is plenty of govern
ment land, and partly improved
farms can be bought for small adj
vance over the government price and
any person who would like a back
woods life in delightful climate for
very little money could have a home
NuCIC ltOu luti nOuiu AOSb Dub
very little labor. Wood and coal are
plenty everywhere; all the little
valleys have springs of water running
in them which could be developed for
irrigation on the slopes. All kinds of
fruit grow well, as there are neither
fro SITS nor fOgs. The climate is
healthy, land ore would not be likely to
quarrel with his neighbOr.
Well, newspaper space is but finite
and your readers may be more anxious
to save their crops from that dreaded
hail storm, provided the storms of the
last month have left anything TO
save.
The increasing storms and their
severity must make life very un-
certain thing. l see that Winona,
Mimi, lost u lives by the storm of
the eth ult. Not seeing your locality
reported / will hope you have escaped
much loss. We are highly favored
here as yet. What may be in store
for us in the the future we do not
know. II the worlds cup OF lnlqulty
is about full and the curse is about to
devour the earth, or the things that
grow out of it, we need not expect to
escape, but the present season is very
good: fruits and grain crops have
been larger, but the quantity is fair
and the quality is excellent. Harvest
ing and threshing grain and baling
hay have been the order of the day
with dry farmers for the last month.
The orange crop has been immense,
and has realized a fair return and has
netted the grower nearly two million
dollars and Riverside comes in for
about half the amount.
JOHN Nc MILAN.
When a steam thresher goes out for
an evening stroll precautions must be