The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-14
WHERE PROSPERITY LIVES.

About dozen miles north of Stockton,
on the Southern Pacific line down the San
Joaquin Valley to Sacramento, is Lodi,
whose external features were so adequately
set forth in yesterdays CALL. As being
typical of one of the most interesting
phases of natural advantages which various
localities of its class in California present,
it is worthy of study on more general
lines than those followed in the descriptive
article.
Situated on the level plains at the base
of the Sierra foothills on a rich sediment
airy soil brought down in past ages by the
Mokelumne and Calaveras rivers, and
being directly east of the opening in the
Coast Range through which the trade
winds of the Pacific find their way, there
is clearly every fine condition of soil and
climate; and being so near the hills, which,
with the mountains back of them, are the
storehouses of water that supply the
valley, percolation gives sufficient moisture
to the soil. This is shown particularly by
the fact that this is the center of the water
melon supply of this part of the State, for
this product is grown without irrigation.
In recent years, largely through the
intelligent enterprise of Senator Langford,
the capabilities of the section have been
discovered to include vastly wider range
than was at first imagined. 1t was for
tunate for this splendid section that the
price of wheat fell to figure that made it
necessary for rarer and more profitable
crops to be grown. Hence the colony idea,
which already had proved SO successful at
Fresno, was resorted to; large wheat fields
were subdivided into small tracts, which
were sold on easy terms and on condition
that fruit would be cultivated. This was
after it had been already discovered that
any of the fruits that may be grown else
where in California (including lemons,
which are among the very tenderest) could
be produced with equal excellence in the
Lodi region. AS e consequence there
sprang up a CO..: psctly settled area of pros
porous farms devoted to Embarrassing.
The example which Lodi has set in this
regard has been n lesson to the whole State.
So long as figs, olives, apricots, peaches,
oranges and lemons can be grown to so
great perfection without irrigation as at
Lodi, and so long as alfalfa with irrigation
yields five crops year, nothing more alb
surd than the giving over of vast fertile
areas 20 wheat could be well imagined.
And now that the expense and other diff
culties of marketing California fruits in
the Eastern States are steadily being so re-
duced as TO make the enterprise profitable,
nothing but a simple lack of intelligence
and energy prevents all the sections SINH
lar to Lodi from winning the wonderful
success which has followed it's efforts.
Seeing how much its residents have &C
complished by the exercise of these higher
qualities, we are not surprised to learn
that they are reaching out for further de-
velopment and more liberal profits. Al
though Lodi is on the Southern Pacific and
enjoys such transportation facilities as
that road can furnish, it feels the heavy
pressure of the high freight charges which
rest upon the whole San Joaquin Valley.
Hence it is preparing to build an electric
road to tidewater on the San Joaquin
River. Over this line in combination with
the river, it can lay down it's products at
San Francisco at much lower charge
than is now exacted, and the money thus
saved will be added to it's wealth. A few
more such enterprising sections in the San
Joaquin Valley as Lodi is would quickly
solve the problem of Californias develop
ment.