Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-12-12
DIVISION OF LAND HOLDINGS.
Large California Estates Being Partitioned
Among Small Farmers.

|
Among Small Farmers.
One of the most notable incidents Of
recent occurrence in California is the
division of large landed properties,
with ultimate plans for colonization.
This comes about from causes beyond
the control of the great land owners,
who part reluctantly with their prince
ly realities. These causes are in opera
ton all over the United States, but are
more efficient in California for various
local reasons, one being the higher price
of land, and another being that it is not
q corn country, which crop gives en-
ployment to laborers during large
part of the year. In the hands and un-
der the watchful eye of an Industrious
owner there is no part of the world that
will better repay the small farmer who
engages in mixed husbandry on the in
tensive system. But this is far away
from the theory of the great ranchers.
Some of these owners have sought to
cultivate their land by hired Cinnamon
or by leasing to tenants, largely for
eigners; but the great acreage has been
given over to vast herds of cattle, horses
and sheep.
This state has her share of electric
railroads, with certainty of great in
crease in the near future, while towns
of asphaltum pavement and level or
easy country grades over almost mud
less roads for cycling have conspired to
bring the price of common range horses
below the cost of raising. Beef pro-
ducers still find profit if they have
alfalfa fields for "finish," but this
calls for an investment in seeding and
irrigating. Grain growing formerly
yielded large returns by means of the
machinery used, which first attained
perfection in this state, but is now out
of the question on lands held at these
prices.
Fruit growing, for which California
is and ever will be distinguished above
all the other states of the union, re-
guires an investment on each acre equal
to or greater than the price of the land,
and also the constant oversight of the
owner, or of an interested high-grade
manager. Good lands have been COLI
sidered first-class security, and the
owners had no difficulty in placing
mortgages of $4,000 to 100000. Pay
day comes finally, however, when prin-
cipal, as well as interest, must be met,
and there is no alternative except to let
the property go of reduced prices.
While this is disappointment to many
families, who hoped to see the mag
nificent estates go to their children,
perhaps for generations to come, yet it
will be of incalculable benefit to the
state.
These great landed estates in
clude many of the most desirable lands
in the valleys, which selections were
made in early days and purchased as
Spanish grants, often at nominal
price. Other ranches, sometimes COM
prising hundreds of thousands of acres,
were purchased in part from railroad
grants of every alternate or the odd
numbered sections or square miles,
| while the even numbered sections were
acquired from the United States
through the various land laws, and
finally gathered into the millionaire's
estate. This land monopoly, which has
so retarded real development, is GER
tainly giving way under the pressure
of the new conditions.
Most of the great lords Of the soil
have passed already into the scar and
yellow leaf, while several have dropped
by the way, and, and their surviving
partners, or heirs, evince less and less
desire to pay taxes on the whole world.
Much of the land which is coming on
the market at prices within the reach
of people who are looking for homes is
already under irrigation, and canals are
extending their benefcent waters over
other dry Extraordinarily fertile tracts.
Hitherto the subdivision of lands and
welcoming of immigrants has taken
place chiefly in a few localities, but the
forced conditions above described exist
in all portions of the state
While California is better adapted
to specialties in vegetation than any
other state, by reason of her great va
riety of climatic and soil conditions, it
remains true here, as elsewhere, that
Che family which produces on it's own
acres its supply of vegetables, milk,
butter, eggs, poultry, meat, fruit and
nuts, as well as grass and grain for the
domestic animals, is independent OF
market fluctuations. The fact that
such results are easiest attained in an
arid region under irregation was first
set before the American public by Hor-
ace Greeley when the Tribune proposed
the Greeley colony for Colorado. That
was an experiment, but it's successful
results and all that has been learned
during these years in the arts of agri-
culture, horticulture and irrigation are
now common property, and at the COM
mand of the most inexperienced.
The furry which was excited by the
Judge Ross decision adverse to the
Wright irrigation law is passing away,
and the hope is generally expressed
that the United States supreme court,
where the case is soon to be heard, will
rule against the Wright law. The
bondholders will be protected where
value has been received, and other and
fairer ways will be worked out than are
provided under that law. In fact, only