The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-03-13
fR8H The PACIFIC SLOPE.
! Former Sherman County Man Writes Of
the American Tropics.
aE. A, .. Clement Describes the Country
In and About Chino. Cal. Where
He Has Made Home.
To TIE REPuBt1c.

To TIE REPUBLIC:
CHINO, Cal, March 2.-As it is rain
Jug this afternoon so I cannot work on
the land, will pen a few lines to The
REPUBLIC. The Chino valley extends
from San Bernardino to Los Angeles,
distance of about 80 miles, with noun
tains on the north, some of the peaks
of which are over 10000 feet high and
are capped with snow the year around.
On the south there are hills covered
with grass and used mostly for pasture.
The valley varies in width from ten to
thirty miles, and the soil varies from
gravel to rich black loan, and in some
places to the real adobe soil. The black
loan is very much like the soil of west
ern Kansas, and is the naturally moist
land of the valley.
Near Che mountains it is more likely
to be gravel and sand and the water
from the mountains finds its way
through this and is forced by the hills
on the south to near the surface in the
lower lands. In many cases large
springs crop out, one near our house
that the water flowing from would fila
12.inch pipe. The lighter soil is better
for fruit and will raise some kinds
without irrigation, but oranges have to
have more water, and think, by what
I have seen SO far, that anything on this
light soil will de better by irrigating it,
The moist lands seem to be we'll
adapted to general farming. I have
seen some Of the tallest cOrnstalks here
/ have ever saw, and between here and
Los Angeles there are several large
cribs of corn.
Alfalfa grows well and is raised eX-
tensively. Some large growers of it in
this valley have cut the first crop this
year already. There seems to be a good
demand for ali that can be raised at $40
or more per ton.
On some Of the higher land large
quantities of barley is raised and fed
without threshing for hay. Some that
was sown in December is six or eight
inches high now, and all the way down
to that recently sown.
The farming on this ranch is for
sugar beets on all the moist land.
Most of tho land is plOwed and nearly
ready to plant. I think some have
planted already, as they have earlier
land than others. | can tell you more
about the sugar beet industry as the
season advances. Some here claim to
make $50 per acre above all expenses,
others say they go behind. The factory
viii not start up until sometime in July,
but it employs about 40 men now and
will through the season.
There IS an oil refinery being put in
here with quite an extensive plant.
The oil is piped about sixteen miles.
A flowing we'll has just been completed
to supply the plant with water. The
water was found at depth of 100 feet.
In some localities on the ranch artesian
water can be found at 80 feet.
We have quite a garden made and
most of the seeds planted are up and
looking we'll and will soon have all the
vegetables. we want of our own raising.
I see by your paper that you are
having considerable snow this winter
and [ hope you may have greater
abundance this spring and plenty of
rain through the season, for we feel
that the people of Sherman county de-
serve prosperity.
My letter is getting too long already
and as have said so little of what l iu-
tended to, I think I will have to make
another chapter at some future time.
n CTvarpD-r