The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1897-07-17
LorTERINa IN CALIFORNIA.

LOTTERING IN CALIFORNIA.
An Eastern Editor Tells What He Saw
On an 800 Mile Journey Be-
hind q Horse. Il
Dear Editor: I've Leen sir months in
California, and have had my notebook
oonstantlyin hand. I ha i've discoveries
much that is interesting and striking;
and novel and singular. and ludicrous,
and some things that are praiseworthy;
that I determined to write you. have
Eastern IDEAS, you know, thoroughly riv.
eted, and am viewing everything from an
Eastern standpoint and through Eastern
goggles. >2 800 & @--,,f !
In order to see What there is OF real
worth in California, and to enable me to
cape at it until ready to move on, Ipur-
chased horse and carriage, and started
out right. How selfish thought I, now
that 7 am so we'll fitted to see and listen
and take observations, and pump the
dear people, and scribble results in my
daily diary, that do not send resume
to The Cook COUNTY HERALD for publ
cation.
So this is my apology for addressing
you. Six months now in the State, and
800 miles have I ridden in my own car
raige during the past sixty days A.
cross arid plains, over three mountain
chains, into dangerous canyons, around
precipltous gorges, and Ealong the sea-
shore.
I might as we'll say at the outset that
I have found this to be a land Of gold, of
big fruits, of intense sunshine, of beau
t1ful flowers, of most remarkable climat-
10 differences, OF gigantic enterprises
and vast distances, of vast deserts and
fertil 10 valleys whose surfaces lie scarce
~ above the sea, and of mountains
whose peaks pierce the very clouds.
T spent some time in the San Joaquin
valley, the largest valley in the state,
and the home of probably the finest pears
prunes, peaches, and apricots, in the
state. I also rode over many other Sec
tions directly opposite in point of fertili-
ty; looked off Mt. Hamilton from my
own carriage seat, and Old Ocean has
rinsed the dust off the wheels Of my ve-
hicle as I drove along the beach at var
ious points. 1 have dug CLAIMS at Pizmo
Beach, mingled with the fishermen at
Old Monterey, picked oranges from the
great Beal ranch in the TETON country,
and interviewed the manager of the Mil
ler & Lux possessions, whose wealt b
runs into the millions. OF the impress
sions gained and many Interesting exper-
fences had I will speak from week to
week. But I will 60 back to the San
Joaquin country. It is California's hot
bed. Here the mercury rises from 112
to 120 degrees during the summer
months.
The heat here during this period is al
most beyond belief. But how vegetation
does respond to the glowing rays Of Old
solt tt is a wonderl Peaches grow to
perfection. I have seen them that
weighed eighteen ounces, and pears that
would 60 % ounces each. But every
thing grown in this valley is irrigated,
and Eastern people know little about ar
tifcial irrigation. It is expensive, and
the farmers, fruit-growers and stock.rais-
ere are dependent upon large companies
who put in these water systems for wet
ting the soil. The water companies here
charge $40 per acre for the right to use
from their ditches,. and then $3.50 per
gore per annum for the use of the water
ever afterward. To make it palmer. the
water companies will not permit the
consumers of water to use from their
bitches until the $40 per acre tax Is paid
or secured by mortgage on whatever
land they may own. As result of this
ironclad rule many farms are mortgaged
for the amount of the water right. To
the average Eastern man this seems like
an oppressive, a most burdensome tax,
to secure that which in the East leaks
out of the clouds, and comes to the just
and to the unjust alike, without money
and without price.
OF course, on the other hand, it costs
a great deal to establish and maintain
irrigation bitches. In this section most
of the water comes from Kern river. 8
stream which is fed by the constantly
melting snow in the Sierra Nevada mts.
It is an exhaustless water supply. Away
up above this valley, between 60
and 100 miles, are the high peaks of the
Sierra Nevada mountains. There, dur.
ing the winter season, snow falls to 8
greater depth than in Wisconsin or the
Northern Peninsula of Michigan; while
in the valley in the vicinity of Bakers
field never fake of snow falls the yea,
around. During the summer months
therefore, when everything is parched
in the valley the river Is bank full, being
fed by the constantly melting snow
But to use this water is the question
that for decades puzzled the few inhabi
tants who attempted to live here. But
at last capital sought Investment il