The herald., 1897-04-02
FRIDAY, APRIL I, 1907.
TO PATRONS OF THE HERALD
THE ENGLISH LAND-BUYER

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While there is much truth in the re-
port of the British consul about Eng
lishmen who have been cheated in buy
ing land in California, it is almost wholly
untrue in the way in which it is stated.
Many have paid too much for land, but
the eastern tenderfoot has done quite as
much of that as the Englishman. Tie
proportion of our own people who have
done the same thing after living here
long enough tc know better is even
greater than the proportion of English
men.
The plain fact is that the attractions
of the land are too great for many.
When they have spent few weeks here,
and often only a few hours, and found
what they have missed in the life mis-
spent elsewhere, all business prudence
vanishes. 1t is quite useless to warn
them that the land is full of lovely eli
mates, of enchanting scenery, of rich
est soil, Of wondrous possibilities. and
that there is positively TO law requiring
a man to close the first bargain that Is
offered him. He seems to think the
universe has just found what it has long
been wanting, and is right behind him
in grand rush that will leave him in the
lurch if he is not in haste.
Many a one long established here has
warned friend that there is positively
no haste, yet that friend seems to hasten
all the more, and don't even take his
friend out to look at the piece before he
buys it. He seems afraid to let any one
know, for feat the choice scrap of soil
may be. gone. The Englishman is no
bigger fool in this respect than the
American. He only has a bigger mouth.
The American who finds he has paid too
much keeps quiet and watches for a
chance to unload on some of his beloved
brethren.
1t has long been matter of wonder
among the knowing that buyers never
employ an expert in these matters
There are thousands of business men
whose advice could be had for very
reasonable sum to look at a piece of
land after one had selected IT, Such a
one could point out many things that
the buyer would have to wait years to
learn. But no-the happy buyer throws
= f,,r- ;,,to h.
agent. who, he ought to know, is to get
Z commission on the sale. He fakes all
his information from him or from his
own ignorance. and then walls when he
nnds himself mislel.
Surely any intelligent man at this day
should know that California has been a
constant surprise to its best friends, and
has reversed almos. every judgment
ever passed upon 1t. Any man with
sense enough to count his money should
now know that it is question of condi-
tons, more than of fertility or area, that
alfalfa land is not orange land, although
both may sometimes be grown to per-
fection on the same land, and that good
lemon land is not walnut land, though
many pieces will grow either with
proper handling.
He could quickly learn that piece of
land that will make fine show of young
trees may make a very bad display of
fruit when they get old and in full bear
ing, and that water supply that is suf-
fcient for apricots is wholly insufficient
for many other things.
Very few people have ever bought ab-
solutely worthless land in California,
and still fewer have bought bad titles
The amount of swindling in this way has
been remarkably slight. But many
have bought land unfit for the purpose
for which they wanted it, and which they
could have found out for ten or fifteen
dollars had they been modest enough
to question their own judgment. The
and in nearly all such cases has been