The herald., 1898-01-10
REAL ESTATE I'm 1897

The state Of California in the last CEN
sus ranked ninth among the states in
the estimated value of her farm prod
ucts, but in the number of separate hold
ings she was outranked by twenty-five
other states. In area California is only
surpassed by Texas. The latter, with an
area Of 170,099, zoe acres, had at that time
22s126 holdings, while California, with
101, ,350, 400 acres, had only 52,S94 farms.
Nebraska, with about 15,0O00 900 acres of
improved land, yielded in 1889 farm
products valued at $67 600, 900, while Cali
fornia, during the same year, with 49,
ued at sS7,000,0o0
Two most important facts are to be de-
duced from these figures First, that
the soil of California produced more
wealth to the acre than Nebraska, which
Is selected as typical of the western
group of the states; and secondly, Cali
fornia has not anything closely approxi-
mating the number of individual hold
ings that she ought to have.
Prior to the '90's the commercial world
knew California as a large wheat pro-
ducing country, and so imperceptibly did
the horticultural interests Of the state
develop that in 1891, when the exports of
fruit surpassed In value those Of wheat,
the greatest surprise was manifested
1t is worthy of note, too, that the or
chards have not encroached upon the
wheat lands to any extent worth men,
tioning. This wondrous development has
taken place throughout the state but
more particularly in the seven counties
south of the Tehachapi, and as conse-
quence they received 61 per cent of the
rural increase of population in the state,
according to the eleventh census. One
of the fundamental reasons why this in
crease fell to the south, rather than to
the regions of the north, where fruit
growing has been carried on. was the
breaking up of the large ranches into
small holdings. AS set forth more in
detail elsewhere in these columns, as far
back as 1851 this sub-dividing of large
properties began in Southern California,
but north of the Tehachapi the reverse
was the case. AS late as 1895, and may
hap no change has taken place for the
better since then, nineteen persons
owned nearly 10000 900 acres in the north
ern counties, and these lands alone
were capable of keeping in independence
1900 families of five persons each.
In the south the tendency is toward
breaking up all the old Spanish and
Mexican ranchos, and the home seeker
need never be nonplused to find piece
of land either small or large enough to
suit all purposes. And this wide expanse
of fruit growing country is poor mans
country, for 1t has been made what it is
and its last acre must be improved and
developed by the poor mans labor, and
not by the speculation of the monied rich
Throughout the south there are what
are termed arid lands. and it is simply
wonderful what Industrious men, minus
much money, but with an abundance o1
energy and common sense. have done
by taking up government claims. Ir
this connection is is we'll to remember
that the vast area of the public domain
described fifty odd years ago by DAME
Webster as "unimportant, unknhabit-
able and without value" is today the
| richest store house of the United States
The great American desert is being re-
claimed and promises incalculable rich
| ness for the future.
| A recent writer has pointed out that
the arid lands of the west include thu
most valuable mining area Of the world
and have agricultural and commercial
value. "a careful computation" ht
says, Shows total in that arid country
of more than 10000 900 head of domestic
animals, made up Of 100000 horses, 5O,.
900 mules, 14,000,00O cattle and 24,000. .0Of
sheep. The annual value of products
moved out of the arid region is approxi-
mately $3.50, 200, 900, while the total COM
merce reaches the sum of $3.50 900, 900. -
In this computation are included scat
tering tracts throughout the counties In
Southern California, and the Mojave and
Colorado deserts, so-called, but which
only need water to be transformed into
valuable lands, producing prolifically
the richest of fruits. That there are
some men who have contrived to estab-
lish themselves very comfortably on
these arid lands is shown by the state
ment for the last fiscal year forwarded
from the land office of this district tc
Washington. 1t Is as follows: