The San Francisco call., 1904-11-16
CALIFORNIA is FIRST.

rEa IrI0n
with the single exception Of the number o
acres irrigated. in which she IS slightly be
hind Colorado. She has 5000 more irrigators
however than Colorado and the value OF hsl
irrisated crops exceeds COlorado's by SlI. COO.
OOO While the average value OF irrigated
California il Is $50 10 The average value pei
acre OF irrigated crops for the arid States Is
STA 81 In California il is SIS Al
And California has just begun Her irri-
gated acres number about one and one-hali
millions of her one hundred millions Of total
acreage and the products therefrom are valued
az S{s 0O0 eco 1t is estimated that in the
great valley drained by the Sacramento and
san Joaquin rivers and adjacent thereto. u
saw nothing of the entire southern one-fourth
of the State and many other portions thereof,
there are twelve million acres capable o. tr-
rfgation. So there is room yet for progress
some portions Of California are more alive to
the value Of irrigation than others. South OF
Tehachapi, in Southern California, irrlsation
&c rrized as the very Iife-blood OF the country.
Ing to depend more and more on brighton
as the only sure producer Of crops. In the
sway although the awakening is near ut hand.
This lesson is having its results, viz that
those sections OF California where irrigation is
most used have had the greatest growth in
,,-sai+b and ropulatfOn. and are receiving more
bo,1utifulIy the good things OF life
In its natural resources OF soil, climate and
water supply the Sacramento Valley is one of
the most favored places in the United States.
What has been it's growth in wealth and popu-
latfon as compared with the slightly less IA
vored San Joaquin and with arid Southern
Calfforniar In 1870 the Sacramento Valley had
a ucutIIa ton of l.093, It's real property valu-
alton was s23.513.sso and the value Of its
farm products was over SIC. 00O. 600 The san
Joaquin Valley had a population OF 45.i50. a
real property valuation of s13, T36, s22. and the
value of its farm products was about So 600,
600 South Of Tehachapi the population was
- o4S the value Of real estate Sc, 800. coo and
tho value of farm products little over $1,000,
IRRIGATION began and we have the following
reversal Of conditions in 1900: The Sscra.-
n,ento Valley has. increased one and one-half
times in population four and one-half times
in land valuation and a little less than one
AMI ore-haG times in the value of farm prod
uts: the San Joaquin Valley has increa sed
three and one-sixth times in population. eight
times in land valuation and two and one-half
times in the value Of form products. South
ern California has increased ten and one-sixth
times in population. twenty times in wealth
and over twelve times in value of farm pred
ucts.
IRRIGATION AND GROWTH.
Let us see how this advance in material
prosperity coincided with an advance in the
iise Of irrigation. As might be expected,
Southern California leads in the percentage of
improved acreage under irrigation. with the
san Joaquin Valley a close second and the
of frrigators south of Tehachapi in 1900 was
10 254. with s63f for the San joaquin Valley
and only 2T99 for the Sacramento Valley.
What a future for the great Sacramento Val
lev when her irrigation possibilities are real
ized: when. instead of less than per cent OF
her improved acreage under irrigation. she
has nearly 25 per cent as in Southern Cali
fornia: when her fertile farms will bring in
a profit OF over $50 per and the average
farm is reduced from a square mile 10 the
ffty-sx acres which prevailed in 1900 in the
irrigated districts Of this state. It is easy TO
see that hundreds of thousands would be added
TO her population and millions to her wealth.
The communities in California that have
taken up irrigation have become PROSPEROUS
bevond All ordinary bounds The communities
that have neglected their opportunities for
irrigation have missed golden harvest Take
the county of Fresno In the middle OF the
San Joaquin Valley. once practically an arid
plain. Thirty years ago the total area under
cultivation was q 536 acres and the total
value of farm products 5000. 16s The same
territory which now includes MADEIRA as well
as Fresno County. in 1000 had under irriSa-
tion alone over 100000 acres. and the total
value Of farm products nearly $40 COO 600.
Fresno County is the largest raisfn- shipping
center in the United States sending out in
carloads Of fruits OF all kinds. The assessed