The San Francisco call., 1904-02-22
Twenty Million Can Find
Support in Great
California.
Only Prerequisite Needed
Is Perfect Systems
for Water.
BY GEORGE c. PARDEE,
GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.

The irrigation of ancient Egypt
should be a most interesting and i'm
portant question to every loyal Cali
fornian. 1t has come to be understood
shere in California that, while we now
have a population of less than a mill
lion and quarters, we might, if
we could only properly cultivate our
80, 900 600 acres of arabic land, sup
port in comfort, yes, in luxury and af-
auence, easily 100000 600 of happy and
contented people.
We know that in the Valley of the
Po, in Italy, there live. in Italian COM
fort, 5000, 900 of people on 3,000,000 acres
OF land. They take the water from
the River Po and put it on their lands
at such times and in such quantities
as their crops demand. Nature cannot
be depended on to give us rains in
such quantity and at such times as
viii exactly fulfill the needs of the
husbandmen. Sometimes Jupiter Plu
Yius pours down too much water to
please us for the moment; at other
times he withholds his lifegiving
showers. And, if we depend entirely
are we deceived by the tricky gods
fair promises and our crops do not full
fill our expectations.
PATH TO INDEPENDENCE.
But, give the farmer his irrigating
ditch and he becomes independent Of
the god of rains. If the showers come,
well and good; if they do not come, he
laughs at nature and pours upon his
thirsty land, at just such times and
in just such quantities, the water that
viii insure his crops and till his lands
to their full capacity.
If Egypt had, in Joseph's time, the
irrigation system that she soon will
have, the seven lean years, of which
the story Of Joseph's life so quantity
speaks, would have caused no uneasi-
ness to Pharoah, and it would not have
been necessary to M the royal gran
aries with the products of the seven
fat years. And if the Valley of the
Po were deprived Of its irrigating sys
TEN. instead of 100000 people living
on its fertile land, its population could
not be greater than third that
number, although the rainfall there is
greater than that which we have in
San Francisco.
But coming a little nearer home,
those Of us who have been to Salt Lake
City and enjoyed the verdufe and the
prosperity Of that Mormon town, and
have contrasted it with the surround
ing barrenness Of the desert, Will ap-
preciate how great a blessing irrigation
is. on this land, which, without the
irrigating ditch viii raise nothing, are
raised fine apples, pears, plums, ber-
ries, grapes and all the grains in amaz-
ing quantities. These old Mormons
were great people. Just think of choos-
ing the Salt Lake Desert for an abid-
ing place, when California, which they
knew all about through their scouts,
was only 700 miles away, But I'm glad
they did settle where they did, for it
gives US Californians an object lesson,
a our very doors, Of what irrigation
viii do for a people who have the en-
ergy TO employ it.
And here in California we have seen
with our own eyes the benefits of irri-
cation. When I first knew Southern
California thirty-five years ago the
spots where Pasadena, Redlands and
Riverside now are were deserts, on
whose lean and dreary acres a few
head Of cattle were able to pick up a
precari0us living. It WIS a land of
cactus, rattlesnazes, jack rabbits and
coyotes. out Of what was then that
desert there go this year alone 10000
cars Of oranges. Several great cities
now people its former solitudes, and
Southern California has become a land
Of wealth and luxury. What brought
it all about? Why. nothing but the
wedding together Of irrigation water
and the desert.
rACvrc ADJ, tn C,TTTrDc