Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-02-16
A Single Acre in Sacramento
Valley Yields More Than
Many Biz Farms
HOW It's DON {
Irrigation and Careful selection
the secret Of Success. Great
Possibilities
Special 70 The Optic.

The Sacramento valley Of Caiiforni
Is i land Of big farms. Private g
tafes run All the way from n thou
sand to n hundred thousand acres
II was once profitable TO farm vas
areas Id grain. when this speculation
began to fail, in consequence Of th'
expansion Of the industry 10 foreigI
lands which had learned to use Amer
lean l~abor-saying machinery. the tend
ency toward big farms was not check
cd. but rather accelerated. since man
holdings we're consolidated In the pro
cess Of mortgage foreclosures.
Although the Sacramento valley /
blessed with most abundant waite
supplies, irrigation ii not general!
employed. There II little rainfall from
May to November. yet grain and dccid
uous fruits are grown without artin
cial moisture. But the big farms ars
NOT prosperous. They r largely cul
tiyated b. tenants and are strangely
devoid Of features which make the
true California farm one OF the most
delightful home spots III the world.
The men on the land sell all they
produce and buy nearly all they con
sumo. And 40 they pay tribute %
others going and coming"
4 have been visiting d farm In the
Sacramento valley which consists Of
one single acre 81 irrigated land and
which makes a better home and
larger income for its owner than many
Of bis neighbors enjoy on places q
thousands OF acres each The little
farm Ia at orlani. in Glen county, and
ia the property Of a man named Sam.
uei Cheeks, who has grown old and
gray while filling Il for The past thirty
years.
Mr.. Cheeks tells me that he has no
difficulty whatever In making d ON.
Portable living from this n acre Of
irrigated land. Not only so, but he
Is able to a an average Of four
hundred dollars q year beside. He has
money TO loan. ~ well AZ fruit. yege.
tables and poultry products to sell to
those who are getting poorer every
year In carrying on big farms without
irrigation. I was SO curious to know
how he could get such good results
from 80 small an area that asked
him 20 give me q list OF what the
place contained. Here II Is:
Barn and corral space. 75x75 feet
rabbit hutch. 25x2s feet. house and
porches, 3ox3o feet: two windmill
towers. i6al6 feet each; garden, a6x
~ feet; biackberries. 1890 feet;
strawberries, 65xs0 feet: citrus nurs.
cry. soxss feet. In which there are
1900 trees budded one row of dew
berries. 100 feet long: 4 apricot trees;
2 oak trees: . peach trees: . iig trees:
10 locust trees: 30 assorted roses 20
assorted %geraniums, IL lemon trees
bearing, which are seven years old;
lime tree, nine years old and bear
Ing. from which were sold last year
iGo dozen lines; 5 bearing orange
trees I breadfruit trees: . pomcgran
ate trees ON patch Of bamboo. q
Gala lilies. 1 prune trees ] blue
gum trees; 8 cypress trees 1 grape
vines; | English wv: 2 honeysuckles
one seed bed: one violet bed 1 sage
bed 2 tomato vines, 10 stands Of
bees.
The story q this prosperous one
acre farm. sct iii NE midst II the
great whea, ranches of the saeramen
TO valley, has i certain bearing On
The great popular movement aimlng
at the repeal u existing laws under
which the nations Ianis III being
rockiessly equandeted.
IN ne face ~ such examples III.
the productive capacity n Irrigated
land under intensive cultivation, vhy
should we continue % give away three.
hundred ana twenty acres "a 4 single
individual 81 twice as much 10 4
mar and BIS wife This is What W.
are doing under the desert land law
And every time I'd do II VIC shut the
door Of hope ID The face II TN ~
twenty families who might get homes
on Tie public domain II The Unit IN
entry we're cut down 20 a reasonable
h%gure-say. thirty Or sixty acres.
Save the lands for the real home.
builder.