The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-27


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This will explain why oranges are
usually about the same price all over
the country. They are no cheaper In
Kansas City than in Boston or Mon
treal, although 1900 miles nearer the
place of production.
Good orange groves-navels = are
worth from $500 to 81 500 an acre. Their
much to do with the value. Groves in
the bottom lands are not nearly so de-
sirable as those higher, close to the foot
of the mountains. In fact, the lowest
bottom land is hardly cultivated at all.
The soil is not nearly as good as that
nearer the mountains, and it is much
more liable to frost One of the best To-
calities in the state is the Highgrove
district, which is really q part of River
side, as it is within the municipality of
Riverside. 1t lies high, with Blue noun
tain on the east and Sugar Loaf on the
south. The territory for which High
a mile and a half by two miles in ex-
tent, yet there are more than a hum
dred orange ranches" in these three
square miles, and they will yield from
500 to 800 cars of fruit this year-possi-
bly, more-for some of it is hauled to
other packing stations. In this terri
tory, too, there are a few lemon groves,
patches of alfalfa and barley. besides
considerable waste IAN i.
The tenderfoot usually enters this
land of eternal summer either over the
San Bernardino range, through CajOn
Pass, on the Santa Fe from the north
or over the desert table lands on the
Southern Pacific from the southwest.
On the desert north of the San Ber-
nardino range, the sun beats down ter
in summer and the cold blasts
sweep down from the north in the
winter, but neither of these extremes
are known south of the range, where
the Santa Ana valley lies open to the
sea, and is equalized by the temper
ature of the Pacific, sixty miles away.
Coming down from Cajon Pass one
first reaches San Bernardino, a thirty
ing town of perhaps 5000 people 1t
is a Santa Fe railroad tOwn-the prin-
cipal shops of the Santa Fe coast lines
being located there. But it has al
most no oranges. 1t is purely an in
dustriai town But four or five miles
to the north east at the foot of the San
Bernardino range, is Highland. an I'M
portant orange center Eight miles
east of San BernardinO-Califo
call it San BerdoO for short, with the
lands. an extremely wealthy town and
noted orange region. and ten miles
south of San Bernardino is Riverside,
the center of the California orange in
dustry. West of San Bernardino
orange groves are found along the foot
of the mountains to Los Angeles, and
south and west of Riverside are 9TH
ers, but. these constitute nearly all OF
the orange producing territory of the
southwest. In this garden spot, COW
ering no more than a Kansas county,
waste land included, there is a civil
ization. built up in the midst of the
desert which is scarcely equaIled any
where in the United States. There is
wealth and refinement on every hand.
in and around Riverside and
Redlands. Broad avenues extend
1, he a
trees and palms, with roses and other
flowers growing everywhere These
roads are oiled and as we'll
kept as Topeka avenue. The homes.
both in the towns and along the eOun-
try avenues, are models of comfort
luxury and beauty. And it has nearly
all been made by oranges.
Water is the great thing in this re-
gion. without it southern California |
would still be chiefly desert. Nearly |
all vegetation depends on irrigation, |
except the barley and other crops |
which grow during the winter, which !
IS the rainy season. From 10 to Is |
inches of rain falls from November /
to April or May, but during the sum- /
ner and fall rains are unknown, and |
and the underground reservoirs are |
drawn upon. There is a constant 1
warfare for water. and miniature
suits are constantly /
ion is probably more advanced in
southern California than anywhere
else The water is brought down
rom the mountains in cement canals |
and is distributed through the fields
n cement fumes. There is a noun
ain of cement near Cotton, six miles
north of Riverside, which needs only
o be crushed to be available for use,
20 that it is very cheap. Occasion
ally there is fall enough in a canal
% give sufficient power to run an
electric plant which in turn. gene
,ates enough electricity for lights and |
bower for the packing houses At
Ontario water is used three times for
irrigation, and some of the power
nus obtained is used to run the Los
Angeles suburban trolley system.
Crude oil plays large part in the
Industrial activity of southern Cali
,ornia It takes the place of coal in
-unning the trains and power plants
where steam is used. 1t is used on /
he ballast on the railroad tracks, and
most of the streets and country ave-
aues are sprinkIed with it, making a
pavement as good as asphalt. Trav-
slers on California railroads are not
with dust from the roadbed
Tor cinders from the engines. Petro-
cum has eliminated both. The coun-
ry avenues are simply graded COW
cred with a layer of disintegrated
yranite, of which there is a great
abundance in all the mountains, and
;prinkled with oil, which makes a
Justices pavement
At Cotton the Southern Pacific has an
Ill tank. resembling the gas tank Of a gas