Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-03-15
From California.

OF real warm weather and the peach
trees are in bloom, the hillsides are
covered with a coating Of green and
all nature seems to smile the smile
of contentment and happiness.
Since we wrote last we have been to
Old Mexico and although the jour
ney was through very good coun-
try and we saw lemon and orange
groves by the hundred acres, but
the best thing we saw on our trip
was nice field Of alfalfa standing
about IL to Is inches high and a
field of barley all headed out on
March LIST.
Tia Juana (Tia Wana) is small
village with two or three Mexican
stores, one or two saloons, one res
taurant and a large bull pen and
amphitheatre where they still in
dulge in the old and ancient sport
of a bull fight, only Of course now
carried on in more scientific style,
and less inhuman, for they blind
the bull and fix safety places for the
fighter to jump behind and protect
themselves.
The stores are stocked with
curiosities. The San Diego livery
men take the tourist there to see
Old Mexico and spend little of
their hard cash, then on their re-
turn they pass a government reve-
nue. officer and the lucky purchaser
of the Mexican curioes is happy if
he passes with his purchases with
out paying a duty. Yesterday we
went to what is known here as
sweet water dam, reservoir of
water for irrigation and city use.
1t is ten miles to the east of San
Diego in the mountains. The dam
is Of solid masonry built between
two mountains that come close to-
gether and the dam is ninety feet
iIigh and will hold large quantity
Of water as there are open valleys on
either side back of the dam. 1t is
mot now more than third full Of
lwater and there did not seem to be
ANY visible stream running into this
pond. Yet they call it the sweet
water river. One thing strange
here about the streams they all
seem to have an undercurrent but
will be dry on the surface Now
this water is piped from the various
reservoirs all over this country and
where there is residence or ranch
in these valleys the water is piped
to it. When we come to realize Oh
ponder over the vastness of this
piping business its astonishing the
amount OF money and labor it ha.
cost to supply the people Will
water, the ranches and stock. The
expense must have run up into thu
millions and the question of waite
here is one that has ballled tn
brains Of many smart man.
The products Of this country al
mostly fruit | mean in the vicinit,
Of San Diego, very little grain il
raised, only on exceptional year
the ranchers SOW wheat and oats
but cut it for hay. Hay of tina
kind here now is twenty-one dollar
4 ton. Rolled barley is twenty
eight dollars ton. Potatoes abou
Two cents per pound, sweet potatoes
Two and one-half cents. Thu
Chinaman raise and sell most al
kinds of garden truck, yet there i
large quantity shipped in to thi'
market. The ranchers were getting
pretty blue before these rains cam
this winter and they now have
brighter prospect before them thai
Tor several years. | was looking VI
the price per box for lemons in Du
buque the other day and the quota
ton was $3 to $3.50 per box; her,
one could buy all he wanted a
about 25c box. We get a fin
quality Of oranges three dozen TO
20 cents or 80 cents per box. Their
is growing here what they call vii,
oats and they tell me it makes tn
best hay they can get. They als'
have native clover here somethin.
like white clover leaf, but has
little yellow bloom next the stem
, where the leaves come out. The,
say its very nutritious and that cat
tie fat on it readily when they hav
rain enough to grow it. Then ther
is another kind Of grass that look
like timothy that makes nice feed bu
is not as good as the clover. If thi
countryhad supply of water 50 tia
/, vegetation could be irrigated whe
in need this would be almost an idea
D place to live and | think perhap
$ with the large amount of reservoir
which they have now that they ma
be better supplied with water j
the future. San Diego has som
nice streets and is grading ther
j and putting them in fine shape
= When they get them graded TO S Ii
/ they go over them with coal oil i
t the crude state and it packs dow
. and makes beautiful road.
! watched it close (some fresh work
during the recent rains and | wa
surprised that it stood the storms a
well as it did. believe that its
$ good way to make roads and its nc
4 so costly as macadam as they &C
| the oil at "a cents per pound.
We are now thinking of leavin
here next Monday, the 18th, fo
t Phoenix, Arizona, and will keep o
t working our way north and cas-
+ until we reach home sometime pei
hapsin April. While we have bee
here we have formed some nleasen