Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-22

The magical increase of the popula-
tion of Southern California has had the
natural effect Of placing i'm the re-
.markable region south Of the Tehachapi
several hundred thousands of people
who know little Of the immediate past
of the country. Well-read men often
know more of the annals of nation
even of their own, dating back a hun
dred years ago, than of those of twenty
years ago. History has not dedicated
itself to the immediate past. and only
the events of bygone time have been
carefully and voluminously complied.
For instance, there are ten average
Americans who know more about the
details OF the careers of Henry Clay
and Andrew Jackson than one who
knows the ins and outs of the lives of
James G. Blaine and William Mckin-
ley.
There are now living in Los Angeles
and the other southern counties
hundreds of thousands of people who
never heard of the mo Fence law,
or what the significance of the mighty
legislative struggle which once clus-
tered around those words. Just so
there are multtudes who have an idea
that Los Angeles county is a very dry
region, and that farming south of the
Tehachapi is absolutely and always
question of irrigation. In the opinion
of these worthy people it is "no irri-
CATION no crops" Because this propo-
sition is true as to the citrus fruits and
some other special staples it is accepted
as true of all farming operations.
This general opinion is undoubtedly
due to the fact that for the past ten
years there has been a deficiency in
the normal rainfall of Los Angeles
county of something in the neighbor-
hood of sixty inches. We have been
suffering from prolonged "dry spell'
it is that and nothing more-which
has dried out the soil, worked injury
to the trees and diminished the reser-
voirs, springs and streams. To those
who are long familiar with Southern
California it would seem, in the light
of the past, that we are now entering
lowed by twelve or more other wet
seasons, during which we will recoup
the sixty inches of which we are shy,
and during which cycle we are morally
sure of seeing such a season as that OF
1SS4-S5, in which we had thirty-eight
inches of rain in the valleys and in
which every bridge over the Los An
geles river was swept away with the
exception of the covered bridge; in
which some forty-odd houses marched
down the stream, and in which gal
liant Sheriff Martin Aguirre was
plunging into the river on horseback
and pulling out drowning people by
the score. OF course, no one can tell
just when such things are going to
happen, but it is pretty nearly safe to
assume that sometime in the next dec
ade history is very likely to repeat it.
self.
Something About DrcIths
Now that we have already had 500
inches of rain, and the hills are already
beginning to take on their vernal tints,
it may be interesting to say something
about the real drouths of the past. The
last occurred in the season of 1867,
when the total rainfall was only 4.S5
inches. 1t was in it's results of mixed
good and evil to Los Angeles and
Southern California. 1t found this
country sheep pasturage and cattle
range and converted it into horticul-
tural, viticultural and agricultural
region. AS has always been the case
in good years, the ranges were allowed
to be enormously overstocked There