The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-01-26
That Near Chico, CAL, Not Land
of Milk and Honey.
MANKAT0 MAN LOSES FAITH.
Declares That Blue Earth County is
Good Enough For Him; Will Re-
turn to This City Soon.


would like Il little information about
this country. known as the land of sun
shine and flowers, and as things are
largely overdrawn, | thought it best to
tell it rs it appears to me.
l have spent Il great deal of the time
in the country among the farmers and
fruit ranches. | have been in most of
the counties north of Sacramento. and
have yet TO find anything equal to Blue
Earth county.
The land in Sacramento valley is
level, and, to look at, one would think
it would produce good crops, but when
examined closely it is hard adobe stuff,
and when dry is as hard as brick.
This land used to produce good
crop of wheat, but those days are in
the past. They tell me that for the
past five or ten years they only raise
the land owners find this does not pay
Most of the farms are large and heav
lily in debt. John Bidwell owned fifty
thousand acres, for which he gave the
Mexican government horse and sad
die, so | am told. This farm has one
hundred and fifty thousand fruit trees
on it, and is being sold in five and ten
acre lots for from 800 to 5000 per acre.
/ cannot see why people will pay such a
price for land when you cannot make
dollar more than you can back in Min
esota.
This is the result of the big advertis-
ing scheme. Chico is a town of about
twelve thousand Inhabitants, and l
never have seen so many poor people in
town of this size. / have talked with
scores of people, and many of them
are anxious to leave this state. Liv-
ing is high; butter 80 cents, eggs 40
cents, milk 10 cents a quart, hay SIG
per ton, stove wood $2.15 per cord. You
may think the farmers ought to make
money at these prices; so they would IT
they could raise good crops. There are
only few places where they can raise
corn. There was no rain from the eighth
dav of May until the 26th day of No
vember. and the thermometer registered
from ninety to one hundred and fifteen
degrees. How would you like to take
drive out in the country when the dust
is from three inches to a foot deep, and
you can scarcely see team ahead of
YOU?
Many speak about raising poultry,
but hen will lay no more eggs in Cal
ifornia than in Minnesota. From the
standpoint of farmer, this is a poor
country.
You will hear great deal about fruit
raising, and, as l am personally inter
ested along that line, have made con-
siderable inquiry, and find that prunes
and peaches do not pay. | met a man
from Princeton, Minnesota, who had
bought twenty acres for $4,000, on
which he set out ten acres of peaches,
and when he found what the same
amount had Melted his neighbor, he dug
up five acres, and was trying some other
kind of fruit. Most of the trees have to
be sprayed twice a year. / have seen
hundreds of acres of vineyards, but at
ter EXPENSES were taken out there was
not much left, Judging from the build
ings and surroundings.
Most any day you can see load OF
oranges on the street selling at 81 a
sack, and they haul them about TWEEN
ty-fve miles, as they can be raised only
in certain localities. Apples do not
thrive we'll here; they are of spongy
kind. but up in the mountains at an
elevation Of two thousand feet the
apples are fine; and they should be in
order to get man to live in such des-
olate place.
Raspberries and strawberries do wei,
but must be irrigated, so do not see
any inducement from that standpoint.
If the people thing the fruit industry
cannot be overdone, they had better
take trip to California and be con-
WINGED Once in while YOU will find
man that has done well, and they
never forget to tell about him. Let
me say to anyone who may be think
ing about selling out to come to Califor-
MIA. come here first and look around; do
not stop in the cities where there are
few nice palms and roses, and few
slick real estate men. Some people
seem to think that when they get to
California all they have. to do is to turn
around and pick up.a $40 gold piece, but
it is just the opposite;> you lose one IN
stead.
OF course, there are a great many cur
ious cities that we do not see in Minnie
sofa. and here we see the old ocean with
her rocking waves and floating cities
with long slender masts floating high.