Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-01
WHITES BRIDGE
RANCH PASSES
TO NEW OWNER
LOS ANGELES COMPANY BUYS
VAST ACREAGE
FRESNO LAND WILL BE PLANTED
TO EUCALYPTUS
Purchasing Corporation Proposes as
Unique Feature the Formation of
Shooting Preserve and Erec-
ton of Club House

Papers were passed yesterday con-
veying the famous Whites Bridge
ranch, located thirty miles northwest of
Fresno, to the American Forestration
company, Security building, Los Ange-
les. The property comprises about
1900 acres, and the entire ranch will be
planted to eucalyptus, forming the larg-
est single eucalyptus tract in that sec
tion of the state.
This ranch has long enjoyed repu-
tation as hunting and fishing resort,
attracting sportsmen from all parts of
the San Joaquin valley. 1t possessed
the famous Wayside Inn, on the main
road to Fresno, which earned a fortune
for its former owner. The property
has a water frontage of six miles on
the navigable Fresno slough, and Is
crossed by the Southern Pacific rail-
road 1t is part of the overflowed re-
gion, from which many thousands of
acres have been reclaimed, and which
now form some of the richest alluvial
ranch lands in California.
Experiments prove that the eucalyp-
tus grows most rapidly in this section
of the San Joaquin valley" said q
company yesterday This fact, to-
gether with the valuable water rights
and excellnet shipping facilities, led us
to add this ranch to our other holdings,
which now comprise about 10000 acres
These will form by far the largest euca-
lyptus tracts in the state, and will JUS
tify the company In installing its own
mills to insure the best market price
for it's timber.
No Land Too Valuable
1--WE know now that no land is too
valuable for eucalyptus afforestation.
The retuns amply justify the use OF the
best orange lands, and many orchard
lists are clearing their choicest acres
and planting them to eucalyptus. BY
the ultra conservative calculations of
| the government forestry experts, an
acreage like the Whites Bridge ranch
will yield a profit of about 100000 at
the first cutting, and an equal amount
every seven years thereafter. Actual
results will exceed these figures, as the
government calculations are based only
on trees growing under average condi-
tions, and on the present price of hard
wood timber; whereas trees on this
ranch will grow under ideal conditions
and the price of such timber has more
than doubled during the past ten years
and will probably advance as much
| during the decade anead.
"The importance of eucalyptus to
| California in a commercial way is
clearly indicated by the project now on
foot, suggested by Clifford Pinchot, to
plant 25,0O00OO of these trees along the
Los Angeles aaueduct. Within ten
years these trees can be cut at profit
of 100000, 900, which will wipe out the
entire cost of the aqueduct and put
| SIS, 900 900 in the city treasury besides.
] Inn. hot &C
Angeles city and county from all need
of taxation for ten years Before that
time another cutting would yield an
other S100,000,000, and so on, which
means that these trees would lift the
burden from both city and county in
definitely.
Eucalyptus Stands Alone
mo such situation ever existed in
any country, and would be possible
with no other tree than the eucalyptus
What the eucalyptus can do for Los
Angeles it can do for other parts of the
state, and for the individual owners
This fact is rapidly becoming recog-
nized, not only on the coast but
throughout the east and even abroad,
by investors Those best informed on
the subject declare that the time is
rapidly approaching when the value OF
the eucalyptus industry will leap far
ahead of citrus fruit, oil and gold in
California, as nothing can stop the con-
tinuous rise in price of hardwood tim
Der at the rate at which the supply is
being exhausted
A unique feature of the Whites
Bridge project will be the formation of
an extensive shooting preserve, main
tanned by the company, The Wayside
Inn will be rehabilitated as a club
house, and members will have free
range of forty miles of waterway, af-
fording unlimited opportunity for duck,
goose and quail shooting, and splen-
cid fishing. The water is held back by
dam fifteen miles below in the San
Joaquin river and is well stocked with
game fish. The central location of the
ranch between valley towns and San
Francisco makes it easy of access both
by train and automobile.