The San Francisco call., 1909-04-30

Todays- unique celebration has CEN
city and on the county of Fresno. This
mighty principality within the state,
abounding in wealth and giving prom
ise of a future which can not adequately
gained the recognition to which it has
long been entitled. "Raisin day marks
the beginning of brilliant epoch in
its history
Now that the eyes of all America
have been focused upon Fresno county,
the people of all the states of the
union will learn that marvellous as it's
output of raisins is this is only one OF a
great number of sources of wealth and
prosperity. Countrywide knowledge of
Fresno will henceforth go beyond mere
familiarity with the name as en-
blazoned on a carton.
Three decades ago the vast expanse
of the San Joaquin valley, 250 miles
long and averaging so miles in breadth,
was the stamping ground of the va
quero. Herds of cattle and bands of
horses roamed the practically unlim-
tied range. Most of it was still in the
possession of the United States govern
ment and it's value was regarded as
nominal.
Today the $4,000 square miles of the
San joaquin valley are under the most
intense cultivation and Fresno county,
once a desert area. is popularity known
as the Egypt of America" The amaz-
ing development of the whole San
Joaquin valley has been a matter of
increasing population and progressive
agricultural methods; the development
of that part of the valley comprised
within the lines of Fresno county has
been due to these causes, aided by the
magic of irrigation. If Fresno is to-
day the Egypt of America" it is be-
cause it's Sahara surface has been laced
with one thousand miles of large ir-
rigation canals and five thousand
miles of distributing bitches.
Fresno county is in the geographical
center of the San Joaquin valley Count
ing in all 5000 square miles or 35S7,-
$40 acres. it contains at least 800, 900
acres of fertile, tillable soil. The coun-
ty contains 60 per cent of the irrigated
lands of California.
Within this area fve-sixths of all
the raisins grown in the United States
are produced. The significance of that
statement, with its implication of al
most miraculous progress, may be APP
preciated when 1t is known that the
flrSJ vineyard or the county was set
out only 80 years ago.
The population of Fresno county on
the first of June, 1908, as estimated by
the county board of health, was 46.2l2.
The value of its real estate, using the
figures for 1907, the latest which are
available in the publication of the
state board of trade, is S25,29317O.
The value of improvements on real
estate is s9,605.730. The value of its
personal property is S5,702,927. It's
money and solvent credits of a taxable
character amount to $151,025. The
value Of the railroads within Fresno
county, as assessed by the state board
OF equalization, is se.170,531. This
makes a grand total value of all tax
able property of $46,923,3S3. The
county had no indebtedness when these
figures were complied.
These figures are eloquent of the
collective and individual wealth of
Fresno county's citizens. But there
are other figures which speak volumes
for the creation of this paradise in the
desert.
Raisin statistics come first The fol-
lowing figures give the total raisin
crop of California in tons since 1896.
Only a very small part of the crop is
produced outside of Fresno county. In
1896 the crop amounted to 34115 tons;