The San Francisco call., 1910-04-02


American. Greek and Scandinavian,
japanese. Basque and Armenian
Dutchman and Italian. find it the realm
Of hearts desire and dwell in harmony.
And the man of the valley, and for
that matter the boy and the girl, read
their bible with a rare appreciation,
for they are on familiar terms with the
wine and the fig and the olive of which
the scriptures tell.
1t was only IS years ago that Charles
Crocker sent his surveyors down the
line of the Central Pacific, then cropping
its way across the great sparsely in
habited region. with instructions TO
stake out a town every five miles. SO
about L miles south of the San Joaquin
river it happened that paper city was
brought into beginning. Indians had
passed over the spot in their rovings,
sheep had grazed on the blades that
sprouted from the sand of the desert
Little willows fringed a miniature basin
and translating the shrubbery into the
Spanish tongue. the shepherds hao
called the place Fresno.
JAIL LEFT BEHIND
While the land stared in vacancy at
the sun mining settlement had sprung
into being in the foothills. 1t was Fort
Miller and il was the county seat But
when the railroad went through 1t ig-
.nored Nillerton, as the camp was
known SO an election was called, the
people decided to adjourn the county
seat TO the railroad. and Fresno, the
town Of the little willows, was chosen
All NiIlerton moved down with the eX-
ception Of the county Jail. And that
stiIl stands, relic at abandoned Fort
Miller Thus it is that the pioneers
are pleased TO tell how sin was debarred
from Fresno.
Fresno emerged quickly from the
paper era. In IS years IL has become
the center Of life, the market place, the
focus Of activity OF Of the San Joaquin
valley and the heart Of California. A
granite shaft in a Fresno alley bears
scientific testimony as to the exact
geographical center Of the state.
The 3s years have brought the water
vender and the pie woman 80, 600 neigh
bors. The spires and domes of great
city break the sky line where, only q
generation ago, the white earth lay In
Unbroken expanse. Mighty industries
have arisen. The land that could pro-
vide but scant living for shepherd S
herd now ships Of its abundance to
feed the world.
CONTRADICTIONS ABOUND
Ana Fresno's garden of the gods lies
about her. The fruits and vines of
ancient Palestine bring their plenteous
harvest with each succeeding season
Nutritious grasses and abundant bios
SONS suggest anew the Eden of the
past And this has come in 3s years
What viii the future bring2 This is
the romance OF prophecy.
Fresno has been pretty generally
known as the Raisin City. 1t happens
TO supply the worlds needs in this re-
spect. But rsisins constitute but one
tenth OF the county's yearly output
Less than 10 per cent of the land ca
pable Of intensive cultivation has been
developed. The figures suggest what
the future Will unfold.
Fresno is a region of contradictions
II is generally described as "a smooth
level plain" but the county is about as
uneven q piece of geography as ever
left the fashioning hands of Mother Ma
ture. Mount Whitney TO the east is the
highest thing in America. 1t pokes its
nose Il 1000 teet into the clouds, stand
ing sentinel on the eastern side of the
county, the warder of the treasury OF
riches below. But IL Fresno county car
aspire TO the high heavens, it can. be il
said in all truthfulness, penetrate the
intrcaoies of deep hell. Wells in the
Coalinga field have been driven 4,00(
feet and more in successful search fol
the black ooze. From the snow ridge ol
the Sierras one may pass. wholly within
the county. TO the thermal sbelt of the
valley. and still on TO the slopes OF the
Coast range, swept by the breezes from
the sea. There is everything in Fresno
that there IS anywhere else in CaIifor.
MIA seacoast excepted.
WATERLESs IRRIGATION
In its list of contradictions Fresno
irrigates without water. This is the
conundrum that stumped, James Bryce
the British ambassador. The water
from district canals has, by seepage
laved the land leagues away.
Yes" Bryce was told during hi:
visit here last year, Eve irrigate with
out water"
Very interesting, to be sure replied
the ambassador. but if you don't nlinc
I'd Just like TO see it for myself, yoI
know"
He was escorted to the vineyards
heavy with muscats. and there saw fol
himself the roots penetrating into the
moistened soil and not canal in sight
The marvel was treated in specia
report 10 the British government.
The Fresno farmer is, in truth, Z
Luther Burbank in his own way. He
generally manages to get what he
wants from his soil and his seed, if not
In one way, in another. Irrigatins
without water is not his sole accom-
plishment in the legerdemain of agri-
culture He can blast for peaches, and
what's more, he gets them it hap
pens that some of the land TO the west
is broken by hardpan near the sur
face. For some years this section was