Imperial Valley press., 1913-11-21
San Diego Sends Host to
Extend Cordial Greetings
And Inspect the Products


of the San Diego boosters over the
mountains to Ell Centro. But many
of them did not wait for today, the
highway being lined yesterday with
automobiles bound this way, and even
last evening scores of San Diegans
thronged the lobby of Hotel Oregon
and overpoured onto the streets. But
that was only the beginning of the
real throng, which today is bound
hitherward to attend the county fair,
and tonight the town and all the
towns of the valley will be taxed to
the utmost to furnish accommoda-
tions for the strangers.
Scores of residences have been
thrown open to the visitors, the Cham
ber of Commerce having for days been
making arrangements for their ac-
commodation, and during the ramaind-
er of the week the town will present
even more than it's usual activity.
Many of the visitors are expected
to remain over for the good roads con-
vention to be held here Monday, when
there will be discussion of the route
to- be followed by the national high
way from the valley to Yuma, which
convention has been called by the
Automobile Club of Southern Cali
fornia, and pending their stay in the
valley they will be escorted over the
valley by many friends.
Visitations between this valley and
San Diego during the last few years
have become so numerous that the two
communities have already to great
extent become merged into one, and
feeling of the utmost cordiality pre-
walls.
The San Diego Union thus tells of
preparations for the visit:
"There is only one more day for
preparations for the big automobile,
excursion to the Ell Centre fair in the
Imperial valley. The rain of st'night
say the committee in charge, will
leave the roads in better condition
than ever as it will pack the sandy
portions.
"All machines should start before 8
o'clock so as to be ahead of the repair
and supply truck which will follow at
O. The supply truck has been engag-
ed
Accommodation have been ar
ranged to take care of 700 San Dieg-
ans. Saturday is San Diego day at the
fair, the last day and the biggest.
"Those who desire to remain in the
valley over Sunday may attend the
good roads convention which will be
held in FL Centro Monday with dele
gates from all over Southern Califor-
MIA and from Arizona This convention
is regarded as of great Importance, as
bearing on first routes to be thorough
ly improved.
"a special added attraction at the
fair will be an automobile road race
for which the fair directors have just
obtained permission from the super
visors. The course will circle Imperial
and Ell Centre, starting, passing four
times and ending at the fair grounds.
"The valley will shortly be shipping
corn to Egypt, dates to Arabia, olives
to Italy and rice to China and Japan.
The above products have already been
raised in vastly superior grade to
those of the above mentioned coun-
tries, local cotton having received the
highest award in New York in compe-
tition with the most choice product Of
the Nile and Mississippi river valleys,
and local dates are raised as large as
two inches in diameter. and are unsur-
passed for excellence.
Among the factors which combine
to make this valley the pantry of the
world are it's position below the
level of the sea, which makes it prac-
tically immune from frost, and the fact
that the rays of the sun, focused on
it, because Of it's cup shape, make of it
an ideal hothouse, with perfect venti-
latioh.
"Its soil is formed by sediment from
the Colorado river, the richest type of
soil in the world, and is enriched with
each irrigation, owing to the great
amount of silt which the water carries
and deposits on it, thus abolsRing all
danger of the soil ever becoming used
up.
"These conditions will enable it to
turn out citrus fruits month earlier
than any other section of the country,
just as they have made it possible in
the past for the valley to have canta-
loupes on the market from three weeks
to month before they appear in 9th
er parts, and permit it to keep ripe
grapes on the market from June until
the following January.
at is inevitable that San Diego will