Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-04-17

from home tourists, "Your own
home paper" and satisfied with
anything that was printed in Iowa.
I asked him for an Iowa paper. He
hestitated as if confused in his geog-
raphy and replied, "Iowa-Iowa,
what state is that in?'' He went
through his large rack of papers
but lost a sale because he had no
paper from the town of Iowa.
There are few eastern items Of
news in the western papers, but they
are full Of the great west, its great
advantages, great enterprises, great,
investments and profits. But be
sure if there is heat or drouth in
the east, disastrous storms or a loss
of crops, some billiards. or snow,
the newspapers give it black head
lines and plenty Of space on the
front page. Little wonder news
vendor don't know what state Iowa
is in. Here is the way they des-
CIIUc Iuc VI q "SSSSA =
coaster. ''They are good hearted.
ready handed. and high liverss
none of them have cold feet, but all
n are boosters" ..
From San Francisco we had the
choice of two routes, and for sever
ell reasons we chose the inland
route rather than the coast line.
We wanted to see the famous San
Joaquin valley, said to bear the
name of an old Spanish general.
This valley is traversed by the San
Joaquin river some 400 miles in
length. The valley like a great floor
runs from the foot of the Sierra
mountains on the east to the chain
which skirts the coast on the west,
and in places is said to he 200 miles
wide. But one thing is needed here
and that is the cry Of the entire
west-water.
At Modesto high arch is placed
near the depot bearing in large let
ters this significant motto, water.
Wealth - Contentment Health.
Water comes first, and this is true
Of the entire west; all depends up
on water. With water comes wealth;
without water there is nothing.
And this is just as true in the great
Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri val
leys-all depends upon water. But
they cannot get it in the form of
free rain, so survey great canals to
the valleys of the mountains, where
in reservoirs the rains Of winter
and melting SHOWS are stored for
summer use, and as needed, pour
down through fields and make the
wilderness and the solitary place
glad, the desert to rejoice and blos-
som as the rose. but at IS cents an
acre.
| Our genial conductor. who had
made the run hroungh this valley
for the past 20 years. said that
twelve years ago it was nothing
but barren waste and desert The
Swedes began settling in the valley
and irrigating it with such success,
that raw land is now on the mar
ket at $3.50 per acre. Great tracts
are being plated. towns are spring
ing up and vineyards the size Of
Iowa cornfields flourish. Fig groves,
olive groves, peach orchards, prune
orchards, melon patches and alfal-
ia fields abound, but they are only
beginning to develop the valley.
Hundreds of thousands Of acres are
on the market at prices equal to or
above Iowa land and are being sold
and settled.
The same conductor said that
Spineless cactus would grow in the
valley without water and produce
ESQ tons per acre and that on a !
test it was of more value for mich
cows than alfalfa. ca The cows are
boosters, too.
! l Ac HAAu uoy sun OSeLI No"AA AASA
cilessly from cloudless SIX, and the |
air was extra hot, but this is to be |
expected in the San Joaquin valley.
In the middle of the afternoon our
train reached MERGED, from which,
a railroad runs t Yosemite National
Park, so we stopped off ateeMerced.
Having to make the 4:1O a. m. for
Ell Portal, sought a stopping place
near the Yosemite Valley railroad |
depot. A lady answered my call at
the door of a private residence |
which bore sign, Rooms for Rent" !
and informing me that the price of
| the elegant accommodations was
six bits hesitated until I
could figure bit, on what "bit'
was, to see if would get bit if I
Ex.t