Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1921-08-31

. WIN CuuSlutTdDle suCcesS III the
writing game. both for newspapers
and magazines. He stopped in this
city few weeks ago en- route to his
rice lands in Sacramento valley in
the northern part of California. The
following letter was received by the
Tidings today from llI Barnhill.
Have just spent very pleasant
evening with II. l.. Palmerlee and
family, who live in a cOGy cottage in
North Sacramento The Palmerlee's
came here from Minnesota in June
II. l.. is clerking at the Model Mar
ket, 25th and o streets. Enid has
been going to school q year. Leone
and Charles are husky, happy
youngsters,
stopped at Chico to look at our
rice land and the state land colony.
Prof Elwood Mead, chairman Of the
state land board, and Arthur Ruhl,
the well-knOwn journalist, who for
ter years helped edit Golfers Week.
ly, were also looking over, the col
! ony. We attended ladies' club
meeting, where Ruhl and | both
made speeches Ruhl is now visit
ing his brother in Medford. He has
lust returned from Europe.
We next visited Fred Donner. a
melon grower who last year sold
$1,000 worth OF watermelons and
twic" as much watermelon seed
Donner gives visitors all the melons
they can eat, having MS high as 500
visitors day. A 40-pound Klon-
dyke was butchered in honor of the
journalists who did full Justice to
the feed.
Last year was a bad one for hice
growers, both the weather and mar
ket being on the blink. Tho present
crop is looking fine and prospects
are for 81 per sack price. We saw
one field which will probably Weld
90 sacks per acre. Our land has
not been cropped for two years and
is in shape TO grow a good crop.
\ halt-tloa6n years ago | had the
honor OF calling on Mrs. Annia f.
X. Bidwell, whose husband the late
Genera John BidwCll. founded Chi.
co, Mrs. Bidwell was formerly a
society girl in Washington d. c..
yet devoted the remainder OF her
life to teaching and in other ways
helping Indian women and children.
She was one OF the noblest. most
self-sacriiicing souls It has been my
good fortune to meet. Indian wOm-
en ara often seen bringing flowers
to her grave, where they weep for
their departed friend.
/ Chico is a city of 10000. located
about 100 miles north of Sacrament
to. The Diamond Match comDany
has an immense factory there. and
the United States plant introduction
gardens are located nearby. AL
monds, prunes and alfalfa are the
chief products. The rice district is
ten to twenty miles south.
Although settled for seventy years
the development OF the Sacramento
valley has only begun. Today | Wis.,
tied a body of land eighteen miles
long and four miles wide, which has
Just been reclaimed from flood wa
ters by dyking and pumping. This
land Is located at the confluence Of
the Feather and Sacramento rivers.
between Marysville and Woodland
and is known ns the Sutter basin
1t lies twenty-five miles northwest
OF Sacramento
sixty miles OF dykes twenty fee,
high were built to shut out flood
waters, and a pumping plant cap
able OF throwing out 5000 barrels OF
water per minute was installed.
There are six 50-inch centrifugal
pumps, each driven by an s0O-hofse
power electric motor. Another set
OF pumps are capable of covering
two square miles OF land with wa
ter foot deep every day.
The Armours have spent perhaps
SlO,OOO,OOO in developing this tract
Of land, sending their vice president
George 3. Robbins, out here to man
age the enterprise Robbins Is the
man who invented refrigerator cars
In response to suggestion from Phil
Armour.
Bob Jones. who made such a sue
cess Of the agricultural department
of the sacramentao Bee. took me
for q ten hour trip over the basin.
The company is raising rice, wheat,
barley and vegetables on the land.
but expects to divide same into 10.
acre tracts and sell to settlers who
will grow fruit and alfalfa. 1
Martin Hanson. renter. has
bought $50 acres. making sub .
stsntial payment out OF the profits