Imperial Valley press., 1923-05-01
0. G. Horne Makes an Intensely
Interesting Report OF Imperial
Valley to California Bankers

The following very comprehcn-
siyc report on agricultural and bust
ness condition in Imperial County
was submitted to Group -Four, Cali.
fornia Bankers Association, at San
Ia Ana, Saturday, April 20, by O. G..
Horne, Of this cry.
Mr.. Horne is vice president Of the
Pacific Southwest Trust and Say
ings Bank, FL Centre, and is thor
oughly conversant with the valley
/ situation in its minute details.
There is much data and many
| figures that will be of keen inter
est to every resident of Imperial
valley and for this reason, the re-
/ port will be printed in full, one part
appearing in today's issue and the
! remainder in tomorrow 5 paper.
Black Spot Year Ago
A year ago the industrial and
business map makers placed black
spot in tho southeastern corner of
California and called it the Imperial
Valley. 1t was brand on our de-
pressed agricultural situation. It
indicted Imperial County as a bad
temporary risk. Outside our local
| ity Southern California was the
brightest spot on the business map.
Today this black spot has bleached
out---not white yet, but rather me
dium grey. It indicates our efforts
towards business revival.
! When we speak of business in our
county we mean Huntington
every dollar of wealth is taken from
! the soil. SO every depression or inn
prOvement in business reflects the
condition of our farms and the
men who work them. When our
merchants report larger sales they
mean the farmer has sold some pro
ducts at Il profit. When the map
maker blotches our valley with
plack paint it means that the farm.
er has either failed to raise u fair
crop or that the crop has been sold
below the cost of production.
10000 Acres Of Alfalfa
If the testimony of our locaI
bankers counts for anything the up
ward trend of agricultural activity
has arrived. With one exception
every banker in our valley report.
better business, increased produc
tion, and n hopeful outlook. The
increase in our cultivated area i,
nearly 20 per cent over Il year ago
Our farmers are not only growing
more crops but are growing better
crops. Lands that have been idle
for two Or three years are being
cultivated and reseeded. Absen
tee landlords who got tired of pay
ing taxes on vacant lands have com,
to the valley and supervised th'
planting of their farms to alfalfa
The acreage in alfalfa alone is esti
mted today at more than l30,00'
acres.
All of this means that our activi
ty is more real than apparent; tha
a sound foundation is being lai'
for permanent development. Afte
comparing our own conditions wit
that of other farm sections on
farmers have taken Il new hold Ol
life. Most of the land that ha
changed hands during the last yea
has been transferred to our owl
people.
This tendency towards permanent
farming is shown by the increas,
in planted grapefruit, which ha
nearly doubled; in grapes whicl
have made an increase of 80 pc
cent and in asparagus with l20'
acres. The Southern Pacific Rail
road credits lis with having sen
out $4,000 car loads of produce il
car-lot shipments, to say nothing
about the enormous shipments By
express and less than car-lots.
Eight Million in Cotton
The value of the 1922 cottoI
crop is given at $S,il0,OO0, distrib
uted with Mexican cotton valued al
$6,9l0,000, and the American croI
at $l,500,000. The American sid
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