State Agricultural Society. 445 



essential to rapid development. Tulare lies beyond the reach of a pro- 

 fitable export market by rail. The prospect, therefore, of the establish- 

 ment of canal navigation between the lake and the lower San Joaquin 

 is, to Tulare, an opening of the door to wealth and development 

 unlooked for, if not undreamed of. There will remain to this section 

 only the drawback of the fevers that prevail over much of the richest 

 lands. These may deter settlement. The irrigation works proposed in 

 this county take mainly the form of leveeing the lakes and rivers, pre- 

 venting the pei'iodical overflow, and thus tending to obviate the cause 

 of malaria. It is from this point of view that the proposed works are, 

 perhaps, most important to that section of country. When these works 

 shall be accomplished, if not before, it is not difficult to see that Tulare 

 will become, in some respects, what portions of Louisiana were before 

 the war, the seat of an exceptional wealth, and prominent even in this 

 favored State, for the variety and luxuriance of its productions. 



To Kern County, the general remarks made of Tulare, are applicable. 

 "The Island" (so-called) whereof Bakersfield is the business center, 

 can scarcely be rivaled in the State for richness of soil, and for a cli- 

 mate calculated to urge every product to the most prodigal development. 

 But the stranger shrinks from the malarious influence which the execu- 

 tion of judicious irrigation works would be calculated to mitigate and 

 in time eradicate altogether. 



SUMMARY. 



The foregoing review has developed the conclusion that, with the ex- 

 ception of two localities, the works essential to the immediate develop- 

 ment of the great southern interior plains are under actual construction, 

 and will be completed for the present planting season. These exceptions 

 are — first, that part of the west side of the San Joaqain lying north of 

 Kreyenhagen's, and second, the loam belt on the east side that crosses 

 the railroad at Fresno City. Modesto and Merced can live along with- 

 out irrigation, and can readily get it if they conclude that they want it. 

 The loams of the east side at the Alabama Settlement and Chapman's, 

 are supplied. So is the adobe next the river from Firebaugh's north to 

 Kreyenhagen's. The Tulare country does not need irrigation in the 

 main, but does need canal transportation, and is in the way to get it. It 

 more needs to have its waters leveed within their banks, and it is 

 "on the cards" that that will come among the first new developments 

 of the canal and irrigation system. The area of land to which water for 

 irrigation is actually supplied this year is some one hundred and fifty 

 square miles. Of this, the area supplied by the San Joaquin and King's 

 River canal as now constructed — i. e., the area lying between it and the 

 San Joaquin River, extending from the head-works to Kreyenhagen's on 

 Los Baiios Creek, is forty-eight thousand four hundred and ninety acres. 

 The extension of the canal, north, will cause it to intersect the Western 

 Pacific Railroad at a point near Ellis Station. The irrigable area be- 

 tween this point and Los Banos Creek, the present terminus, is one hun- 

 dred thousand six hundred and seventy-eight acres. Of equal signifi- 

 cance are the areas served by the canal as a channel for transportation. 

 To ascertain these, add to the area commanded by it for irrigation, that 

 of a strip three miles in width on the western or upper side of the canal. 

 We then have to add for the section already completed sixty-nine thou- 

 sand six hundred and thirty-two acres, making a total, with those also 

 irrigable, one hundred and eighteen thousand one hundred and twenty- 

 two acres. If the canal be extended to Ellis Station, a further area will 



