ARBORICULTURE. 



313 



CALIFORNIA AND IRRIGATION. 



The success of California as an agri- 

 cultural and fruit-growing region to a 

 very great extent depends upon the abil- 

 ity O'f her citizens to greatly extend their 

 means of irrigation. 



The rainfall is periodical, and during 

 the long months of summer few crops 

 succeed perfectly without artificial irriga- 

 tion. 



Upon the high Sierras there is usually 

 a goodly snowfall, and along the coast 

 the moist atmosphere from the Pacific 

 Ocean enables some crops to^ be grown 

 advantageousl}-, but for the most part the 

 parched and brown surface shows the 

 want of water. 



The State is so large and the water 

 supply being limited, it behoo'ves the peo- 

 ple tO' use every effort to increase the 

 rain and snowfall and tO' husband every 

 particle of moisture which nature fur- 

 nishes. 



The Fifteenth Nationai, Irriga- 

 tion Congress is to be held in Sacra- 

 mento early in September, and the citi- 

 zens are making extensive and system- 

 atic preparations to welcome all guests 

 who attend this meeting. The people of 

 California, and especially of Sacramento-, 

 are already active in arranging details O'f 

 the entertainment to be accorded visiting 

 delegates. The Board of Control, con- 

 sisting O'f prominent citizens of the State, 

 including the Governor of the State, 

 Mayor of the city of Sacramento, and 

 representatives of leading business 

 houses, banks and other institutions of 

 the Capital City of California, holds 

 weekly meetings. At a meeting held last 

 week committees were appointed to take 

 charge of the various lines of work. 



California is going to make a special 



effort tO' entertain royally on this occa- 

 sion, and in order that plans may be am- 

 ple and organization perfected insuring 

 precision and execution, the greatest 

 comfort and enjoyment of guests, the de- 

 tails are being worked out now. 



The people of Sacramento and sub- 

 urban towns are going to open their 

 homes to delegates. The Board of Con- 

 trol announces that assurance has already 

 been received that practically every home 

 of the better class will be available. 



The opportunity to see Califor- 

 nia is one of the best ever offered, as 

 the railways will make specially low rates 

 as well as low-rate excursion trips to 

 every part of the coast. 



It is unfortunate, 'however, for this 

 great State that, while the agricultural 

 classes, fruit growers, and by far the 

 greater majority of her citizens are ear- 

 nestly laboring to extend the water sup- 

 ply, the wealthy lumbermen are as zeal- 

 ously cutting away the forests, and thus 

 reducing the precipitation and making 

 the State still more arid than ever before. 



The legislature apparently is controlled 

 by the Lumber Trust and makes nO' effort 

 to curb their operations, wihich directly 

 coimteracts the great work of the irriga- 

 tion forces and practically destroys their 

 efforts. 



Each year the climate becomes more 

 arid from the extensive removal of the 

 forests, and when these have gone it will 

 require a thousand years to replace them. 



Large areas which were fonnerly 

 wooded have been cleared of the timber, 

 and now the soil is eroded from moun- 

 tain and hillsides, so that they have be- 

 come barren. 



It is within the province of the legis- 

 lative branch of the State to protect the 

 citizens b}' forbidding the total destruc- 

 tion of forests. 



