182 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



country in the world. The numerous grain stacks speak of the fer- 

 tility of the soil and of abundant harvests, while the vegetation along 

 the rivers indicates that water is all that is needed to make this large 

 valley like a fruitful garden. 



We have passed Lathrop and Modesto and numerous smaller stations 

 between; the picture is everywhere the same. At Atwater we met the 

 first signs of irrigation, and saw young vineyards and orchards on 

 either side, and as we approach Merced we pass large irrigating ditches 

 flowing with water, and in the distance many houses and farms. The 

 country is getting greener, and the deep color of the soil is a sign that 

 it is rich and fertile. At Merced there is a Yosemite air. The large 

 El Capitan Hotel stands out like a landmark, and the garden with its 

 flowers and shade trees, and the marble fountain with its rippling 

 waters, speak loudly of beauty and refinement. 



Close to Merced are situated some of the new promising colonies 

 which are making raisin-growing one of their specialties, and in what- 

 ever direction we look we see signs of such new enterprises, all young, 

 of course, as irrigation has only lately been brought in here, where no 

 dense settlements could exist without it. Much of the land is yet held 

 in very large tracts, but they are being rapidly subdivided and sold out 

 to actual settlers as fast as there is any demand for them. To our right 

 lies a splendid body of perfectly level land occupied by the Yosemite 

 Colony with many settlers already on the land, whose new and cosy 

 cottages mark their future homes. 



In the distance, on the slope of the low hills, stand out prominently 

 a number of houses, some of them quite pretentious, white and gleam- 

 ing in their new dress. This is the Rotterdam Colony, a settlement of 

 Hollanders who have only lately arrived here. There is not a colony 

 anywhere which promises to be more interesting, and which is likely 

 to prove a greater success. The Dutch as a people had succeeded with 

 colonization long before any other nation began a similar work, and, 

 as immigrants to this State, they are most desirable. Industrious, 

 saving, intelligent and persevering, with good land, plenty of water at 

 all times of the year, and with a good location which insures health 

 and comfort, there is no reason why they should not succeed. The 

 colony is most beautifully situated on high sloping ground, a veritable 

 mesa land overlooking the vast Merced plains, and only four or five 

 miles distant from the city. These Hollander colonists are the very 

 best kind of settlers the State can get, not the ignorant peasantry of 

 Europe, but intelligent and well-educated people, which any commu- 

 nity can be proud of. There is great activity in the colony just now. 

 Thousands of acres are covered with magnificent grain, which, without 

 any more rain, would give a profit of from twenty to twenty-five dol- 

 lars per acre, and thus materially help to pay for the land. A hundred 

 or more horses and mules with their drivers are plowing and harrowing 

 the soil ; and such a plowing is not often seen anywhere. The plows 

 are set about a feet deep, and the work is done by the canal company 

 just to help the settlers along and give them a good start. What more 

 can they expect? Good treatment is in Merced dealt out to everybody, 

 a good policy which should be followed in every new colony in the 



