PUBLISHER'S DEPARTMENT. 



WHY HE CHOSE A HOME IN KERX COLONIES. 



SECOND LETTER. 



SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., Feb. 20, 1894. 

 LORIN JOHNSON: 



MY DEAR SIR: The Midwinter Fair did not open 

 as soon as expected, hence I have remained here 

 longer than I intended, and therefore write you 

 again concerning the questions asked by yourself and 

 other friends. You will show this letter to them and 

 thus relieve me of writing to each one individually. I 

 quite agree with Mr. Ames and others that it is 

 essential that we investigate thoroughly the standing 

 of the gentlemen who own the lands, and also that we 

 ascertain, beyond doubt, that they have a perfect 

 title to the land and water and are able to convey 

 such title to us. 



Regarding the guarantees of the Kern County 

 Land Co., of title to both land and water, I will simply 

 refer you to the reports of Bradstreet's and Dun's 

 Commercial agencies. This property is owned by 

 two of the wealthiest men in California, each of whom 

 is probably worth twenty million dollars, exclusive of 

 his landed interests, valued at ten million. Mr. 

 Tevis, the president of this Company, held the posi- 

 tion as president of the Wells Fargo Express Com- 

 pany for twenty years and is one of the best known 

 men on the Pacific coast. Mr. Haggin is an extensive 

 owner of Montana copper mines, Utah gold mines 

 and Nevada silver mines and is also known through- 

 out the world as one of the most successful horsemen 

 in this country. 



You ask why the owners of the land desire to sell 

 their property, if they have no indebtedness and 

 horticultural pursuits are so profitable as represented. 

 Fruit growing, unlike wheat farming and stock raising, 

 js more profitable on a small scale than a large one. 

 This company has 60,000 acres in alfalfa, but no com- 

 pany could successfully cultivate one-fourth that area 

 in fruit trees, as they require careful attention and the 

 details of that work could not be successfully managed 

 on such an immense scale. As fruit growing is so 

 much more profitable than wheat farming or stock 

 raising in such fertile soil and in such a genial climate 

 as the Kern delta affords, you will readily see that 

 the land should be devoted to that purpose. 



Again, with half this land in cultivation by pros- 

 perous fruit-growers, you can easily understand that 

 the remainder would be worth as much as the whole 

 would bring at the present time. Imagine the in- 

 crease in land values that would accrue from the 

 settlement, on this immense tract, of 100,000 prosper- 

 ous people. This land was not marketable at ten 



dollars an acre before the Kern County Land Con> 

 pany commenced to colonize this county. Not only 

 will the company's land be increased in value by the 

 colonization work now under way, but- those who pur- 

 chase land now will share in the " unearned incre- 

 ment" or increase in values. With such a settlement 

 of the surrounding country, Bakersfield will also share 

 in the prosperity and become the most important 

 town between Los Angeles and San Francisco. 



The Santa Clara valley, famous throughout the 

 United States for its prosperity, is due almost entirely 

 to its success in prune culture, yet I find as good re- 

 sults from prunes here as there, though there are but 

 few bearing orchards in the delta and they are mostly 

 young. I could not find a good orchard in the Santa 

 Clara valley for sale at a less price than $1,000 per 

 acre, yet it was stated by persons who reside there 

 that the loss occasioned from drought every four or 

 five years was sufficient to pay for the most expen- 

 sive irrigation system ever constructed in California. 



I found in the Sacramento valley, famous for its 

 peaches, apricots and pears, that land is much higher 

 than in Kern county, yet they also have an occasional 

 drought to contend with, and have as yet no extensive 

 irrigation system to supply the necessary amount of 

 water in dry years. 



I was greatly pleased with Riverside and Redlands 

 colonies, though I found land there much higher than 

 elsewhere. Choice land in either of those places, well 

 located, is held at from $300 to $500 per acre, includ- 

 ing water rights, and a great many wealthy people 

 from the East consider it a good investment at these 

 prices. 



Now, in regard to the healthfulness of the climate 

 in Kern county, I must say that I went there fearing 

 that I would find nearly as many graveyards as or- 

 chards, from the reports given me at other places, 

 but if such is the case, most of the graves are un- 

 marked, and those now living will not give informa- 

 tion concerning the spots where they have buried 

 their dead. Judging from the many healthy people 

 I saw in Bakersfield, these reports are put in circula- 

 tion by real estate agents who are jealous of the pros- 

 perity in Kern county. I find from the official reports 

 that the death rate in Kern county is below the aver- 

 age of the counties in this healthful State. 



Now, regarding the statements made to you that 

 irrigated fruit is not so good as that grown without 

 irrigation, I need only refer you to the fruit markets 

 in the Chicago papers. You will notice that choice 



