WHAT ONE SETTLER DID.— COLVIN B. BROWN. 



While it is the purpose of the California Promotion Committee to give only that 

 data which relates to average conditions, so that the intending settler may not be led 

 astray, but may find things as represented with a fair prospect of being able to do as 

 well as the average person who has succeeded in agriculture in California, still there 

 are, at times, incidents of phenomenal success, while not in any way indicative of av- 

 erage conditions, are well worthy of publication. 



H. W. Cowell, of Manteca, a small flag station in the southern part of San Joaquin 

 County, has, within the past few years, made one of these phenomenal successes in 

 dairying. 



Seven years ago, Mr. Cowell owned 300 acres of land in this district. The soil was 

 sandy and the land, without water, was only partially productive. Mr. Cowell was a 

 great believer in irrigation. He promoted a scheme to bring water to his land, a dis- 

 tance of more than fifty miles. The accomplishment of his purpose was only done at 

 the expense of heavily incumbering his property. The water was brought to the land 

 at the height of the panic of '97. The pressure was too great for Mr. Cowell, and he 

 was obliged to succumb financially. The banks took all of his property, leaving him 

 practically penniless. 



A year or two after this, Mr. Cowell, having lost no faith whatever in the possibili- 

 ties of the Manteca district under water, sought out the bank which had foreclosed upon 

 him and asked the privilege of going back upon his land, with the privilege of pur- 

 chasing at the price at which the bank had bought the land in. The privilege was 

 granted. 



Mr. Cowell went back upon his land with no cash, no harvested feed, no farm tools. 

 The entire stock upon the ranch consisted of three head of small, cheap mule. Grow- 

 ing upon the ranch, and now under water, were ninety acres of alfalfa. Mr. Cowell 

 bought a number of standard bred cows on time. That year, in the foothills, there 

 was a scarcity of feed, and the alfalfa pasture on his farm brought good prices. In 

 six months he had paid for the cows purchased on time and had gone in debt for an 

 additional number. The following Spring he paid for the cows purchased and started a 

 skimming station. The next year, besides the receipts from his skimming station, he 

 began to sell beef and pork. 



In seven years he had paid for the ranch and had $17,000 in the bank. 



He claims that any one applying the same amount of time and thought to the work 

 that he did could make a similar success in dairying on the Irrigated sand lands of San 

 Joaquin County. 



LOS ANGELES, California, Dec. 23, 1904. 

 The California Promotion Committee, San Francisco, California: — 



Gentlemen: I hereby wish to thank you for all the useful and helpful 



information that you sent me prior to February 11, 1904, while I was a resident of the 

 City of New York. About October 15, 1903, I had heard a great deal about Califor- 

 nia and I decided to write to you and get a" the information that I could about this 

 country, climate and the prospects of securing work after I should arrive out here, 

 provided I came out, and after I had received several letters from you giving me the 

 information I had asked for, I made up my mind to come to California and locate, 

 which I did by leaving New York City February 4th and arriving In this city Febru- 

 ary 11th. I found the climate and weather and country perfectly lovely, and such ele- 

 gant flowers of all kinds in bloom all winter long outdoors, it was a very pleasant 

 surprise to me. I love this country very much indeed and I would never go back East 

 again to live, as this country is good enough for me. I have succeeded in getting 

 plenty of work and I find the wages are just as high as they are East, and I can live 

 cheaper here than I could in the East. 



I can cheerfully recommend this country to anyone who Is thinking of coming out 

 here to make their future home. My mother arrived here about October 4, 1904, from 

 Ocean Grove, N. J., and she likes it so well that she says that she would not go back 

 East again to live if some one should buy a ticket and present it to her. 



Fruits and vegetables are cheap out here. 



Thanking you for your kindness to me, I remain, 



Yours respectfully, (Signed.) A. E. OSTROM. 



(Continued on pages 4 sod 0) 



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