Sunny Stanislaus 



T. C. HOCKING 



PERHAPS no other purely agricultural county in California has made 

 the advance in settlement and development during the last three or 

 four years that has been the lot of Stanislaus, in the northern end 

 of the San Joaquin Valley. It is apparent, too, that her progress 

 is in Its infancy. She is wealthy now, her assessment valuation 

 reaching $17,000,000, though her population does not exceed 15,000. 



Stanislaus stretches from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 

 across forty miles of level and fertile plain to the summit of the Coast 

 Range, and north and south from the Stanislaus River to the Merced the 

 great San Joaquin River flows diagonally through her broad acres, leaving 

 a margin of plain from six to ten miles wide between its banks and the 

 base of the Coast Range hills. Through her center, from east to west, 

 and ultimate junction with the San Joaquin, courses the Tuolumne, a 

 swift-flowing stream rising in the high Sierra, and of such volume as to 

 be navigable to river steamers as late as July. Its watershed is one of 

 the largest in the State, and its supply of water continuous. For many 

 years Stanislaus was the banner wheat county in the State, and to-day 

 its production of this cereal approximates $2,500,000 in value. 



The Modesto-Turlock irrigation system comprises a diverting dam in 

 the Tuolumne River at a point thirty miles east of Modesto, and 300 miles 

 of main and lateral canals, the latter covering the land at two-mile intervals. 

 There are 276,000 acres of land in the districts, 176,000 on the south 

 (or Turlock) side of the river, and the remainder on the north (or Modesto) 

 side. A main canal leaves the river on either side of the dam, and each 

 is carried twenty-two miles to the district line. One olF these canals is 

 seventy-four feet wide on the bottom and is designed to carry 1,300 

 cubic second-feet of water. The other is sixty feet wide on the bottom, 

 and will carry the full appropriation of 650 cubic second-feet for the Mo- 

 desto side. At the district line, canals forty feet on the floor distribute 

 water to the numerous laterals, which range from thirty feet down to 

 fourteen feet on the floor. The diverting dam cost $543,164.16. 



This splendid irrigation system belongs to the land, and is inalienable. 

 The system was constructed under State legislation. It cost approximately 

 $2,500,000, the money raised by the sale of bonds, representing an Indebt- 

 edness of about nine dollars an acre. The interest and maintenance and 

 operation charges represent an annual tax of from fifty cents to two dollars 

 an acre. This is the total cost to the consumer. He has no water-right 

 to buy, and is assured of his proportion of the water, which cannot be 

 alienated from the land. 



Two years ago, Stanislaus jumped from eleventh to seventh place as 

 a dairy county, and last year moved up to fifth place. Sweet potatoes con- 

 stitute another profitable crop and early source of revenue. Melons and 

 canteloupes, beans, corn, and every variety of berry are moneymakers; and 

 "pioneer" plantings of grapes and peaches showing handsome profits, 

 much attention is now being given to these products. Over 1,500,000 

 grape-cuttings were brought in within sixty days this spring, and 250,000 

 peach trees have been set out. There are over five hundred acres of the 

 genuine Smyrna fig of commerce, a portion of which will come into bearing 

 this year. Olives, black figs, and the white Adriatic figs thrive amazingly. 

 Malaria is unknown in the Modesto-Turlock irrigation districts. 



Modesto, the center of the district, is the county seat,— a modern, 

 up-to-date town, possessing a complete system of sewers, and owning its 

 waterworks and electric street-lighting system. It has two very creditable 

 newspapers, the "Morning Herald" and the "Evening News." There are 

 three banks, several hotels, and all church denominations are represented. 

 Modesto is situated 90 miles north of Fresno, 30 miles south of Stockton, 

 90 miles south of Sacramento, and 115 miles south of San Francisco. 



