Tulare County 



IN the ranges of Tulare County the Sierras reach their culminating 

 heights. Mt. Whitney is little less than fifteen thousand feet in altitude, 

 and there are a number of other peaks that are numbered among the 

 world's high mountains. Sloping rapidly from the major elevations of 



the Sierra plateau, the county trends westward into the low ani level 

 expanses of the upper San Joaquin Valley. Although three or four valley 

 counties have been carved out of Tulare, the remnant is still to be numbered 

 among the largest in California, being about the size of Connecticut, and 

 almost square. It is remarkable for the height and beauty of its mountains, 

 for its generous groves of giant sequoia, for the fertility of Its soils, for the 

 abundances of watercourses, for the variety of products, for scenery that 

 many declare to be superior to the Yosemite, for the highest mountain in 

 the United States, for the successful citrus territory, where are grown 

 oranges that equal the finest produced, and for being the earliest section to 

 be settled up and devoted to agricultural purposes. 



The soil is a deep alluvial loam, rich in nitrates and potash, and free 

 from alkali. Late frosts are rare. The spring is warm and early, which gives 

 the fruit a perfect richness and sweetness. While Irrigation is general, at 

 least to the extent of giving the trees one good drenching a year, there are 

 many ranches where the underflow is only six to twelve feet from the sur- 

 face, rising even higher in spring, and therefore no artificial watering is 

 needed. Most of the district has a plentiful supply of water in the shape of 

 this underflow — a natural reservoir at a depth of from fifty to seventy-five 

 feet. It is raised by pumping, and the power for this pumping is electricity, 

 available at a reasonable price. Farm houses are lighted by electricity, and 

 the cities of Visalia and Tulare and the towns of Exeter, Lindsay, and Porter- 

 ville are supplied from the same plant. Soil and climate are generally 

 adapted to diversity of products. A crop of grain may be cut in May, and a 

 harvest of squashes, potatoes, and Indian or Egyptian corn taken from the 

 same field in October. 



Alfalfa hay has a broad market for shipment. Squashes, onions, and 

 beans command good prices. Honey has an unlimited market, it being 

 shipped East in carload lots. Poultry and eggs are higher than in the East, 

 and their production cheaper. Berries of all kinds thrive and meet with a 

 ready demand in the local markets. 



In the Alta district, in the northwestern part, a considerable acreage is 

 devoted to raisins, which do well in this county, although their cultivation 

 has not been attempted on so extensive a scale as elsewhere. The Porter- 

 ville oranges have repeatedly carried off first prizes in the citrus fairs of the 

 State. The famed citrus belt of Tulare lies about twelve miles east of 

 Visalia, and includes a series of settlements, or districts. This land is prac- 

 tically frostless. The soil is shown to contain in exact proportions the ele- 

 ments needed for the growth of citrus trees. Freedom from fog gives Immu- 

 nity from insect pests, which need moisture in the air to prosper. The long 

 warm summer brings the fruit to maturity earlier than Is the case farther 

 south, and as a result Tulare fruit reaches the Eastern market in November 

 and the first weeks of December, in time for the Christmas trade. 



Situated midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the dairyman 

 is enabled to take advantage of varying market conditions to secure the 

 highest prices. There has been a marked increase in dairying interests. An- 

 other noticeable gain has been made in horses and mules. There is a grow- 

 ing demand for draft-horses and large-boned, big-muscled mules, and these 

 animals command good prices. 



Visalia is the county seat, and the oldest city in the valley, having been 

 founded in 1852. It is a modern, well-improved, prosperous city, with every 

 prospect of continuous, active growth. Tulare City is the second in size, and 

 Lindsay, Exeter, and Porterville are important fruit centers. 



