INTENSIVE FARMING IN KINGS 



COUNTY 



H. D. LINDLEY 



INTENSIVE farming, did you say? Well, yes, somewhat. In the imme- 

 diate vicinity of Lemoore, in Kings County, there are probably as many 

 opportunities to view the results of intensive farming as can be found 

 in the State. With a deep, rich, alluvial soil and an abundance of water 

 for irrigation, the small parcels of intensely farmed land around Lemoore 

 have produced simply marvelous crops. I have visited many small ranches 

 of the varied agriculture sort and have collected reliable and accurate infor- 

 mation staggering to the farmers of the East and Middle West could I 

 but paint a word picture of the scenes as I have found them; and if it were 

 possible so to do, it would thrill me with pleasure to place photographs 

 before the world portraying the results in the immediate vicinity of Lemoore. 

 But the best I can do in the limited space allotted for the purpose and for 

 the benefit of the homeseeker who is looking for good land, a mild climate, 

 healthy in all seasons, free from cyclones, blizzards and life-destroying 

 electrical storms, is to recite a few dry statistics of the results of the 

 present season's intensive farming in our section of the State. We do 

 not claim to be the best. We do not deny the fact that there are others. 

 We do, however, claim that for a country that will bear the most intensified 

 of intensive farming, the broad, beautiful acres around Lemoore have 

 few equals and no superiors. A few of the season's actual results are 

 appended. 



D. L. Henley's twenty-five acres of Muscat vines brought the owner 

 $3,300 in gold coin for the fruit on the vines, the purchasers performing 

 all the labor and assuming all risks. This is somewhat intense. 



George Tilton's thirty-five acres of grapes brought him $3,500, pur- 

 chasers doing all the work. 



H. V. Woodgate's eight acres of seedless Sultana grapes (20 tons of 

 fruit) sold for $100 per ton. An income of $2,000 from an eight-acre 

 patch of ground comes very near being intensive farming. 



John Kurtz, from 150 acres of peaches, received $15,000 for the fruit 

 on the trees, the buyer assuming all risks and performing all labor. 



J. A. McDonald, from five acres of peaches, $1,000 cash for the fruit 

 on the trees, purchasers doing the picking and drying. 



James Althouse, from seven and one-half acres of peaches, $1,200 

 for the fruit on the trees, buyers doing all the work. 



W. V. Buckner, sheriff of Kings county, sold the fruit on the trees of 

 his thirteen-acre peach orchard for $3,300, buyers doing the work. Rather 

 intense. 



And the ladies, too. Mrs. M. P. Hatch sold the fruit on eight acres of 

 peaches and prunes for $900, retaining enough for her own use, and was 

 released from harvesting and all responsibility. 



Dr. B. Hamlin received $150 for the Muscat grapes on one and one-half 

 acres of ground. 



A. B. Buckner received $1,000 cash for the fruit on a six-acre prune 

 orchard, the buyers assuming all risks and doing all the labor. A little on 

 the intense order. 



Here's another method of intensifying: A quarter-section, orchard and 

 vineyard, close to Lemoore, was sold outright for $46,000. The purchaser 

 sold $10,000 worth of fruit from the ranch and now has an offer of $46,000 

 for his place. 



George Latham, from thirty acres of ground, harvested ninety tons 

 of fine grain hay, worth $1,080. 



U. I. Newkirk, from two and a quarter acres of ground, has harvested 

 thirty-eight tons of fine onions, which he has marketed for twenty-five 



