322 RURAL CALIFORNIA 



on the statute book than on the land. Application 

 of the plan was held up in the courts and when it 

 struggled through such barriers it fell into financial 

 entanglements because no one would pay cash for 

 the bonds. Eecourse was then had to letting con- 

 tracts for construction payable in bonds and this in- 

 duced all sorts of constructive and financial limita- 

 tions and disadvantages. Bad plans were laid, bad 

 bargains made and the effort became a by-word for 

 folly and inefficiency. Besides it all fell in a time 

 of depression ; buoyancy had gone out of the land en- 

 terprises which were previously booming; produce 

 prices were low because adequate long-distance dis- 

 tribution had not been fully achieved ; interest in all 

 rural investments was slack and confidence was at 

 low ebb. In 1897, a decade after the bad start was 

 provided for, the law was amended, making it less 

 liberal to those who desired to move cooperatively af- 

 ter water and restricting the powers of those or- 

 ganizations which were able to pass the preliminary 

 obstructions. In spite, however, of all difficulties, 

 some districts pulled through to success and became 

 the exemplars for later undertakings. Their suc- 

 cess also increased public interest and confidence and 

 the achievements of their membership in profitable 

 production reawakened a sense of reward and se- 

 curity to those who made dry land safe for farming 

 by irrigation. The restrictions on organization of 

 districts by the law of 1897 prevented proceeding 

 on a basis which was unsound either in engineer- 

 ing, finance or agriculture but it did not preclude 



