IRRIGATION PRACTICE AND HIGHWAYS 333 



able; cement manufacture on a large scale is pur- 

 sued in all the chief divisions of the State; California 

 petroleum prevalently has an asphaltum base and 

 finishing materials are abundant from local sources. 



Highways constructed as has been outlined and 

 crossing the State at least twice from end to end 

 and from side to side, have been in operation for sev- 

 eral years and have demonstrated their swiftness, 

 smoothness and service; California in 1920 stands 

 third in per capita of motor vehicles in the country, 

 and fifth in the United States in number of motor 

 vehicles owned, only New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania 

 and Illinois having more. The actual number for 

 California in February 1922 was 680,61s. 1 During 

 the year ending February 1, 1921, the State collected 

 $2,395,880.75 for motor vehicle licenses. As has been 

 intimated there is a striking inter-relationship be- 

 tween the automobile and the good road in Cali- 

 fornia experience. 



Cemented highways and the automobile add greatly 

 to the joys and diversions of rural life and cause 

 farmers to indulge in the recreations and inspira- 

 tions of outings in the forests and beside the streams 

 of the mountains adjacent to all California valleys. 

 The prevalence of such uplifting recreations among 

 farmers as well as the freedom of their social inter- 

 course and their constant conference in farm ser- 

 vice may be inferred from the fact that California 

 farmers as a class surpass all other classes in owner- 



1 Numbers of auto vehicles in California counties are given in 

 Appendix F. 



