236 



THE IBBIGATION AGE. 



means of pumps as the water is near the surface in 

 great abundance. The cheapness and availability of 

 electric power will enable every household to enjoy all 

 the comforts of modern life. The soil is suited to 

 alfalfa, making possible profitable dairy industries. The 

 climate is mild and the growing season is long, giving 

 green feed almost the entire year. The high prices 

 make an exceedingly good income from growing hay. 

 In selecting a tract of land for cultivating a 

 favorite crop, the farmer need not make a mistake. 

 Coming into a new country with soils, crops, and con- 

 ditions different from what a man has been accustomed 

 to, he would be at a loss as to the selection of land. 

 Anticipating this the United States Department of 



Sacramento and the San Joaquin deltas into the finest 

 asparagus fields in the world, or into potato and bean 

 fields yielding prodigious crops. The peat swamps of 

 Santa Ana became the center of a great celery industry. 

 The hop vine found a congenial home in the micaceous 

 fine silty sands laid down beside the streams flowing into 

 the Sacramento. The strawberry of Florin grows in 

 fine, sandy loam, where, owing to the impervious sub- 

 soil, windmills furnish a plentiful supply of water. The 

 sweet potato grown on the sands of Merced county 

 stands unrivaled in edible and keeping qualities. On 

 the shores of Clear lake, in Lake county, are soils which 

 produce a stringless bean, and corn which remains ten- 

 der throughout our long and rainless summer. 



GREAT VAlIiEY OF CALIFORNIA. 



Map showing latitude covered by the great valley of California, compared 

 with latitude covered by Atlantic coast states. The products of the whole state 

 of California are semi-tropical, caused by the climatic conditions being similar 

 in every section of the state. The Atlantic coast states represent all climatic 

 conditions from tropic to frigid. 



Agriculture has given California a soil expert in the 

 person of Mr. W. W. Mackie to whom the writer is 

 greatly indebted for valuable information and pleasant 

 visits. Mr. Mackie knows his business thoroughly. He 

 will give his time and advice free to all who seek him. 

 His headquarters are in Sacramento. In an article pub- 

 lished in the Sacramento Union he says: 



"The wonderful fruitful climate of California was 

 recognized as our first great agricultural advantage ; but 

 inseparably- connected with the climate 1 was the almost 

 boundless productivity and variety of California soils. 

 Farmers soon recognized that adapting special crops to 

 suitable soils gave immediate and permanent economical 

 advantage.. In this relation between soils and crops 

 the California farmer found the key to almost unlimited 

 success. He changed the overflowed peat soils of the 



"This adaptation of the special crop to the partic- 

 ular soil type has been found equally indispensable for 

 success with the fruit trees and the" grape vine. The 

 citrus grows to perfection on soils of striking character 

 in limited localities. The peach for drying purposes 

 thrives best on the sands and sandy loams of the great 

 valley, but special shipping qualities are found in those 

 from the hill soils such as the granitic soils about New- 

 castle, Placer county. The apples of the Pajaro valley, 

 the walnuts of Santa Ana, the lima bean of Ventura, 

 the famous garden seeds of San Luis Obispo, the dry- 

 wine districts in the bay counties, the raisin of Fresno 

 county, and the oranges of Oroville, Fair Oaks and 

 Porterville all show the great success which follows 

 the adaptation of crops to peculiarly favorable soils." 



Every fruit grown in the temperate or semi-tropic 



