338 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



degrees, except in the case of a few shallow wells, where 

 the gravity is heavier. At the Palmer well in the east- 

 ern extension an ideal fuel but heavier oil has been dis- 

 covered. The oil in the Santa Maria field is remarkably 

 pure, not over an average of \ l /2 oer cent water and sed- 

 iment being found. For asphalt base there are no wells 

 known which are freer from impurities. 



The Union Oil Company, the largest producer in. 

 the field, has two pipe 'lines to Port Harford, a little 

 over thirty-five miles each, in length. This company 

 also has its own line of tank steamers at Port Harfonl 

 and commands shipping facilities to different parts of 

 the coast as well as abroad. 



The Standard Oil Company has no wells of its own 

 in the field but purchases its oil from some of the op- 



THE ORLAND PROJECT, CALIFORNIA. 



Soil and Climate. 



As mentioned in a former number, Stony Creek 

 rises in the Coast Range Mountains, and finding its 

 progress barred by many ranges of hills, it is forced 

 north some sixty miles, intercepting many mountain 

 streams, and finally, a veritable river, emerging upon 

 the plain about ten miles northwest of Orland. 



For ages past it has poured out upon the valley 

 floor at this point the detritus brought down by its 

 many tributaries-, building a huge fan-shaped mound 

 about ten miles across at its eastern end, twenty miles 

 along the radii, and practically one hundred and 



Shipping Hay from Mesa, Salt River Valley, Arizona, to the Mining Camps. 



erating companies and gravitates or pumps it in an 

 eight inch pipe line from the field near Orcutt to Poxl; 

 flaiford into its line of tank steamers. The Standard 

 has at present a large contract with the Pinal and 

 Brookshire companies and has recently made a contract 

 with the Union at prices above previous contracts, 

 amounting to 1,000.000 barrels annual delivery for 

 three years. 



Pipe lines of fully 1,200 miles convey oil in every 

 direction; ninety-five per cent of- which finds direct sea- 

 board outlets, so that this field is practically independ- 

 ent of railroad transportation, and is therefore not con- 

 trolled as with other fields by the Standard Oil Com- 

 pany. 



The production of the field has steadily increased 

 from 100,000 barrels in 1903, 6,000,000 barrels in 1906, 

 to about 800,000 barrels per month at the present t'ime. 



twenty feet high. This building process has been car- 

 ried to such an extent that the Sacramento River has 

 been forced from its course, making a wide detour 

 to the east where it passes Orland. 



The soil deposited by this action is classed as 

 Sacramento Sandy Loam, Sacramento Loam, and 

 Sacramento Gravelly Loam according to the fineness 

 of the material deposited. The sandy loam is the 

 finest, most fertile land known to the valley. The 

 greatest area of this is found east of the project and 

 is devoted to raising beets for the Hamilton sugar 

 factory, though a considerable body lies within the 

 limits to be irrigated. The gravelly loam lies in nar- 

 row belts extending from northwest to southeast, evi- 

 dently being ancient beds of the stream, while be- 

 tween these are broad belts of Sacramento loam, 

 which contains some gravel but is principally of loam 



