THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



375 



cial variety. Of this "variety thirty sacks to the acre 

 were produced in 1907. There are 90 pounds to the 

 sack and the average is from twelve to fifteen sacks 

 to the acre. The varieties of beans produced in Lom- 

 poc Valley are too numerous to mention. 



Potatoes are a most profitable crop and the Lom- 

 poc Burbanks are known throughout the state as a 

 potato of superior quality. Many of the farmers state 

 that their net profits from this product have been as 

 high as $50 and $60 per acre. 



Fruit raising, although a comparatively young in- 

 dustry in the valley, and one which has been attended 

 with many discouraging setbacks, has thus far pro- 

 duced handsome profits and the outlook this year is 

 brighter than ever before. There is a growing foreign 

 demand and the producers now have a strong organiza- 

 tion for their protection and the profitable handling of 

 their product, all of which will no doubt result in great 

 financial benefit to the industry. 



The cool and moist climatic conditions of Lompoc 

 Valley are especially favorable to the production of 

 apples. Lompoc apples were awarded medals by both 

 the New Orleans and the Chicago Expositions. They 

 are eagerly sought for in the markets of France, Aus- 

 tralia, South America and the Islands of Hawaii. 



Strange as it may seem, the elements of the Lom- 

 poc climate, so conducive to the growth and excellence 

 of the apple, carry an attendant ill known as powdery 

 mildew, which until the last two years has proved a 

 serious menace and has very materially retarded the 

 growth of the industry. Through the untiring efforts 

 of Mr. I. M. Clark, a successful horticulturist, a rem- 

 edy in the form of a lime and sulphur spray has been 

 discovered which has effectually checked its ravages and 

 given new impetus to the enterprise. 



Mr. W. H. Schuyler, commissioner of horticulture 

 for the Lompoc district, has also been an untiring cham- 

 pion of the industry, and it is largely due to the inter- 

 est which he has manifested in safeguarding the horti- 

 cultural products, that their superiority and excellence 

 have been attained. He has forty acres in cherries, 

 apples and pears. The superiority of flavor and qual- 

 ity of the cherries from his orchard are known through- 

 out the state and in the markets of the East, and in 

 competition with other cherries coming into market at 

 the same period, they always bring from three to four 

 cents more per pound. 



Mr. Schuyler has made a close study of the horti- 

 cultural conditions of Lompoc Valley and he says: 

 English walnuts, peanuts, tobacco and sweet potatoes 

 will undoubtedly be profitably cultivated here in the 

 near future. 



Agriculture, dairying, stock and poultry raising 

 are to be reckoned among the important and large divi- 

 dend-yielding industries of Lompoc Valley. There is 

 no place where the conditions are more favorable for 

 their success. 



The mountains surrounding the valley are teem- 

 ing with mineral wealth which are lying fallow for the 

 lack of money and enterprise to develop them. Con- 

 siderable development work, however, is being done at 

 the present time in the oil fields, about four miles east 

 of Lompoc. Upon this property there is a well now 

 producing six hundred barrels per day of thirty-two 

 gravity oil. This is the highest gravity of any well in 

 the state. This oil brings $2.50 per barrel. 



Great deposits of lime rock, said to be the finest in 

 quality of any found in the state of almost inexhausti- 

 ble quantities, immense deposits of diatomaceous earth, 

 bituminious rock, gypsum and glass sand are all found 

 within a few miles of the city. 



While irrigation in the valley has only been adopted 

 in a small way, its success so far has been more than 

 gratifying and it is prophesied that the entire valley 

 will in the near future have an adequate and efficient 

 irrigation system. 



To the lovers of the rod and gun, Santa Ynez 

 River and Lompoc Valley offer days of alluring sport 

 with the wary trout and that most fascinating and 

 wingy bird the California quail which abound in 

 thousands along the low foothills that surround the 

 valley. 



Mr. Walter R. Smith, proprietor of Smith's Hard- 

 ware and Sporting Goods Store of Lompoc, said: It is 

 not generally known by the lovers of field sport that 

 this is one of the finest quail sections in the state. 

 There are a few, however, who are acquainted with the 

 fact, mostly traveling salesmen for sporting goods. It 

 has been my pleasure to have accompanied several of 

 these gentlemen on shooting trips and fishing excursions 

 and always with pleasurable satisfaction and good re- 

 sults. 



Mr. Smith carries a complete line of sporting goods 

 and those who contemplate either a fishing or shooting 

 trip in the Lompoc Valley can be accommodated with 

 every requisite for such an outing and should they so 

 desire he will accompany them to the places where the 

 best shooting and fishing can be obtained. 



The city of Lompoc has a population of upwards 

 of fifteen hundred. It is nine miles from the seacoast 

 on a branch line of the Southern Pacific Railway, which 

 connects with the main line at Surf. 



It has two splendid banking institutions, the Lom- 

 poc Valley Bank and the Bank of Lompoc. Both oc- 

 cupy architectural structures which are ornaments to 

 the town. It is said to the credit of their financial 

 strength that the late financial panic would have been 

 unknown to them had they not read of it in the news- 

 papers. 



The Lompoc school system is one of which her 

 citizens are justly proud. The school buildings are 

 architecturally handsome and imposing. 



Land values range from $10 to $150 per acre, ac- 

 cording to the location and character of the soil. 



Following are the names of the farmers from whom 

 the data for this article was obtained. They are all 

 men of brains, with the energy and ability to use them, 

 who have made small farming a science, most of whom 

 have acquired a competency by their efforts and have 

 been identified with the problem of agriculture in the 

 Lompoc Valley for more than a quarter of a century: 

 W. H. Schuyler, commissioner of horticulture; I. M. 

 Clark, horticulturist; H. E. McCabe, J. D. McCabe, 

 L. F. Shanklin, F. 0. Harris, Chas. A. Davis, J. A. 

 Stambaw, James Cantley, J. S. Henning, J. G. Biss- 

 inger, H. Poland, W. A. Lewis, I. F. Lewis, J. W. De 

 Wolfe, Guy Hibbits, 0. Hoover, J. Kolding, and R. D. 

 Rennie. 



Lompoc has an active Chamber of Commerce, of 

 which Mr. A. G. Balaam is the secretary. He is pre- 

 pared to furnish detailed information upon application 

 to those desiring it. 



