218 IRRIGATIOK INVESTIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA. 



of the San Joaquin Valley, is, perhaps, one of the best illustrations in California of 

 the benefits of irrigation and of the transformation which may be wrought by the 

 wise and liberal use of water in irrigation. In 1871 a colony was established in that 

 county which cultivated and irrigated vineyards, producing raisin grapes. Since 

 that time the population has increased from a few hundreds to over 100,000 people, 

 and now some of the most beautiful and productive orchards and vineyards in the 

 whole State are to be found in that po'tion of the valley. More than twenty colonies 

 have been established in the same locality, and nearly twenty main irrigation canals, 

 having a length of about 800 miles have been constructed. Their branches have an 

 aggregate length of about 2,000 miles. In this county alone nearly half a million 

 acres are under cultivation; and this great area, which formerh* was capable of pro- 

 ducing only sparse crops of wheat, or pastui-age for cattle, now markets immense 

 crops of raisins, cereals, and alfalfa. The lands which formerly were of little value, 

 are now, when irrigated, worth from $300 to $1,000 per acre. And like results in a 

 measure have been obtained in every district in the San Joaquin Valley where ample 

 and intelligent irrigation has been practiced. 



From this small beginning has grown up a great S3'stem of canals in the San 

 Joaquin Valley. Those drawing their waters from the San Joaquin River are the 

 Aliso, Chowchilla, Blyth, and East Side canals, on the right, or easterly bank; and 

 the James, the San Joaquin and Kings River Canal and Irrigation Company's canals, 

 and the system belonging to Miller & Lux, on the left, or westerly bank. 



Taking water from the Fresno River, one of the most important branches of the 

 San Joaquin in the contiguous district, are the canals of the Madera Canal and Irri- 

 gation Company; and in the same section of the valley, the Sierra Vista Vineyard 

 Company and the Bliss Canal draw their supplies from Chowchilla Creek, another 

 tributary of the main river. 



PHYSICAL FEATUEES OF THE SAN JOAaUIN VALLEY. 

 THE SAN JOAaUIBr KIVER. 



The waters of San Joaquin River are the union of the streams from many creeks 

 and branches in the high Sierras, fed bj' the rain and melting snow that fall upon a 

 mountainous drainage area of 1,637 square miles. The summit rahge of the Sierra 

 Nevada is the eastern boundary of this area, which extends northerh^ and southed}' 

 for more than 70 miles. The river flows down through a steep, rugged canyon, in a 

 westerly direction, to its point of debouchment upon the open country at PoUasky 

 (former^ Hamptonville), 27 miles northeast from Fresno. From this point it con- 

 tinues in a southwesterly direction for 55 miles to the trough of the San Joaquin 

 Valley. Here it unites with the waters of Fresno Slough in a swampy region subject 

 to overflow and turns sharply to the northwest. From this junction on to its mouth, 

 near Antioch, a distance of 120 miles, it is the main river of the great vallej', and 

 receives the drainage of the latter from all the streams on either side. These are 

 numerous, and some of them on the eastern flank of the valley, deriving their waters 

 principally from the Sierra Nevada's rains and snows, are considerable in volume. 



As a rule, these tributary streams from the Sierras lying north of the Upper 

 San Joaquin run in deep beds for many miles below their exit from the mountains, 



