THE TRUTH ABOUT CALIFORNIA 



tiros on each side, that a large proportion of the future 

 millions will find homes and prosperity. 



Irrigation is by no means absolutely necessary in the 

 Sacramento Valley. If it had been, the story of its set- 

 tlement and industrial progress would be different from 

 what it is. No one could then truthfully assert, as now, 

 that this splendid district contains less population than 

 it had twenty-five years ago. Producing fair crops of 

 grain and of deciduous fruits without artificial moisture, 

 the country has been given over to large ranches and 

 scattered orchards and wholly deprived of the powerful 

 social influences which lent such distinction to the civil- 

 ization of southern California. While irrigation is not 

 indispensable in the north, it is essential to the best and 

 highest results, especially in the line of small-farming. 

 The rainless season usually extends from May until No- 

 vember. Without irrigation there can be no beautiful 

 lawns, successive crops of vegetables and small fruits, or 

 goodly yields of alfalfa. One acre under reliable irriga- 

 tion is more valuable, for the purpose of small, diversi- 

 fied farming, than ten acres without it. The citrus fruits 

 cannot profitably be cultivated except by irrigation, and 

 there is no fruit which is not improved, both in quality 

 and quantity, by the proper application of water. This 

 claim is often stoutly disputed, particularly by those 

 wishing to sell land that cannot be irrigated. But ex- 

 perience has taught that northern California can only 

 hope to equal the southern part of the State by imitating 

 its industrial methods, of which irrigation is the foremost. 

 The San Joaquin Valley is even larger, and in many 

 respects resembles its northern sister. Indeed, the con- 

 ditions of soil, climate, and productions are so nearly 



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