TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 11 



fruit-growers who have saved their crops by digging deep wells and 

 pumping the water to irrigate. 



Railroads. — I treated this subject so fully seven years ago at this 

 place that I beg to refer you to that address, to be found in the Report 

 for 1893-94, page 114. I have not changed my opinion as to the 

 general plan of railroad management, but, on the contrary, am more 

 and more convinced of the wisdom of such a plan. 



Protection of our Forests. — It is very gratifying to know that our 

 Government is being rapidly educated up to the importance of this 

 subject. Recently a proclamation by the President was issued with- 

 drawing from settlement all the Coast Range or Santa Ynez Mountains 

 from Gaviota Pass to. the Ventura line. Three years ago the survey of 

 these mountains was completed and the district advertised for settle- 

 ment. Occupation for homesteads in this rugged district would be 

 very disastrous to the valleys between the mountains and the ocean, if 

 settled up by the ordinary homeseeker. In the first place, it would 

 lead to continuous fires, and possibly the drying up of all the mountain 

 streams, and thereby make eventually what is now a valuable and 

 important part of our State practically worthless. Secondly, if settled 

 up these lands could not be regarded as having any value for producing 

 a living to the settler. My experience leads to this conclusion, as those 

 who have squatted on this land in years past, with few exceptions, have 

 not prospered. Their living has depended upon making into firewood 

 the natural growth and hauling it to market to be sold. Some four or 

 five years ago a great fire raged in these mountains immediately back 

 of my land; while it did not consume the chaparral and trees, all were 

 killed. The following year another fire raged over the same district. 

 The dead brush and dead trees added to its fury so that everything in 

 its path was completely devastated. The first flood after this fire 

 brought down ashes, the water being almost black as ink. The bottom 

 as well as the sides of the main channel were black. This condition 

 remained about half the winter. The remainder of that Winter and the 

 two following the water ran muddy the entire time, bringing down sand 

 and gravel by tens of thousands of tons, silting up the creek, destroying 

 the springs and preventing the natural storage of water. Formerly this 

 mountain was such a thicket that only wild animals could penetrate 

 it; now it is barren and where not rocky is over shoe-top deep in sand 

 and ashes. To perpetuate this condition, people, mostly foreigners, who 

 have sheep and cattle, pasture them during the fall over this region, 

 destroying all the young growth of bushes and trees germinated from 

 seeds left after the fire. If this is allowed to continue God only knows 

 what will be the result to the valleys below. In former years it 

 required from five to six inches of rainfall to make flood water, and 



