SEMI-TROPIC C l UFORNLI. 
no 
of rich soil on the surface, whilst below 
them is nothing hut a poor hard pan con¬ 
taining but little fertility, and when the 
Burfaco soil is exhausted by the continuous 
cropping, which most California farmers 
I iractice, the land becomes entirely worth' 
ess; tint these lands seem to have been so 
liberally supplied with fertility, that, the 
most exhaustive and continuous cropping 
seems to have been an advantage to them, 
aa the grain crops ran-tid upon them cou 
•lautly improve, producing a less growth 
of straw, and a heavier and hot tut quality 
of grain. 
The valley lands contain a great variety 
of soils, and are adapted to a vast variety 
of crops, They have long been famous for 
their crops of corn, squashes, and alfalfa, 
on the low wet lands near the Mm, and the 
barley cropB on t he higher iku'Ui of lboyalloy; 
but now these Inst named Innds are being 
almost exclusively devoted to the culture 
of wheat, which yields largely, und is 
found to pay much better than barley, The 
same lands will, this year, be tested for the 
production of sugar, from both beem, and 
sorghum ou a large Beni* Enough has 
been dune heretofore with both to make a 
favorable result almost n certainty, 
The more elevated valley lauds, which 
are peculiarly protected from frost and 
violent changes of weather, are in places 
planted largely to vines, and citrus fruit 
trees, with very successful results; and 
these plantations urn being extended rap 
idly, particularly m vines. The vineyard 
interest will probably become the leading 
agricultural pursuit in Sou them California. 
The Stearns Ranchos occupy the center 
of the great, valley, in it- bust and broad¬ 
est part. They are lauds purchased by- 
Don Abel Stearns at a time when he had 
the opportunity to Hc.lei t llif; choicest 
lands of the whole county, and coiuprisu 
five ranchos, ly ing adjoining to each other, 
which contain m the aggregate 140,000 
acres of land; of those nudlil till,000 acres 
have been Hold, and have been occupied, 
improved and cultivated by the purchasers, j 
leaving soiuu HO,000 acres still unsold,! 
from which those who wmif lands can 
choose tlm kind adapted to their needs, m ' 
large or small Iractn at low lalo, and on - 
easy terms of pinmoiit. Thorn ai> sev- i 
arnl large and llourishttig Mittlements soit- 
lered at convenient distance*, in tlifr largo j 
tract, and purchasers can oitlici buy near 
one of the differclit anttlemeata, in if they 
wish land for a new colony, there ore I 
largo spares yd unsettled where they can 
locate and form a settlement of their own, 
These lands have great advantage# in 
the way of transportation u limoullof the 
Southern Pacific Railroad—wbi<’h through 
the Central Pacific is connected with tlm 
whole railroad system of the country, tuna 
through the center of the tract, and its 
depots are convenient of access from all 
purts of it, am) as in the souUi-weit it 
IxmrderH on the Huy of Sun Pedro (an in 
dentation in Hut coast protected fiout Urn 
heavy ocean swells by Gnlulimi Island), 
lire land has equal advantages of ship¬ 
ment, Imlh by rail oi ate amor, with the 
addilional advantage, that the competing 
lines will always heap the]rates low, anil 
those who nettle here will never be at the 
mercy of the transportation companies. 
, I" addition to thia, the Southern Pacific 
Railroad Company intend to continue 
building until their road roadies the Gulf 
i of Mexico, either rrt Galveston or Now 
Gilctuie, and in the met two year*, or leu 
time, wo will have a smitlmru overland 
mad. below tlm snow (me. So that we 
have now. ami will have in tlm near future, 
abundant railroad facilities, independent 
of nny that, the Atchison nnd Topeka It. R 
Co. may or may not give us. 
Tlm principal mitt laments on this tract 
are Anaheim. Westminster, Garden Grove, 
Geutrulia. Arteaia and Norwalk. 
Anaheim is the famous Gormnn Hottlo- 
rnont, which commenced some 20 years 
ago. The settlors gave nlmost. their entire 
attention to the cultivation of the vine, 
and the settlement is a grand success. 
Eleven years ago, the Stearns Ranchos 
were subdivided, and offered for sale in 
-mall tracts, and other particH settled about 
tlm town, uml now the population is about 
'2.1)00 It is Id miles from, and elevated 
160 foot above the sea level The town is 
surrounded by admirably kept vineyards,] 
orange, and other fruit orchards. Aim 
heim has the well d* served reputation of 
having the bent climate in Southern Cali -1 
fortiin, and at the mime tune of lining freer 
from float than any other place in (In¬ 
state of California. These, in addition , 
to her other recommendations, mnko it 
the most desirable locality for settlement 
in thin Mention. The daily sen bteo*(t 
comes to it 21 miles overland, and acquires 
just the proper degree of drynesH to nuiL 
delicate lungs, and at the Bftiao time is 
(sufficiently moist. The soil in a warm, 
sandy loam, which absorbs uuil rclaiuw. 
moist m u, Inil i8 atwayt dry on ihr toir/aa', 
and no matter how heavy the rain, tlm 1 
water is absorbed, nU(l there is no mud, 
It in a very desirable elimnlu for invalids. 
Westminster and Garden Grove uro two 
contiguous hPttlornonU, distant about 0 
miles from Aimboim on (.ho way to Hie 
sea. They cover an area of about 10,000 
acres, and an 1 located in the interval In 
tween the drier nml the low, wot valley 
binds. Tlioy rain* large crops of rani.i 
alfalfa and grain, and maintain many 
dairies Tlm soil scams admirably adapti il 
to tin/ production of apples, pears, pnnt'litm, 
plums, and cither muiliern fruits. They 
am thrifty and proaparnil*, and are an < \ 
celh'iit class ill people, of whom it m only 
imccssaiy to say Rod /fo r- or fvur ehunht* 
mu/iml I’lir whitiy thou in llii Inn ntil. 1 
tm’iil". Thu climate lining uaar the sea t • 
about 10 degrees cool Co Limn that of Ann 
Imiiu, rathei too (mh foi delic/iUr invalids, 
l-ul ailmiriible foi He . pro i f f. vet an.I 
ague Tin elevation above the son rang' * 
from P> to HO feet 
Gi utmlia lies ti milts north-west of 
Anaheim, on the line of the railroad to 
IjOH Allgulcs. There arc only about Rt 
families in the sett lenient at this time; but 
tin town Mile is the o uter of the bc-t six 
miles tvquare In the valley ami il is the 
best place lor a colony in Dos Angelas 
county. No land has been w.ld in the 
town site, and will not be until it is odd 
to a colony, who will thus have the power 
: to decide whether it is to be a temperance 
or a whisky colony. This tract has ul>oiit 
145 feet elevation above the «»*, and just 
[ about tlm same climate as Anaheim. The 
, soil, however, is far superior to that of tire 
original Anaheim settlement. This land 
oi free from frost, and ha* been proved to 
»>e admirably adapted to the culture of 
! oil run and northern fruit*, vinca, etc.; and 
thorn i» no better land in the world for 
general farming crops. 
Artnsia ami Norwalk ere local**! *ix 
miles west of Grutrilia; tlm letter on Urn 
railroad, and the former about :l miles 
wouth; the settlement* join, and hi’ W< *t- 
minster and Garden Grove, it i* prartn allj 
one get!bimant with two center* This i* 
a linn fanning country, and a -mlllcm*.i,t of 
thrifty people. All of the-* «rtt(ln mrit- 
have plenty of vacant land, pi*' i- good 
as that which is occupied, for new-comer* 
to select from And all of them are in¬ 
cluded in the- district wh- re tinning arte¬ 
sian wells are found. 
In Wcstniinfiter every farmer haa fr-un 
onii to three flowing well*. In t • ntralia 
all have Lliem who want them In Artesim 
aud Norwalk they have both flowing wells 
ftod ditches from S.iii Gabriel nr* r for ii 
ligation. One crop cau alw«v» In ra;-rd 
without irrigation; but n- two and even 
three crops ftr* raised in one **■ a-nn. tlm 
ground requires irrigaluui for tlm i* * ond 
and third crop. The irrigator in tins cli¬ 
mate never stops farming; as - - m as one 
crop is harvested the ground is pn par* I 
for nnotliwr. If tho givund i-uol utili/* J 
for a (laying crop, weeds will grow; the 
land requires no rest. Hindi land in -u. h 
ft climate ia certainly Worth luor* llian lai d 
in tin' interior of ilia contim nt, wh- i* the 
aofit of transportation is vi giwwi that it 
takes half or more of tli* produce of an 
acre to |iay for the tr*h*porlati"n of the 
inniaindei to ujuiket Piuclioi ri ran sc¬ 
lent the lust of tin land - in « nail tract* 
at prill* ranging fituu $2 > to #40 per acre, 
terms pash; or if toon •,* il. -ir d, on* 
fourth ca*li ntul the Utlaiicaiu lhr»" equal 
annual puyimuil*, with leu per 
U*r«t. Lf large tracts ere lain 
wollld la* reduced corn ’|'oielin ;l 
nviderw must mnMnlai that lhi«»i* sue 
hints that when properly farmed yield 
from 00 In 150 bushel- of i'i*m, 40 to 100 
biuhnU nf Uarby, .40 b> HO buvlul* of 
wheat, 10 to l.’i tons of alfalfa hay to 
the auie; uml 
her that with 
certain The 
pendent lif lh 
yield from 500 to 
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Wvi. U. Ciio.x. 
