LEADING PROMOTERS AND SOME OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS

 

         While the biographical section of this work will be found to include detailed accounts of the life and history of the great pioneers and promoters of this Valley, it is not out of place perhaps to make some general reference to their work in this general article as well.

        Among these is Mr. W. F. Holt, who is credited with being the most noted man here and has become wealthy through his legitimate promotion of the Valley's interests.  His town property holdings at one time were the largest of any single individual in the region.  He is a virile and able business man and far-seeing, tireless worker in any good cause that appeals to him, always optimistic and enthusiastic regarding this Valley and its glowing possibilities, ready to infuse new courage into despondent men who may be overcome by adversity.  A strict philanthropist, he would give a tramp a pile of wood first and double pay afterward.  The needs of this Valley have been uppermost in his mind, and he has spent vast sums of money in its development.  A Missouri man, born on a farm there, married his old-time sweetheart, and they have been active partners ever since.  He established banks in different parts of the West, but was always in search of some new country where he could help it grow and develop.  What a find he was, therefore, to this Valley! It was in the spring of 1901 when he first looked across the vista of years into a country of many homes and big with possibilities.  He thought it might become an empire, and he began at once to boost its interests.  His first thought was to build a telephone line to the outside world.  After receiving an exclusive franchise for this purpose and a small block of water-stock from the Imperial Land Company he went right ahead stringing his wires.  Meanwhile he saw the advantages of a local newspaper, and this was accordingly established on a similar basis.  He installed the plant and placed Henry Clay Reid in charge.  This was the beginning of the Imperial Press.  Being a churchman and in favor of promoting ethics, morality and education, and the higher principles of civic progress, he secured the influence and association of friends and an organization was effected and a small church edifice was built, Mr. Holt paying the salary of the preacher for two years.  Meanwhile the land company was in hearty accord with him and agreed to furnish water stock to repay him.  He always regarded this move of vast importance to the best interests of the Valley and said it was a start to build here a civilization ahead of the time.  One day, riding out on the stage, he heard two thirsty men bemoaning the absence of saloons, saying they would not put a cent into the county until sure that saloons would be permitted.   Mr. Holt told them such men were not wanted there at all, nor one cent of their capital.  Strange to say, however, that one of these very men has since invested thousands of dollars there and now says that this prohibition of saloons was the best thing the Valley ever did.  Mr. Holt was also instrumental in securing the railway from Imperial to the main line on the Southern Pacific, some 28 or 30 miles.  He afterward made large profits from a favorable contract with the California Development Company as a promoter, to which he was justly entitled.  He in turn assisted the development company to much ready money at different times, and, in fact, became a sort of national banker for the settlers.

           This man had implicit faith in the future of this Valley.  He believed in the people and the righteousness of human nature in general.   He had never been cheated out of a dollar in his life, never foreclosed a mortgage, and yet had been loaning money and selling on credit all his life.  Give a man a chance and time to pay and don't crowd him, was his motto.  He believed in people.  It was in this way that he kept on buying, building, improving and spending money in the Valley.  Thus at the opening of 1903 he had increased his capital by over $20,000. After irrigating No. 7 district he saw water running to waste in the Alamo channel and was told it had between 500 and 1000 horsepower of electric energy.   Then he formed the Holton Power Company, and a few months afterward men wanted to buy stock in that corporation, but there was none on the market.  He purchased townsites and built the Interurban Railway.  One of these townsites became El Centro later.  He built a business block and the Opera house, costing $50,000, even then when the total population of the town could have been seated in a single passenger coach.  People said a lot of mean things about him, some of which were true, too.  Many don't like him, but lots of others do.  The Holt Power Company is capitalized for a million dollars, owning the electric-light plant in five towns, three other power-plants and five cold-storage houses.  And during late years Mr. Holt has begun the construction of a gridiron system of roads which reaches the shipping of every acre of ground in the entire district.  Other most important enterprises are being rapidly carried forward, and the land company is now capitalized for over three million dollars.  Mr. Holt surely has been a true pioneer and perhaps the greatest of them all in Imperial Valley.  The record here given is only a brief summary of his many achievements.

         Mr. W. E. Wilsie is another of these prominent pioneer settlers who have won marked success.  Coming first in 1901, in the following November he laid out the streets of Brawley, which then had only two other residents.  In the succeeding winter he farmed 300 acres, and the next summer shipped three carloads of barley and one of wheat, the first ever shipped from the Valley. And it had been cut by a combined reaper and harvester.  He afterward became associated with numerous corporations in the Valley in an official capacity, and was also Horticultural Commissioner of the county, winning high favor for  his most effective service in that position.  He was a director in the first creamery and stock-breeders' association, president of the first cantaloupe association, secretary of the library board, trustee of the Heber Collegiate Institute, and an official in various other corporations.

           Mr. George Nichols was also among these prominent early pioneers.  He shared in the colonization of newcomers and in all public affairs, especially near Silsbee.  He was also a leader in road and school district work. More than 100 persons were brought into the Valley by him, most of them from the old San Diego section.  He opened the first real estate office in Imperial.  His own ranch was six miles southwest of El Centro, where he now runs a real estate office.  He saw the first crop of alfalfa grown in the Valley, near Diamond Lake.

           Roy McPherrin was among the first lawyers in this section, and he tells some quaint stories of conditions he found on arrival to take a position in the Imperial Mutual Water Company, in connection with which he had a prominent share in the reclamation of the land.

           W. H. Hartshorn was another leading pioneer.  He became manager of the ice-plant erected by the Imperial Land Company, and he kept the price of this much-needed commodity at one cent per pound.  He afterward piped the city for water and turned on the first water used in the homes.  Then next he established a transfer company, with a specially designed dray for the purpose, with a big bay horse in front of the vehicle that created quite a sensation on the streets.  He also shared materially in the colonization work, having an extensive acquaintance on the coastside of San Diego County. he built one of the first private  residences in Imperial. 

          Mr. J. H. Holland came from San Jose with a full line of stock and farming implements. After spending some time in building canals and hauling freight from the railroad he stocked his farm and planted alfalfa. 

          For a time the introduction  of Bermuda grass into this Valley was regarded as a dangerous accession, and it became known as "devil grass."  But Mr. D. W. Breckenridge, who entered the Valley soon afterward, found use for it. He sent to Arizona for seed, and on this rich forage he raised the best fatted cattle of the season.  And he subsequently had great success with this grass for years in rearing cattle and sheep. It starts growing early in the spring, and the animals seem very fond of it. He claims it has as much nourishment as alfalfa, with no tendency to disease.  It also possesses great heat and drouth resisting qualities.  This proved a decided innovation, as the grass had been universally condemned by others.  He also thwarted successfully several attempts to rob him of his land there on a technicality, in the courts.

           The first important butcher and meat shop in the region was opened by the Thing Brothers, of Calexico.  They bought and killed their own stock, and finally, in 1907, they built a fine business block, the largest in this southern end of the Valley.

            W. A. Young, another Valley pioneer, drove in from a point near Los Angeles in 1901. Poor and pretty nearly broke he said he was at that time.  His family lived under a "ramada" made of arrowweed shoots thatched on a frame eight feet high.   These "ramadas" are familiar objects all through the Valley, few of the ranches being without them.  Their shelter from the sun is superior to anything else.  

           W. C. Raymond, a Canadian, who went to Arizona several years ago and roughed it there until he heard of this Valley in 1903, saddled up and rode into this promised land.  Here he camped until finding a suitable location, when he began his work upon improvements at once.  But now the old river rushed into his ranch and drove him out, and he finally moved to another, planted 320 acres of barley and alfalfa, and raised hogs with success, cleaning up $7000 in 1909.  Then he put in 80 acres of cotton the next year.

           William Lindsey was one of the great eastside pioneers who arrived in 1902, when the place was still a wilderness.  But he also was driven out by the flood.  The Colorado was no respecter of persons, but it sometimes seemed the great stream sought to discourage newcomers.  But Mr. Lindsey finally overcame this unfriendly greeting and prospered.

D. H. Coe rode in on a bicycle in 1901, passed through all the trials and tribulations incident to that period, and now has a ranch of 200 acres six miles northwest of Holtville, and is one of the most enthusiastic boosters of the country.  The mercury stood at 117 when he arrived,  and his wheel was a great help to him, although he saw not a soul except from a distance at the time.  But he rode straight to the spot he wanted and now has some 200 acres planted in alfalfa, barley and cotton, a large herd of stock, and is a purely business rancher.

           F. E. Van Horn, three miles east of El Centro, was among the first to reach and grow up with the Valley, and his faith in it has never flagged.  He started the first school ever held there, walking three miles each way, with books very hard to get, and the methods of teaching very primitive.

          Among those who became early impressed with the value of cotton as a Valley crop was L. E. Srack, who came from Riverside in 1901. Later he installed plants for the care of the by-products of cotton-oil and cotton-seed meal, which were built in 1910. 

          Among the pioneers there with unconquerable souls, who fought the water floods back and won, was B. F. McDonald.  When he saw the flood coming in he said: "We have put this water on the land where we want it; now we can surely keep it off when we don't want it. Let's try.  They did, and won in the end.  The waters receded and their ranches and stock were saved because of their vigilant and effective efforts.  Being a Louisianna cottonman originally, he knew the game and how to manage it, having 160 acres in cotton.  He was enthusiastic over the merits of that staple for that region.

          Steve Lyons was of Irish descent.  Having been reared on a ranch in Salinas, some of the advantages of city school life and social intercourse with cultured and educated people had left an impress upon his native character. And it is said of him that he possessed the spirit of the Valley in a marked degree. He brought some capital into the new country, and much sound business judgment, all products of hard work and good thinking.  The Valley had been only partially developed in 1904 when Steve arrived.  The territory west of Calexico was barely scratched, although the ditch system was under construction in the entire west side.  Lyons saw that land was to be king and he filed on a half-section at once.  But seeing a more profitable field for his activities in the contracting business, he pitched into that with his brothers, and they built over fifty miles of the main ditches and laterals for the California Development Company.  Being skilled in the work, they found no difficulty in securing good contracts for grading and ditching.  Meanwhile Steve began developing his own property, and in the fall of 1907, when the new County Imperial was launched, these Lyon boys baled more hay and threshed more grain than any other combination in the district.  They operated on a large scale and kept forever going ahead with courage and unshaken nerve, in spite of all threatened river dangers.  They bought 565 acres in Mexico, near Calexico, which they purposed to use as a model stock farm or a cotton plantation.

           Such are some of characteristics which go to make up the aggressive spirit, and yet conservative business balance in agriculture.  It is ability coupled with willingness, good health, mental, moral and physical, and above all an abounding faith in the work in hand.  This imparts self-confidence and insures success.

          Socially, perhaps, no man in the Valley has done more for the promotion of affairs than Phil. W. Brooks, whose ranch is between El Centro and Holtville. His generous hospitality is well known from Yuma to Cuayamaca.  He came from a New England agricultural school, at Amherst college, in 1903, possessing enthusiasm and energy and capital.  He bought and sold ranches and developed them, and now, near El Centro, he has 80 acres of Thompson's seedless grapes, besides other lands. he is now the general manager of the Britten-Cook Land and live-stock company, which is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the hog-raising industry in Imperial Valley.  Mr. Brooks has recently resigned the office of receiver of the U. S. Land Office at El Centro.  Mr. Brooks has been a powerful factor for good in that community, through his influence in relieving the monotony of frontier life.

          Dave Williams was among the early pioneers in the realm of sports.  He organized, financed and managed the Imperial Valley Wild West shows, which furnished so much entertainment and amusement for thousands in the winter of 1909.  He is called the father of the Christmas fiesta idea that made Holtville famous.  He is also a public-spirited man who never fails to respond when called upon for assistance in the promotion of the best interests of the district.  He takes time to enjoy life as he goes along and tries to help others do the same.  And yet he is not a retired capitalist, but only a plain rancher.  he came originally from Canada, ranched for some years in Washington, and then heard of this Valley, where he bought a ranch in the spring of 1907.  Here he now has 560 acres in alfalfa and 27 stacks of hay containing some 900 tons.  On one  of these fertile fields this farmer found a single stalk of alfalfa 7 feet 81/2 inches long.  This ranch is five miles from Holtville, on the Highland Boulevard, the finest nine-mile strength of road in that district.  He delights in outdoor sports, and is always ready to "start something" of that nature. He is credited with having added, more than any other man, to the joy of living on that side of the Alamo River.

           H. J.  Messinger of Holtville was a frontiersman, having served as Indian trader, teacher and reservation superintendent.  Next he became a member of the territorial legislature, and assisted in the government formation.  While in northern Arizona, trading with the Indians, he learned of the Imperial Valley settlement.  Gathering a carload of work-stock, he reached there in 1903, when the east side was beginning to blossom.  He began building ditches and sowing seed, mainly upon leased land.  But, prospering in grain raising, he soon entered the grain commission and seed business.  In 1904 he finally settled in Holtville, opened a livery and feed business, but also continued his farm work on leased land, although he afterward acquired an extensive acreage and speculated most advantageously.  In 1908 he brought to the front what is known as the "high-line country."

          Mr. William J. Mansfield came into the Valley in 1903, having some capital and business experience.  He went to work himself in a new suit of overalls, with his team, on the hummocks, which he bravely subdued.  He thinks he spent some $22,000, exclusive of his own work.  But it resulted in one of the finest ranches in the district, where he soon became a prominent leader. Later he was selected as the Republican candidate for State Assemblyman from that district, for which he had every qualification, being a farmer, business man and director in various corporations.  It is of course unnecessary to add that Mr. Mansfield has been an Imperial Valley booster from the first.

          Mr. George A. Long was for years called the "cattle king" of the Valley.  he fattened more steers than any other man, and built a modern sanitary meat packing house from government plans.  He fattened stock at his own expense, and bought 320 acres between the towns of El Centro and Imperial, put it into alfalfa, fenced and divided it into separate pastures.  In addition to this, however, he leased nearly 1000 acres adjoining upon which he fattened the Arizona mountain-bred steers, of which he usually had from 1000 to 3000 head in various stages of preparation.

          Thomas O'Neil, a ranch owner near Imperial now, came from a peaceful town in Pennsylvania with an absorbing desire to fight Indians, but without any idea of the hardships, discomforts and dangers attendant upon that warlike pursuit.  He followed the intrepid Custer through the Yellowstone campaign in 1873, and the round-up in the Black Hills the next year which led to the fatal Big Horn fight in 1876.  But O'Neil had left the Black Hills  and went pioneering on his own account in Phoenix, Arizona, and finally brought up in Imperial Valley in the winter of 1902. Here he leased 64 acres and established a small dairy.  He was then a bachelor with only his famous "Snip" pony as a companion, but later he took Mrs. Adams as life partner, and he now laughs as he recalls the place and methods of his courtship, as he smokes his evening pipe of contentment in his comfortable home.

          Other romantic incidents of this nature might well be cited here if space permitted.  And yet the career of Harry Van den Heuvel, who came in from Riverside in 1903, with $25 of borrowed money, seems worthy of mention.  He went to work for others with a vim that meant success.  In 1904 he began to coax his quarter-section of land west of El Centro upon which he had filed into productiveness.  His only partner was an old gray mare and she stood by him from first to last and did most effective service.  Finding trouble in securing help the thresh his grain crop, he secured a threshing machine and went at it himself and also worked for his neighbors with it.  In this way he re-established his credit, paid all his bills with interest and had a surplus left. The old gray mare at last accounts was feeding in a broad field of alfalfa, pensioned for life. Six hundred of these fertile acres are now under Heuvel's control, and his place is valued at $60,000, free and clear.

           Between El Centro and Mobile is the "Poole Place," which is noted for its high state of cultivation, with many find shade trees and a prosperous looking home.  Mr. Poole is a typical American farmer who came in November, 1903, with no capital save his personal energy and determination to succeed.  With these valuable assets he went to work, put in his crops on 2220 acres, housing his family in a rude shelter for a time until he could build a more permanent home, which now stands in sharp contrast with the old quarters.  Meanwhile he leased 320 additional acres near at hand.  While on a short vacation a fire broke out in his house, destroying 60 tons of hay and a much valued young stallion, and considerable other property.  But he took this misfortune resignedly, and in the spring of 1910 he erected a fine new dwelling at a cost of $2000.

          It has been customary in the East in referring to these farmers and rural residents by writers who speak of them as "hayseeds," with long hair and whiskers, unkempt and unsophisticated, and even yet this class is furnishing inspiration to caricaturists and pencil-pushers for comic supplements.  But it may be said here that these early pioneers in this Valley were not of that class, if indeed there ever was such a class of people any way as these imaginative writers try to picture. Pioneers with the courage and grit to squat in such a desolate waste as this was before its reclamation are made of wholly different stuff.  In order to bring a ranch into a high grade of efficiency and make it yield dividends there must be business sagacity back of all the hard work.

           Mr. J. H. Blodgett, who filed on a full section of this reclaimed land five miles northwest of Holtville, is a man of this type.  He came from Nebraska in the fall of 1904 with small means and lots of energy and ambition. He put in alfalfa, with some grain and other annual crops, and hogs as a side line, and also a few dairy features. And he says he has found this combination profitable and desirable and would not run a ranch without it.  But he also planted cotton, of which he had 250 acres in 1910, without even suspecting or anticipating the sharp advance in price of this staple that the war would bring.  He has made good in hog-raising, feeding them skimmed milk, alfalfa, corn, and barley. This man was the first in the No. 5 district to drill for artesian water, which he struck with a strong flow at a depth of 580 feet.  This supply has been piped into his house and farm hydrants.

         James M. Potts is another example worthy of emulation by anemic youths who stand behind dry-goods counters, or sit upon high office stools wrestling with figures and bemoaning their lack of opportunity to do something worth while at a big salary and be somebody. Mr. Potts was only 21 when he reached the Valley in 1905.  But he borrowed $100 cash in some way and took up some land near Holtville. Mixing  brains with his labor, he traded, worked for others and tilled his own farm, all with success.  He brought a carload of horses and mules from the coast, turned them loose in his alfalfa patch for a time, which renewed their youth and vigor in a way that enabled him to sell out at a handsome profit.  This experiment was frequently repeated with like results, and the profits were put back into the ranch improvements, where he now has 60 acres of alfalfa and 20 acres of cotton.  This shows what industry, persistence and faith will do for a man who is in earnest to succeed. The record does not show that Mr. Potts was a great genius, as the world defines that special gift.  But it does show that he made the very best use of his native equipment. 

         Lee Dutcher, who came to the Valley early in 1905, is another man of this type.  And it should be said that the region has been very fortunate in having so many of this class among its early settlers.  But for this fact its development and progress would not have been so marked nor so permanent.

         W. S. Moore, who came from western Pennsylvania in the fall of 1903, with $45 cash and a roll of blankets, struck a job as laborer at once, and kept at it until he could buy a team of horses and a haypress.  The following summer he secured 160 acres of the land near the present site of El Centro. He planted barley and alfalfa, and the next year added some stock. In 1909 he began to call his place a "ranch" like the rest of the "fellers" because he had 150 hogs and 27 cows, and planned to feed them. He then lost a little by a cantaloupe experience which, however, he made up with his hogs and forgot about his melons.  His 1910 trial balance showed assets aggregating $35,200.

          The personal history and achievements of I. J. Harris, who came to the Valley with an invalid wife from Louisianna in 1904, is also interesting.  She was suffering from a bronchial affection and came here in search of relief. Instead of taking government land, as most of the settlers did, Mr. Harris bought his land outright, though he came to Imperial without any capital. He went to work by the day, and after a time he saved money enough to buy 80 acres more, this time in the Mesquite Lake section.  He is a great believer in the eucalyptus, but he also raised fine crops of alfalfa, barley, and grapes. After six years of this Valley life his wife had regained her health. Mr. Harris is one of the best citizens of the Valley.

          In a public address to college men at an informal luncheon in Imperial, in 1910  President Babcock, of the University of Arizona, advised small farm units of from 15 to 20 acres in this reclaimed section. While this might result in dense population in large central towns, and increased business of all kinds, it would mean also more intensive farm methods.

         Acting perhaps upon these suggestions, Mr. S. C. Tomkins purchased 40 acres near Holtville, where he plans to make a fortune. He started a small dairy with 30 cows, experimenting with "balanced rations," with mixed feed and hay.  And he reports most encouraging results, having already built an alfalfa mill large enough for his own work and for the use of his neighbors. He now claims he can feed one dairy cow on an acre the year through and leave room enough for truck raising, fruit and poultry. All his experiments thus far have been confined to this 40 acres of land. He came from Los Angeles after a long experience in commercial life, and has therefore conducted his ranch on business principles.

           J. M. Cardiff came from San Bernardino when things in the Valley didn't look very promising. After living in an irrigation country for many years he looked upon the vagrant Colorado River with considerable alarm unless it could be permanently controlled. But he concluded to cast his lot with the many powerful corporations which he knew had everything at stake and were taking every chance. He had invested every cent he had in the Valley and never lost faith in it because he was a cheery optomist by nature and training anyway. But he lost his life in an accident in 1907, though his family were left with a comfortable competence, and his sons resumed the work where their father left off, and they have a fine ranch of 320 acres.

         The hog-raising industry has become popular throughout the Valley because of its unfailing returns year after year. But owing to the high price of pork and its numerous products, and the haste to produce them little attention was at first given to careful breeding in order to secure the best results. But that is a thing of the past. Today Imperial Valley swine are among the best in the country.

         Among the first to bring in thoroughbreds was Arthur McCollum, who had a ranch near Imperial. He had been a postal clerk in San Jose after twenty years on a farm, where his health failed. He preceded his wife in this Valley by some three weeks, and their combined capital at that time was $2.15. And yet he managed to secure a bit of ranch land, some 40 acres, upon which he raised only pedigreed stock, as Ohio Improved Chesters and Poland Chinas, and all under the most sanitary conditions. He dealt only with hog-breeders and not with pork men.

          Another man of this class is Mr. J. R. Sturgis, who has both the means and the ability to insure success. He has 160 acres not far from Holtville which are mainly devoted to alfalfa, barley and wheat. He experiments with thoroughbred stock, such as Poland China and Berkshire, and he is making a careful study of the whole problem of hog-raising. He has found that this stock costs about one-third less feed and care, and can be fattened more rapidly than the common stock. He expects to ship a carload of this stock every two months. He also contends that the quality of this pork is always superior, the animals are smoother in appearance, stronger and better nourished. He came into the Valley from Ventura county in 1908.

         One of the largest breeders in the Valley, however, is Mr. J. M. Prim, who arrived in 1905 from an Illinois farm after considerable experience with hogs there. He leased 320 acres of land in the rich No. 5 district, four miles from Holtville. But just about that time the big river came into the Valley too, and it was a dark outlook for Prim for some months when this unwelcome water was pouring over the hopes and plans of the settlers. But by 1907, when the river break had been closed, Prim was animated with fresh courage, and even leased some more property.

           But the next year there was a decided slump in the pork market, and he lost some $10,000  with his pigs. But he kept at it, and in 1910 the buyers were fighting each other, and he sold three carloads for $5000. Having then 3200 hogs, he had to buy 80 more acres of land. Upon this he raised barley and Filipino wheat. This he feeds to his stock by an automatic feeder, with no waste nor any dirt, although the device is costly in the first instance. Mr. Prim is a systematic man with careful methods, though in some respects he has been called a "plunger." Among his many improvements on that ranch is a large reservoir from which he can irrigate his land if necessary.

        Mr. A. L. Bliss, a man of redouted wealth, was also an early believer in hogs for this Valley. He came from  Illinois, where he had served as secretary, president and superintendent of the Swine Breeders' Association, and a student  of the hog industry for some time. On one occasion he had owned a Poland China boar that was valued at $8000. His advent into the Valley was in the fall of 1909. He then had an idea of buying from 40 to 80 acres for certain experiments he had in mind. But he finally bought 640 acres on the northern limits of Holtville, and afterwards invested in 320 more near El Centro. For once it seems the advertisements he had read about the Valley fell short of the truth. The surprise was most agreeable and really prolonged the short visit he had intended to a permanent stay. When a young man he taught school. became a trustee and later superintendent of the schools for many years. But now he can afford to go back on the farm and take life easy.

SOME OF THE PIONEER BUILDERS 

 

             While the farmer and the tiller of the soil must be accorded first place in the development and progress of this reclaimed Valley, there are also those in other pursuits who have had very important shares in the work of organization and construction. Some of these men deserve favorable mention in this record of achievement. While it might seem unjust or even invidious perhaps to single out any one man and pile all the honors upon him for what has been done in this line, it must be said by those familiar with the situation and most competent to express an opinion that Mr. H. H. Peterson is entitled to first mention. The various towns of the Valley might have been built without him perhaps, but they certainly were not. And yet he was only a maker of brick and a contractor who furnished the materials and did most of the work of construction. But for him many of these buildings would probably have been of wooden construction and far less substantial either in appearance or durability. He came here in December, 1903, and for three years had a pretty hard time. There had been a small hand brickyard near Imperial for two years, operated by Harbour & Carter. But their output was very small and inferior in quality. The demand always exceeded the supply, however, on account of the scarcity of labor and the attendant expense of the slow methods in use. When Mr. Peterson arrived he took in the situation at a glance and promptly decided that contracting and brick making should be his vocation. He came from Los Angeles, where he obtained large practical experience in the work he was now about to undertake. He bought out Carter's interest in the firm and joined Mr. Harbour in the business. They molded and burned a kiln of brick at Calexico, where they began to erect a hotel. And they were soon swamped with orders. But they found it easier to sell their brick than to make them with their crude and inadequate appliances. Labor was scarce and the work was hard and unattractive. But in spite of all this they built another yard at Holtville, this time on a larger scale. And yet they had to haul all the water from the Alamo channel in barrels and could only work on part time for lack of men.

           He also erected buildings in El Centro, Brawley, Holtville, Calexico and Imperial, and for these he made the brick himself. Among the most important of these structures was the High School Building in Imperial. He made over ten million brick, and the value of his buildings is said to aggregate $750,000. From the autumn of 1901 to the summer of 1910 his contracts amounted to $100,000 in the town of Imperial alone. But in spite of his prosperity and success he has had to face many troubles, as does every aggressive man who does things. Skilled labor was almost impossible to get and keep, even at the high wages he paid. Then, too, nearly all his materials head to be brought either from Los Angeles or San Francisco. He now owns about 560 acres of land in the Valley, including his vast deposits of sand and gravel on the bank of New River near Imperial which is required for his brick-plant operations.

           Mr. J. L. Travers is also widely known as a pioneer contractor in the Valley. He was really the first man on the ground. The town of El Centro was then only a spot in the desert. But when the townsite was purchased by the Redlands Syndicate, the firm of Fairchilds & Travers were prominent contractors and builders in that famous citrus region. Thus it was that Travers, accompanied by a trusty foreman, dropped off the train in this desert waste in November, 1906, half a mile north of the El Centro depot. The El Centro Hotel was Travers' first contractor there, and everybody regarded the project as a joke. But the work went right ahead. He was next asked to build the Holt Opera House, which was another shock to the settlers, as there were only about ten permanent residents there at the time. Water had to be pumped up from the ditch, and this ditch was a pretty important element in the situation. Long before these two big contracts were completed however, Travers was overwhelmed with many others, and he became on of the biggest contractors in that part of the Valley. During four years there his contracts amounted to more than a million dollars. Nearly all the best buildings in the town were designed and constructed by him. Extensive ice and cold storage plants in the various towns were his work. And the main street in El Centro presents all the features of leading thoroughfares in older sections of the country today. Then, when another flood was threatened in 1906, he took his entire force of men and assisted the farmers in building up the levees.

             Dr. Elmer E. Patten, who came in 1908, was the first health officer and county physician. He was also a man of much public spirit, and keenly alive to the best interests of the people. A full water supply and good fire protection for the city of Imperial were secured through his efforts in 1909; also a public sewer system, a new city hall and a Carnegie Library, and a $55,000 high school were all built under his regime.

             But in this record of personal achievement the business world, as represented by the merchant should not be omitted. Next to the oldest mercantile firm in Imperial is that organized by George Varney, and known as Varney Bros. & Co., who came in 1902. Their stock was small at first, though ample for the needs of that time. They ran the store without much assistance, but sold about $100 worth of goods a day during the first few weeks. The first carload of goods that came over the railway was consigned to them, but it had to be carted four miles from the line owing to the incomplete condition of the road. In 1910 Varney Bros. & Co. had five stores, a floor space of 28,000 feet, 32 employees and stock valued at $85,000. Their annual sales then exceeded $540,000. Since then they have added a large new store in Calexico. They have a capital stock of $200,000, and the annual sales of the chain of stores runs into millions.

             One of the first engineers in this region was Mr. C. N. Perry, a tireless and most effective worker and a most faithful leader in that all important branch of reclamation.

FINANCIAL 

 

             As has been already learned by the reader of this volume, the financial end of the great project in this Valley has overshadowed every other feature from its very inception. This perhaps is the history of every important enterprise the world over. But in no case has it formed so vital a factor in the conduct and development of any scheme as presents itself in the reclamation of this desert. And perhaps in few other instances has there been so much trouble and delay in procuring the needed money to prosecute the work as here. And it may also be said that but for the most successful diplomacy on the part of energetic men at different crucial periods of the work the entire project must have been a failure. Contributing in a large measure to this situation the persistent antagonism of the national government, from whatever cause it may have arisen, must share the blame. At times when the prospect of success seemed brightest this spectre of opposition cast its shadow over the scheme, discouraging the operators not only, but the heroic and faithful settlers themselves, who began to doubt, distrust and even despair of the whole project. But here were men engaged in this vast enterprise who were fearless and undaunted, ready to overcome any obstacle that might confront them. Their unbounded faith in the plan was not merely of a mercenary character. They wanted to succeed at any cost and were content to receive their full measure of praise and glory is, however, a question. But the beneficient results of their labors live after them, and will continue to live through future ages when their names  have been forgotten.

             Among the local bankers now is President F. B. Fuller, of the El Centro National Bank, who came into the Valley from Texas. He first bought a 160-acre ranch near El Centro, and also a residence in the Valley. He opened his bank in very modest quarters in 1907. Deposits came in rapidly, and the wisdom of his venture was apparent at once. The bank proved a great convenience. Two years later he began the erection of his new building on the site previously selected. This is now one of the most attractive structures on that street.

            The subject of land titles and boundaries soon became of vital importance. There were many questions as to the validity of titles which arose in different sections, and there seemed to be no recognized authority in this matter. This annoying condition prevailed for six or seven years, and it occasioned much delay in development. People did not really know for a certainty what they were buying or where. At length, however, what became known as the Imperial County Abstract Company was organized by the farmers. But this was soon absorbed by the Peoples' Abstract and Title Company of Riverside county. The bounds of every ranch is doubly marked, which was made necessary by the flood and hasty survey of the government in 1856, when nobody dreamed of any reclamation of this barren Colorado Desert. The settlers obtained some relief, however, in this respect by an act of Congress in 1902 which provided in substance that no bona-fide claim of any actual occupant should be impaired, and eventually the record title should conform to the land actually occupied. A new survey was then made and patents were issued on that basis.

                Of course in all this tangle of red tape the legal profession saw its opportunity, and were not slow to avail themselves of it. Many of these legal problems were handled in the office of the first district attorney, the late John M. Eshleman, afterward lieutenant-governor, and this officer being engaged elsewhere a portion of the time, this duty fell upon Phil S. Swing, his efficient deputy, and his successor, who did most effective service in this capacity. There being no precedents to guide him among the unique conditions then prevailing, he had to take the initiative in many cases. He came into the Valley in October, 1907, and has held many positions of trust since then.

              Visitors here will note the cosmopolitan character of the residents in this Valley, and this has been an important factor in its rapid development. Many nations and callings are  represented, including men from foreign lands who were skilled in horticulture, arboriculture, and fruit growing. Grape growing has received much attention and the conditions of the soil and climate are found well suited to vineyards. France seems to have contributed materially to the region in this way.

              Mr. A. Caillard, an experienced fruit grower in semi-arid sections, has labored most successfully in grape culture here. After considerable study he finally located upon an 86-acre plot not far from Holtville, and planted grapes in an experimental way on a part of his ground, reserving some of the land for barley and alfalfa, thus tiding over the season until his vineyard became fully productive, adding dairy features in the interim. But he soon found that the grape was fully at home here and even more productive than he expected, and now he has devoted the entire plot to vineyard purposes.

               Many more of these Valley pioneers who began business here at an early period of its development might well be mentioned were it not for the fact that the biographical part of this work will doubtless include detailed accounts of their life and work.

              Among those early in the mercantile line was W. D. Conser, of Imperial, now of Colton, who came from Arizona in 1903, bringing with him a stock of goods worth perhaps $2500. A great believer in the use of printing ink and sound business principles with fair and honest dealing, he soon built up a large trade in the small quarters of his store.

             Regarding the most successful vocations in this Valley it is natural to suppose that the experienced farmer coming from the East would be most successful here as  a farmer. And yet such has not been the rule. The old standard methods that prevail in the East are not adapted to secure the best results here without considerable modification. This has been somewhat difficult for the Eastern farmer to understand. Because of this he has often failed while any other man who didn't know it all, and was willing to listen to advice, would succeed. In some cases, however, theorists from agricultural colleges, with some practical training, have been quick to catch on in these Valley methods and succeeded.

             It is pleasure to record the success of Mr. E. H. Erickson in Brawley in fruit growing. Seeing no reason why all kinds of fruit should not thrive here, he planted in great variety with abundant faith. And already his orchards prove even more productive than he had hoped, and they are visited by people with great interest. But in addition to being an experienced horticulturist he is also in love with the pursuit.

            Not every man who comes here, however, finds a smooth road to success in any calling. There are notable exceptions, and Mr. C. H. Walton is one of these. Coming here in 1901 as a skilled farmer and hard worker, things seemed to go wrong with him from the first and he had a hard row to hoe for nine years. For a time he worked on the irrigation ditches, and happened to select a poor piece of land in an unfavorable section. Then he changed his ranch and leased a site near El Centro. But he no sooner got things nicely started there when the mad old river drenched him out, and he was forced to sell out to save himself. But his courage did not fail him even then. He bought more land adjoining his first ranch and resolved to begin anew. But the end of his troubles was not yet. Some designing men sought to attack his title to the land and a contest was filed. But despite all these things this man's courage proved indomitable. He held on and now has his place well stocked with hogs

and many horses.

               Among the practical modern stock-men is W. L. Manahan, who was a regular cow-puncher early in life, and is yet for that matter, riding with his men, branding, etc. He came from New Mexico in 1903. His place is now devoted to alfalfa and barley, and he has some 2000 hogs among his stock. Being experienced not only in breeding, he also knew the business end of buying and selling.

              The growth of cotton is on the increase all through the Valley owing to the present high price of that staple. Mr. R. M. Fuller has 130 acres that produce large yields of cotton. This ranch is three miles from El Centro.

               Nels Jacobson is among the very successful and prosperous stock- breeders in the Valley, owning a fine 720-acre ranch in the Mesquite Lake country. Horses and hogs are his specialties, although he came here from a 14-acre orange grove in the highlands.

               Francis Heiney of Brawley is one of the most skilled and practical fruit men in the Valley, having studied the matter in different countries. His ranch contains a great variety of choice fruits not found elsewhere, and all seem to thrive well under his careful management. He has served the county as agricultural commissioner and had a similar position in San Diego County. Scientific men from different sections visit the scene of his operations with peculiar interest.

               The ranch of D. G. Whiting, near El Centro, is another very attractive spot, with its fine trees and permanent character of the buildings. He brought here the first fine Jersey herd in the entire Valley, having spent much time and money in improving the strain. His dairy interests were also large and important under the improved methods introduced by him. He later turned his attention more particularly to other lines.

               The healthful conditions prevailing in the Valley have already been referred to, and there are increasing evidences coming in frequently. Mr. Edwin Mead found it salutary and also regained his fortune along with his health. Coming in 1901 without any capital to speak of, he selected 320 acres five miles from Holtville and worked for the water company to pay for it. Some 200 hogs, a herd of beef cattle and a good stock of horses and poultry are now feeding upon his alfalfa pasturage. In the early days of Imperial, Mrs. Mead was a very popular hostess at the hotel, and she became known far and wide for her genial hospitality. They now own property amounting to $50,000.

             A model ranch owned by a Los Angeles stock syndicate contains 1100 acres of highly cultivated ranch land and some 876,000 acres across the Mexican line. More stock is produced there than on any other ranch in Southern California. This Mexican land is found to be marvelously productive. One single arid field of barley has 5000 acres, and another of like area is devoted to alfalfa. Walter Bowker is the manager of this vast tract.

             The first artesian well in the Valley is credited to Henry Stroven. He found excellent water at 900 feet near Holtville and later, at a depth of 800 feet, where the flow was 100 gallons per minute. The cost was $1100, and considered cheap at that for the results obtained. Mr. Stroven is also an enthusiastic fruit man and has very productive orchards.

              Joseph Hanson is a prosperous rancher near Imperial, coming here from Alberta, Canada, in 1902, and securing about 320 acres of land, which is largely devoted to forage crops for hogs, of which he has about 500 head. With him came John Larsen, who settled upon 160 acres of land, upon which he raised barley and hay and was content to await developments.

GOOD ROADS

 

               It would indeed be very difficult to find a more vital factor in the development and progress of any country anywhere on the face of the earth than good roads. And yet it is only within comparatively recent years that this great republic of ours gave any public recognition of this fact. We could talk and write glibly of the famous ancient Roman roads that were built in the most permanent and enduring manner, which challenged universal admiration the world over. But here in this new country, under this broader and more modern civilization, we were content to leave our public highways in the most deplorable condition, allowing Dame Nature to have full sway. This, of course, made the roads practically impassable at certain seasons of the year unless the track chanced to be over a rocky foundation and impervious to water. The matter of any systematic road improvement was utterly ignored and such temporary repairs as were made at odd intervals when the farmers had nothing else to do were hopelessly ineffective because of the faulty methods employed and the slipshod manner in which they were carried out. Even when the matter began to receive some little attention, as the result of certain laws requiring some annual repairs on the public roads in certain States, the system used in complying with these provisions was of the most defective and pernicious character, often doing more harm than good. The history of road working in those days would now seem almost incredible and incomprehensive in the light of the present absorbing interest that is now shown in the construction and repair of all public highways throughout the country.

             All this must be credited, first to the advent of the bicycle, and next to the auto cars. If these various inventions and devices had done nothing else for the people their value would have been inestimable. Here in this state of California and throughout the West, perhaps, modern road improvement began in advance of many of the older states in the East, that were slow to realize the importance of the matter as affecting every economic interest which could be named, being loath to incur the needed expense. Here in this reclaimed valley some attention has been given to the public roads. And yet it is entirely safe to say, though without definite information on the subject however, that there is still much need of more permanent road construction and more effective repairs all through the Valley. The natural conditions in most sections of this new county are such that the maintenance of roads, if properly constructed, should be easy and comparatively inexpensive, there being very slight rainfall and no frost. And yet it is a question whether it is not wise to build more permanently than trust to the ordinary dirt roadway, where the traffic is at all heavy. Some variety of concrete or bituminous materials seems every way desirable in such cases. And yet it is claimed here that eighty percent of the taxable property of this new county is owned by non-residents, who really pay inadequate taxes, which leaves an unjust share of this cost of road improvement upon resident owners and tenants. But there must be some way to remedy this evil, and the county officials will doubtless find it. In any event there should be nothing in the way of better roads in this favored land, where the control of water is so completely in the hands of the people. For, after all, the vital point in all road repairs is to keep off the water. Having good drainage and a hard surface, the battle is won.

             The completion of the new State concrete highway from El Centro to the mountain range which fringes the western edge of the Valley, last summer, was a most desirable improvement. This is a sixteen-foot pavement thirty-eight miles long, and includes a single span reinforced concrete bridge across Meyer's Canon that cost $40,000. In order to complete this main roadway system it is now proposed to extend it from Niland to Calexico, and from El Centro to Holtville. For this purpose a bond issue of $225,000 is asked for. The Imperial County Supervisors have promised to raise $161,000 as their share of the expense in connecting the Valley with Los Angeles by a paved highway, south of the Salton Sea, from Brawley to Coachella Valley and Banning. This will be a valuable link in the road system of Southern California, and afford easy access to the great market place of Los Angeles. It will thus appear that the new county proposes to keep abreast of the times in the work of road improvement.

COTTON PRODUCTION

 

            It is pleasant to record the rapid increase of the white-blossoming acreage of cotton during the last few years. Grown at first in an experimental way, it has now become one of the leading crops in the Valley. Statistics show that there were some 138,000 acres devoted to this important staple last year. The yield is placed at 7000 bales of cotton and 42,000 tons of cotton seed, exclusive of production in Mexico. This brought an average of thirty cents a pound for the cotton in the markets and $55 per ton for the seed. Thus the local growers in this largest irrigated area in the West received nearly $11,000,000 for their cotton crop alone last year. These enthusiastic cotton-men now propose to devote 150,000 acres to the growth of this great crop the coming year, and incidentally making this Valley the greatest cotton-producing region in the world. This surely is a proud record for an industry that began here only about nine years ago.

            In its report of cotton production last year the government Department of Agriculture gave the palm to Imperial Valley as leading all other sections in the average yield per acre, it being somewhat over 400 pounds. This was due in part to the absence of all cotton insect pests, the irrigation system, continuous sunlight and deep, fertile soil. Nearly one-half of this Valley crop is now grown in Lower California, there being some 65,000 acres in cotton in that region. Not a single specimen of either boll-weevil or pink boll-worm, which causes so much damage and loss in other cotton-growing sections, has yet been found in this Valley, where every precaution is being taken to prevent their entrance.

            The superior quality of this Imperial cotton has attracted the attention of experts all over the country because of its fine fiber and cleanliness. Three varieties are grown here - the short staple, the Durango medium long staple and the Egyptian cotton. The latter, known as the Pima Egyptian, is being tried during the present year upon 5000 acres of land, with good results, the fiber selling for seventy-two cents per pound last fall. Several special gins for this fine fiber are being erected at Imperial, Seeley and elsewhere; and the farmers expect a return from this variety of $150 an acre or more. The total cost of production is estimated at $100 per acre, the average yield being about one bale of 500 pounds, which is worth, at present prices, about $360 and the seed about $40. The cost of producing a bale of short staple cotton being about $55, leaves a net return of $75 under favorable conditions. It is, therefore, apparent that the cotton mill will soon be one of the leading features in the Valley. There are three cottonseed-oil mills in operation in the Valley, where the seed is crushed and the oil extracted.

              The "upland" cotton, grown so universally in the south Atlantic states, covers a large portion of this Valley acreage, and it has a longer fiber as grown here, bringing about twenty-four cents for the short staple.

              There are now in this Valley 22 cotton gins, three oil mills, and two compressors, representing an investment of over one million dollars. Calexico, the border city of the Valley, is the great cotton center, which really contains the whole story of the growth and prosperity of that city. it now has nine gins and two oil mills, and with its half-million acres of irrigable land close at hand in Mexico, it seems destined to rapid and marvelous expansion. Even now some enthusiastic cottonmen in this great cotton center are predicting that the crop of 1918 on the Mexican lands in this Valley will approximate sixty thousand bales.

ALFALFA

 

            This subject may not be worth an entire chapter, perhaps, but it will not be inappropriate to group other crops of a kindred nature with this record.

            It has often been said that California's prosperity began with the "gold craze" of 1849, which is probably true in a general sense. But there was another important event in her early history that came a few years later without any blare of trumpets whatever, creating no stampedes or rushes, built no mushroom cities, nor made men rich in a single night. This was the introduction of the alfalfa plant into the State, which has made thousands of men rich, whole counties prosperous, and converted barren land into fertile acres, which are better and more enduring than gold mines. From its modest advent into the vast list of forage crops in the early fifties it has been steadily growing in favor until today, when it must be credited first place among them all. It is estimated that there are now some 750,000 acres devoted to alfalfa in the State of California alone. It has thus changed the map of that state not only, but also of other states and territories. Broad vistas of purplish green fields are everywhere seen waving amid cloudlet shadows in the sunlit breeze. Brown and worn-out fields of wheat and barley have been converted into these more productive acres, and thousands of men with modern machinery are busily engaged in gathering the crop several times each season. It has even been estimated that this alfalfa crop is valued as one-and-half times greater than the entire output of gold in California. The cured hay is shipped in bales all over the world, and it goes through the canal to the eastern states. Before the present war it was ground into meal and sent to every spot where there was a cow or horse to be fed. Our allies in foreign lands are now feeding their cavalry horses on a secret ration composed of alfalfa-meal bricks ground with other nutritious ingredients. Dairymen find that it makes rich milk, fine cream and butter, which in this era of high prices turns into a fortune with proper management. It is fed green to dairy cattle, or the stock is turned loose into the waving fields to browse at will. The plant seems to adapt itself to most any climate with moisture and deep soil, though not so well in a wet, clay soil. Irrigation is not absolutely necessary, as it is grown successfully in this and other states in the east without it. The Turkestan species, especially, is found to resist seasons of drouth. The plant grew in northern Africa and Asia Minor centuries ago. And even in the frozen soil of Russia its hardy roots penetrate to a considerable depth.

               There are now many varieties of this alfalfa plant, of which a western experiment station is trying a list of 100. As to its precise origin and the date little seems to be definitely known. It is believed to be the deepest-rooted plant in the vegetable kingdom, which accounts for its extreme hardiness and great vigor. These roots often extend many feet below the surface of the soil, thus bringing up valuable plant food, and hence it is that from four to six crops are gathered in a single season.

               A peculiar feature of this plant is that attached to its roots are vast masses of nodules, formed by the working of a certain friendly nitrogen-producing microbe, without which it cannot grow, as the plant will not thrive in a virgin field. Either the seed or the soil must be inoculated. Despite its vigor of growth, however, it must be handled with more care than the coarser forage plants or much of its food value is lost. In curing for hay it must be cut at the right time and handled very little in order to secure bright green hay.

               The Soudan grass is a new forage plant which is found well adapted for silage purposes, that was introduced last year. It is a native of Africa and yields from ten to fifteen tons per acre, being an annual plant which can be cut from three to four times each season. It is usually planted in August upon old barley land or after the cantaloupe crop has been gathered. The yield is similar to that of alfalfa, producing a vast amount of forage in a short time where another crop must be seeded the same year.

              Milo Maize is among the chief grain crops in the Valley, and it showed an increased yield per acre last year. It is fed to hogs, cattle, sheep and poultry, and the price for this grain was much greater last year than ever before.  In response to the call of the nation for greater production, the irrigation area of Imperial County in 1917 produced fodder, fiber and food-stuffs to the value of $32,000,000, which entitles it to second place among the counties of the United States in agricultural endeavor. More than 45,000 acres of new land were prepared and seeded last year, increasing the irrigated acreage on both sides of the line to 408,000. Of this some 80,000 acres are devoted to milo maize and 60,000 to barley. Most of these products are used at home, the farmers being convinced that a pound of forage put into cattle on the ranch is worth almost as much as two pounds shipped away. The acreage of wheat will be materially increased this year by the planting of 5000 acres, as it has been found that wheat will bear as well as barley and bring better prices in the market, especially under the present war conditions and the great scarcity of this valuable grain for human consumption.

            The increase of silos of late throughout this region, which are now said to number over forty, has led to a much larger production of forage crops adapted to this purpose, such as sweet sorghum, which often yields 38 tons of silage per acre. This silage is a desirable feed in the production of all dairy products.

FRUITS ADAPTED TO THE VALLEY

 

              Sixteen years of experimentation by individuals have taught many lessons, positive and negative, regarding horticultural possibilities. E. F. Howe, who has been writing of the Valley from its beginning long ago, said that the Mediterranean Sea lies between the Valley and the coastal plain. This is Egypt and that is Italy, he declared, and developments seem to have justified his prediction. The orange and lemon trees do not thrive and do not produce satisfactorily. The grapefruit trees do a little better, but are short-lived, though their product is superb. This is the only citrus fruit that thrives.

              In the adeciduous class of fruits the olive has made a splendid showing, though plantings are light.

              In deciduous fruits figs and pears have shown ability to resist climatic and soil conditions and to bear finely. The apricot is a good producer of very early fruit, but the trees are sensitive to the effects of irrigation and must be guardedly handled, many trees being lost.

              Vinous fruits, including Persian and Spanish varieties of grapes, produce largely and in some seasons bring big returns for table use. The climate is not adapted to raisin-making. Varieties of strawberries lately introduced have become big producers and honey-makers.

               Berries have not thus far made a good record.

               It probably is in the palmaceous fruits that the big future lies, especially with the date. Importations from Arabia and Morocco of the choicest varieties have started the industry, but the great war has delayed further importations, and propagation proceeds slowly. It will probably be a number of years before the production is standardized, but in the end will come an industry of giant proportions.

                The cantaloupe melon is probably one of the most profitable crops grown in the Valley, and the acreage is being rapidly increased. There are now over 8000 acres producing these luscious melons every year, which exceeds the Georgia product by over 2000 acres. The fruit ripens earlier here than in any other region of the United States, and the quality is superior. There were 12,800 acres devoted to this melon in the Valley last year, and the crop went to every corner of the country. Under the California State law none but those of the best quality could be sent out; nothing of an inferior character could be shipped. On a single day in June there were six trainloads of these melons that left Brawley, the great cantaloupe center of the county. Ninety million melons was the estimated product of the Valley last year. In the culture of this fruit systematic and careful selection of seed is the first requisite. From the famous "Rocky Ford" strain a new variety has been developed that is regarded of superior quality not only but of greater vigor and productiveness, being also less liable to fungus attacks. It also has better carrying qualities. Some of these melon experts here claim that a cantaloupe should be picked just before it is entirely ripe, not only to secure its arrival in the distant market in the best condition, but also to insure its perfect flavor. they say that many are picked too green, however, in order to reach the early market ahead of other sections, which practice is bitterly denounced by the best growers, who are jealous of their reputation, and has resulted in much damage to the industry, because one such carload often ruins the entire shipment. And yet the fact is that the melon output of this Valley is among its most important annual assets. The season of ripening begins late in May and extends until the middle of July.

DAIRY AND POULTRY INDUSTRIES

 

                Among the important and profitable interests in the Valley today is that of the dairy. This is closely allied with the vast forage production for which it has become famous in past years. Two years ago a former chief of the dairy division of the United States Department of Agriculture predicted that the State of California was destined to become the greatest dairy state in the Union because of the low cost of butterfat production. And he asserted further that the Imperial Valley presented the greatest possibility of profit of any section of the state, having every opportunity to excel as a money-maker in this business. Even at this time, of the 58 counties this Imperial County supplies half of the butter consumed in Los Angeles, and produces one-tenth of the total butter product of the state. And yet the record would seem to show that this has been done with low-bred cows and a low grade of efficiency, due to improper methods, both of which could easily have been remedied, and have been since to some extent. Farmers have learned that improved methods and more sanitary care brings better prices and larger profits. To this end they have been weeding out their herds, excluding the "boarders" and retaining the best milk producers. They are also securing some thoroughbred stock and selecting cows having the best butter records. Careful tests are being made of the individual members of the herd regarding their producing capacity and general efficiency. Greater attention is also being given to cleanliness in all the various operations of milking and handling the cream and butter, realizing that such sanitary conditions are absolutely necessary to the production of good butter from the time the milk leaves the cow until the golden product is packed for market. No department of farm work requires quite so much care to every detail as the dairy. And no other offers so much chance for careless and unclean methods. Cream and dirt make a filthy combination of the good and bad that is intolerable, not to speak of the danger which may lurk in bacteria. The creamery man cannot entirely eliminate the contaminating ingredients which may have found their way into the cream. Clean utensils is another all-important item.

               State Inspector Nye, who visited this region, gave some very  good advice along these lines which have been heeded to some extent.  Besides emphasizing all these sanitary features, he says cream that is quickly cooled keeps sweet much longer than when the process is gradual. The cream should be kept at a low temperature until ready for the separator. This, of course, is a matter that requires careful management in this climate, where it is necessary to use ice. Clean cream, cold cream and rich cream are the important factors. With proper attention to all these details it is claimed that butter-fat can be produced cheaper in this Valley than anywhere else. There is little need of barns in this rainless region, unless it be for shelter from the sun at times. And the season lasts for twelve months, with an ample supply of green fodder continually, which usually consists of barley and alfalfa mixed. Of late, however, this ration has been varied with silage in some instances on the theory that a contented cow will eat more and give better and richer milk. Some claim that with proper management it is possible in this Valley to keep two cows per acre, especially if silage is used. Under ordinary conditions, even without silage, they are not keeping one cow per acre. One progressive farmer near El Centro is keeping 35 cows on 20 acres without silage.

               In 1916 some 8,000,000 pounds of butter were shipped from this Valley, which brought $2,500,000 in the markets. The average yearly product here has been estimated at over seven million pounds. This dairy industry is conducted largely by men who came into this Valley with very limited capital. A man with $300 in cash, who can pay a month's rent on 40 acres of land, usually makes a handsome surplus in a short time. It is said that the average Valley cow will produce four-fifths of a pound of butter every day, which at present prices nets forty-one cents, or $12.30 a month. This she will do for nine months in the year, making her value for butter alone $110.70. Then the skimmed milk is worth $36 per year, and the calf ought to bring about $25. This brings the cow's total yearly product to $181.70.

CHICKENS

 

            In this epoch of disturbed civilization and national conflicts, when the food supply of the world for man and beast has become scanty and apparently inadequate, as we have been led to believe, the domestic hen becomes a vital factor to some degree in the economic branch of human existence. This docile and industrious mistress of the barnyard has suddenly been elevated to a degree of aristocratic importance unknown to her before. And yet these facts do not seem to appeal to her animal instincts to any perceptible degree. Her henship seems to pursue the even tenor of her quiet life in the usual manner, as though saying: "I am attending to my accustomed duties at the nest in the usual way; what more do you want?" Meanwhile the products of this creature are soaring in price with the speed of an aviator, and the people are

calmly doing without omelettes, broiled chicken, and other delicacies originating in the poultry yard.

              And yet this Imperial Valley is doing its share to alleviate matters in the emergency, in spite of the high price of feed required in the hen family. The poultry industry has grown materially here the last few years as the profits have become greater. It is, in fact, one of the quickest and surest means by which a man of small capital can earn a good living. The mild climate, without frost or snow, favors at least two broods of chicks each year. The abundance of succulent green fodder every day in the year, and the fine local market for eggs and young poultry, all these strongly favor the business in the region. With the improved methods now in use the careful breeder now figures upon a net profit of over one dollar per hen each year.  During the past fifteen years various plans have been tried in the housing and management of the yards. and the size of separate pens, with the result  that now, in most cases, open sheds built perfectly tight at sides and rear, with partitions every ten feet, having an open wire netting front, with roosts against the rear wall, is the most approved plan. The floors are either of wood, cement or dirt. The average cost of housing 500 hens is found to be from $250 to $375.

              While fanciers and owners keep a variety of breeds, the White Leghorn strain is used almost universally for the best business results. And yet few of these are pure-bred stock, the effort having been to increase the size of both bird and egg. The hatching of eggs is mostly done by large plants devoted to that branch of the business, having capacities from 70,000 to 120,000 eggs at a setting. When a day old the chicks are delivered to the brooder. The male birds are sorted out and fattened for market. The feed "mash" contains many ingredients ground together. In the summer and fall alfalfa and Soudan grass are also used. The theory is that a hen well supplied with nitrogenous food should lay eggs. In some of the hen-houses a powerful nitrogenous lamp is placed at every roost, with an alarm clock attachment, which is set to switch on the light at 3 a.m. Then her henship is expected to get busy, eat her breakfast and jump on the nest. While this may seem theoretical and imaginary to many, it is claimed here that the gain in egg production from a goodly flock of hens at the winter season, when eggs are high, is about twenty percent under this early light scheme. In this way one thousand well-bred hens, carefully managed and properly fed, is said to ensure the owner a return of at least $3000 a year.

              This Valley has also acquired a reputation for fine turkeys, which have become famous throughout the West. The absence of cold rains and wet weather, among  the greatest evils in  turkey-raising, greatly favors the business. And it is now claimed that some 40,000 turkeys are shipped out of the Valley every year.

THE WOMEN OF THE VALLEY

 

                While something has already been said, in an earlier chapter of this work, concerning the pioneer women of this reclaimed desert, there is very much more that might and should be said, even in this general article.

               They were not what the world calls "society women" who came here with their husbands, or somebody else's husband, or sweetheart, in quest of new fields for display or adventure. Nor did they include maidens, young or old, or even attractive widows in search of new conquests in the field of matrimony. No, there's no record of any of these classes having ventured into this desolation during its early development. And if they came in later their arrival caused no ripple that was not engulfed in the more substantial social affairs that have been created and fostered by other women of a different class. Most of these are country born and bred, with an ancestry of sturdy farmers of which they have been proud to boast. They were strangers to "pink teas, tangoes and bridge parties;" simply plain women with big, noble souls, ready for any honorable and worthy task that was set before them. They came to this undeveloped Valley with the full purpose of doing their share in its reclamation and conversion into a region of prosperous farmers and happy homes. And they now knew what was involved in that bold proposition. But they were women of undaunted courage and persistence. This was due not alone to their nature but also to their country breeding and training on the farm, the best place in the world for any woman to be born and reared. And yet after a time they realized that some form of social life even there was in every way desirable. The ascetic life is unreal and unsatisfying to the average human being. There must be contact or association with others to bring out the best there is in any individual. Nor is it necessary to flock to the cities and villages in order to secure these opportunities, despite the erroneous impression to that effect which prevails. There is ample chance for these advantages in rural sections like this great Valley if the women themselves are so inclined. And this has been the history of this region from the beginning to its settlement. There has been a spirit of sympathetic hospitality among these noble women, and a unity of purpose that has animated so-called society circles. City friends visit here with real enjoyment and pleasure.

                 Numerous social clubs and associations of various kinds have been organized in different parts of the Valley, and their meetings have often been held in the school and church buildings. But there is no purpose here to speak in detail, nor even to mention the names of the leading women promoters of these organizations. The mere fact of their existence shows that the uncouth features so often attributed to the life of rural communities do not exist here. The salutary influence of these associations extends to the home life and the field industries as well as in the public life.

              The girl who learned to perform the duties of a farmer's wife working at her mother's side on the farm, finding pleasure in that duty, is the ideal wife for a practical farmer every time. And this wholesome fact is fully confirmed right here in numerous instances. The strife and turmoil of a populous city is gloriously avoided in this joyous cadence of Nature, who always lives next door.

               "Don't ever sell the old farm; it is the dearest place in all the world," writes a college lad to his mother at home. And even now in these days there is a distinct trend back to the farm all over the country with young and old. Social gatherings, concerts, lectures and other forms of community interest are growing in favor among these busy and prosperous people.

                The progressive element in Calexico has in some respects led in these organized social features. The Women's Improvement Club, which was formed in 1908, has been instrumental in that vicinity, establishing a reading-room and public library. There is also a City Park Commission, which has charge of the public and school grounds. And the new Dorcas society has many practical features of dispensing charity. Then for the past three years the mothers and teachers of the public schools have banded together in a Parent-Teachers' Association, which discusses questions pertaining to child welfare in general.

THE CHILDREN

 

                 And this leads directly to some mention of the children who inhabit this Valley. What about these men and women of the future, who are here training for the duties and activities which the coming years will bring? How are they being fitted for the wondrous achievement for which their parents don't yet even dream nor form any conception? The work of development and progress here is sure to go on. The momentum of the past must impel the work of the future and lead to still greater efforts and grander results than those which are being recorded here. Their greater facilities for education must lead to a broader outlook upon the affairs of life, and their training and experience in this Valley will open their eyes to new possibilities in this favored region as they grow older, many of which cannot be foreseen yet by those in the arena of endeavor at the present day. Are these children being properly fitted to carry on the work which their pioneer parents have marked out for them here? Surely their tasks must prove easier than fell to the lot of their fathers and mothers. And yet it may call for some qualifications of a different character, as new conditions arise.

               The schools of the Valley are progressive and well conducted. The teachers have been selected for their educational fitness not only, but with some regard as to their native equipment and tact for control of the young minds committed to their charge, not two of them alike. The requisite qualifications for a successful teacher of any child are manifold and of vast importance, not always fully realized by district officials. The old notion that most any young lady with a fair school education, who wanted some easy position where she could earn a decent living in a dignified way, was fitted for a school teacher has been fraught with danger in the past, and has now been almost entirely abandoned.

               But there is a joyous bunch of youngsters here who seem to enjoy life in full measure. They have heard the story of reclamation with its hardships endured by their parents in the earlier years. Some of these children never saw any snow and don't understand what it is. Nor could they enjoy coasting down an icy hill, as they live on a level plain; nor any skating, for there is never any ice here, nor even anything to make snowballs of. But any observant visitor to these school grounds will find no lack of active sports on the baseball plot or the links, where the merry music of juvenile laughter rings out upon the balmy air. And their evenings at home when the day's work is done are spent in music and indoor games, discussion of current events or jolly converse. The absence of saloons and other contaminating features so prevalent in other communities greatly lessens the temptation to evil and wrong-doing. Thus it is very obvious that this Valley presents an ideal atmosphere for youthful life to a degree not often found in other regions. And it is pleasant to record also the fact that the civil governments in the cities and towns of this new county seem to be in full harmony with the best interests of the young. A remarkable feature of the region is that in this community of 50,000 people no native of the county has yet, in 1918, reached the age of graduation from the high school. 

IN CONCLUSION

 

              And now, after all that has been said concerning the general features of this newest county in the State of California, what is the conclusion of the reader? Undeveloped even yet? Yes, there will be no dispute about that; the fact is freely admitted, even by the most enthusiastic dweller in the Valley.  But this man will ask you to consider what has been done in the few years that have intervened between the great desert waste and the fertile garden of today. He is optimistic about this, and he has a right to boast over it and throw up his hat. But the work of complete reclamation has only been begun. But there is a momentous energy of purpose that gathers force as the work proceeds. New possibilities are discovered every day, and new ways to develop them are continually suggesting themselves.

              The control of the great Colorado River is now more complete perhaps than ever before. And yet this will always remain the paramount problem here upon which all other features must depend. The construction of a series of huge reservoirs is now under contemplation, and Congress will be asked to call a convention of all parties interested in the near future. Some six or seven of these great reservoirs are proposed at a total cost of $15, 000,000 per acre-foot, one of these alone to impound 8,000,000 acre-feet of water, or three times as large as any other reservoir in the United States. The estimated cost of these vast storage basins is $50,000,000. From four to five million acres of rich land, now barren, or only partially productive, could thus be irrigated.

              And it is significant to state that of this estimated cost it is claimed that the land now under cultivation in this Imperial Valley alone produced this year enough to defray the entire cost of this reservoir system. This plan would also make possible a vast power department west of the Rocky Mountains. And it is further urged that this vast storage of water would be sufficient to irrigate all the irrigable land below the Grand Canon in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California and New Mexico, leaving a vast surplus for Mexico.

              Whether or not this great project will be carried out remains to be seen, of course. The full control and conservation of this Colorado water is regarded as second only in importance to the Panama Canal. If the plan now under consideration goes through it will take at least from eight to ten years for its consummation, according to the government engineers. But unfortunately there is a great deal of official red tape between this and even the beginning of the work. The region of country drained by this wonderful river and its tributaries is about 8000 miles long and from 300 to 500 miles wide, and it comprises 244,000 square miles. The river has been likened unto the Nile, and is often called the "Nile of America" because of the similar aspects presented. The climate in each case is much the same, while similar deposits of fertilizing silt are brought down.

               But these features have already been referred to in some detail in previous chapters. And yet it should be said that this subject of reclamation of arid lands in the United States is beginning to attract more attention by reason of the prevailing food scarcity, which leads foreseeing men to cast about for some new source of supply. Only a few days ago David Lubin, a California delegate to the International Institute of Agriculture, made the assertion that the reclamation for cattle raising on the lands of the eleven arid states of the Union was the key to the food problem. And he proposed in his report to Congress that measures should be taken at once by the government to carry out the plan. Continuing, he said that the cattle of Europe were being rapidly eaten up, and the cattle supply of the world was diminishing under the unprecedented demand of the war for hides and meat. He did not propose this national reclamation scheme for the war merely, but for all time in the best interests of the nation. His proposition includes the leading of small streams from the mountains over these arid lands, and also the boring of many artesian wells.

                Be this as it may, however, it has become very apparent that the normal food supply of the nation has become inadequate, and every reasonable effort should be made to increase it. Not that we are obliged to feed the foreign nations which are now engaged in bitter conflict, both from natural causes and the arrival of immigrants after the war. In any conservative aspect therefore that presents itself there seems great promise of a grand future for this Valley in the years to come.

                 "Come and see!" is the invitation we extend in closing this article. And this invitation is re-echoed from every corner of this new county. The pioneer stage of development has passed, and the period of aggressive activity has arrived. Modern methods and facilities are everywhere apparent, and there is a hearty welcome awaiting every newcomer.

                 "Come and see!"