Imperial Valley press., December 28, 1907, Image 1

About Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current

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Imperial Valley Press.
VOL. VII
RECLAIMED LAND
AND PRODUCTS
What the Homeseeker Wants to
Know About the Colorado
Desert That Was
IMPERIAL VALLEY STATISTICS
Questions Relating to Soil, Climate,
Crops and Profits of Agriculture
Answered in Booklet Issued by El
Chamber of Commerce.
A booklet, giving concise and
accurate information concerning
Imperial Valley, its products and
its development, has been issued
by the El Centro Chamber of
Commerce, the Ira Aten Lapd
Co. and the Colby Real Estate
Co. for general distribution. It
is compact and of a size conveni
ent for enclosure in letters, and
it answers the' questions asked
by persons who contemplate in
vestment in Imperial county
lands or business enterprises.
Following a brief geographical
description of the region is. this
general statement of conditions
affecting agriculture:
„« . RICHES INCOMPARABLE
Here, in this valley, the Sun
shine Kingdom of the Southwest,
lie a half-million acres of the
most productive lands within the
borders of any continent. Its
riches are incomparably greater
than can be shown by any other
'/, section; depending not upon the
mining of metals, which has but
a comparatively brief span of life
nor upon the development of ar
tificial industrial schemes, but
based upon the safe and sure re
turns of intensive farming under
ideal conditions. No similar area
with like physical conditions ex
ists elsewhere.
What irrigation will do may be
seen here to the fullest. In the
East the artificial fertilization of
the farm soils is essential to their
continued productiveness, and
the farmer of the humid regions
1 is saddled with the support of a
great fertilizer industry. Here,
in the Sunshine Kingdom, the
fertilizer question- answers itself,
for the sediments brought by
the* mountain and desert streams
to the Rio Colorado, the source
of supply for the Imperial Valley,
are constantly renewing and re
vivifying the soils to which they
are applied.
Questions relating to use and
oost of water, climatic conditions,
range of temperature, rainfall,
etc., are answered fully. Fig
ures and facts showing the
growth and profits of dairy farm
ing and stock raising and the re
l markable adaptability of the val
ley to those industries are given,
followed by a section on inten
sive farming and the great re
turns derived from grapes and
cantaloupes. Following are cx
i cerpts from the section:
GRAPES AND CANTALOUPES
From the first car of grapes
t shipped to New York on June
v>27tn, 1907, through the El Cen
tro Cantaloupe Growers' Associ
ation, of El Centro, net Ireturns
were received for the 801 crates
of $1,800. This was the first
crop for the year; ttye. second
crop from the same vines was
marketed in August and the third
crop in November was placed in.
the local markets. Grapes have
been picked in October from root
ed vines planted tho previous
January and July from cuttings
planted 18 months previously.
On the Corwin vineyard where
Official Paper of Imperial County
EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1907.
the vines were less j than two
years old, seven distinct pickings
or crops were received after the
first of June, 1907. On the
Mayor ranch near El Centro ten
pounds of malaga grapes were
picked from a vine wrjich was
planted as a cutting the previous
February. The records of the
El Centro Cantaloupe Growers'
Association for the season of
1907, show, for example, that
one grower marketed from 7
acres, attended by one man up
to picking time, a total of 2240
crates, receiving therefor net re
turns of $4,070.45, another with
seven acres marketed 2120 crates,
receiving as net returns $3, 309. 28.
The total output of cantaloupes
for the valley for the season of
l#o7 was 505 cars and the mar
kets will readily take three times
this number without affecting
prices,
Bee and poultry ranching,
growing of vegetables and the
results of various agricultural
experiments are dealt with, and
the last chapter treats the land
question in this succinct manner:
LAND AT LOW PRICES
Last but most important of all,
is the query relating to land; the
possibility of filing on govern
ment land, or purchasing im
proved or unimproved holdings.
As concerns government land it
may be stated that there is none
left within ten miles of the rail
road towns of the valley and but
very little still open to entry be
yond that limit and within the
irrigable boundaries of the valley.
There are, however/ many en
trymen who have availed them
selves of the extensive liberality
of the law and who are now will
ing to part with at least a ' por
tion of their holdings at fair pri
ces; indeed, at low prices when
the possibilities of intensive cul
ture are soberly considered.
| The booklet contains no extrav
agant statements and) it is just
the thing to send to hbmeseekers
and investors who want facts.
COURT HOUSE PLANS
Contract Executed By Supervisors For
All-Tile Building.
The Board of Supervisors was
in session on Monday and Tues
day of this week, devoting most
of its time to consultation with
contractor Long over the contract
and plans for a court house. The
chairman and clerk of the board
were authorized to execute aeon
tract with Long and Newman at
the bid price of $12,190.
The plans of Thos. Fellows for
an all tile wall building were
changed in minor details, such
as widening the front windows,
substituting 2x6 for 2x4 ceiling
joists and adding a light well on
the second floor, and in consider
ation of the changes the Board
voted to allow the contractors
$150 above the contract price.
Samuel B. Zimmer was appoint
ed Building Superintendent of
the temporary court house at
$3.50 a day, employment to be
gin when erection of the build
ing begins. y
M. D. Johnson withdrew hisf
application for appointment as
tax collector, and F. G. Putman
was appointed tax collector of
Imperial county.
Supervisors Wade and Fergu
son were delegated to act as an
insurance committee for the pur
pose of insuring county property.
A communication was received
from Judge Cole of the Superior
Court requesting the selection of
200 petit jurors to be made in
January.
NEW LAND POLICY
Holder of Assigned Desert Entry
Cannot Make Original Filing
Revised Forms Issued by Land Office
Indicate Radical Change. One
Filing or Assignment Exhausts
Desert Land Claimant's Right.
New forms for desert land en
tries prescribed by the Land Of
fice indicate a very material
change in policy. The entryman
now must make oath that he not
only never has filed a claim to
desert land, but that no claim
ever has been assigned to him.
The effect is to limit a desert
land claimant to one entry, no
matter whether it be forty acres
or 320, and to bar the holder of
an assigned claim from making
an original entry in his own
name. • The change is radical
and may cause many complica
tions^ title if it be made appli
cable to pending unperfected
claims.
In order to get the full legal
allowance of . desert land, the
claimant must file on his 320
acres at one time. If he files on
or takes only 40 acres under as
signment, he exhausts his rights
and never can acquire any more
desert land except by
of patented land.
MISNTRELS HERE
Big Show in Opera House Wednes-
day, January 8
W. N\ Miller of Dockstader's Troupe,
Assisted by Best Valley Talent
Good Music, Dancing and Jokes. ,
The Imperial Valley Minstrels,
directed and aided by W. N. Mil
ler, late of Dockstader's famous
minstrel troupe, will give a min
strel show in the El Centro op
era house Wednesday, Jan/ 8.
Mr. Miller is said to be one of
the best minstrel men ever on
the Pacific coast and has been
secured at a large cost to take
charge of this performance.
There will be 25 people in the
show, which will consist of regu
lation first part with olio follow
ing. A fine quartette is practic
ing several new songs for the oc
casion and in addition there will
be clever dancing, new songs,
solos, local hits and witticisms.
The general admission will be
50 cents and reserved seats will
be 75 cents and $1.
New Realty Company o
The Imperial Land Company
with offices in El Centro and
Brawley opened for business this
week. The El Centro office is in
the Blackintori building. The
cpmpany is composed of T. H.
'Kellogg of El Centro, F. H. Stan
ley of Brawley and Johivß. Bak
er of El Centro and will do a gen
eral real estate business. The
members of the company are no
strangers to the people of Imper
ial Valley. Mr. Kellogg and Mr.
Baker are county officers and in
close touch with valley conditions.
Mr. Stanley is a Brawley real es
tate man of long experience and
ability, He was for some time
associated with Mr. Kellogg in
the real estate business in the
county*.
Union Christmas Tree
All the Sunday Schools of El
Centro united in giving an enter
tainment in the opera house on
Christmas eve. It was the chil
dren's night, and the little ones
entertained the audience of grown
ups with music, recitations and
drills. The coming of Santa
Claus was preceded by a pretty
little allegory of the hours, in
which the faces of children took
the places of figures on a clock
dial and were marshaled by a
fairy. Albert Durham played
Santa Claus and distributed can
dy, pop corn and jokes to the
great delight of the youngsters.
W. E. Wilsie was Majordomo
of the revels; Mrs. Geo. Irvin
and Mrs. C. F. Buttress directed
the singling, and Mrs. R. L. Greer
managed the drills.
The Buttress boy broke away
from the regular programme and
had a better time and made more
fun than anybody.
Christmas Suicide
E. J. Shaw, of Washington, D.
C, a stranger in this part of the
country, killed himself with a
pistol at Calexico last Wednesday
evening. He arrived in the town
a day, or two before and took a
room at the Thacher house, but
gave no information about him
self. He appeared, ill and de
pressed, and wandered about by
himself, evading all inquiries as
to^his condition. Early in the
evening he went to the depot,
sought a dark place behind a car
and put a bullet through his head.
He had more than $100 in his
pockets, .-
Water Company Candidate
The Calexico stockholders of
Water Co. No. 1 have nominated
E. S. McCullom as their candi
date for director at the election
to be held in January. The pro
posed increase of capital stock is
not viewed with unanimous ap
proval by water users, and it is
not certain that the plan will be
adopted. , ■ /
V. Rapp, secretary of the Im
perial County Abstract Co., was
in El Centro over Christmas and
will return to Los Angeles Mon
day, where he will complete the
work of transcribing the land
records. This work is practically
completed so that the company
now has a complete record of all
land office filings in Imperial Val
ley with daily revisions.
Frank Miller and James Burt,
,the hobo burglars who raided Ca
lexico recently and looted rooms
in the hotel, were examined be
fore Justice McCullom last Tues
day and held to answer in the
Superior Court.
A concrete building is being
erected at Imperial by W. J.
Mitchell. Gravel has been found
nejir the town, and the concrete
blocks are manufactured on the
ground.
The Calexico townsite company
offers to sell a block of land and
give the proceeds to the town to
invest in street improvements.
The block is valued at $3,000.
A hobo about 17 years old broke
into a box car at Old Beach last
Thursday and all he could find in
the way of plunder was a sack of
beans. He was caught and is
now in jail.
ORANGE GROVES
SOON WILL GROW
Riverside Experts Quick to Recog
nize Opportunities Opened in
Imperial Valley
WILL SET OUT ORCHARDS
Citrus Growers Convinced That Con
ditions Are All Favorable '.^For,
Great Production of Early Fruit,
and Unhesitatingly Take the Lead.
j Recognition of the fact that
Imperial Valley is especially ad
apted to the growing of citrus
fruit is spreading, and while
farmers who have had no exper
ience with oranges are hesitating,
orange growers from the citrus
districts west of the mountains
are preparing to set out groves,
being confident that they are
taking no chances. F. A. Tet
ley, formerly of Riverside, is
preparing seven acres near Ca
lexico for orange trees, and W.
G. Record, another Riverside
grower, will set out 40 acres next
spring.
Dr. G. M. Dennis, who has
been growing citrus, fruit for a
dozen years or more, has been
looking over valley lands and
studying conditions, and he is
satisfied that Imperial Valley has
distinct advantages over ' other
portions of Southern California.
Trees grow more rapidly here,
bear a year earlier, produce bet
ter fruit, which ripens two months
in advance of Riverside, and/are
not subject to scale "because of
the dry heat. Two months lead
in getting ripe fruit to market is
a great advantage, as is shown
by the experience of the Arizona
growers, who get very high pri
ces for early, oranges.
Dr. Dennis has found nothing
indicative of danger to orange
(Sees and has no doubt that this
valley will become a great orange
growing district in a very few
years. He is negotiating for
land, and when he secures a suit
able tract he will put at least ten
acres in oranges.
The citrus fruit industry will
be established here by men like
these Riverside growers, who
have had long experience and do
not need to make experiments in
the cultivation and care of trees.
With their aid and guidance,
settlers who lack experience can
avoid mistakes and go ahead in
confidence. Five years from now
Imperial Valley will be shipping
ripe oranges by the carload early
in November.
Stockmen Organize
The second preliminary meet
ing of stockmen, to consider
plans for uniting the stock grow
ers of the county in a protective
association, was held at Imperial
last Saturday.
The committee on constitution
and by-laws presented a report,
which was accepted subject to
approval at the next meeting, to
be held Jan. 18 for the election
of officers and perfection of the
organization. By united action,
the stockmen hope to secure bet
ter transportation, shorter sched
ule'for trains and a reduction of
freight rates on stock.
NO. 38