Wants and Advantages of California [pp. 338-347]

344 WANTS AND ADVANTAGES OF CALIFORNIA. [APRIL,
a house, of course it would be better
for him if less land belonged to the private individual, and more to the Government. With a year's wages, he can not
undertake all this; but he can buy a
team of horses and a plow. With these,
and known to be honest, sober, and industrious, he will find, in every locality,
holders of large tracts of land willing to
supply him with every thing else he requires for farming purposes, for a share
in the crop. He will find this more remunerative than working for wages, to
say nothing of its being more independent.
Doubtless owing to the long distance
to reach California, fewer immigrants
arrive than if the country were more accessible; and after their arrival, they
encounter more than ordinary difficulties while searching for farms. Such a
vast quantity of the land is claimed under Spanish grants-and a great deal of
what is left has been taken up by private
entry-that the remaining agricultural
land still owned by the Government is
to be found only in isolated tracts; and
these tracts are generally occupied by
graziers. In the other States, when the
immigrant seeks a farm, he everywhere
finds men willing to give him information, because his interests and theirs are
identical. They, like him, are farmers;
and they know that the sooner the land
is occupied by such settlers, the sooner will they have roads, schools, and
churches. Here, he meets with opposition from the graziers, because his interest and theirs are antagonistic. Many
of the graziers belong to a class that do
not place a very high value on education; more of them are rich enough to
send their children to private schools.
They do not want roads, as their cattle
can be driven to market through the
open country. They have nothing to
gain, but every thing to lose, by the settlement among them of agriculturists.
As the law now stands, they have the
farmer who settles in their midst completely at their mercy, unless he is rich
enough to spend in fencing the land five
times as much money as the land itself
cost. Until the law is changed, and the
grazier compelled to prevent his cattle
from damaging his neighbor's crops, it
is useless to expect California to become
a thickly settled State.
Even after this difficulty is removed,
the immigrant in search of a farm will
find that his object is not very easily accomplished. No law will compel the
grazier to assist him in his search by
pointing out vacant portions. Hence,
the necessity of a paid agency for supplying the immigrant with information of
this kind. The Immigrant Union does
a good deal this way; but, through lack
of funds, not a tenth of what is necessary. We should remember that when
an immigrant comes here, and, failing to
find a farm, leaves for some other State,
it is not that immigrant alone we lose.
Before leaving home, the last words he
heard from dozens of his friends were:
"When you get there, write, and let me
know all about the country. If' I am
pleased with your opinion of it, I shall
soon follow you." If he isaissatisfied,
he leaves the State, warns his friends,
and we lose them also. Any legislation
that fails to provide funds for supplying
the immigrant with information after his
arrival, is short-sighted, and detrimental
to the best interests of the State.
Notwithstanding all the land that has
been alienated, there are yet in California over ninety - eight million acres of
Government land. A great deal of this
is suitable for farming. It is unnecessary to point out any of those localities
where land fit for fruit can be obtained.
That is too plentiful to need particular
mention, Good grain land can be found
in San Bernardino, Kern, Tulare, Merced, and Fresno counties. The soil in
these places is very fertile, needing only
a sufficiency of moisture to produce