USA > California > Riverside County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume I > Part 56
USA > California > San Bernardino County > History of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Volume I > Part 56
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The river bottom lands that came in as part of the Rubidoux pur- chase and otherwise were not looked upon with any favor and except as a pasture for cattle were not considered as any kind of asset, have under the foresight of the Evans brothers been brought in as a very productive addition to the resources of Riverside and the site of many comfortable homes, supplying many things that were not grown on what was con- sidered the richer mesa lands. In this way 1,000 or more acres have been reclaimed from what was originally considered worthless land, and water is what has done it. Choice fruits of all kinds (except citrus fruits), and potatoes, both sweet and Burbanks, corn and all manner of vegetables do remarkably well. These lands are suitable and used for dairying and milk supply for city purposes. The water for irrigating comes both from surface water in Spring Brook and the Santa Ana River, supplemented by pumping plants.
The Riverside Highland Water Company's system, or the highest Riverside mesa scheme, is the agency through which the foothills of the east side of the Riverside Valley have been so superbly developed. In other words, it supplies the Highgrove section. It is the most eastern of the three systems that supply this valley, bringing water down from the north, where it is developed from the Santa Ana and its branches.
This company is successor to the Vivenda Water Company, that began operations during the latter eighties. The latter got its supply from artesian wells at a point high up on Lytle Creek, about three miles below the mouth of the creek canyon. The first wells were put down in about the year 1890. At this time a twenty-four-inch pipe line was laid to conduct the water to the Highgrove district. In that day the difficulties of financing such a proposition were very great. The company had many ups and downs and eventually fell into a state of decay amounting almost to bankruptcy. It was about this time that a man named Ethan Allen Chase. destined to become prominent in the city's life, arrived from the East and became interested in this project. He thought he foresaw, as the sequel clearly proved he did, a great future for this particular
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scheme that had for its purpose the reclamation of a large tract of the best citrus land in the valley. Under the guiding genius of this forceful man the project was revived and set going by the issuance of bonds that were sold at large and to many local persons who were interested in hav- ing the plan fully carried out. In about the year 1900 the old company, that is to say, the Vivienda Water Company, was converted into the Riverside Highland Company, and from that time till the present it has been one of the fundamental factors of development here.
Up to about 1902 the company's source of water supply was confined exclusively to the artesian development on Lytle Creek. At this time it found itself with other claimants of water in that locality. Land owners around Rialto and Bloomington came in and took away a portion of the water sufficient to lower levels and deplete the supply that had been main- tained up to that date. It was then that the managers of the Highland company began looking about for a new source of water to supply the territory it has set out to develop. At this time E. O. Rickard became associated with the enterprise, and from that date down to the present a good deal of the success of the project is freely credited to his energy and sound judgment. He became manager, and with other advisors finally decided to acquire additional water-bearing territory. This was done by the purchase of a tract of 500 acres in the Santa Ana River bottom at a point near the bridge over the river on E Street, San Ber- nardino. Here the company has fourteen strongly flowing wells that constitute its prinicpal auxiliary supply to the Lytle Creek development higher up. In addition to these excellent wells the company has on this same tract of 500 acres what is perhaps the largest strictly water pumping plant in all Southern California. Taking all these sources together, the supply of water has been so constant and unfailing that at no time in the history of the company has there been a shortage.
From this latter source the water developed here is carried to a capacious reservoir near the canyon road between Riverside and Red- lands. At this point a powerful boosting plant is located by which the whole volume of water is lifted 247 feet to the highest point of the foothills in the neighborhood of Godfrey Heights and Hermosa Heights. Here the water is discharged into a canal and pipe lines and thence con- ducted to the users along its eighteen miles of distributing system.
The particular point worth remembering in connection with the work of this company is that it has been the agency through which 2,500 acres of choice lands have been brought into intensive cultivation and the richest production of fruits and other crops. Through it the groves have crept far up the canyons on the east side of the valley. They are in a section as immune from frost as can be found anywhere in the district.
One feature of the service of this company is the supplying of water for domestic use to a large number of patrons. These are all outside any municipal bounds. They are in suburban territory, but not- withstanding this fact they have the conveniences of this water supply, the same as if they lived within the jurisdiction of a city plant. What this advantage means to the three hundred householders the company serves with fine artesian water from the wells far up on Lytle Creek is easily understood.
The Riverside Highland Water Company develops and delivers about 600 miners' inches of water. It is a purely mutual concern, operated exclusively for the benefit of its members, who are actual users of water.
The company has from the beginning of its predecessor and down to the present date expended approximately $750,000 on its project, thus
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clearly being one of the large factors in the making of this valley what it is.
THE RIVINO WATER COMPANY finds its source of supply near Crest- more. Here it has put down a large number of wells that furnish it its volume of water that is transmitted to its patrons. The water is pumped from these wells, which yield 250 miners' inches. This is carried through ten to twelve miles of mains and laterals and delivered to twenty-five members of the company. The total acreage of these amounts to approxi- mately 800. The company is purely mutual. Its waters are devoted in the main to citrus groves, with some deciduous acreage and a sprinkling of small grain. Its investment in its physical property is about $35,000. 1
THE LA SIERRA WATER COMPANY was organized in 1905. It, like most of the others of the valley, depends upon the water-bearing area of the Santa Ana. It has its water plant at Colton bridge, on Colton Avenue. from which point it takes 600 miners' inches from the seventy acres of land it bought in the beginning as the basis of it operations.
This company discharges its water into the canal of the West River- side Water Company that passes near its pumping station, and this water is conveyed through this canal and delivered from it to the eighty patrons of the company along the line.
The number of acres covered by La Sierra Company is 3,500 and lies in the belt including Glenavon Heights and on south to La Sierra Heights.
L. V. W. Brown has been largely in both of the above companies and was president of the one and vice-president of the other at the time of his death recently.
Much of the water now used in these later water companies comes from the utilization of the flood waters of the Santa Ana River in winter by running it into the large debris cone at the mouth of the Santa Ana River.
THE LEAGUE OF THE SOUTHWEST. The meeting of the League of the Southwest in Riverside on the 8th, 9th and 10th of December, 1921, comprising the seven states of the basin of the Colorado River, was a very important one and one that involved questions that have only arisen within a very few years past. When the Owens River project was made known to the people of Los Angeles in July, 1905, it was received with enthusiastic approval as the only practicable and adequate answer to the most vital question confronting the city. The Water Board asked the city to issue bonds for $1,500,000 for the purchase of lands and the inauguration of work on the aqueduct and on September 7, 1905, by a vote of fourteen to one the citizens of Los Angeles approved the bonds and endorsed the Owens River project.
Owens River rises in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, 250 miles in an air line north and west of Los Angeles. The river is diverted 200 miles north of the city and by a series of conduits, canals, tunnels, syphons, etc., is conducted with a capacity of 15,000 inches to the City of Los Angeles and its surroundings. During its course a great many horsepower is generated which is used for light and power and in many cases heat. The head waters are about 3,800 feet above sea level, which will show the opportunities for power along the course of the aqueduct. The total cost was about $25,000,000 and was supposed to be ample, if not for all time at least for the present generation. But such has been the rapid growth of Los Angeles and Southern California that the
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power capacities of the aqueduct have been almost outgrown already and Los Angeles has been looking abroad for other sources of power and the Colorado River has been looked to as the nearest, greatest and best of all sources of supply for power, light, heat and irrigation.
The city itself, dazzled by its success in the Owens River project, has been considering the feasibility of engaging in the enterprise both as a necessity and a sure and safe investment, and although contemplated works in the near future involve an expenditure of several hundred million dollars, it seems that there would be no difficulty in raising the amount whether done by Los Angeles or by either of the two large companies that are now operating in Southern California. But a new element arises that will not down, and that is the people themselves, who are in any close proximity to the Colorado River for irrigation purposes and those who yet being further off are close enough to be served with light, heat and power from the mighty river. It is realized that if any locality or company get control of the great resources of the river it would give a dangerous opportunity for discrimination against com- munities, companies or individuals. The State of California has also been invoked as being the only state interested that would be strong enough financially and otherwise competent to carry the project to a successful termination. Besides it is quite possible in the absence of reliable figures that California has interests so large at the present time as to counterbalance all of the other states interested with Mexico thrown in, for Mexico in consideration that she also is interested in the waters of the Colorado River sent a large delegation to the conference of the delegates to the meeting of the League of the Southwest. Mutual jealousies in a measure prevented agreement on any line of policy to be pursued in the development of the resources of the Colorado River, but principally a knowledge that a great prize was at stake and a desire that it be divided equitably among the people tributary to and within the sphere of influence of the river. From papers read at the convention and opinions expressed by experts and those who were somewhat familiar with the resources of the river it did not take long to show that the United States was the proper and only power in a position to deal with the subject, especially as it is now or soon will be one in which Mexico is to a considerable extent interested. The further meeting at San Diego at the close of the meeting of the Southwest League to consider the question to put in a dam and reservoir at Boulder Canyon as of the first importance on account of providing for flood water in Imperial County and down in Mexico where the break of the river occurred a few years ago which came near turning the river into the Salton Sea and filling up that depression that used to be the bed of the Gulf of California and at times the receptacle of the waters of the Colorado River, now known as the Salton Sea.
Although the river was successfully checked in its mad career on its way to the Salton Sea, so great is the quantity of fine mud held in suspension hy the river that it is always filling up its channels and form- ing new ones and it is only a comparatively short distance between high water in flood time and the top of the levees so the danger of breakage is very great and much greater than before the former outbreak on account of deep channels formed by the former break right up almost to the river itself, and if these channels should be cut right into the river it would lower the bed of the river itself so much that it would be difficult if not impossible according to engineers to stop the break. This, then, is the difficulty showing a pressing necessity of forming reservoirs large enough to hold all of the surplus flood water at the Vol. I-27
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time of floods from rains and melting snows. Another thing that a reservoir would do would be to provide plenty of water in summer time when the need is greatest. The Boulder Canyon plan is only one of many reservoirs by which all of the surplus waters can be held for irrigation and power purposes until needed at a time of lower water in such fashion that it is said that there will be enough for all interested both of water and power. One plan contemplates a thirty-two-mile tunnel making a cutoff in the entire waters of the river with a drop of 950 feet. The whole project is so vast that it is almost incomprehensible to the common mind, there is so much fall and so many reservoirs and opportunity for generating power that it would seem that Niagara Falls sink into insignificance in comparison. This cheap power in Southern California- a region that fifty years ago was in great part so desert with- out water or fuel that it would only seem a small part of Uncle Sam's dominions-seems now to have such a bright prospect ahead with its attractive climate drawing people to it in a geometric ratio that it will, considering its area, be the richest and most populous of any like por- tion of the United States.
On account of the present necessity of prompt action it now looks as if a beginning of the work should be in a short time.
CHAPTER XVIII
ORANGE CULTURE
The apple and the orange have well been called the King and Queen of fruits inasmuch as they are on the market for a longer period of time than any other fruit. The apple must be picked when ripe or it will fall to the ground, but when picked at the proper time and kept under favor- able conditions it will keep well until the new crop comes in.
On the other hand the orange will hang on the trees for an indefinite length of time, but in most varieties deteriorating somewhat after it is fully ripe and at its best for eating. This idea has also been encouraged by the coming in of strawberries and deciduous fruits just after the orange season. In all countries in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas and New Years Day, would not seem to be fairly and fully observed without oranges. Although not by any means at their best stage of ripe- ness still the orange is in high favor on these festive occasions. Thanks- giving is also more appropriately observed by oranges on the table by the last of the old crop of Valencias or by the new crop for the coming year from the earlier ripening of the fruit in the warmer sections of California and Florida. In the Southern Hemisphere owing to the differ- ence of the seasons the orange begins to ripen in the months of June and July.
Nothing contributes more to set off the appearance of the festive table than the orange. Owing to the more limited supply of oranges when California first began to supply the market in a commercial way the mar- kets were bare of oranges during the summer season from the time that berries began to come into the market until deciduous fruit was out of the market. In Florida, too, climatic conditions were different and the fruit would not keep so well on the trees after ripening as it would in California, but even in California an effort was made to market all fruit if possible before strawberries and cherries came in as after that the demand for fruit decreased and the price came down.
In California the only orange known under the rule of the Padres was the seedling and so great was its excellence that it was not thought that much if any improvement could be made in quality. After the American occupation and some of the more progressive Americans began to grow citrus fruits, it was found that some trees produced better fruit than others and before the introduction of budded varieties or varieties of improved kinds, efforts in a small way were tried to perpetuate these improved seedlings and in the early citrus fairs entries of Kellar's best or Wilson's best were made in competition for prizes. These best vari- eties were propagated by budding or grafting.
The fact that none of the earlier growers of oranges were nursery- men or acquainted with the propagation of choice or new varieties of fruit was rather unfavorable to the spread of new varieties. In deciduous fruits the uncertainty of getting good varieties of fruit was so great that no one thought of getting good fruit except by budding or grafting into well known good varieties. Still some of the best known varieties of deciduous fruits have come from chance seedlings and all within the recollection of the older fruit growers. Luther Burbank and others who have made a business of introducing new varieties of fruit have had good success in many specialties. On the other hand in oranges there is not any instance of any improvement by freak or new seedlings in
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California and it may be confidently asserted that unlike most of our best fruits the seedling orange comes reasonably true to seed. Efforts have been made and are still being made by experts in the employ of gov- ernment and private parties to originate new varieties by hybridizing to modify or blend two varieties by pollization and in other ways, but so far none of these varieties are known on the market to any great extent. All of our best known and popular selling varieties such as the Navel. Val- encia, Malta Blood, Mediterranean Sweet and St. Michaels are the result of importations and how they came to be first known and propagated is not very well known. As the best of them are seedless, or nearly so, they can only be propagated by budding or grafting.
Climate appears to be a leading factor in perpetuating the best quali- ties of some of them for the Navel in Florida is hardly known in the market of the East as it does not attain the success there that it does in California. Although the Seedling orange when fully ripe about equals any other variety no one plants it in orchard form any more because of the quantity of seeds it contains and also the uncertainty of getting the best quality in all of the trees although the last objection might be overcome somewhat by selection of seed. Those who have seedlings in their groves claim that the seedling pays about as well as any other varicty on account of the greater size of the tree and its greater produc- tiveness and possibly on account of its greater longevity.
Whether the budded orange is shorter lived than the seedling has not been fully determined, but it is nevertheless a fact that some of the best orchards that in their prime returned as much as $1.000 per acre on the trees have been dug up and thrown on the wood pile. Notably the first grove owned by Cover and McCoy budded from the original Navel trees from Washington. Also the Backus grove which attracted so much attention and drew so many first prizes at the citrus fairs and at all pub- lic exhibitions. Whatever may be the cause in these individual cases it is held by many who have groves that are yielding large returns that age has no effect in impairing the vigor or bearing qualities of the trees, that it is only a question of good care and intelligent use of proper fer- tilizers and although it may be said that the vigorous growth previous to attaining maturity may be the most profitable period yet it may be asserted with confidence that budded varieties will maintain a vigorous and profitable fruitage for an indefinite period. Certainly the seedling trees around the old mission in some cases were vigorous when the present commercial system commenced.
While it is true that many of the older groves have been removed to make room for the increasing demand for homes in a climate that can be enjoyed all the year round there are a great many instances in which lack of care has rendered the removal of orchards necessary that were not paying expenses.
It should never be forgotten that the orange needs the mnost pamper- ing care, and that only those groves that have been fully attended to in this way have been complete successes and while the orange grove will at once show the effects of neglect, it can after being run down to a seem- ingly hopeless condition, be rejuvenated and put on a paying basis in as short a time as it took to run it down. No tree shows the results of good or bad treatment quicker than the orange. Some groves have been dug up because they did not have the best conditions as regards temperature. soil, etc. In our Southern California climate where oranges are grown just on the verge of profitable growth a very small variation from ideal conditions may make all the difference between success and failure. In the tropics where there are usually two crops in a year, contingencies of
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climate do not exist that do in a semi-tropic one, such as early decay of fruit, and the difficulty of getting it in good condition to market. The dealer has to sell his fruit quickly when grown in a tropical climate with its moisture continuously, whereas fruit grown in our arid climate under many adverse conditions will hold perfection as long as the apple. A rather lengthy notice is being given in this work to the orange, because it deserves it on its individual merits, and also because it is one of the leading factors in calling attention to California and in drawing the gradually increasing immigration that is going to place it in a leading position, both in point of population and production among the states of the Union. Another characteristic in this progress is, and will be, that California's distance from centers of population will have a tendency
WILLIAM SAUNDERS, WHO BROUGHT FIRST NAVEL ORANGE TREE TO AMERICA
to draw people of means to come and share in our climatic advantages and the certainty of growing the finest fruits in the world which will require more skill than the grosser products of the soil.
HISTORY OF THE ORANGE. The history and origin of the orange is somewhat obscure. It is supposed to have come from India to our West- ern Hemisphere. It grows wild in many places there and was brought by the Portuguese from their province of Goa to the Canary Islands and Portugal and from thence to Brazil which was a Portuguese colony. The Washington Navel is from Bahia in Brazil and is supposed to have originated from the Selecta.
The orange is a comparatively recent introduction to Europe. Some of the returning Crusaders brought the fruit of the Bigarde or sour orange to Italy and Provence. The sweet orange was introduced into Europe at a later period. Some say that Genoese merchants first intro- duced the sweet orange into Europe. As regards more ancient ref-
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erences, the fabled Golden apples of the Hesperides may have reference to the orange as also the passage in the Bible which says in the revised edition Proverbs 25, Chap, verse 11, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver."
The Spanish introduced the orange into North America by the Mis- sion Fathers who wherever they had a mission introduced the favored fruits and products of Spain. The padres brought the orange into Cali- fornia, but rather discouraged its planting apart from the missions. No other varieties were ever introduced by them and before the American occupation the improved varieties were not known. The lemon and lime were also in common use by them. So well adapted is the climate of North America to the orange that wherever there is heat and moisture the orange thrives in a wild state. Some have claimed it is indigenous to this continent. By reason of its greater vitality and freedom from gum diseases the Bigarde or sour orange is preferred as a stock on which to bud improved varieties. Our dry California climate does not favor the wild growth and it is never found growing wild as it does in Florida. Our climate gives it much better keeping qualities, which gives it greater preference by retail buyers.
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