a P O o SL 3 Coacjjella IRiversibe County California f\^ IK EXCHANQJE Coachella WE are receiving so many letters inquiring about Coachella Valley that we have printed this little pamphlet for the purpose of giving some general information regarding this w^onderfully productive Valley, as well as answering some of the leading questions asked by almost all •correspondents. The Coachella Valley is in Riverside County and is 1 30 miles from Los Angeles on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad, just half-way between Los Angeles and Yuma. The soil is a rich alluvial deposit of great depth and is extremely productive. It is supplied with an abundance of perfectly pure water both for domestic and irriga- tion purposes, by Artesian wells and pumping plants. Most people have an idea that this valley is a very dry place and that it takes an enormous amount of water to grow anything. The fact is water is obtained anywhere in the valley by digging shallow surface wells. In the vicinity of Coachilla it is only four feet down to where the earth is always moist and only twelve feet to water and lower down in the valley at Thermal and Mecca the water comes nearer the surface and this surface water is very fair domestic water, a great deal better than in many localities in California. Artesian wells are obtained at an average depth of 540 feet, good pumping wells about 1 00 to 150 feet. These wells furnish an abundance of water. There is approximately 65,000 acres in the entire valley. Probably one-half of this is susceptible to profitable cultivation. Of this about 1 0,000 acres is abso- lutely first-class land and will produce any kind of crop you may v/ant to grow. The famous Coachella Valley Canteloupes are grown to perfection here and are a most profitable crop, specially well-cared for patches paying $300.00 per acre and even better than that. The average returns to the growers in 1 903 were a little over $140.00 per acre and for this season — 1904 —is $125.00 per acre. In 1903, 50 car loads were shipped and this season — 1904 — 154 cars were shipped. The shipping season commenced on the last of May and closed on the 1 9th of July and the money was all collected and distributed to the growers before the middle of August, and the land on which the mellons were grown is put into some other faH crops, usually corn or some fodder crop. Sweet potatoes are grown of very superior quality and bring fancy prices. The yield is enormous and there is nothing that gives more satisfactory results. All kinds of garden vegetables do well and the quality is of the very best. Perhaps the most valuable product of the valley is its alfalfa. The quality of this product is unsur- passed by any country and the yield is very heavy. The climatic conditions are such that the hay is cured in the most perfect condition, retaining all its good nutritous qualities as well as its bright color. BARLEY FIELD NEAR COACHELLA Wheat, oats and barley yield wonderfully heavy crops of either hay or grain. Asparagus does surprisingly well and is a money maker: while the acreage is small at present (about 25 acres) the near future will see great develop- ments in this product. Its entire freedom from rust — the dry air prevents the development of the rust spores — and the phenomenal growth it makes and the ease with which it is propagated is bound to attract asparagus growers and shippers from all over the country. Poultry raisers find here almost perfect conditions for making a success of their business. The entire absence of mites, the dry air, the absence of fogs and dews and the freedom from storms, all help to make it profitable and the easy reach of an unlimited market insures success. As a dairy country this will prove to be unsur- passed. The enormous amount of feed produced on an acre of ground, the abundance of green feed the year round, the ease with which corn and other fodder plants are grown, the absolute certainty of plenty of feed all of the time and every year, the perfect purity of the water for all purposes, the healthy thrifty condition of cows that are kept in the valley — all encourage the beHef that a creamery will be successful and the organization of one is well under way and is expected to be ready for business before the end of this year. In this connection it may be said that a company has been formed for the purpose of putting up an ice and refrigerating plant to take care of especially the Cantaloupe crop, which uses an enormous amount of ice for refrigeration every season, and this company will operate a creamery in connection. The entire plant will cost about $35,000.00. The cash has been provided for and the plant is assured. . H^^^H H' ^^H^HHHB^^^^^SEs m5§^ IWLa a ^^^^ ■ B^^^^^^P ^B gH Pf^^. . .' ...^^^^^^SHH^i ■■EMni ALFALFA FIELD NEAR COACHEJ SECOND CUTTING FROM SEEDING The cantaloupe out-put of the valley is handled through an association of all of the growers and it has been very successful. As other products become of sufficient importance to require special care in securing markets the association will take them up in the same way. CANTAI^OUPE FIELD NEAR COACHELLA The proposed creamery at Coachella will be run on a co-operative plan. The towns of the valley are Indio, Coachella Thermal and Mecca. Indio is the oldest and has been the desert division point on the Southern Pacific Railroad for a good many years. It has acquired a reputation as a health resort and the N. O. Nelson health camps for consumptives is located -here. Thermal is a small place with a thrifty farming community surrounding. The Coachella Valley Producers Association has a packing house there. Mecca is the new town that takes the place of what has been known as Walters for a good many years» and it is near there that the government has located its Date farm. Coachella is the principal town of the valley. It is in the heart of a large body of the very finest land. It is here that the Coachella Valley Pro- ducers Association has its general office. The stuff grown for market in this valley is in good demand, not only on account of its earliness, but its extra fine quality as well, and consequently bring fancy prices, and the returns to the ranchers are very satisfactory. But farming in this country requires the same good judgment and careful attention to be successful as in any other country, but the man that uses ordi- nary intelligence and is industrious is certain to be successful. There is no locality in California that has any better opportunities for the small farmer and it is doubtful if its equal can be found. Anyone farming 1 acres with ordinary judgment can easily realize $1,000.00 a year from such a place. Land can be had at from $30.00 to $300.00 per acre, but for the man with limited means a small tract near the shipping point v/ith plenty of water already on the land is without doubt the most de- sirable. Such a tract of 5 or 10 acres can be had at about $200.00 per acre, a small payment down and the balance in easy payments over a long time and a small rate of interest. Such a tract ought to yield readily $150.00 per acre per year. This is what they are doing right ilong. The profits from farming in the Coachella Valley are large and sure, and Coachella is the business center for the entire valley. The principal part of all the products must be assembled here for ship- ment. The Coachella Valley Producers' Asso- ciation, v/hich has made a national reputation for the excellent quality of the products of this valley and which handled over $175,000 worth of Coachella Valley products the past season (copy of the association annual report sent free on applica- tion), has its office here. The Coachella Valley Refrigerating Co. is erect- ing a $30,000 plant here for the purpose of taking care of the shipment of perishable products from the valley, and for promoting the dairy and poultry interests. The conditions for successfully carrying on either the dairy or poultry farm are unexcelled by any country on earth. If you doubt this and are interested investigate it and you will find we are right. The Coachella Artesian Water Co. is putting in a complete water system to cover the entire section about Coachella. This when completed will cost approximately $20,000 and the work is being pushed as rapidly as possible. Coachella town lots are a good investment, for the town is bound to be a good business point and a residence place for anyone who wants to live quietly and really enjoy living and breathe the purest, most bracing air that ever entered their lungs, — and one really enjoys breathing here: there is something exhilarating and recuperative about it that is hard to explain, but is very enjoyable. The winter climate is the finest in the world. During the spring there is considerable wind and dust, but no more than in other valleys. The summer is hot, yet you will hear no more complaints of the heat here than in other places in California. The canta- loupe harvest comes during the hottest part of the year, yet the fields are picked over twice every day and there is no difficulty in getting plenty of people to do the work. There are no cases of sunstroke or heat prostration. Respectfully, J. L. RECTOR, Secy., C. V. P. Ass'n. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS lillilllilllllllliliiilillll 017 169 355 fl