About 100 years ago irrigation was commenced in California. The Roman Catholic priests, coming from Mexico where irrigation had long been practiced, introduced it. They established missions among the Indians, started cultivation, and by the labor of these Indians built the original irrigation works. The practice of irrigation was extended in San Diego county, as far as we are able to trace, to several thousand acres; in San Bernardino county in the southern interior valley, they thus cultivated and watered, perhaps 2000 acres; and in Los Angeles county there were possibly 3000 acres irrigated under Mexican rule. Traces of the old mission works are found in San Diego, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, and as far north as Monterey county. Then came the gold fever, when canals were dug throughout the foot-hills of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, for the supply of water for the mining of gold; and these canals have since, in many instances, been turned into feeders for irrigation. Several thousand miles of irrigation ditches have thus been created from old mining ditches. In 1852, a band of Mormons came from Salt Lake into the San Bernardino valley; they bought a Mexican grant rancho there, took possession of some old mission works, constructed others and started irrigating. That was probably the first irrigation colony, on a large scale, composed of others than Mexicans, in California. In 1856, some Missouri settlers went into the valley of Kern river, diverted water from that stream, and commenced irrigation upon a small scale. In 1858, the waters of Cache creek, in the Sacramento valley, were taken out for irrigation. In 1859, the waters of King's river were taken out and utilized for irrigation. These instances represent in general outline the commencement of irrigation in the State. Now we have in the neighborhood of 750,000 or 800,000 acres actually irrigated each year, and that represents what would ordinarily be called an irrigation area of 1,200,000 acres; and there are commanded by the works--reasonably within the reach of existing canals--an area of about 2,500,000 acres.