The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-09-27

propFiate ceremonies The upper room
Of the Pavilion is tastefully arranged, and
6llcd with elegant works Of art and rare
curiosities. In the LIVER room large Ia
bles are covered with the products of the
soil, the vine and the orchard. The fruit,
in size, richness and flavor cannot be sur
passed in the State.
At 8 o'clock Monday evening Ex-Mayor
Wade, at the request of the President Of
the Society. announced that the Fair
would be formally opened by prayer by
the Rev. c. C. Peirce. The Rev. gentle.
man, in clear, lorcible and impressive
manner, addressed the throne of grace.
A national air by the band followed then
the President of the Society, DR.. |. S.
Titus, delivered tho following
OPENING ADDRESS.
! MEMBERS OF Ell DORADO COuNTT AGKI-
CULTURAL SOCIETY: One year since. fellow
citizens, many of us were assembled in q
neighboring town to witness the pleasing
exhibition, by this Society, of the varied
and exhauStleSS resources of our cherished
county Of FL Dorado
We have assembled again, the fourth
time since the Inauguration of this Socie.
~, 70 UenONu me display OF the products
of the soil and the industrial arts, at the
season when the foothills have yielded
their usual productive crops, the noun
tains their perfect and luscious fruits,
whilst the mechanics send evidences Of
their ingenuity, in specimens of their
work and the ladies their usual variety
Of graceful and beautiful handiwOrk, for
which they have the hearty thanks and
gratitude Of this Society.
The large and extensive tables in the
halls Of this Pavilion are covered and
bending under the weight Of the rare pro.
auctions of this county.
1t is with much pride we congratulate
the members of this Society on the fact
that from its incipiency it was mature,
and successful in very 6 eat measure
Aud | sincerely hope that the zeal dis.
played by the farmers, horticu'turiStS and
others of this county, in honorable com.
petition for the numerous prizes offered by
the Society, will be annually manifested
EnGcavor to add yearly to its interests,
that it may tend to permanency aud pros.
perity, erecting for it future reputation
which will be r, gaidrd with pride, not
only by the county, but by the State. In
the formation and continuance of thi.
Agricultural Snciety we occupy, in many
| reSbectS. n prculiar pOSition.
The circumstances which were connect.
ed with the Srttl' ment of this county hav,
been different, to a great degree, from
those witnessed in the progress Of ON
State. The incentives to immigration il
FL Dorado were not of a nature favorable
to agricultural prosperity there were nc
glowing accounts Of broad fields under
cultivation, or rich harvests to lure the
farming population Of the older States from
their quiet homes. The motive to Srtt'c.
ment was not to test the pro1uc i've facili.
ties Of the country. IN the all.absorbing
pursuit Of gold men seemed to forget that
the true basis Of a peoples wealth depends
more on agricultural than on mineral re.
sources; those who were thoroughly con-
versant with farm life on arriving here,
never accorded thought to the pillow and
harrow, but sought instead the more ex-
citing labor Of the mines. Even after his
arrival here, the man of clear comprehen-
sion and Sagacity on other subjects, would
smile at the enthusiasm of his friend who
should remind him of this climate, unsur.
passed on the globe, adapted to the cult
vation alike Of the staple productions of his
Northern home, and the delicate growthS
Of THE South. He would not be convinced
for years that, beneath the apparently arid
mountain surface, where in midsummer
barrenneSS everywhere met his gaze, lay
treasures as important and far more mex
hauStible than the glittering gold they
were delving for in ravinc and on hill
side
1t was not believed, for years, hy the
residents Of the mountain counties, that
the soil could be made serviceabe to the
farmer or horticultu,iSt to the extent now
cultivated, and which is but n Gorerunnrr
to the numerous orchards and whey ards
that are destined to cover the slopes OF
our foothills. This feeling. so generally
prevalent, both at home and abroad, for q
long time opposed itself to permanent
settlement, and most of those who came
here returned to their old homes to invest
their gains in more inviting fields. -
Thanks to the native resources which
! Surround US, and, above all, to the Jealous
enterprise Of the people, these prejudices
arc fast disappearing. To Coloma, 9Th,
place renowned throughout the civilized
world, for the first discovery of gold in
the State" should be awarded the credit
of first cultivating, with success, the sol
on our mountain sides, inaugurating Il new
era in our wealth, and adjoining our homes
with all the comforts that could be deri, ed
from. old established residences, in the
earlier settled States. And it shonld be
mentioned with honor, that one Of the no
bic pioneers who first discovered the gilt
tcring ore" in that locality, in May, 1913
Peter Weimer, Esq, was of the first tc
establish the fact that more prolific and
permanent source Of wealth was to be de
veloped from the soil. The evidence o.
our not magnifying the results, is evinced
J by the attention bestowed by the owners
/ to their farms, vineyards, orchards, anG
gardens, not only in Coloma, but over the
entire cutiyable portion of our county
And the fact is patent to all portions Of
/ the State, that no county within her boun.
daries surpaSsos E' Dorado in the produc.
ton of large and well-havored fruits, or in
the variety produced, which is substan,
/ tiatrd by the premiums annually awarded
to residents of Culoma by the State Ag
rirnllural Society, where they were com.
PEELED to compete with the prod lctionS Of
! the entire State. refer to Coloma and
her productions more particularly because
her gardens are the oldest in the county
and, from popularity Of location and tenn.
pernture of climate, are probably not OK.
celed by any in the State. There are nu.
mcrous other localities in the county that
are quite equal to Goloma, especially in
the general production of fruit, but it is
not so early in ripening. The vegetables
of our gardens also merit a passing notice.
| il is conceded that almost any norton al