The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-02-22
A Erpit Ranch in California.

men, and women too, at least in our own
country. But all do not know it in its
best estate. Age does not improve it, as
it does wine and men. To appreciate
its delicate favors and its sweet luscious
ness, one must seek it where it grows
and taste it. not long after it has been
broken from the stem on which it grew.
1t has been my good fortune to spend
several weeks on O fruit ranch which is
reunited to be one of the best in the
State. And 1 have esteemed myself
happy to be there, not once only, but
thrice, at different seasons of the year,
and so have had chance to mako my
self familiar with the various operations
connected with the carrying on OF q fruit
ranch.
NV last visit was in the season Of the
vintage. Shall l ever forget those lus-
oious Hamburg grapes! Tho White
Muscats commend themselves to many
and gain their preference. But give me
Hamburgs, black, juicy and rich, and 1
will not look beyond for anything bet
ter. We're / to arraign them for imper-
fcction, there would be but one count in
the indictment. They tempt to over-in-
diligence in the eating.
From a benevolent regard for those
who were not, as l was, able to come
hore, and sec and taste and believe, l
asked tho owner Of the ranch for items
in regard to the proceeds of his fruits
which carefully noted down. These L
will unravel and spread out before the
eyes of any one who cares to know what
are the particulars of the management
of such a ranch and what are the benc-
fits accruing therefrom.
This ranch lies on the Sacramento
River, about score of miles below the
renowned city of the same name. The
land bordering the river between Sac
ramento and San Francisco is consider
cd as good for fruit as any in the State,
and it is now mainly used for orchards
of the different kinds of fruit. The river
affects tho soil for about 40 rods back of
it, SO that to that extent the fruit never
fails on account of drouth. On tho east
side of the river the bank is well leveed,
SO that on that side they are secure
from damage by flood. l believe the
west sido is not so we'll protected.
The market for the fruit, rs also for all
the other products of these ranches, is
San Francisco. There are no dealings
with Sacramento The large steamers
that ply between that place and San
Francisco make but few landings be-
tween these points, and are not depend
ed upon for doing way business. Two
small steamboats, come up and go down
on alternate days, and do a sort of gen
eral ferrying business. They stop, first
on one side of the river, then on the 9th
er, wherovor there is anything to put of
4ol-o fTbn o1arly af Of +hncg
boats testified that they had on one triI
taken down as many as five thousand
packages or separate things, and that
about tlEce thousand was an average
number The office of deck-hand is nc
inecure on those boats. Nothing i
ever put into barrels. Potatoes are sen
in sacks. Apples, pears, grapes, an6
ounces in boxes, most all other kinds o
fruit in baskets They are consigned il
this shape to some wholesale dealer il
San Francisco, who returns the basket
and boxes only in exceptional cases
when the fruit is sold in that which con
tains it.
The ranch, whose particular history
am to relate, was purchased II years ag
by the present owner, for $500. l
was at that time in part under cultiva
ton, with orchards old enough to hav
trees in bearing. The house. in whicl
the owner has lived ever since, was al
ready built. The ranch contains sec
ti0n, 6i0 acres, with u frontage of Il mil
on the river. This whole frontage
which makes about 60 acres, is in frui
of various kinds. OF this, 10 acres ar
in grapes, in pears the remainder i
divided between apples, npricots, cher
ries, plums, peaches, ounces and figs
Two years ago the receipts of this rancl
from all its products aggregated $4,000
This year, though tho yield is create
than ever before, the price of fruit bein
so much less, the net profits will not ex
coed $1,000. I shall record the item
that go to mako up this amount, and be
gin with the pears. A box of pears con
tains 40 pounds. The shipping Of thes
was commenced the last of May. TIL
Madaline variety was the first sent
market. OF these, 500 boxes were sol
at 81 per box, the fruit at first selling 6
cents per pound. Next came th
Bloodgood and Dearborn Seeding
There wero 60 boxes of these. At fir,
they sold for $3.50 per box, then cam
down to 81 as the season advanced. tt
Bartlett came next. OF these carload
420 boxes, was sold to go East, at Sl.i
per box. In New York they brougl
So per box. These boxes contained {
pounds. Beside these, there were &c
boxes of Bartletts sold in San FrancisC
at 81 per box.
The White Doyenne pear came mex
There were so boxes of these, which sol
at 81 per box. Then came that lit
jewel of pear, the Seckel. Three hun
dred boxes of these sold at an average
50 per box. Two hundred boxes
winter pears, at 81 per box, and II
boxes sundries, not included in the pr
vious statement, mako up the list Of peal
Cherries are generally very prsftabl
The yield per tun, in money, is great,
than that Of almost any other fruit. Bl
through misapprehension in regard I
the nature of the soil, which proved I
be alkih, the cherries on this ranc
proved almost a failure. Had the SC
been rs supposed, the profits of the che
ry orchard would have been somo 81, ,0(
per annum. AS it is, only 5000 were r
ceived this year. though last year the +
ceipts were $500.
There is something very strane
about this all1ili soil. In the pear o
chard there are rows of trees extendir
all the way through, in which the tre
arc dwarfed to half the size Of tho
that grow on each side of them and Il
pears that grow on these trees are so @,