Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-09
The Great Ralsin Country.

NhHttBts III Soiuc Et- .eCtS. w hiio No
boast of raising the best grapes in the
world and nearly all other fruits which
grow in any climate, from the tropics
to the frigid zone, in greater perfec-
tion than can be produced in any
other country, we are too remote from
the great centers of commerce to sue
cessfully market the perishable pro-
ducts Of which California is so justly
proud. Hence farmers who own land
cupable of producing fruits that would
challenge the admiration of the world
are driven to growing cereals or rails
ing stock. There is absolutely no
limit to the capacity of our soil to
produce every variety Of fruits and
vegetables, and at the same time re-
tain that fertility of the soil which is
so rapidly impoverished by wheat anu
other cereals. But If vegetables and
fruits could be placed upon an equal
footing with the cereals by being i'm
perishable, the gain to the farmer
would be precisely in the ratio which
the value Of the former raised on
given acreage bears to the latter from
u similar area-at least one thousand
per cent. Farmers in this county
would receive ten fold the profit from
their land above what they now re-
ceive. When standing in luxurious
garden or orchard and looking upon
the delicious fruits and vegetables,
ripening, falling and decaying, We
thought of the inhabitants of a parched
or frigid land; and we have a hundred
times wished for an invention to pre-
serve this wasting delicious fruit and
send it to them. We shall never
cease to be thankful that we have
lived to see our dreams apd wishes
consummated. The Alden process of
preserving fruit has come to US in the
nick Of time. Although this process
is generally known, very few un-
derstand 1t fully. 1t may be
briefly described as o method of
removing the water from animal
or vegetable substances in q few hours,
by pneumatic evaporation. The re-
suit of this operation is to render the
articles treated by it proof against de-
cay, and to artificially ripen them and
increase their palatable and nutritious
qualities. The most delicate fruits
and berries, and the ordinary pro-
ducts of the. farm and garden, are,
when subjected to this process, in
from two to four hours deprived of
water, because greatly reduced in
bulk, and can be at any time, by SIM
ply soaking in cold water twenty min
utes, restored (for cooking purposes to
their original flavor, form and SUBJ
stance. All kinds of vegetables, such
as pieplant, peas, corn, tomatoes,
beans, asparagus, oniens, pumpkins,
squash, potatoes, carrots, turnips, ETC.,
can be preserved fresh for all seasons
Of the year, and all markets Of the
world. 1t is impossible to over-esti-
mate method that will rapidly and
economically preserve the entire
products Of the farm and garden. 1t
must prove blessing to all countries,
and a source Of unlimited wealth to q
section like ours, where the growth
of everything is on high scale. This
invention is worth more to Los Ange-
les county than all the railroads and
manufactures that will be constructed
for score of years to come. Hun
dreds of men of means have come
and looked at our county, and praise
its climate and production, and gone
away, saying, sit is the finest country
In the world, but there is no market
for your products" That day is now
passed, We shall now have market at
our very door for everything we pro-
duce. This invention promises to
revolutionize agriculture and COM
merce. Succulent crops Of all kinds
have ever been worth four or five
times as much as the same acreage of
cereals, provided they were raised
near a good market, but they could
not be transported any distance, they
were too tender and bulky. Now,
however, these richest of crops (the
suocIlents) are to be the safest and
cheapest to market. A thousand dol
lars worth Of apples, peaches, berries,
etc., will not only grow on one-fourth
the aground required for thousand dol
lars worth of wheat, barley, etc., but
will go into one-fourth the barrels and
will 60 to any part ofthe globe forone-
fourth Of the freight. Our object in
writing SO much on this subject is to
bring the matter fairly before the
farmers of the country and induce
them to prepare for the change-for,
depend upon it, the change will be
great. Agriculture has hitherto been
one of tue worst paid pursuits of men;
1t is now to become one of the most
lucrative. In less than sixty days
this process will be In operation In our
midst, and every farmer ought to pre-
pare for 1t. We cannot say half that
we wish to say in one or two articles
on this subject, but we must mention
one item more--the raisins. We Wis
tied Mr.. DAvIs's room at the Claren-
don Hotel, and he exhibited to US
raisins made Of several varieties OF
California Ora naa- hv tho Ida,, yrr