Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-18
Our San Francisco Letter.
Aba ndOnment OF the Grain Field for
the Nursery.
SAS Francisco, Jan. 20, 1881.

cause WIS my text anu HiN hOpoN,
trust this communication will not be
consigned to the waste basket if its
contents partake little more OF the
rambling sort. 1t is generally con-
coded that we have had the greater
portion of our allotted rainfall for
this Winter and, in consequence,
the farmers are lusily engaged in
their Springs work" OF preparing
the we'll moistened earth for the re-
ception of seed.
These preparations are not only
for grain, but for garden fruits and
vegetables, and there is a gracious
promise of an abundant harvest on
all sides. As to the farmers of this
State, there is change coming over
the spirit of their dreams. For
years. they have dreamed of grain;
the wheat crop has been, par erect
lence, the great agricultural staple;
widespread as ii, notoriety has be-
become, npwrvct, farmers and
lanchmen a.v coming back to first
principles and turning their at'en-
ton, in special way, to the fruit
raising industry. Perhaps l cannot
better express the thought l wish
to convey than by saying that Cali
fornia agriculturalists are just be-
ginning to open their eyes to one gi-
gantic fact. l say gigantic, because
it involves gigantic interests, and of
great moment not only to themselves
but to the remainder of the Pacific
States and Territories. They have
discovered that California is not the
only wheat-growing country this side
of the Rocky mountains. They hear
with jealous ears the justly heralded
grain growing fame of Eastern
Washington and Oregon, and they
read with jealous eyes the stupen-
dous wheat shipping reports from
those heretofore wild and obscure
regions. 1t will be understood that
l am now speaking of the people
who live in the cereal-producins Sec
lions of this State, and to forestall
what would otherwise be an impend-
ing calamity, they are turning their
attention to the fruit and vegetable
growing business, especially such
varieties as are adopted to being
Theoretically sealed for shipment
abroad. As semi-tropical fruit
producing region, California stands
out in bold relief. among the other
States of the Union, and l am glad
to say that her conservative people
are beginning to profit by Il knowl-
edge of this fact. No one country
can produce all things, and the
sooner the people of widely differing
climatic regions understand this the
better it will he for them. From
what has been said, there is certainly
great reason for the farmers of the
Northern Pacific coast and interior
to be encouraged. Verify, theirs is
the Paradise of cereals and the hard
Ter fl uits. So fully are the farmers
convinced that cereals cannot be
longer depended upon as their great
staple product, that thousands of
acres of late wheat-growing lands
will be left in u fallow condition
this year, while as many thousands
vii be utilized by being planted
with fruit trees. In the Sacramento
valley and Bay counties, the fruit
tree excitement is running high
among the people who are fortunate
enough to own lands adapted to
this industry. The demand for
young trees is far greater than the
supply. Nurserymen in this vicin-
ity fluid their stock already SO nearly
exhausted that they are supplying
themselves from the Atlantic States
and with what can be obtained from
Oregon. Peaches, pears, apricots
prunes, nectariues and plums are
being planted in quantities never
known befole. AS | have intimated,
here is lesson which our friends in
Oregon and Washington will do well
to ponder. Upon them must here
after devo!ve the great harden of tho
grain product for the Pacific coast.
While in this respect, they can carry
oil the palm, they cannot compete
with California in the fruit business