Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-02

care of its proprietor was allowed to
90 to decay, and the ground to be
covered again with weeds and wild wood.
The fact that our climate and soil were so
admirably adapted to fruit culture had been
established beyond dispute. and among the
thoughtful it was perfectly plain that the
golden age of fruit culture was yet TO be ex-
perieneed. Experiments in the mode of dry
ing fruits by the use of drying houses and
evaporating machinery, and In preserving
them in a green state in Theoretically sealed
cans, we're going on both here and elsewhere,
and in a few years both processes were
brought to such a degree of perfection that
the problem of market for California fruit
was favorably solved. Contemporaneously
with the solution of this problem there APP
peared another drawback in the shape of
insects that supped the life of the trees by
fastening upon their bodies and limbs and
drinking their life's blood, and that pene.
trated the fruit itself and transformed the
bright promise TO the eye into bitter
disappointment in the hand. We know, how
ever, that this last drawback can be over
come. that there Is not in nature an evil for
which there is not remedy. and knowing
this we are sanguiae in the belief that we are
Just entering upon the golden age of fruit
culture in California. Let every mans hand
be turned against these pests of the orchard,
these nlenaces of the future greatest industry
of our State. and but few years will suffice
to stamp them out to such a degree
that they will no longer give us serious
trouble. We have already found abundant
and effective remedies for the scale bug and
the cooling moth, and we now only want 20
secure a general and thorough application Of
these remedies wherever they have put 10 an
appearance, whether in an orchard of ten or
J IL 49,, DO rfrR
where a single tree is found and we must
not neglect the deserted and abandoned
places, where no one cares for the few trees
left to mark the place of a miners cabin or
settlers ranch Let the war that we have
declared against these insects be made thor
ough and complete. Let US impress upon all
who have fruit tree or love fruit the great
truth that fruit as well as other crops can
only be preserved by labor. This labor must
be performed in the proper time and in an in
telligent manner, and where 50 performed II
will be comparatively light and surely ehec-
tive. Having destroyed the crop OF in
furious insects. we should turn our
attention to thinning out the fruit
on all trees too heavily laden
to perfect the crop. A few days labor in
thinning out the apples, pears. peaches and
other fruit in many an orchard IN this State
will pay to the owner 500 day. Then
another thing must be looked after by all
who would make success in the cultivation of
fruit. We refer to the perfect drainage of
all stagnant water from the soil. While we
sympathize with the orange culturists OF
Florida on account of the complete destruc-
ton of their orange groves, and while we
regret to learn of like fate to the peach
orchards of New Jersey and Delaware, these
occurrences nevertheless have buoyant
tendency for these industries in our State,
and 90 to confirm us ia the opinion that we
are just entering upon the golden age of fruit
culture ia the Golden State of the Pacific.