Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-15


600 of gold of which $1s,301 ,S2S was pro-
duced. according to the late census, in the
wear 1880. Am | far wrong when | esti-
mate that FL Dorado, Nevada and Placer
produced one-third of the latter sum?
Eighteen millions of wheat What does 1t
moi represent? Railroads, steamers. ware
houses, busy markets. cities, homes, fac
tories. churches, school-hOuSes and all the
re6nements of civilization. Eighteen mil
lions of gold leaves little to those who by
toll produced it. 1t has always been thus
and always will be so. The money has
moved the crops, built the railroads, cult
waited the fields, enriched the farmer in
lands which it was alien by birth, but how
little has its potentality benefited you.
The suspicious time has come to you
when all conditions favor a change in your
vocation, when you can arrest the flow of
the golden stream, and with it fertilize
these waiting hills and crown them with
choicest fruits of the earth.
These figures are more eloquent than fig
ures of speech to depict the relative advan-
tages of agriculture over mining, and now,
having, | hope, aroused your interest in the
subject of agriculture | wish to devote
some time to an enumeration of advan-
tages your section offers for the cultivation
of fruit. The question of transportation
has determined that your efforts must tend
to the cultivation of fruit rather than Of
grain.
THE CLIMATE
Is the first consideration. Ia the coast
range there are a thousand climates, de-
pendent upon the course Of the cool winds
which blow from the ocean, and the shelter
which projecting points or a rising Hill
affords. Each section, therefore, has some
! fruit in which it eXCels. In the great val
| Ieys oppressive heats occur in midsummer,
! to be followed by too cool nights, while in
| those sections to the south, near the base of
! the Sierra, frost is apt to occur late III the
spring and materially decrease the crop.
In the foothills of the Sierra at an eleva-
| ton of from 800 to 5000 feet, the climate is
about the same at corresponding elevations,
| being genial in summer and favorable TO
| outdoor work, while the nights are not TOO
| cool and are sufficiently warm to encourage
| the continuous growth of vegetation. To
those who have never experienced the su-
perlative charm of our foothill climate, q
| statement of the temperature both of win
ter and summer may be interesting.
| have no data in relation to Ell Dorado
and Nevada counties, but as Auburn has an
elevation Of $50 feet, COltax 2,422 feet,
! Grass Valley about 1900 feet, Placeryille
about goo feet, and Rocklin, which repre-
sentS the base of the foothills, $50 feet,
have taken ROcklin, Auburn and ColfaX as
! representing the temperatures of Grass Val
| ley and Placerville, and Rocklin as CORE
| spending to the temperature of other places
/ of the same elevation.
The yearly mean of the maximum tenn
perature of Auburn is 83170, C0lfax S542o,
/ and Rocklin S4.630. The yearly mean OF
| the minimum temperature Of Auburn is
| in
The climate which these figures indicate
| the foothills to possess establish beyond a
| doubt that there is ample heat in summer
| to bring to maturity even tropical fruits,
and cool enough in winter to secure the
rest which vegetation needs without Ell
dangering its existence.
You have a still further advantage in
| being generally exempt from spring irosts,
which do so much damage to the vineyards
and orchards in the valley and coast por-
tons of the State. April and May are the
months most to be feared. In the foothills
! the heightened winter retardS the growth
of the bud, and when the frost comes, if il
does come in April and May, the buds are
not advanced enough 10 be hurt thereby
The minimum temperature in April and
May, respectively, at Auburn is 800 and 40
at Colfax. $50 and 400 at ROcklin, 40 and
| 500 These temperatures indicate an almest
entire exemption from destructive frost
Not that the dew point is lower than 80
| but that the vegetation is not advanced
enough for the slight frost to do it any dam
age. Even the famed Napa valley has a
| minimum temperature in April and MAY OF
$50 and 49,, but the vegetation in that
| beautiful valley is at least, each year a
month in advance of that at Auburn or Col
| fax, and hence more liable to the raYageS
| Of frost
| Finally the mean temperatures Of April
| and May are at Auburn, respectively, $685.
and 59.01o; at Colfax, 1880 and 566l0 and
at ROcklin, 80 240 and 66.8So.
| But you need not fear frost Mr. Ha-
| rasZthy, q most competent observer and
| viticulturist, testifying before committee
on Grape Culture in 1885, said as fol
! lows
'' We have no severe frosts in this coun-
| try. If a frost comes it dimiuishes our
! crop only in part-tive or ten or twenty per
| cent, according To circumstances. In
| France they viii have one frost after an
| other until the entire crop is destroyed.
! This is one of the many advantages pos
| sesssed here
Mr. Mathews, member of the commit
tee, asked, This land you speak Of lies
mostly in the foothills, does it nOt2
Mr. Haraszthy-Ye sir.
Mr.. Mathews Is it not fact that they
have earlier and heavier frosts in the foot
hills
Mr. Haraszthy-No, sir; it is just the
reverse. There are lands on the sides OF
our mountains where goats would starYe
that will produce the best wines"
The above figures present to the acute
observer and searcher for propitious land
! for fruit culture more than can eloquent
description or rhetorical display, our in
comparable climate. To the Eastern or
Western man, accustomed to the icy rigOrs
of long winters and the melting heats Of
summer, when the graSshopper is a
burden, our climate is a revelation and j
foretaste Of an earthly paradise.
Here there is no malaria 10 deaden ones
euergies, no fever8 to PROSTATE ana no con
sumption; here if anywhere, life should
be heightened TO the Scrptural span.
THE RAINFALL
Is ample for the cultivation Of al! fruits
except possibly berries. At Sacramento
the average fall is about 20 inches, at Rock
lin ., at Auburn 50 and at Colfax 40
inches,
And this bring. me to the subject of irri-
cation. IL is u bugbear. Somehow the
impression prevails in the valley that irri-
CATION is necessary. Nearly everyone to
whom have spoken about the foothills re-
plies: But you have to irrigate." And
this in face Of the most incontestable testi-
mOny of the scores of vineyards in our dis
trict which never had a drop of water save
that which fell from the heavens. The
dOubters are not confined to the valleys
Those who started vineyards and orchards
in the foothills by irrigation still adhere 10
the practice; it would be death TO let 20
l.