Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-30
PLACER COUNTY.

This county is rapidly coming to the
front rs one of the most desirable in the
State for horticultural purposes. 1t was
originally, like most Of the counties that
extend more or less into the Sierra Nevada
chain, a mining locality; but as the mining
section becomes restricted more attention
is being paid to the culture of fruits and
grain. Placer is about 100 miles in length,
its width varying from eight to ten miles in
the lower part, but farther up it spreads out
from the Nevada county line to the east
ernmost limit Of the State. In the lower
level and rolling land, stretching out on the
Sacramento valley plains to the Suffer
county line, and in this section farming is
the chief industry. Next comes the foot
hill section, extending upward along the
Auburn ridge to an altitude of about 1000
feet. Above this belt the clief industries
are mining and numbering. Each of these
belts is well adapted to the purposes to
which it is devoted. The farming methods
are about the same as those practiced in
other parts of the Sacramento valley, and
the results perhaps fully as good The
fruit-growing section, however, is making
the most rapid growth at this time.
FTUIT-GRowING AND LANDS
For some years past Auburn and
Newcastle have hcoil prominent fruit
shipping localities, and about there
may be seen many orchards, vineyards and
gardens, the products of which find ready
sale i'll the Sacramento and San Francisco
markets Within the past year, however,
the greatest activity and enterprise has been
noted further up the Auburn Tor Colfax)
ridge, in the vicinity of the town of Col
fax Attention was first attracted to the
splendid quality of the hill soil in that
locality by the success which attended the
display, ut the State Fair of sS3, of samples
of grapes from the Whitcomb vineyard
Every variety exhibited was awarded the
first premium in its class. These grapes
were grown without irrigation, the peculiar
quality of the soil being sucl that artificial
irrigation, even on the tops OF ridges or on
hillsides, is not required. Land that. up to
that time, could be had for s. 80 per acre,
now began to increase in price with the in
creased demand therefore, and is now
stifliv held at SO and upward. This wear
many hundreds of acres about COlfax
have been bought up by persons
from Sacramento, San Francisco and
even from the East. These newcomers
are nearly all improving their land and
preparing I , set out orchards and vineyards
the coming season. Ii Is said that the new
capital invested in that locality has added
something Bike 100000 to the taxable
wealth of the county There are still thou
sands of acres Of the better quality of hill
lands to be had in the Placer county foot
hill section at low figures; and this fact
makes that section an especially desirable
one for i'm Migrants with moderate means.
4 WARN BELT.
The cost Of clearing is much cheaper than
in the Co St Range counties, the expense
per acre rely exceeding S12 or So which
is generally offset by the value of the tim
Der for fuee The soil is so loose and free
from any bedrock formation that the
underground IS readily removed by the aid
of a pair ofhorses. being pulied out bodiIy
and then thrown into heaps or rows. and
burned. .itan altitude of some 1000 feet
the alutu6e Of C0ltaX, for instmce-thcreis
a thermal belt. 1t is TOO high TO be affected
by the damp togs and heavy atmosphere of
the vale Z, and yet not high enough to
come witlin the snow and freezing belt
Often WI en- there are heavy frosts in
the valley and along the lower foothills, the
atmospheu is bright and warm 800 or
1000 feet# higher up ON the mountains
But, of course there is no locality in the
otauc, iliS OF low, l!lai enjoys perfect nm
munity rom irosts in the winter and early
spring. That is drawback which horti-
culturists must expect TO contend against
almost everywhere. However, the foothiu
section is generally more reliable for fruit
or grape-growing than the valleys. and as
a rule, the quality of the fruit is vastly
superior to that of the valleys 1t is not,
perhaps, going TOO far to predict that in the
near future the loothill section of Placer
county will be the center of a thriving.
bustling section, and the home of hardy,
intelligent and prosperous people. 1t may
be mentioned as one of the most promising
features of the locality referred to, that but
few. purchases have been made of large
tracts OF land, most OF them being limited
70 %, 40 and so acre.; ana but few pieces
have been bought for speculation. The
demand thus far has been confined mainly
10 the Bear river ridge, but over on the
Forest Hill divide therei is doubtless equally |
as good Land to be had, and even down in |
the vicinity of Auburn, Newcastle and |
although in the lower end OF |
the county higher prices are asked. Doubt |
less much that is said in favor of the Placer |
county foothill section may with equal |
truth be said of portions of Nevada, FL |
Dorado, Amador, Calayeras, Colusa, Te-