Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-01
FRUIT CULTURE.
ITS GROWING IMPORTANCE AND sue
CESS IN CALIFORNIA.
Some General Directions Concerning Prep
aration Of Ground, Selecting Trees,
Planting. Cultivation, Etc.

Written for the RECORD UNION by Robert William
son, Of the firm Of W. r. Strong Col
This industry, which had but very
small beginning some thirty years ago, now
bids fair to be the paramount interest of the
State at no very distant date. Most of
the men who first began Embarrassing in
California were amateurs in the business,
and those among them that were &C.
quaintsd with the business in other States
and countries soon discovered that the eli.
mate, soil and surroundings here were so
different, that their former knowledge was
of very little value to them, and they had
to experiment and learn, by practical and
new experience, as from the beginning
those things wherein the former theories
and practices failed and other methods
were required. Enterprising men at once
commenced importing from all parts of the
world the varieties, ETC., considered best
in the several States and countries from
which they came. Our people being cos.
mopolitan population, made up from the
most thoroughgoing and enterprising from
all parts of the world, made it compare
lively easy and quite natural to gather to-
gether here the largest and most complete
assortment of all kinds and classes of fruit
trees and vines ever collected in one coun-
try. Another feature and fact which nat
urally aided in gathering together this large
variety was the vast
VARIATIONS OF CLIMATES AND SOILS
Which we have in California. Large sup
plies of money, muscle and brains have
been expended in testing and determining
the values OF these numerous varieties and
kinds, and even this has been rendered
more difficult by the great diversity of
climate, as it often proves that a grown
variety may do finely in one locality and
not in another, only a few miles distant.
So great is the effect from these climatic
differences that it is impossible to recognize
two samples of the same kind of fruit,
grown in different localities. This fact
operates, it viii be seen, very much against
the nHrseryman, and makes it exceedingly
difficult for him to maintain a reputation
for reliable labels, while at the same time
serves as an apology for the unscrupulous
tree hawker, who cares nothing for the
curse that he is inhicting on his customer
and posterity. The press of the State de-
serves great credit for the aid it has fur
nished in demonstrating the knowledge of
fruit culture. Californiana are a reading
people not only so, but they are, as a
rule unselfish and honest enough to write
and let their brethren of the world know
what they have
LEARNED BY COSTLY EXPERIMENTS,
And the columns of the papers have al
ways been open to such articles and they
have done a vast amount of good in that
way, as we'll as by personal efforts in the
line of editorial work upon the subject
The result of all this labor and expenditure
has been to reduce fruit growing to a
science in California, and demonstrate
what will and what will not pay in each
respective locality It has demonstrated
the fallacy Of attempting to grow a large
number of varieties any single orchard,
especially if it is a market orchard. Our
market facilities are equal, if not superior,
to any one country in the world. We are
situated in the center of the great COM
mercial world, with a long line of sea-
shore plenty of good harbors, and direct
communication with all the ports and prin-
cipal cities of the world. We are bounded
on the north and east by a vast district If
timber and mineral country, larger in ex.
tent than all the States east OF the M.ssis-
sippi river. THE country is little else than
one vast mineral bed, and must and will be
inhabited by millions of people, all OF
whom must be fed AMI they must and will
draw their supplies, especially Of fruit,
from California. We are constantly in
creasing our shipping facilities into all
parts of this vast territory, besides lines
across the continent to the great Eastern
cities, where our fruits have already ac-
quired such reputation that they are sold
by the thousands of tons annually, even
though in competition with the best of
Eastern grown fruits, and notwithstanding
the cost Of shipping, which necessitates
their sale at fabulous prices.
OUR DRIED AND CANNED FRUITS
Find ready market East at good prices,
the consumers preferring to take them at
q higher price than to use their home
goods. l investigated this matter while
East the past summer, and found that the
California fruits, whether fresh, canned or
dried, were sought after. | was also as
sured by the merchants that they were
now compelled to keep the California
brands in order to hold their custom. The
same IS true of all California raisics, wines
or brandics. Millions OF dollars that have
been annually sent abroad for these articles
viii in tne future be kept principally
at home and most Of it viii be paid to the
California producer The same will soon
be true Of the California fig and olive.
This country is the home Of both. 1t is
impossible for any part Of the world to
produce a better olive or fig than we can,
and certainly no better climate exists in
which to harvest and cure fruit than Cali
fornia. i vast sum is annually paid to
foreign countries for tigs 6l)ne, and more
still paid for olives and so.called olive oil,
a very large per cent of which Is but re-
fined hogs lard and stale butter, bought
up all over the East and Europe and
worked up into the so.Called olive oil,
while we IN the Golden State can make in
dependent fortunes furnishing the pure oil
at the prices charged for this spurious stuff.
THE GROWING OF FIGS.
As to tigs, there are fortunes in it if we
have the right varieties and handle them
properly. Imported fgs cost our mer.
chants at wholesale in New York. from :
TO 10 CthLs per pOunu. IneY are divided
into three c.asses-Nos. ], > and 3-the
No. costs TO to IS cents, No. ,, 10 to Il
cents, and No. 3, to 10 cents Figs can
be raised IN California, even at the present
cost Of labor. and be put in market shape.
10 casks OF drums, at cost OF , to cents
per pound, and there would be a very
handsome profit at to cents. The va,
rieties we now have, put up in sacks with,
out any care, sell readily at / to cents
per pound. with a decidedly upward ten,
dency No fruit cultivated possesses sc
much nutriment and medicinal properties
as the fg, except, possibly, the olive, NJ
fruit will fAtten hogs or fowls so fast, ex,
cept the olive, as will the 6g and no othel
kind of fruit is so easily raised in the State
Outside of California there is but a small
portion of the earth's surface where it car
be successfully grown, and in no place will
less effort than here.
LOCALITY AND SUPPLY,
It was thought years ago that nothing
but the rich bottom lands were suitable
far fr11it but il now turns out that mill