Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-19
FARM AND FRUIT.
OyERPR0DUeTiON OF FRUIT IN
THE EAST AND SOUTH.
General News and Notes Of Fruit,
Grain and Farming Indus
Iries-HiRts-Et

FGTRecf, Iheo. GOODRICH, Secretary of the
Golden, H., Horticultural Club, states that
the growing of small fruit in the fruit sec
tons of Illinois and Michigan is being
overdone He says that in the vicinity OF
Golden, H., the price of Strawberries was
so small this year on account of the large
acreage and abundant yield that there was
but very small profit, and as soon as the
crop was off many plowed up their fields
and planted them to corn.
The planting of fruits and vegetables
South, for shipment North" he continues,
"has been carried much beyond either
moderation or profit To many planters
in Dixie the road to wealth seems to lie
through orchards and strawberry fields,
and all that was thought necessary was to
plant from one to fifteen acres of fruit to
secure an income scarcely less than from a
Comstock mine, and far more certain. The
whole South runs fruit garden Planting
has been carried so far to amount to a
mania, and all fruit-growers from Chicago
to New Orleans must suffer during the next
five years from a tidal wave of over-produc-
ton. The fruit is growing faster than the
cities that consume it. This shows the
ruineus result Of a rush in any direction"
Thus the question of overproduction in
fruits which has not unfrequently been
raised and discussed in California, would
seem to have arrived at stage of present
consideration at the East. That the natural
tendency from increase of production is a
decrease in price, resulting from the sup
ply of demand, is self-evident fact. and
one which should always be taken into
consideration in the pursuit of any indus
try. Also, that it is characteristic Of Amer
leans, ifnot with much larger portion of
the human race, to rush en- masse like
sheep into whatever is for the time yield
ing greatest returns, regardless Of what
must inevitably result from such course,
cannot be gainsaid And this, at
first view, would seem to apply
with exceptional force 10 the case of
California by reason of her great distance
from outside markets, for not only will the
item of transportation be greater against
our products, but our surplus of fruit over
home consumption viii also, IN three years
more, be far greater in proportion than
that of the East or South
Are we then in this State arriving at
point, already close at hand, when fruit
growing will be overdone, and hence be-
come Improbable, as Mr. Goodrich indi-
Gates to be the case in the East and South? |
We think, as has before been stated by |
the RECORD UNION, that such is not the |
case, for while remoteness from market |
and less home consumption in proportion |
to the volume of production, are against
us, the fact must not be lost sight of, that |
California frnits, with the extra cost for |
transportation added, can successfully COM
pete, by reason of superior quality, with |
those raised near by the Eastern market,
and even command prices affording bet
ter margin Of profit This, however is not
the only or principal source of our safety
from overproduction, but it lies in the
facility with which our fruits can
be converted into other channels
Of growing demands in COM
merce, resulting to the producer
equally as profitable as by shipment
abroad in the ripe state Our grapes,
which VIII continue to be sold for from
three to five hundred per cent. higher at
the East than those raised there, viii also,
as has been fully demonstrated, make as
good wines as those imported from France,
and which are already sold by dishonest
dealers at the East for fine imported
brands. Continued improvement in the
quality Of our raisins during another five
years to the same extent as that obtained
n the five years last past Will place Us on
an equal footing with the best now i'm
ported, if even now some have not
acquired that degree Of excellence. As to
peaches, apricots, prunes and other fruits,
'ur dry climate and exemption from rain
turing the fruit ripening season give to
he orchardists Of California an advantage ]
II the curing Of fruits which, when fully
entered upon as a method of disposing of
he surplus beyond the demands at profit
Ible rates for home consumption, shipping
md canning, viii amount TO an almost ex-
lusive monopoly Of dried fruits for the
world, and Of the most superior quality. :
Therefore, without resting upon mere I
these, briefly stated, seem to be, I
lnong others, well established grounds for
he belief that an oyerproduction Of fruits +
S not likely TO occur in this State.
Many people have come to believe that
BECAUSE more acres Of wheat are grown in b
he great valleys below us, the crop in El :,
Dorado county is Oh little Importance In +
his they are mistaken. Our wheat is as a
AT ahead of that grown in the valley III =
usiity as theirs is ahead Of Us in quantity !
md yet we have thousands OF acres of =
and that has never been cleared which is l.
asst as good as the best and which can be :
ought for from - to fl5 per acre. To Il
i've an idea of the productiYenesS OF this =
)il we viii say that there are now in CURL -
flee three stalks of wheat grown by u
rancis Veerkamp at Granite Hill, the
alks numbering los aud measuring just
bout five feet in hngth, with heads Of full,
.rge berries six inches long. Mr.. Veer-
amps entire field IS almost as good az
lis in our office a few days ago we were
rowing this wheat to Or. " @. Kings
lry, of the Central Pacific Railroad Immi-
ration Bureau, who declared that if he
ad it IN his office in London he could
rive an hundred Englishmeu crazy with 81
asre to come in possession of land that
ould produce a crop such as the samples
Town would indicate Mountain Mes
niger
Nevada City and vicinity, says the Ne
ida Herdid, viii have very large crop Of
Early every kind of fruit raised at this
utude the coming fail The apple trees
some orchards are already bent very
uch from the heavy weight on their
nbs, many requiring props The fruit
! these trees is not half grown yet. and
hen il has attained maturity, and unless
eat precauion is used, we have little
,ubt that many trees viii have their large