Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-14
OUR FRUIT LANDS.
SOME OF THE RESOURCES OF
THE MINING COUNTIES.
divisions of the Sierras and
their Adaptabilities.

| divisions of the SierraS and
their Adaptabilities.
i EDS RECORD UNION: The general re-
sources of that vast extent of land COM
| prising the most of the Sierra Nevada from
Siskiyou to Mariposa, and from the great
valley of the Sacramento to the top of that
lofty range of mountains, and better known
as the mining counties of the State, are yet,
it seems, but little understood. More par
ticularly is this so with the agricultural
and horticultural resources of that region,
which, as if emerging from under cloud,
are suspected and perceived at last, through
the dense mist of a great and fallen indus
try-the extracting of gold from the bowels
of the earth by hydraulic power-and IN
raveled to the astonished gaze of the peo-
pie as something new and unexpected.
| For it is a fact that public attention has
been directly called to the probability of
the mining counties producing something
else than gold only since the closing up of
| the hydraulic mines through Judge Saw
yer's inlunctions.
That the mining counties are capable of
producing something else than gold is
nothing new to the people of those coun-
ties, II II is to the people of San Francisco
and other parts of the State; but in trying
to enlighten their readers upon that i'm
portant subject, the metropolitan papers are
having things badly mixed up, locating the
hydraulic mines in the horticultural belt
of those counties, and the horticultural
belt where the hydraulic mines stand
closed up and ruined and l am afraid that
1t will take very big hammer to
pound it into the head of the average San
Francisco Journalist that the hydraulic
mines are situated nearer the snow-capped
peaks of the lofty Sierra than the warm
and balmy base of the mountains. will,
therefore, try in this article to straighten
up things little, so that hereafter our
great San Francisco dailies will not be apt
to give their readers such nonsensical
trash as the following: Lands capable of
producing such fruits as the mountain
counties are beginning to send to market
are too valuable to be washed down by the
hose of the hydraulic miner"
That immense mountainous region COM
prising the mining counties of the State
may be divided into three belts, viz: First
The foothill belt. Second-The snow
horticultural belt. Third-The hydraulic,
grazing, timber and eternal snow belt.
) THE FooTHILL BELT
Extends from the edge of the valleys to an
elevation of several hundred feet, and I'D
to the snow belt line. The land is rolling
gradually, till it reaches the mountains
proper and the myriads of little hills that
cover that section Of the Sierra, thanks to
their gentle slope, are most splendidly
adapted to fruit, grapes and other kinds of
culture. From the fact that those hills are
situated right at the base of the mountains,
the name of foothills has been given to
that favored section of the State This belt
comprises IN Placer county such places as
Rocklin, Newcastle and Auburn and in
Nevada county the lower portion of Rough
and Ready and Bridgeport townships, In
dian Springs in the former township being
just comprised in that belt, and right where
showing stops in winter
All kinds of fruit, grapes, olives, etc..
are, or can be, grown to perfection in those
foothills. so favorable is the climate, and so
rich and deep the soil. Surprising as it
may look to great many people, the
greater part of the foothills is less subject
, to late frosts in the spring than the valleys
some sections being even practically exempt
! from them. The climate is so much alike
that of southern France and Italy, where
the best olive oil is manufactured, that |
am convinced it will produce a superior oil
to that from the too hot southern portion
of the State. So with prunes, raisins and
!
be foremost among the untold resources of
that privileged region.
THE Now-HoRTIcULTURAL BELT
Occupies middle place between the two
other belts. In Nevada county it COM
prises the upper part of Rough and Ready
and Bridgeport townships, the most of
Nevada and Grass Valley townships and a
portion of Little York township. Grass
Valley and Nevada City, with their innu-
merable quartz lodes and mines, beautiful
gardens, orchards and vineyards, stand
pretty much in the middle of that belt,
which runs up towards the summit of the
Slerras, to where practical farming stops,
but where hydraulic mining commences.
The soil Is different to that of the foothills,
with few exceptions; less deep and rich,
heavier, more rocky, with a larger mixture
) OF granite, OF reddish ferruginous color,
but holding sand and clay in such proper
tons as to render it, under certain circum-
! stances, wonderfully productive
That belt is also much colder than the
foothills. Snow falls sometimes during the
winter to depth of twelve to eighteen
inches, but the SHOWS do not lie long on
the ground. 1t Is section well adapted to
the growing of fruit, especially apples,
pears, peaches, nuts of all kinds, and
grapes: and it is in this very belt, from
Grass Valley and Nevada City and the sur
| IOuilullS COuHtTy, InaL all the Irult shipped
East OF late years WAS raised. The raising of
fruit, grapes and other products has been
carried on for years in the snow belt of the
Slerras, IN this county, as we'll as in Placer,
Ell Dorado and other counties and the
capabilities of the soil To grow such prod
ucts has been fully tested by competent
persons. Only few hydraulics mines-at
least in Nevada county-are to be found
within the lines of the snow-horticultural
belt. And the San Francisco papers need
not fear to see our valuable fruit land
and this belt is all made up of such land
washed down by the hose ofthe hydraulic
miner"
THE THIRD BELT,
Or the hydraulic, grazing timber. and eter-
nal snow belt, is a region for the greater
part unfit for any kind of culture. The
winters are too long, the country too rough.
and the weather too cold to permit the
growing of much fruit or of anything else
outside Of hay, potatoes, and the like. 1t
is rich timber land and thousands of
cattle and sheep are taken every summer
from the valleys to that part of the noun
tains, where they find excellent pastures
The most of the hydraulic mines are stu
ated in that belt, that is in Nevada and
Placer counties; and the hydraulic miner
may gaze at ease while at work piping down
the valuable fruit land" at the eternal
snow-capped peaks of the Sierra, looming
up IN the distance at a height of 5000 to
5000 feet above the sea- keeping in store