Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-08-16
TRE NEW CALIFORNIA.
The Golden State as It Mas and as
II 10.
The Era Of Gold Diggiug---The orerpp.
ducton Of Wheat The Fruit
Raising Generation--large
Land Owners Ready
TO Sell.

4
changes. Everybody knows tina. thirty
years ago California was recognized only as
the Golden State, and the speculative. and
often the vicious, of all eopatries are locked
bitter, anticipating immediste wealth from
The simplest and the erudess mining
methods The soil vas popularity supposed
TO be universally and most hberslly i'm
prfgna'ed with gold, and to be practically
useless for any other purpose. In every
| direction the face of the country
wss covered with little companies
OF amateur miners, supplied With pick,
| shovel, and primitive rocker, all diligently
employed scratching and washing the soil
in search OF the precious metals Noun
| tain and valley alike are covered with these
adventurous seekers after sudden wealth,
and no attention was given to any other pur-
suit. The food to support this vast army
Of gold seekers was mainly brought around
| the Horn" and commanded almost fabu-
lous prices. Indeed, the cost of living con-
| sumed the utmost Of the find" Of the ave
rage digger, so that not more than one in
thousand found the employment at all prof
liable. And the exceptions were only the
rare instances of the discovery Of rich
pockets of metal, which were soon ex-
| hausted.
Presently, under the discoursging condi-
tons of mining, attention was directed to
the exceedingly fertile character Of the val
ley soil, and lis sdsptabihty to the produc-
ton of cereal crops, and then came de-
mand for agricultural claims Soon the
great valleys were mainly taken up, legiti-
mately or otherwise, and the poverty-stricken
people began devising ways and means to
! procure seed for planting. Then followed
the full development Of the legitimate value
of the soil. Wheat could be grown
here in quantity and quality unprece-
| dented almost anywhere else on the
face of the earth. And TO add to the pro-
ductiveness of the soil, the peculiarides Of
the climate and the general conditions OF
the country reduced the labor of agriculture
70 the minimum. There being but little
! live stock in the country, fencing was not
| required while the absence Of rain in sum-
mer rendered the use of barns or granaries
unnecessary. The farmer needed only his
and, hut to shelter himself, pair OF
horses miles or oxen, plough, harrow, and
,one harvest ting machinery, and with sup
ply of seed re was prepared for work.
As soon as the early fall rains would
mo,sten the ground ploughing was begun,
nd from that time on ploughing and sPei-
ing was continued until stopped By the
usually more severe and continuous later
rains Of January and February. Then the
, isrmer had perfect rest while his crop ma
| iured Then followed the harvesting, de-
termined by the condition Of the grain, the
crop being stacked in the field to be threshed
at any convenient time. And even after
| threshing and sacking the product could
safely be left in the open air until the mar
let or The convenience OF hauling should
| dictate its removal
This simple and inexpensive farming con-
tinues to this day, the area of land under
cultivation and the consequent gross prod
| uct of the State annually increasing, until
how California has become the greatest
wheat growing State in the Union. All
| this without the slightest effort TO restore 10
! The overburdened and prolific soil anything
of the nutriment thus recklessly taken from
| it. Even the straw remaining after thresh
! ing is burned as an encumbrance, and in
most cases the stubble in the fields also, as
otherwise it would clog and impede the
plough. Year after year this improvident
system Of agriculture is continued, the soil
! getting nothing in return for It's generous
| Weld 10 the slightest effort at cultivation,
! and no rest from the annual burden OF pro-
| duction, until it is not at all singular that
some oftbe old ranches begin to show evil
! dences OF impairment, and material re-
! auction OF yield.
The overproiuction OF wheat and the oc-
casonal danger Of the partial loss OF crop
through climatic decentralization much
or 100 little rain, or its untimely appearance
has lately caused another partial reyolu'
tion in Tsstoral industry and now fruit
| growing is fast becoming the greater enter.
! Irise. OF course, the adaptsbility Of the
soil to grapes and fruit culture generally is
| Lot modern discovery; but the area 80
adapted is found to De- tar more extensive
than was formerly supposed, the profits OF
fruit culture much greater and mere sure
,bsn those Of wheat growing, and the
| variety Of fruit that may be grown
! is sccn to be almost Unlimited.
Grspes thrive well in almost
II parts Of the State, more especially
,hrou bout the central portion, and so profit
able las this crop been found TO be that
be vineyard is actually supplanting the
rrain field to a very marked extent. Thus
be entire Soroma and Nspa valleys are
,tw continuous vineyards. The Liver
i1cre valley is also fast changing from q
wheat field 10 a vineyard. In San Mateo,
| Santa Clara Monterey, and other counties
south OF San Francisco the grape is also
found to thrive well, and large vineyards
are fourisbing. Lands which were esteemed
extravagant at from $50 TO 500 An acre for
wheat readily command double those prices
for grapes, and vineyards in bearing are
! held at 500 and upwards al acre.
1t is also found that grapes thrive on the
hill sides where, without irrigation, wheat
could never be grown. Thus large tracts oil
land bithsr to considered worthless are now
being planted in vines, and in many in
stances the vines are beginning to bear,
showing almost equal prodnctVcness with
those in the valleys. This is particularly
tie case in San Mateo and Santa Clara
counties, where the eastern slopes Of the
coast ranges are sought after and even pre-
| ferred TO the lover fs, lands. In the Nspa
and Sonoma valleys also the vineyards now
covering all the fat lands are fast climbing
the hills on either side, while in the Liver
more valley the enterprise irst started on
the easterly slopes OF the surrounding bills.
| Thus is created demand for land hitherto
deemed worthless, much Of which is still
owned By the Government, aud can be Pur
chased at he regular Government price
Sl.2j an acre.
Bat grapes Ar very far from being the
only, or even the principal fruit crop Of TIE
State. The orange groves Of Los Angelo.
have already gained wide notoristy and
made their proprietors wealthy. The fseili
ties now afforded BY the railroads for ship
ping this fruit to Eastern markets has great
y stimulated its production, and thousand
Of acres, not in Los Angeles county alone
but throughout all the southern portion o.
the State, are being planted to this luscious
fruit. The same regions produce lines