Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-14
The Need for Desirable Dense
Population of Agricultur-
lists in California.
A Plan Outlined for Vastly Increasing
Fruit Growing and Making
it Profitable.
A Proposition to Revolutionize the
Methods of Selling California
Fruits in the East

EDS. RECORD UNION: While in San Fran.
cisco lately l met an old acquaintance, q
prominent wholesale merchant. We had
quite a conversation, which / thought
might not be uninteresting to your readers
Similar conversations l had with more
than one citizen on one or the other
branches of the subject treated therein.
The result of all of these 1 have embodied
in this communication. These converse
tons l present in the form of dialogue,
and for convenience present them all as one
conversation between a merchant and a
fruit-grower. The endeavor has been made
to fully and fairly represent the thoughts
which found expression.
Grower-How is business?
Observation-Disclosures is unusually dull
Gro.-Is it only temporary lull?
Mer.-I am inclined to think it is not q
lull; that the decline in business is rather
the natural result of o combination of cir
cumstances.
Gro.-I should be pleased to have you
explain what you mean by that.
Mer.-Well, the mining towns, which in
former times were centers for active COM
mercial operations, are now almost de-
serted, many of the mines have "panned
out" but the most serious loss to our CON-
mercial interests was caused by the opening
up of the Northern and Southern Pacific
Railroad lines, for only short time ago we
had good market in the northern and
southern part of the coast, but since the
advent of these new railroads, orders from
these sections have almost ceased.
Gro.-But can you not regain your trade
again? Can you not send travelling sales
men there?
Mer.-You may depend upon it that We
left no stone unturned; we have tried
everything. But what is the use? Dozens
of Chicago and New York agents and
drummers are there. They are offering
lower prices and quicker transportation,
and the result is inevitable; our trade is 60
ing very rapidly into other channels and
there is no probability whatever that we
will ever regain it. More than that, we are
steadily losing, for the Chicago and New
York men keep moving slowly yet steadily
towards us on the north and south. We
are now anxiously awaiting the opening
up of the new road to Oregon by way
of Redding. This will in measure coun-
teract the evil effects of the Chicago and
New York drummers to the north of us.
This road should have been opened long
ago; if it had been, we would have been
able to hold at least part of the North
Pacific coast trade.
THE TRADE OF SAN FRANCISCO.
Gro.-I may be mistaken, but I think
you San Francisco merchants are to great
extent responsible for it that the road in
question is not yet completed; is that not
so?
Mer.-Well, yes, and no. You see the
merchants here are beginning to realize
that merchandising does not begin and end
by buying and selling calico, nor In
In the cunning adroitness to make
q poor customer "pungle down." The
" steamer day. era is over. No longer do
the dealers of the Pacific coast buy in San
Francisco because they have to. No, SIR
her patent right to this vast territory is
gone, "clean busted" All the trade she
has, all she will have, will have to be held
by virtue of strict obedience to the laws of
trade. Thus, only short time ago, San
Francisco was yet in her happy-go-lucky
vein, born and reared by the flush times of
'49. The study of political economy was
left to Denis Kearney and his coadjutors on
the "sand lot" but a gradual change,
slow change (too asrned slow, is coming.
They are beginning to see that merchant
Who deserves the name should be, not
al5ne of the as microscopic order $50 as
to enable him to see the petty grub
worms in the mud), but be should