Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-15
NUT.GROwING IN CALIFORNIA.
Its Development into "a Prominent In
dustry of the State

It's development into "A Prominent In
dustry of the State.
| Nut-growing in California has become
one of the fixed industries, although it is
not as yet extensively developed There is
no place on the globe where more natural
home for the various kinds of nut is found
than in California, and the most successful
portion of the State and best adapted for
this line of product is in the foothills and
lower mountain slopes ofcentral California.
An exhaustive and instructive article upon
| the subject, from the pen of Felix Gillet,
of Nevada City, was published in the
| RECoRD-UNIoN at the close of our citrus
fair, but the following from the Grocer and
| Gamer will also be of interest. Ii says:
Nut-growing bids fair to become one of
| the most remunerative of all the allied
agricultural industries of California
Though in comparison with fruit-canning
or fruit-drying in their present condition,
| the industry makes but modest showing,
| IL Will be seen by consultation of the sta
tistics given below that it has shown avery
healthy growth in the past three years, and
recently published trade reviews show that
| the California product has found very
| favorable market wherever introduced. 1t
has been shown satisfactorily that peanuts,
!
| fair profits in various sections of the State.
Every requisite condition in soil and eli
mate has been found wheresoever these
| crops have been tried, but in other varieties
| it must be admitted that the industry has
| hardly passed the experimental stage. The
! following is comparative crop summary,
in pounds, for the past three years
1885 1881 1888.
Walnuts $4,000 10000 100000
Peanuts 5lS,0O0 100000
Almond s...............1,0 50,00O 100000 100000
THE PEANUT CROP.
| Virginia has been given first place as
peanut-growing State, but the largest deal
ers in dried fruits and nuts in the country
have admitted that California can and does
| produce as good nut as is grown in the
best sections of the Southern States, butthe
| failing here has been carelessneSS in the
handling and preparations of the crop for
market. The crop of 1885 was placed
at upwards of 100000 pounds, showing a
| falling off from the production of 1884,
! which is explained by the low prices
which had previously prevailed for quite
period. Still as Eastern growers have
been compelled to combat similar condi-
! ton OF affairs in markets where their pro-
| ducts has had largest sale, it does not APP
| pear that California growers have been
under any particular disadvantage in the
matter Of prices. and when they have
adapted themselves 10 changed CONNER
| cial conditions. which have gradually
| come over the country, the crop will again
assume more creditable proportions, and
| with the care which is exercised over the
product in other sections, California pea
nuts will be standing competitor for the
| trade OF the country nov largely supplied
| from the South In Virginia the crop re-
ceives special treatment, and the product is
placed on the market with all the adyan-
tages which come from long experiences
and perfect processes of preparation. There
| the peanuts are generally handpicked, all
the faulty and blemished nuts removed,
and the rest then cleaned and polished by
machinery or system ofrevolving brushes,
which gives the shell of the nut a bright,
clean and handsome appearance, aiding
| greatly in their sale and price Like
| methods will doubtless be adopted in Cali
| fornia when such course has been found
| necessary in order TO hold the trade west
of the Mississippi river, which is now en-
loyed by the growers in this State.
THE ALMOND CROP.
The almond crop last year was much in
excess of previous crops, the total showing
| a growth of 100000 pounds, as against a
| crop of 5000 pounds in 1884 and 750, 900
pounds in 1888 The output was of general
| SOOu QlalitN, anu l1e new season opened
| with very light stocks and prospect of
| fair prices for the crop, which, doubtless,
| would have been fully realized but for the
| ill-advised increase in the consignments of
| large producers to the Eastern distributing
points, which broke the market and
| brought about condition of decentralization
| in trade in the article the effects OF which
have not yet wholly spent their force. Bad
management on the part of the growers has
| repeatedly broken values in Eastern mar
kets. To q great extent the practice has pre-
vailed of making consignments East, but
with exceptional casesi it has been found that
| better cash prices could have been obtainedin
| the home market than were received, after
| long delay, for the consignments and in
| the future it is not improbable that the
safer plan of selling for the best cash price
in the home market will be followed and
| that better net returns will be received bv
! the growers themselves and everyone else
| interested, both here and in the East
| There is bright outlook for the industry
| throughout the entire West, many of the
| larger cities now drawing their supplies
wholly from California and in the far East
| where there has been more or less opposi-
| ton to the Pacific coast crop, there is lat
terry more liberal feeling, which prom
J ises well for the future of the product in
| the most distant markets.
THE WALNUT CROP.
The walnut crop last year showed very
| gratifying increase over the production in
former seasons, having ,250, 900 pounds in
| 1885, against 10000 pounds in 1884, and
| 100000 pounds in 1888. The California
product has become SO well known through
| the Pacific States and Territories, and
| through the entire East, that our walnuts
are now as much a staple article of export
as any other of the various well-known
| California productions. Prices for the pro-
duct have always been fairly remunerative
to the growers, and this branch of the gen
| eral industry, like that of almond growing,
is susceptible of great development. The
| California walnut, as well as the almond
| has the United States for market.
THE LICK TELESCOPE.
| A Statement Concerning 1t by the " Hart