Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-01
ORANGE GROWING.
The Foothills the Best for Citrus Fruits
Orange Culture in Placer.

lie FOOtnlilS the teSt 1Or Citrus Fruits
Orange Culture in Placer.
Written for the New Years REcoRD-U UNION by
DIR. J. NJ. Frey.]
The orange-groves of California Oh
the plains of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara
and thereabouts These are undoubtedly
something to boast of now, but how long
the southern parts of this State will retain
their present prominence is question in
my mind. do not claim to be " a prophet,
nor the son of prophet" vet firmly be-
lieve that in the course of time the foot
hills of the central counties of this State
will be preferred for the cultivation of the
citrus fruits. Nor do l make this predic-
ton without reason and experience to back
my opinion. At present the southern part
OF the State has far the start of the north
ern in the culture of the orange and lemon,
because they have only been planted in the
foothills as ornamental trees, and as a sort
of experiment. The experiment, however.
has succeeded beyond the expectations of
the most sanguine. The oranges that
are grown in the neighborhood of New
castle, Placer county, are not generally
as large as those of the South but they are
much heavier, comparatively, as the skin
under the skin. The juice is full of
saccharine matter, also, making them rich
and luscious to the taste. In consequence
of their tirmness they do not bruise easily.
and they keep well, their skins drying up
and getting hard when those from the
South are decaying. Then, again, our
oranges are ripe and fit for market from
one to two months earlier. than those of
Los Angeles and other localities in the
southern part of the State.
Now, if early ripening, better quality for
eating, for keeping and shipping have not
proved my prediction to have some founda-
ton in facts, l am much mistaken But
now, the question naturally arises, how
can the northern parts of the State ever
overcome the difference in latitude? Is it
not naturally warmer as you go south ask
the credulous. Certainly, in some coun-
ties, but not in this; and this is
in part the secret of our superiority
We have long, hot summer, with scarcely
a cloud to obscure the sun; whereas, in
Los Angeles and the southern part of the
State generally, they have cold fogs to check
the ripening of the oranges, and making
them grow large but filling them with cold,
sour juice. Then, again, the soil of these
foothills is just that required for oranges
and grapes-a sandy loan, with sand pre-
dominating; and this sand is produced by
the decomposition of granite rock, one con-
stituent of which is feldspar, which contains
30 per cent of potash. A better mixture
could not be made for all kinds of fruits.
1t is far superior to any adobe land
Through Calaveras, Amador, Sacramento,
Suffer, Placer, Nevada, Ell Dorado, Butte
and other counties fit lands can be found
tor orange cultivation. On the sunny sides
of hills, at an elevation above the light
frosts we have in winter, even the young
trees can get along without shelter, al
though once in while frost will be severe
enough to kill lime trees and the young
shoots of lemon trees. Such frost we had
here four years ago. when the ground was
frozen, but do not remember such severe
one since 1858, " if my memory is correct, y
when the ground froze in the sluice boxes
so that the miners could not work. But
then the sluice boxes were in the low ra-
vines, or flats, and not on the warm hill
sides. Even such frosts will not harm
orange trees budded on orange roots, al
though it may kill those budded or grated
on lemon roots, which are more delicate.
Again in our favor: In my experience /
have not seen a case in which an orange
grower in these foothills was forced to clean
his oranges of scales, black or white, before
sending his fruit to market. How much
this tells in our favor those can testify who
have had to clean the black scales from
their oranges and lemons, or send them 10
market In very uninviting form.
But enough for the present At greater
length might make my southern friends
laugh too much at my folly.