Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-11
A QUESTION OF FACT.

The question has been debated whether
or not oranges in northern and central
California ripen earlier than in southern
sections of the State, and what effect the
fact, whatever it may he, has upon the
orange market. The absurdity of discuss
ing the question at all ought to be APP
parent, when it is simply one of physical
facts easily demonstrated But several of
our contemporaries insist upon it that the
matter is one involving an issue Mr..
Holt, editor of the Riverside Press, an adj
mitted high authority, says of us in his
columns: "They claim that their fruit
ripens earlier than it does in southern
California. If this claim be true it gives
them the advantage of the San Francisco
markets for some weeks in advance of Riv-
erSide and other portions of what has al
ways been considered the citrus beltn
Further on he adds: "The Riverside
orange does not reach its prime until the
first OF March, The last statement con-
clusively shows that our oranges in north
ern California ripen not only four to six
weeks earlier than in the southern part of
the State, as we have stated, but from ten
to twelve weeks, as most Of our oranges
are gathered and marketed some time be-
fore the holidays. On the heels of this
comes the san Francisco Asgoaam and
doubts the statement that fruits ripen
earlier also in the valley and foothills than
upon the coast. In response to the state
ment that oranges were ripe in northern
California month and more ago" and
that " instead of our citrus fair being too
early it is, in fact, TOO late for its highest
possibilities" the irgoaam says:
This seems to be in violation of a rule of ma
ture. We had supposed that all fruits and
vegetables matnred sooner in latitude OF $50
than in that of Sso. OF course, we understand
that there may be pocket valleys where By rea-
son of the physical formation of the land air
currents, protection from winds by reason of
forests. or mountain elevations or peculiar ex-
posure TO the sun, certain fruits may come To
quick maturity: We have locked upon the
country about Naeayille as one of these ex-
ceptional places. But we do not understand
how il can be-and the assertion of the fact is
new to us-that oranges mature six weeks
This is not true in the county of San Francisco
nor Marin. where the writer has for years grown
citrus fruits.
1t will help the editor Of the ATgoaa,a
to understand" the fact, if he will visit
Sacramento this week, and witness g. the
eating of the pudding" He will realize
that there Is no such thing as an issue of
fact any longer in the matter. since he
will find on display the finest, largest and
best display of oranges ever made in this
country, while those in the coast counties
the ArgoaGa states viii not be ripe for
month or two. He will also here learn.
that this fruit is so far from being the pro-
duct of pocket valleys that they come
from lands located in an area of country
extending from the center line of Tehama
to the southern line of Calayeras. and from
the east line of Sacramento and Placer
extended northerly through to Tehama.
and west to the west line of Napa. an
area 200 mileSlong with mean width of
so miles, or nearly twice the extent of
the State of New jersey. He will be
driven by the force Of demonstration and
the evidence of his senses to confess there
rs at least one tonic unon which some San