Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
SOME OF ITS FIXTURES AND
RESOURCES.
A VeritabIe Garden Spot-Land OF
Grapes, Nuts, Figs, Pome-
granatcs, Etc.
lGrass ynller riding. jag sth.I

oping them. The first thing to consider,
before describing the resources of a county,
is how to bring the products of the land to
market, for through
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
Only can the resources Of a county be fully
developed. Nevada county is well enough
provided with railroad transportation, the
county seat and the important mining
town of Grass Valley being connected by
rail with the Central Pacific at Colfax and
the contemplated railroad from Grass Val
ley to North San Juan, when built, will
give this county all the fast transportation
desirable, or to be reasonably expected, in
a mountain county like this one.
Besides those fast and cheap transporta-
ton communications, which are of such
immense import to the development of the
dormant resources of Nevada county, there
are two other and no less important points
to consider both greatly in favor of this
county: The abundance of
CLEAR AND PURE WATER
For irrigating and also manufacturing pur-
poses, and the cheapness of the land. As
every one in California knows, the county
bitches to be found in the whole State. 1t
is true that those bitches were built for
supplying the hydraulic mines with water
land they used an immense amount of itl;
but since the hydraulic mines have been
closed out and cannot be worked, the own
ers of those bitches had to look for another
market for the sale of their water, which
they are now offering, wherever it is prac-
ticable to carry it, for irrigating purposes,
thus permitting a large area of the county
TO be opened to settlement and to the grow
ing of all kinds of crops requiring more or
less water. Transportation and water IA
cilities, cheapness of land, and, will add,
saluDrity of climate, are pretty good things
for any county to start with. Let us see
now what products our county is best
adapted to.
First, we must take into consideration
the
TOPOGRAPHY OF TIE LAND,
Which may well be divided into three
belts-the foothills proper, or that part of
the county nearest 10 the valleys and below
the snow belt, comprising the township of
Bridgeport and part OF Rough and r ady;
the snow horticultural belt, or that part of
the county where snow falls and where it
freezes some during the winter, but where
Nevada City for center: aid the grazing
eternal snow belt, or summit of the Sierra
Nevada, comprising the most rugged part
of the county, covered yet with dense forests
of pines, and unfit for the growing of fruit
and grapes.
THE LOWER AND MIDDLE BELTS
Are splendidly fitted for settlement, but
only the foothill belt is capable of produc-
below. Foremost among the products of
Nevada may be placed grapes and wine
and / am convinced that the grape is des-
tined after awhile TO outstrip and over
shadow every other product of our land.
The grape area of the county is immense,
for it extends from the lower end of the
county way up to several miles above Ne
vada City in altitude, with the pretty town
OF Grass Valley for q center. and dare say
that the wine manufactured with the right
kind of grapes is second to none from any
other part of the State; and if the grape
and wine interests of this county have not
been more fully developed, considering
how splendidly adapted to both is cur soil
and climate, it is simply due TO the fact
that the attention of our moneyed people
and capitalists have been drawn from the
start to that more tempting field, mining
But with the hydraulic mines closed for
ever, II is to be hoped that our viticultural
interests will be better attended to and fully
developed. Next to grapes. find the
GROWING OF NUTS
OF all kinds well adapted to our mountains.
In tact the chestnut and filbert find them
selves right at home in this part of the
State, and late varieties of walnut do ex-
ceedingly well. A great inducement for
the planting of nut trees in this county.
where the soil is so well suited to their
culture, is the cheapness of the land, such
trees requiring much space, which render
their planting impracticable where land is
held at such high prices as is the case with
southern California and counties around
San Francisco. In regard to fruit, only in
Bridgeport township do stone fruits do
well, while in the snow-hor ticultural, or
middle belt, like around Nevada City, it is
very hard, not only to grow, but even TO
make live, cherry, plum and apricot trees /;
and as to the peach and almond, they are
also liable to be hurt by gum and late
frosts. But
PEARS AND APPLES
Succeed splendidly in all parts of the coun-
ty, rs well as around Nevada CITY at an
altitude of 200 feet, as in the warmer
parts of the county. Both are seldom in
jured by the late frost: and they bear heavy
crops of superior fruit, much esteemed for
its delicacy and beauty In Bridgeport
township and parts of Rough and Ready,
all other sorts of fruit that require heat and
absence of frost, can be raised with profit,
such as figs, olives, pomegranates prunes,
etc. Bridgeport township, with French
Corral for a center [only eight miles from
Grass Nalley.-Editor TSdiagsl, is really the
garden spot of Nevada county: and | do
not think that more beautiful town of the
size of North San Juan can be found in the
whole State. The building of s railroad
from Grass Valley to that place (much
talked of and which eventually will be
built would surely develop in relatively
short time what may well be regarded as
THE BEST FRUIT LAND
OF the county. In that privileged part OF
our county we do not see the fig injured by
frost, and the pomegranate, fruit that re-
quires warmth and absence of heavy frosts
IN winter, natures there as well as in the
warm county of Los Angeles; oranges even
can be raised in the open ground in some
sheltered spots as we have seen them on
the Auba, at a small place named Bridge
port, and below Spenceville in Rough and
Ready township. To sum up, | will saw
that the snow-horticultural belt of this
county, with Nevada City as a center, is
capable of raising excellent grapes and
manufacturing some of the best wine to be
found in the State; also nuts of all kinds
pears and apples, it being little too cold
TO grow with profit any of our stone fruit
but that the foothills belt, comprising
Bridgeport and part of Rough and Ready,
with French Corral for center. will pro.
&uee anything and should be regarded as
the true and natural garden spot of this
great mountain county. FELIX GILLEr.
Nevada City. June so, 1856.