Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-16

. German. somewhat advanced in wears by
the name OF John Kaiser, went into the
foothills and settled on so acres of land
near the town OF Loomis. He had met
with misfortune IN previous investments,
and was at the time $1,000 in debt. He
commenced by putting in small patch of
grapes, which he gradually increased until
to-day he has % acres in full bearing. He
struggled along without capital, and was
twice burnt out of house and home. Now
he has over 800 acres of land, has a good
house, two good-sized granite wine cellars,
distillery, suitable barns, convenient
cooperage, a blacksmith shop, and other
necessary outhouses. He has number of
horses, cattle and young stock, his old debt
paid and his cellars full Of wine and
brandy. In short, he has on small vine
yard paid his debt, built three sets of i'm
provements and bought a large piece OF
land. His stock on hand, together with his
farm and Improvements, are estimated to
be worth about 0,o00.
And again: Jerry Porter went into the
foothills seven years ago, with no capital
except willing hands and a determined
will. He sold out last fall, and left with
between $4,000 and 81, goo in cash.
These instances could be multiplied in
definitely, but it is not necessary. These
are cases, as l have said, that came within
the scope OF my own observation. No doubt
residents of the foothills from other Sec
tons could recite similar instances. But it
will be remarked that these are exceptions
to the rule. They are above an aver
age, but not because the condi-
tons were more favorable to them
than to others, but because the
| men named possessed the elements of econ
omy, industry, prudence patience and
/, forethought TO a higher degree than the
average of mankind. They are cited to
show what men possessing these character
istics in a high degree can do in the vast
and comparatively undeveloped foothill
region of Northern California.
We say vast This foothill region is
vast. 1t ranges from Calaveras to
Shasta on the east of us, and from
Napa to Trinity on the west of
| us, and in all this great extent of
rolling country the soil and temperature
| and productive capacity are not materially
dlssimilar at the same altitude The foot
| hills, however, vast as are their extent and
| great and varied as are their resources,
| constitute but the fringe, as it We're, to the
| great arabic regions of northern California.
The Sacramento valley contains in round
numbers nearly 100000 acres of land, or
| more than the total area of Connecticut
and Delaware combined. Northern Cali
lorna, embracing about $4,000 square miles
| OF territory, is an empire within itself
1t possesses numerous advantages not pos
sessed by the southern portion of this State
and yet its praises are less sung, and as a
matter of fact it is less known abroad than
is southern California Some have sug-
gested that northern California is good and
great and grand enough without praising
while southern California, like the
preachers coffee, has TO be praised in order
to be swallowed. We, however, are toe
much OF Californian to desire to reflect
on any portion of our great State, or to
| detract one iota from the merits due to any
section. Southern California is great, and
It's greatness and rapid development teach
us the wonderful possibilities of northern
California, with lis mines, its timber, its
greater rainfall, its inexhaustible water
supply, its navigable rivers, its mountain
lakes and grander scenery, its greater ara
bic area, its better transportation facili.
ties, its fogless and cloudless summer
skies and its winterless winters
1t is well known here that al
the products for which California is IA
! nous can be grown in as great quantities
and TO as great degree of perfection. in
the northern and middle counties as in any
| other part of the State Indeed, the great
volume of the wheat export goes from
northern California, and of the 1,025 car
loads OF fresh fruits shipped from Califor
MIA during the past season, all but 66 car
loads were from the central and northern
portions of the State. About 500 carloads
| were shipped from the Sacramento district
showing conclusively that this city, the
| commercial center of northern California
is also the great center of the Californi;
fruit trade.
But then you will say, What has thes,
great and varied productions got to dc
with citrus fruits? Wheat and hav arr
not oranges; peaches, pluns and pears arr
not lemons; grapes are not olives. Very
true; but we have said this much TO indi
cate briefly some Of the characteristics anc
possibilities of northern California in gen.
eral. Now, if in addition we can show
that northern and central California is the
natural home of the orange, it is to bt
hoped we shall not have talked in vain
In the first place, while claiming tha
northern California is the natural home O
the orange, let us admit that southern Cali
fornia. in the production of this rich and
| valuable fruit, is at present far ahead of us
Notwithstanding this, however, I will risk
repeating the prediction made in the New.
\ ear edition of the RECORD UNION bv DR.
Frey. of Newcastle, to the effect that in the
| course of time certain sections of northern
California will be preferred for the produc.
| ton of the citrus fruits.
We have shown how by gradual experi.
ment, and always in the face of popular
| prejudice, one after another of our resources
! has been unfolded How at first it was
| said there was no farming land in Califor.
MIA, and how, finally, the alluvial soil Of
the river bottoms was admitted to be good
for farming. How for years the plains
| land raUn~flpt nc J, 10 !
and how they now constitute the great
| wheat fields OF the greatest wheat State in
| the Union. How the foothills were de-
| spised for their apparent barrenuess, and
how to-day they are giving proofs of be-
coming the richest and best fruit region OF
the world
Those who have been here for twenty.
five or thirty years and observed these
changes will admit that the proof of our
capacity for the production of citrus fruits
| in northern California is to-day much
more positive than was the proof of the
capacity of the foothills for the production
OF such fruits as they are now noted ten
| years ago.
! The question will naturally be asked,
| Why, If northern California is adapted to
the growth of citrus fruits is the indus
| try SO backward compared to the same in
] Nuotls III CdlllOfnla Inc an
! swer is not far to seek. In the first place
it must be remembered that emigration
projects itself on lines of latitude in the
movements of population. You trace ma
| tionalities to their resting place generally
on the line of latitude from which they
start. The Swedes and Norwegians settle
in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Span
! iards, Portuguese and Italians in Florida
and Louisiana. So of our own States. The
New England States sent the overflow of
| population into New York and northern
Ohio, northern Indiana Illinois and Iowa.
The old colonies of Virginia and North
Carolina settled in southern Indiana, south.
ern Illinois and Missouri. A people carry
with them the agriculture with which thew
are most familiar. An emigrant from a
corn and wheatraising country tests the
value of the country to which he emigrates
by its capacity to produce bread stuffs and