Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-24
YUBA COUNTY.
COMBINING RICH VALLEY AND
FOOTKILL LAMBS.
Some Facts Concerning One of the
Most Prosperous Districts
IN the State.

IN the state.
Yuba county is situated on the eastern
side of the Sacramento valley, and adjoins
Placer, Sierra, Nevada and Suffer. It en-
braces a large portion of the foothill lands
on the lower western slope Of the Sierra
Nevada. Up to about the year 1855 these
foothills were filed with busy miners, but
with the exception of few mines that
have since been worked by the hydraulic
and drifting processes-this industry has
almost vanished The western portion of
the county embraces some of the richest
valley land in the Sacramento valley, and
Yuba has long been known as one of the
richest agricultural counties in the State.
The county is finely watered The Feather
river, navigable stream for some miles
above Maysyille, courses on the western
side of the county, end Bear river, a turb-
Ulent mountain stream runs along the lower
line of the county both Of which ioin the
Sacramento. The Yuba. which rises in
the heart OF the Sierra, courses through
the county in a westerly direction. and
joins the Feather at the point where the
city of Marysyilie is located. All these
streams have tributaries of considerable
size, showing that the water supply of the
county is well distributed.
IN THE THERMAL BELT.
With the exception of a few weeks of
quite warm weather ia midsummer, the
climate of Yuba is delightful and even in
the season alluded to the temperature does
not differ from that of other portions of the
upper Sacramento basin. In Yuba flowers
bloom nearly every mouth III the year,
while in the same latitude on the eastern
side of the continent the winters are often
excessively cold, ana the summers unbear-
ably hot. Statistics running back thirty
years show the mean annual temperature
Tor Yuba TO be 600 For the spring ana
summer months it il 505', for the lmmer
II 50, for autumn 81 sc, and for winter 40 20.
This average OF temperature is not ex-
celled in any other part of the United
States or Europe. High winds or hur-
ricanes are unknown in that section,
as indeed is The ease almost gener-
ally throughout the northern interior
of California The advantages of q climate
of this character over that OF sections
where the winters are of five or six months
duration. can hardly be estimated from AN
economic point OF view, and are appreci-
ated only by those who have experienced
both. Here live stock require no particular
care in winter, and the saving in the one
item of fuel alone IS al important cOnsid-
Grafton TO families. The average annual
rainfall for Xuba county is % inches for
the winter months, I'll inches for the
spring months 5I5; for the summer
months, Is. and for the autumn months,
46 inches. The lowest temperature on
record, for MGTysvile, is go above zero,
and the highest-Ehere The test was fair
1902.
RESOURCES OF YUBA.
It would be difficult to find anywhere in
the favored valley OF the Sacramento soil
superior to that Of Yuba-either in the val
ley or in the foothills. Along the streams
the soil is of vegetable mold On the
higher plains 1t contains sand. clay, lime.
iron, and various saline and alkaline mat
ters. Fertility Is not its only claim upon
the attention Of the agriculturist, for it pos
sessesses qualities of an enduring character.
Created by long-contiuued washfngs from
the mountains above, II has great depth and
richness. The soil of the foothills is differ
ent, and especially adapted TO horticulture
grape culture especially.
The products OF the soil embrace all the
usual semi-tropical grains fruit. etc. The
average yield Of wheat is eighteen bushels
to the acre, and OF barley twenty-five. Ap-
pies, peaches, pcars, p.ums, apricots, cher
ries, nectarines, etc, are successfully grown
in sll parts Of the county, as we'll IS the
smaller fruits and berries. The orange,
lemon, olive, fig ana almond are grown
without special care or effort, while wine
table and raisin grapes of the choicest
varieties yield abundgntly. As high as SO
to Sl25 profit per acre has often been real
lied from vineyards of Muscat, Muscatel
and other choice varieties. With all these
advantages and Inducements for people 10
engage in fruit and grape culture, scarcely
more than ous-eighth OF the land in the
county has ever been cultivated. Here,
surely, is something for the immigrant and
the struggling farmer OF the East to reflect
upon.
The eastern portion of the county is
quite heavily timbered with spruce, fir and
pine. The valley portion is generously
dotted with oaks while the water-courses
are bordered with a variety of trees of
smaller growth. Lumber and fuel are con-
sequently both abundant and cheap.
LAND VALUES. ETC.
Land in the more improved portion Of
the county commands from SIS 10 $50 per
acre, according to local conditions. For
81 600 person can purchase sll the land
needed for profitable or, hard OF vineyard,
or both As proof of this it may be men
toned that one orchard OF thirty-tWo acres
brings its owner an average net income of
about SO coo per aunum. 4 twelYe-acre
orchard rents for 81 GOO cash year It is
estimated that any well-cultive,ed orchard
or vineyard will return from $400 to $500
per acre. The cost OF purchasing, fencing,
blowing end planting twenty-fYe-scTe
vineyard, including a $3.50 house, would
ii;,. exceed g 900. ila ;: IL, year IN IL
meantime the owner can make a living
with pair of good horses by occasionally
working for his neighbors) the vineyard
will ordinarily return gross Income OF
81 eco. and the fourth year will give re-
turn of $1,000 or more. Land thus I'M
proved will have value of from 500 to
$500 per acre, according to its proximity
to market These facts apply with equal
force to q very large section of the Sscra-
mento valley footbill section. There Is a
large winery and fruit cannery at Marys-
vile, where grape-growsrs and orchardists
can readily find sale for their products.
RAILROAD FACILITIES, Ero.
The California and Oregon Railroad
passes through the southN estern portion of
the county, on which line there are four
deuois within q space of twenty-five miles.
Inc O2ilIOfitia NtA tuS4H ANaAA"eJ LUIS
from Marysville to oroyille, Butte county,
which is great advantage to the section
between these points II is expected that
this road will ultimately be extended
northeastward into the Plumas and Lassen
country. The facilities for river trans
portation are excellent and the rates low.
A line OF steamers and barges is maintained
by local capitalists between Marysville and
San Francisco throughout the year.
Conside.ablesprngres has been made by
manufactures in Yuba. There are foun-
dries and machine shops, wagon and fur
niture factories, one OF the largest Touring