Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-16
nia that Ibis fruit ripens in time to


what is more inviting for a Christmas
decoration than fine golden orange? Oar
people all complain that this fair. is held
too late; that their best fruit was gone be-
fore they knew of it, and that of several
kinds OF citrus fruits, notably. the pone-
granate and the japanese persimmon, they
were out entirely. But this doubtless is
true of all northern California. and while
the circumstance will detract much from
this our first citrus fair, it is to be hoped
that 1t will work no injustice as between in
diyidual exhibitors. A few weeks earlier G.
NJ. Silva Il Son, of Newcastle, could have
shown twenty varieties of oranges; at this
date they are able to exhibit but twelve.
Touching the question of the quality of
northern California oranges, l am permit
ted to quote from one or two private and
business letters:
Mrs. ]. B. Finch, wife of the great tenn
perance lecturer, acknowledging the receipt
of box of oranges sent to her at Evans
vile, H., by George D. Kellogg, of New
castle, says, under date of December 90,
1885, We all pronounce it the freshest,
most delicious California fruit that we ever
tasted"
Perry & Co. of Denver, Col, acknowl-
edging receipt of sample box of oranges
Newcastle, write, under date of December
20, 1885, as follows; Sample box OF
oranges received yesterday, and we wired
you last night. The oranges are COM
plete surprise, and we are in ecstacies over
them. Why didn't We know they were so
fine before? People were not ready for
California oranges, and smiled at the idea
of fruit from there that was of any account
| at this time of the year. But the sam
pie is beautiful, and we can sell
them for anything a person wants.
The wiring was for a carload, which was
sent few days after receipt OF the telegram
Mankind naturally follows the orange
! He has done so in all ages. The northern
! tribes of early Europe made raids on theil
| southern neighbors in the hope of possess.
ing themselves Of their sunny CLINE anG
| their orange groves.
| In the four years from 1880 to 1884 mos
| of tue southern counties of our State which
advertised themselves as range-growing
| counties doubled their taxable property
and no doubt their population. Los An
! geles in that time increased in population
| from IL 900 to 10000. The facts OF oul
capacities for the production of citrus fruit:
once known, and people Will flock here
from all regions of the earth to enjoy oui
| cline and the many advantages it affords
By comparison, little, indeed, has beer
done toward making known the wonderful
resources and advantages of northern Cali
! fOrnia. Until the organization of The
! Northern California immigration Society
with headquarters in this city-a LITTLE
| more than a year ago-tnere was no con
certed effort to inform the worlC
/ regarding this favored portion o
our State. That organization has not beer
! idle. This first citrus fair in northern Cali
foTnia is largely the outgrowth ofits efforts
1t has done good work and lots of it, anC
nes corners are already in our midst ant
pleased with their location who, except TO
(, the efforts of the immigration Society, woulC
have gone on to buy a home at a create
expense in some less favored locality
There is wealth in immigration, and al
| efforts to disseminate the facts regarding
| northern California should be heartily an(
4! substantially encouraged by every citizen 0
this favored portion of the State.
While through the lecturers, papers anG
advertising pamphlets sent broadcast by
large landholders for speculative purposes
southern California has been read abou
and sung about by the people of al! State
| and countries, there has been none to raisC
his voice beyond the confines of the region
itself in behalf of this northern portion o
the State. 1t is time that we began to sim
our own praises, at least TO the extent 0
making known the truth.
But then. you say, if several millions O
people settle in Northern California, am
all go to raising oranges, what will we d
with the fruit? Have no fear of the orang
market; and as to the question {
profit that matter is easily solved
The area in the world where orange
can be successfully grown is limited
I Fh.a of
versal, and will increase as the product be
comes better known and cheaper. We hav
100000 mouths to feed in the Unite
States In 1890 that number will hay
increased to 100000, and in 1900 to 95
000000 and so on for q hundred year:
We shall have a market for all we ca
grow, if we plant out the whole of north
ern California, and even terrace steep hill
sides as they do in Japan and China.
In this connection | would say, Califol
mia must necessarily resort to the CROWN
of fruits or her commerce will decline
Australia and India can produce bread
stuffS for the world. Every experiment t
carry wheat overland has failed, and fea
will continue to fail We are therefor
forced to make the longest sea voyage o.
the face of the globe to reach the bread
stuff markets of the world. Besides al
|
be devoted is that use which makes tn
largest amount of labor on each acre profit
able; or. stated differently, that land
best cultivated which gives profitable EN-
ployment to the maximum quantity c
labor on the minimum quantity of lanC
There is the broadcast question of states
manship and political economy underlyin
this consideration. The problem whic
nations have to solve-and it has been re
garded as the highest problem of ciyiliZG
tion-is how to support the largest numbe
of people on the smallest area. The GU
ture which will proitably employ ten Ii
borers on single acre, is worth to cour
try more than that culture which woul
probably employ the labor of but one ma
on ten acres. The social, moral and il
tellectual advantages arising from densit
of population, forms a part of the cor
sideration in favor of devoting the soil t
that character of culture which gives III
maximum of employment on the min
mum of land, As the cultivation Of frut
requires a higher intelligence than tn
cultivation of cereals, requiring a NOR
intimate knowledge of the laws of germ
life, of botany and of agricultural chem
istry, | apnrehend that the people devote
to such industry will necessarily possess
higher average intelligence than the pee
pie devoted 10 the cultivation of wheat
corn, etc. On this question of staple frui
and citrus culture, let me say again Their
need be no fear Of over-production. TIL
objections usually urged on this groun,
are often the merest folly. Every countr,
which produces a sufficient amount of AM
article to constitute an important factor o
export teaches the world to rely upoI
| that country for that production. TIL,
| greater the production the greater the Ger
tainty of the mastery of the market
! If California produced but 1000 tons o
wheat, in excess of home consumption, i
would be absolutely worthless, because
commerce would not organize itself in such
way as to take that wheat. Transporta
ton would be so heavy against it that i
would never find its way to market Simi
| lar results will attend the cultivation of al
| fruits, citrus as well as other kinds. Tn,
! danger or want of market will not be il
over production, but rather in under-pro