Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-05

plains cactus covered hills etc. But the
citrus t?) belt. For several months past
few of the inhabitants of the northern part
of the State having taken their cue from
two or three newspapers in that section,
have been trying to delude themselves into
the belief that they have an immense
citrus belt that by far excels the southern
citrus belt and anyone expressing con-
trary opinion is Immediately st down
upon hard. | believe they really have
few orange trees in gardens up there, where
they can be protected from the summers
scorching heat and the cold OF winter, but
oranges cannot be grown to any great extent,
because of the extremes in the weather
now blistering hot now icy cold. Snow has
fallen once in the great northern citrus
belt to the depth of two inches within the
past three months. The truth is the eli
mate up there does not possess the even
ness and smoOthness characteristic OF our
southern California climate and no amount
of praise can make it So"
This correspondent signs himself . d.
b." and possibly these initials give fair
indication of the character of person SO
reckless in Lis assertions. His vaporlngs
only serve to show how some people allow
themselves to become utterly blinded to the
truth in their desires to uphold a section OF
equability of climate and natural attrac-
tions AS matter of fact, it is safe to say
that there are not less than 1000 or 5000
growing orange and lemon trees within the
corporate limits of this city alone,
not one of which requires artificial
protection from frosts. In the writer's
yard are three thriving young orange
trees that were planted the past season. and
were out in the worst frosts we had. They
are but three years old, and have already
young oranges on them. As matter of
fact, there are many more thousands OF
orange trees in bearing throughout north
ern California. As a matter OF fact, some
localities north of Sacramento sent oranges
to market early last December, three
months ahead of the southern crop. As
matter of fact, snow has not fallen in this
section but once within about fifteen years,
and then it remained but few hours. The
difference between this and the southern
section is, that northern and central Cali
fornia have been too busily engaged in pro-
viding the people of the world with staple
breadstuffs to pay much attention to citrus
culture. These sections have had to
supply the rest of the State with
deciduous fruits, also, and have now
taken a contract to supply the whole
Union. In the meantime the
dwellers down south have managed 10
make success of one thing g-orange-cult-
ure-and for the only reason that di-
versity of crops is impossible there. Now,
however, that citrus-culture is becoming a
regular business in this section, these south
ern people lose their tempers, and almost
their reason. But this is foolish, for north
ern California will not be rival at all IN
that line. Her oranges will be marketed
and eaten weeks before the southern Cali
fornia crop is fit for picking. This fact
| disposes at once of the assertion that our
climatic extremes are too severe for citrus
culture. The records show it to be more
equable :han that of Los Angeles, and
q" figures cannot lie" n Z. WHITE.