Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-18
CoIFax FRUIT DIsTRICT.
wonderful Deyelopments-yine and
Orchards Growing and Bearing.

Orchards Growing and Bearing.
The Auburn Republican of June 9th tells
the following about Grass Valleys neigh
boring town and entrepot, Colfax The
Colfax fruit district is developing at
wonderful rate. Beginning with the
Spencer ranch, above Auburn, there are
now 700 acres of land in that district
planted to orchards and vineyards. This
is rapid improvement, when it is remem-
bered that the business took q start there
only three years ago. Morris Lobner's
vineyard, above the town, is two years old
| from the rooted vines and this year COW
cred with young fruit. Many of the vines
| have made growth this season of more
| than three feet. His experiment with
olive trees promises to result well, and
he has succeeded in roofing nearly all the
slips cut from the trees when they were
transplanted this spring. W. i. Hay
fords vineyard on top of the hill by
the cemetery is three years old from the
cuttings 1t contains forty acres planted
to the four principal varieties of table
grapes, and it is doubtful if better show
ing of vines ofthe same age can be made in
the State. They are literally loaded with
punches of fruit Just forming, and men are
at work thinning them out. Adjoining the
VINEYARD is another forty-acre tract planted
to Bartlett pears with row of walnut and
chestnut trees planted along the outside.
The whole eighty-acre orchard and vine
yard IS a revelation to those who see the
surrounding uncleared land, which looks
rourb and is surrounded with q dense
growth of pines. And yet long ago this
land was lust as rough and was covered
with pines as close as they could stand. In
clearing this land q tree-puller was used
that takes trees of q considerable out by the
roots. With one of these machines and a
horse. Go trees were pulled each day, and
the land was cleared ct cost OF SO an acre.
Down between the town and the Amefl-
can river is Il row OF vineyards called FRUIT
Vale. The first one is the vineyard of Hay
ford & Moore, of about sixty acres the
second is a large vineyard owned by gen.
tleman lately from San Jose, and the third
OF over seventy acres is owned by Bell &
Harrison. The foregoing figures do not
look big on paper but when one rides over
200 acres planted to vines, he can realize
the great labor and energy that have been
expended to reclaim, plant and put under
high state of cultivation so much land IN
so little time These vines are all on steep
hillside land They do not receive nor do
they require any water at all. These Col
fax men pillow and cultivate and give the
ground no rest until the fruit has formed.
Rabbit-proof fences made of wire netting
are growing in favor in that district. MI
Hubley has one and Mr.. Howell has an
other, made with, the netting and Two
wires, one at the bottom and another at the
| top. It has been found that this kind of
fence can be buiit-posts, labor and all
| for 81 10 a rod.
The work of clearing and improving and
| planting has by no means stopped. New
corners are constantly buying land, and
Colfax will soon be one vast orchard.
There can be no sort of doubt of the sue
cess of the business there 1t is nearer to
market than any other place in California,
and the fruit that has already been grown,
and which has taken so many prizes,
shows its srnarior eycellaurar