Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-17
CITRUS FRUITS IN TEHAMA,
A Land of Wonderful Capabilities, an
ComparatiyeIy IJnoccuufad

"A hanu Oh WONDERFUL Capabilities, and
Comparatively Unoccupied.
EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN We notice with
pleasure the spirit eyinced for pushing the
present immigration boom" for Central
and Northern California to its great devel-
opment, and among the displays of citrus
and other fruits at Sacramento in Deem
Der, Tehama county will stand well to the
front. Oranges, lemons and olives are all
hanging in ripening beauty on the bending
beughs of Red Bluff trees, and more beau
tful specimens will be hard to find l,
to-day visited the Star Ranch in this CITY,
practical proprietor, Mr.. Duncan, learned
something of his success with fruits here,
and his exhibit at Sacramento will be
worth seeing. He has fig trees thirty-one
years old, fifty feet high, fifty-fve feet
spread and several feet in diameter. He
dried ton of figs this year. He has been
experimenting with eight kinds of white
figs, but finds, as yet. no variety so good as
the purple California fig for drying.
Mr.. Duncan is an old Scotch gardener,
and has lived here eleven years, and now
has fifty acres in fruit on bottom land, and
will plant ten or fifteen acres more this
winter, including several acres of oranges.
AT first. he expended 81 eco or more for irri-
eating machinery, but found by experience
that he increased his grape crop at first, to
its detriment afterward, and finally aband-
oned it altogether, substituting thorough
cultivation in its place. As proof of the
soundness of his practice, / will give fig
ures: He planted fifteen French prune
trees four years ago. This year he care
fully weighed the product and obtained an
average of four hundred pounds per tree,
and sold them at two cents per pound, or
S. per tree. At fifty trees per acre, this
gives 800 per acre returns for four year
old trees. If these facts do not convince
anyone that Tehama county is q good
place to raise fruits without irrigation, he
had better "go west" Mr.. Duncan also
raises twenty acres of grapes. He has
some very fine raisins to exhibit, and many
kinds of dried and preserved prunes, peach
es, pluns. etc. To show that the poor
red lands so called, will also raise good
grapes, although, of course, not so heavy
crops, refer to Mr.. Drane's eighty acres,
one mile south of Red Bluff, on one of the
poorest, thinnest tracts in the county.
Five years ago Mr.. d. came here without
dollar, now he has refused S., 900 cash for
his eighty acres, and is. by hard work, in
creasing bis area in vines and the value of
his place year by year.
In conclusion, let me invite all who con-
template settling in this favored land of
sunshine and plenty, to visit Red Bluff and
see for themselves. We will be happy to
show these tracts to all who come, and we
have hundreds of others equally as good
l simply note these, because visited to-day.
These tracts are not for sale, but good lands
in plenty can be secured here now at low
figures. If any think it cold here, come
and see our golden orange trees now bear
ing and ripening luscious fruit. Seeing is
believing and knowing. Yours truly,
II. S. DE RocHEMoNT.
Red Bluff, Nov. Is, 1886.