Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-16

Stephenson a new law of motion; Edison
and Bell new rule of talking and COM
munication between points; and it has
been the good fortune of you producers
of northern California to prove by your
labors and your efforts that it is time to
have new or an amended and rewritten
American encyclopedia, which shall truth
fully speak of the possibilities of the soil
and the capacity of northern California.
not only for the harvests already accorded
it, but for the production in exhaustless
quantities and splendid perfection of those
citrus fruits hitherto claimed as the BIRTH
right of southern California.
You have heard tonight in reference to
the counties of the far north, where
Shasta's summit kisses the clouds. from an
eloquent, learned and able gentleman, who
has .epicted to you the beauties of that
country and its possibilities Tor man. You
have heard about the country and
the counties Immediately south of Te-
hama, where the valleys of the foothills
second the labor of man with apparent
understanding of his efforts, and where
first the mountain breeGes fan with health
full glow the cheeks of the tired worker of
the cities from the two representatives,
one from Butte and the other from Yuba
and Sutter, who have so concisely and
eloquently stated their resources and
beauties.
1t has fallen to my lot to say something
to you in reference to what may be termed
the lower belt of counties in the citrus
region ofnorthern California-ten in num-
her. | dreaded, when asked to talk to-
night, to assume the task of saying any,
thing of such a kingdom, of such an en-
pire as these ten counties comprise within
themselves.
There are FL Dorado, Amador, Calaveras,
Nevada and Placer counties forming the
mountain part of this region: Napa, So
lano, Sacramento and Yoio the valley por-
zion, while Sonoma combines both in
large degree.
This, as l say, is an empire in itself
Over 100000 acres of land in these ten,
containing every variety of soil, and speci
ally adapted by reason of its peculiar con-
dition for the raising of the citrus fruits of
the world; lying in the very belt that, like
the girdle of Puck, encircles the earth. and
within which can be found all that is neces-
sary for the life of man.
There is no need for memo need for
anyone-to speak of the grains or other
produce of these ten counties.
We have the best grain, we have the best
fruit, we have the best horses, the best
men, the best women. the best schools, the
best everything; or, at least, if we have not
the best, they are just as good as anybody
else's in the world, and that makes them
the best.
But so far rs this question of the citrus
fruits is concerned, it has only been of late
years that people have been willing to
consider or believe in the capacity of these
counties to vie successfully with any coun-
try in the world in the production of citrus
fruits.
But look around in the hall adjacent and
see the various exhibits.
At this late hour l will not attempt to de-
tail The exhibits there found, except to say
that | see gentleman before me who has
there exhibits of twenty different varieties
of oranges. and another who has exhibits
of twenty five different varieties of oranges,
all from Placer county alone. You will
see from every other county in these ten,
rich and rare clusters of citrus fruits that
would make the mouth of an anchorite
water with desire to taste. You will see
that Yolo county. from its valleys and its
plains, has sent forth here to us not only
the orange, not only the lemon, but also
the olive and the oliye-oil, equal, if not
superior, to any that is III the market You
will see that FL Dorado county, which was
once noted only for its gold, now sends
down its fruit in capacious profusion, and
you will also see that all the other coun-
ties in these ten-Solano and Sonoma,
Napa, and even Caiaveras that land of
mountain crag-from twelve hundred feet
above the sea, the oranges sent to swell
this fair, and show the world what the soil
IN these ten counties can produce, are beau
tiful in form and luscious in taste.
Nevada, TOO, gives its quota to the
exhibition, and shows wherein its
miners can make new fortunes. Our
own Sacramento-and you will pardon me
for saving a word i'll favor of tour own
Sacramento, the Capital county and the
Capital city of the State, has been well to
the front in its production of citrus fruits
in this fair. As 4 Sacramentan, as well as
Californian, | am proud of Sacramento
and its exhibits. From these counties
come, as you can see, lemons that Sicily
cannot surpass nor Florida equal oranges
that India cannot match nor southern Cal
ifornia attain; olives that Spain herself
would envy dates that Egypts Nile need
not shame to own, and Saladin himself
would praise to eat; pomegranates that old
Father Abraham would have priced, and
persimmons that even the Mikado of Japan
would put upon the list for his own private
supply, while the raisins the grapes. the
English walnuts and the almonds come
here in such glorious sizes and in such am
pie profusion, and spread before US so Law
ishly and so richly, that it must marvellous
seem. indeed, not merely to the strangers,
but even to the old residents of the State
Placer county, too. has sent here some
tea grown III its soil, thus seeking to rob
China of its monopoly. You, sir, that | see
there, and you, sir, that I see here of the
old '49ers OF the State-the argonauts of the
Pacific coast, the men who came here across
the plains in OK teams, or across the ocean
in the brig; came here TO gather and to
dig, and to toll and to work for gold came
here believing, as you did in those days,
that California was nothing but gold field
tell me, did either of you ever dream at
that time that California contained within
itself an Italy, contained within itself an
India, a Spain and a France, where all the
citrus fruits would grow. And you, sir,
like me. who came to California at later
date, did you, or did l, either of US, when
we landed in California seeking new
home for ourselves, have any idea that
California contained, right in its own bor-
der, all the climates OF all the good coun-
tries T the world, and that here in Sacra-
mento upon the plains that, when |
came here, over twenty years ago,
were considered waste land almost, that
there where the bedrock that surrounds our
Florln comes up anu nights almost with the
air, oranges and olives could be grown, and
that from the ranges along near Brighton
our friend, DR.. Manlove could bring up
such English almonds as he has on exhibit
ton here. No, none of US ever thought or
dreamt of it. And. you, if there be any
here tonight who have simply come to the
State to-day, come here as visitor, a
friend, though stranger, did it seem to you
that IN northern California, where We have
the frosts that have whitened the streets
and the houses, and the trees for the past
few days, did it seem to you could you be-
lieve that northern California could vie
with the favored portion OF the State that
we have read and heard so much about,
southern California, in a citrus fair? No.
You, sir, did not, in the early days, nor you,
nor |, nor any of us. But it is here; and
thank God it has come here to stay with us.
II is but the beginning of the good time. 1t
has demonstrated TO us here as was said by