Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-28
LETTER FROM DIR. C. Z. STONE,
Replying to f" Miner" Concerning siickens-
Bearing Water as 81 Fertilizer, Etc.

from an anonymous writer" Miner -
claiming residence in Smartsville, in
which he says: 81 as one who knows
whereof he speaks, take the liberty of cor
recting the misstatements made BY the Hon.
Ex-Mayor. The oranges and
lemons contributed by James 0'Brien were
grown at Smartsville. on his private
grounds, and not on the Bonanza ranch. as
the Hon. ex-Mayor assures the deluaed
public"
A little further on in his very truthful IN
statements he misquotes me again, as fol-
lows: lie (meaning mvself saws the
water from which O'Bcien's trees are irIi-
gated contains but small amount of
cetritus, which, when it reaches his hill
side ranch, is perhaps not sufficient in
quantity or quality TO c0Uer The rocks and
gravel of which said ranch is largely COM
posed, and which, without any water.
would be non-productive.
To show the "deluded public" how
utterly careless of truth or facts your CORE
spondent Miner " is, quote the first para
graph OF my communication entire, and
ask II there is in it any reference TO Bo-
nanZa ranch or slickens to coUer. the rocks
and gravel of O'Brien's hillside ranch. NV
exact words are; ' In the citrus fair exhibi-
ton now being held in Sacramento, the fruits
displayed by James O'Brien have a placard
attached to them, which is evidently in
tended to mislead the public III regard 10
the fertilizer known as slickens. The Ex-
celslor ditch, from which O'Brien's trees
are irrigated, contains bat a small amount
OF detritus, which, when ii reaches his
hillside. ranch. is perhaps rot sufficient
either IN quantity, or quality to iajure the
rocks and gravel of which that ranch is
largely composed, and which, without any
water, would be non-productive.
| did not mention Bonanza ranch in con.
nection with Mr.. O'Brien's exhibit. or use
the word cover" when referring 10 the
detritus on O'Brien's hillside ranch-two
misstatements scored against Miner"
Mr.. Redtield and his land is alluded TO bv
Miner " in these words: Here, too. IS
found the olive, raised by Mr. Redfeld
whose land was formerly a rocky waste
but is now rich in fruits and flowers of
every kind" My first recollection of o.
+. Redheld dates back to period early in
the fltues, when he, with Messrs Wilson
and Havll, occupied residence at the foot
of beautiful little valley, b tween Roses
and Cordna Bars, through which The main
road TO Roses Bar passed. Even at that
early day Mr.. Redfield cultivated flowers
which attracted much attention from the
passers-by, causing many remarks; and on
one occasion l heard person say, a be-
heve that man intends to make California
his home" This valley contained springs
and water-courSes. | am now informed
this whole valley is covered with slickens.
sand and gravel many feet in depth. ii
Mr.. Redfield, with his enthusiastic fond
ness for horticulture and arboriculture.
could have occupied and cultivated that
valley undisturbed by fertilizing slickens.
sand or gravel, and without the aid of Ex-
celsior ditch water say from 1854 until
now, he would be reaping an income from
the sale of his fruits and flowers which
would be the envy of the proprietors of the
Bonanza ranch, and far exceed ANYTHING
they may ever hope to obtain from a most
diligent application of Excelsior slickens
water to the Bonanza red land
In reference to the amount of slickens
carried by the Excelsior ditch, Miner
says: One would naturally infer that
the Hon. Ex-Mayor was, by a recital o.
facts, attempting to demolish the theory
that large quantities of sediment are car
ried IN suspension by the water and de
posted on valley lands, rendering then
arid and barren"
ask what connection the DESTROYED val
ley lands have with the irrigation of the
above tide water and furnished with mois
ture from the Excelsior ditch. Were it moi
for setting reservoirs and other means EN-.
ployed to prevent much slickens being
carried for irrigating purposes, / am sur,
the y Brien hillside, and the Bonanz;
ranches would both be converted int,
| arid and barren wastes i'll verv shor
time. / remember very well when kil1
OF bricks was made on the hill near the
place where the Smartsville school-hous,
now stands, the material hayin,
been taken from an Excelsior ditci
| reservoir which had been filled with slick.
ems; this was many years ago, and if the
amount of detritus even then carried in
suspension by the Excelsior ditch had been
put upon Bonanza l doubt whether il
would have injured its rocks and gravel
and | feel certain it would have been of mo
benefit for agricultural purposes for |
know 1t will kill vegetation when applied
IN sufficient quantities to cover up the soil
Miner" says, " No one has had better on
portunities of knowing the properties ofthe
much abused slickens than the Hon
ex-Mayor and c. E. Sexey, both old-time
miners, who evidently remember how the
seeding oranges planted in slickens soil
1ourlshed." Mr.. SeXey mined on Roses
Bar in 1S49, but never afterwards. never
OF Mr. Sexey were planted in 1860 bv Louis
Herin. Until 1862 and 1863 the wafer of
the uba river did not, at its highest stage
now over that portion of Long Bar occu
pied for residences. and the orchard of
Louls Herin was not on slickens soil. Mr..
Sexey and myself have had better oppor
tunities than Miner = for knowing tbe
properties of " much-abused slickens3' for
our old homes have been entirely ruined.
and are now covered from ten TO twenty
feet IN depth with slickens and its SUPER
structure of sand and cobbles; and both of
us have had to pay heavy taxes for the con-
suuction OF leVees to protect our present
homes from the same slickens.
The slur upon old-time miners. cbarginp
them with filing the rivers, is fayorite
one with the hydraulic miners. The early
miners did not add shoyelful of earth
TO that which the rivers contained. for
Their work was confined to the beds and
bars over which the water flowed and they
simply extracted the gold and changed the
location OF the earth. but did not add to
its volume.
Miner" claims residence at Smartsyille
OF well-nigh 30 years" | will call his
attention 10 the destruction caused by
slickens-producing hydraulic mining in
that time, OF gardens, orchards and farms.
olpA 'hC upA AlNtl diOIle, ABOVE AlarVS-
vile and below Oordnas Bar, which is
nearly opposite to and north of Smarts-
vile; and will say for the informa-
ton of his deluded people" that the
lands destroyed with their orchards
and Improvements would be worth more
to-day than all the gold ever mined upon
the Yuba / will commence at Cordna's
and give the names of those | remember. |
cannot recall all of the old residents, but |
will not name one who did not have more
or less fruit-bearing trees upon his land:
Pritchett, Mcqueen, Haskell, Whiteside,
Simpson, PickeBs, Klemmer, Hoesch.
Thatcher, Cartwright, Herin, Purkiss.
Bridges, Hutchins, Kennedy, Harper, Kirk
patrick, Bowers, Martin, Adriance, Bro
ply, Gregg. Taylor, Casey, Zabriskie, Pum-
yea, Rule, Brown, Druner, Briggs, Paxton,
Coviiland, Rowe, Grass, McAdam and Tre-
garden. Most of these have passed away,
but enough remain to attest the truth Of
my statements.
| think have now fully proved slickens
to be worse than useless article. | have
made no ''blunders :" | have not "belittled
myself" by trying to iDjure others. When
Mr.. CBrien mentioned slickens on his
placard, be became by that act a proper
subject for criticism. BY a reply TO my
communication, Mr.. O'Brien has shown