Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-02

; capacity 10 supply the demand
nearly all the brick used in the construc
ton of the Palace, Baldwin and other no.
tells, the new City Hall and other large
San Francisco buildings being ordered
from these kilns.
Just below the yards, about two miles be-
low Freeport is the property of j. c. Beach
made famous by the great picnic resort IA
miliarly known to every person in this Sec
ton of the State as Beach's Grove
Here every season, when the green grass
covers the earth as with carpet and the
delightful shade of the beautiful oaks
softens the suns rays, thousands, by steam
ei, barge and carriage transportation, gather
and enjoy fresh air and a days respite
/ from the busy walks of trade.
! From Freeport along the river, past
Richland and CORTLAND TO Walnut Grove,
distance of thirty miles, the bank pre-
sents an unbroken line of orchards Rep
resenting the possibilities of this section
are the magnificent homes of Hon. William
Johnston, Hon. Dwight Hollister, Sol
Runyon, William Runyon, O. R. Runyon
and others. More desirable residences
! would be difficult to picture, surrounded
as they are by well-kept lawns profuselv
embellished with the luxuriant growth of
the shrubbery of temperate and semi
tropical climes. For the distance men
toned, the arabic land extends back from
the river an average distance of about
three-quarters of mile, and the farms will
average about 100 acres each. A strip
| from forty to sixty rods wide, next to the
| river, is known as front" land, and is de-
voted wholly to orchard purposes, while
the g.ioal-ti l., 6,
and vegetables. During the winter and
spring seasons the river is higher than the
land surface, but substantial levee rem
ders that protection from floods which
causes the residents TO feel as secure as do
those on the valley plains.
A county road extends the whole course,
sometimes on top of the levee, but gener-
ally between the levee and the river. In
the summer time, in order to protect the
ripening fruit from the dust which would
otherwise raise, this road is covered with
tule, pithy rush that grows on unre-
claimed swamp lands, and which soon
grinds into a springy consistency, resem-
bling tan-bark. tits probably the smooth
est forty mile drive in the world.
As an index of the productiveness of
the whole river section we present list
of fruit shipments made the past season
from the ranch of Sol. Runyon. The fig
ures presented are in round numbers. and
in every instance less than the actual fig
ures. The farm, or rather two farms, COM
prise 500 acres, 15S of which are in the
Pierson district, couple of miles below
CORTLAND, and AL at Walnut Grove. on
the upper end of Andrus Island. The
shipments of apricots amounted to 1000
baskets averaging 80 cents a basket Alex
ander peaches, $40 baskets at 20 cents per
basket; Hates early peaches, 5000 baskets
at 90 cents per basket; early Crawford
peaches, 5000 baskets at 80 cents per
basket; late Crawford peaches, 5000
! baskets at 40 cents per basket; orange
cling peaches, 5000 baskets at 60 cents per
basket; Smock peaches, 5000 baskets at
40 cents per basket; Salway peaches.
5000 baskets at 60 cents per basket /;
Bartlett pears, 5000 boxes at 81 20; Early
Astrakhan apples, 1000 boxes at IS cents /;
Secllel pears, 200 boxes at 80 cents; Dear
born Seeding pears, 500 boxes at 81; 5000
baskets plums and prunes at 80 cents; s.
OO' boxes Muscat grapes, at 40 cents; 600
! over $3l 900. But $50 acres of Mr.. Run
yon's place is planted to trees, that known
as back land being utilized for hay, vege-
tables and pasturage. From thirty acres
of the poorest land he has, he this year
cut four crops of alfalfa-an average of
| eight tons per acre for the season-and
the 240 tons sold for IS per ton, delivered
on the river bank at his own landing. OF
regular farm products, this land produces
two crops each year, viz: A crop of pota-
toes and cantaloupes, a crop of potatoes
and squash, or two crops of potatoes. The
| potatoes will average, at a low estimate,
! 100 sacks to the acre of ITO pounds each,
and the cantaloupes 100 crates per acre.
These average Is cents per crate in the
market at San Francisco. The squash
crop will average never less than twenty
tons to the acre
The freight from any Of the river farms
to San Francisco is for anything less than
ten tons 81 80 per ton. Over that amount
from 81 to 81 % per ton, according TO cir
cumstances.
AS remarkable instance of net revenue
from small tract of land, but which il
shOrn of all facts connected Herewith
would be apt to be misleading, was the
clearing of Sl,015 in the season of 1884
from half an acre of Sickel pears The
plant consisted of just an even eighty trees
The crop was early and exceptionally fine,
not wormy pear in the crop. The fruit
was purchased by Mr.. Porter, of Chicago,
at 81 10 per box delivered on the bank.
and the result was the net profit as above
| given. Now, since then it is but fair to
state, Mr.. RunyOn says from these trees he
has not realized a dollar One year they
did not bear, one year the crop was small
and wormy and this year the market was
glutted, and, while he marketed some OF
the earliest, the most Of them rotted on
the ground.
While we are mentioning phenomenal
instances, let us refer to a wonderful peach
| product. Joseph Green, Il mile above
CORTLAND, cleared four and half acres OF
waste land from brush and willows. and
planted to early Crawford and Orange
cling. In all, 604 trees-4O0 Orange cling
and 200 early Crawford. For two years
he raised sweet potatoes between the trees.
Third year, 1885, the net profit from peach
yield was 81 200; fourth year, 1856, pet
profit $3.50; fifth year, 1887, net profit
$3.50. The trees are now six years old,
and in their prime
Peaches, apricots, plums and prunes are
marketed in baskets of twenty five pounds
each, pears in boxes of sixty pounds, and
apples in boxes of fifty pounds each 1t
may also be well to explain Mr.. Munyon's
method of marketing figs. People who
have gathered figs know that when the
fruit is plucked from the tree milky con-
sistency exudes from the stem, which. if
the figs are Immediately packed renders
them moist and gummy and disagreeable
to the touch. 1t is because of such pack
| ing that there has been 10 better market
for this fruit. Mr. Runyon, however uses
a box that holds but two layers Before
| boxing he exposes the picked fruit for one
day to the sun to dry. He then places a
paper in the bottom of the box and then
carefully arranges layer of figs, then three
sheets of paper and second layer of figs,
snd then another sheet of paper. When
opened these figs present bright appear
ance, and created such demand that the
| seasons crop all marketed for 81 80 per
box of eighteen pounds, while the ordinary
pack was drug at the fruit stands.
| William Johnston sold his crop of
Hales Early peaches on the trees one sea-
son for $500 per acre. He plants his
back land to pea beans, which produce
80 sacks of 20 pounds each to the acre,
and which are quoted at three cents per
pound in market to-day
On Dwight HOLSTERS place this year
/ there was sOvn broadna,+ IN ocras of -o,,,