The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-02-16
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
4 Trip Through Sacramento Valley. the
Land of Sunshine. Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspondcnce.l


4 Trip Through Sacramento Valley. the
Land of Sunshine. Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspondcnce.l
SACRAMENT, Jan. IS, 1854
Here we are in Sacramento City after a
visit 80 the surrounding country, under
cloudless sky, the thermometer this day
standing at forty EIGHT degrees above zero,
merchants doing business with open doors,
and people on the streets without wraps.
flowers blooming in the open air. oranges
and lemons on trees in the door-yaTds or
| the cory residences, a revelation to one
who arrives from the frozen east and who
has dropped down III four hours from the
summit of the Sierras where the snow is
ten feet deep and the thermometer at 10
degrees below zero.
Sacramento City is the capital of the State,
| is located eighty three miles nor heast from
San Francisco at the confluence OF the
American and Sacramento rivers, !he latier a
navigable stream anu is the railroad center
and the largest fruit sh pping point IN Cali
| fornia- Fifty-four trains FROM seven dIter-
ent directions arrive and depart daily, tie
shops OF the c. P L X. furnishing employ
nIent to two thouss nd mechanics and Labor
ers The city is built upon level plain,
wide streets running at right angles, let
tered from A 10 north 10 south, and 1st TO
31st from west to east
Many fine buildings adorn the residence
portion of the city, but many of the buSi-
ness structures with their wide awnings re-
main as erected during the mining era OF
thirty years ago, presenting novel appear
ance to us from the East The State Capitol
building is modelled after the Capitol at
Washington, and cost over two million dol
lars; is surrounded by grounds not excel ed
In beauty OF landscape gardening and SEMI
tropical plants by any capital grounds in
the United States The city boasts of the
Crocker art gallery costing over four hum
dred thousand dollars, donated to the city
by Mrs E b. Crocker, said gallery contain
ing large collection of choice statuary and
paintings, in which is in active operation
an art school This gallery, second to none
in the United States will amply repay the
tourist who may visit it
There are many other tne buildings,
among which are the new Catholic cathe-
dral, Masonic and Odd Fellows temples,
different churches, school buildings and
two elegant tneaters, numerous hotels anu
business 8 ructureS The city contains
about 30 900 population, and has u large
wholesale trade. one store having 225 en-
ployes The city is well lighted by two
electric light and one gas company. The
State fairs are held here in September each
year, the State Agricultural Society having
large exposition building and mile race
track.
An exposition building adjoining the rail-
road depot is being erected, where q con-
tinuous exhibit of the products of Central
California will be shown and printed infor-
NATION relative to same distributed the
Urea of Sacramento County is G2O, 900
acres The land is OF three characters, foot
hill, plans and river bottom. The fOot-hDl
land is peculiarly adapted to the produc-
ton OF fruits and grapes. The plains lands
are mainly devoted TO grain raising, and no
failure of crops since the Amer can occupa-
tOn OF this country. In some portions OF
tae county fruits, berries and grapes are
extensively produced on this C. ass of land,
and from small farms OF forty and SKY
acres considerable incomes are derived
The best lands are those on the i'm
mediate banks of the rivers, and are de-
voted to the production of fruits and
vegetables. The income per acre is fab
ulous, enabling the owners of the river
bank orchards TO own and manage line or
steamers on which their produce is trans
ported to San Francisco markets or to
Sacramento City for shipment East Pre-
vious to the last two years many OF these
lands were held in large tracts; now the
owners are subdividing them and offering
them for sale to actual settlers
For many years California was regarded
as valueless save tor its mineral wealth,
but American enterprise has developed
that its richness in tue line OF agriculture
and fruit raising is inferior to none in the
world From the cultivation of cereals the
step was taken successfully in the line of
rl,
growing of oranges and lemons, consequent
ly the fruit-grower here has no waste time,
but can, if he will, utilize every day in the
year He may actually gather fruit OF
some kind from bs orchard every month
OF the year, as the winter fruiIs embrace
oranges, lemons. pomegr mates, olives and
persimmOns, which npen during the
months of November, December and Janu-
airy. The spring fruits embrace Strawberries,
raspberries, blackber-ies and cherries, and
-l--,%, -,
summer fruits are apricots, lluIns, peaches,
figs. pears and nectarines, and are marketed
from June to October. The fall fruits are
apples, pears, grapes. ounces, prunes and
peaches, to which may be added almonds,
walnuts and peanuts. HoTs, broom and
Egyptian corn alfalfa, sweet potatoes, etc,
are all grown with profit We who have
spent our lives east of the Rocky Mountains
can have no reasonable conception of u
country that apparently has but two sea-
sons, an autumn and spring, as it is here in
the Sacramento valley. Tie rainfall CON-
mences about November l and ends IN
May, but only at interv lis during that time,
so that with few exceptions there is no
cause for suspension from outdoor labor.
Flowing begins here rs soon as the rains
commence-in fact, many farmers who
summer-fallow their lands in April and
May seed the same IN August and Septem-
Der before the first rains.
The change from one season TO the other
is marked with no sudden or severe ciimat-
ic changes While seet and snow, 10 say
nothing of bliZzards at this time of the year,
ere the fortune of the people ut the East,
here in the Sacramento valley the people
are basking under clear skies and can pluck
fruits and flowers The writer noticed in
one of the markets this morning the fol-
lowing fruits and vegetables, being in
formed they were grown in this immediate
vicinity: Asparagus, caulifiower, cabbage,
celery, artichokes, sweet potatoes, sprouts,
spinach, peas, satisfy, string beans. new
potatoes onions, oranges, lemons, parsim-
mons English walnuts, almonds and rails
ins In an interview with the signal service
officer located here. 1 am informed hat this
present winter has been an unusually cold
one-in fact, the coldest in the past thirty
four years.
few days since n snow-storm actually
swept over the valley AMI snow fell to the
depth of an inch, afford NJ great amuse-
ment to men, women and children during
the few hours it lay upon the ground He
also informed me that Sacramento County
shows a warmer winter, spring, and yearly
average temperature and about the same
summer and autumn temperature that the
great citrus belt in Northern Italy does, as
shown by the following table which he
kindly furnished me:
! : s. s 4 T.