The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1888-02-16
N. F. CONLEY Publisher.
OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER.
SACRAMENTO CRY. ia aauary 81, 1888.
Especial Correspondence1

NtNduu anu ttDibJ hanRe OF luOuutAlub run
parallel, northeast and southwest, the Siar
rns having an altitude OF from 5000 TO
ii COO feet; the Coast Range from 2, 800
to 4, 900 feet, and they are divided by o
number of valleys and rivers, the principal
one being the Sacramento valley. 200
miles in length and 40 miles average
width, through which runs the Sacrament
to river, navlgable stream for about $50
miles from its entrance into Suisun bay. O
small bay at the head of the bay Of San
Francisco.
Sacramento valley proper includes tina
counties of Sacramento, Yuba. Butte. Te-
hama, Colusa, Sutter, Yolo and Solane.
these baing bordered by the mountain
counties OF Amador, FL Dorado Placer.
Nevada Sierra, Plumas, Shasta, Trinity,
Mendocino, Like and Napa, affording o
great variety of soil and climate. owing to
the difference in ele yation
The soil of the valley counties bordering
upon the Sacramento river is principally a
dark, rich adobe and a,luvial soil, and well
adopted TO the growth of cereals Along
the foot hills varieties of soil from black
adobe to light sandy soil appearR The
lower slopes Of the mountains contain diff
ferent SOIL some being sands, of light color,
Others light clay, and much a deep red clay.
The submits are more rocky and volcanic.
and the soils vary, some being clay hills,
sandy ridges, loamy meadows and deep,
rich valleys in the very tops of the mount
aims being the favort, resort of large
herds of sheep and cattle during the sum-
mer months
Stretching along the foothills and up the
mountain sides to tie altitude of 2, 800 feet
is what Is known as the thermal belt" 1t is
in this Lett where the warm air fingers when
the sun goes down, and TO which the warm
air rises when the first rays Of the morning
sun are thro SD upon the valley. Tender
plants and mi-tropical fruits are grown
in profusion, as was fully demonstrated at
the Citrus fair held In 0roville, Butte Coun-
ty, in December last. This thermal belt Is
also noted for ltswonderful curative qualities
in lung and asthmadc complaints. But very
little good Gov rnment or railroad land
near the railroads or rivers remain. Land
is worth from 50 to $500 per acre according
TO location and improvements. In the foot
hill region land is selling from So to $50
per acre. In the valley Loriering on the
Sacramento river large ranches Of from
1000 to 10000 acres have been the pre-
vailiny feature AS population comes in
these will be subdivided and on their oh
al.uvial soil thousands of small farms, the
homes of thrifty families will be estab-
lisEed, but this can not be accomplished
until the population increases and there is
a demand The population of this great
State is about /, 800, 900, but it is capable
of supporting 10. 600, 900 people.
All this vast region Of soil, water and
climate, unsurpassed by any other, now in
vites population-not lazy, shiftless. i'm
pecunious persons, such would soon starve
or be found begging--but men with, brain.
and muscle, and enough money to give
them fair start enough to sustain them
while improving the lands, to make the =
produce that for which nature in.endsT
them-such men, II with families SO much
the better can ind abundant opportunities
to secure at moderate coss such home as
will be pleasant and profitable. A man
with family willing to help him, If he has
from 81 900 to $3, 900 in hand. is safe to
make beginning which, If he is judicious
should lead him to prosperity.
Two branches of the Central Pacific rail-
road leaves Storamento-one on the east
side of the valley, via Marysville and Chico
and the intermediate towns the other on
he west side via Woodland Willows and
Williams and intermediate towns uniting
at Tehama, the now head of navigation on
Sacramento river. From thence the road
is continued to Portland, Ore, this road
having been completed within the last
xty days opening up country wonderfully
rich in rming timber and mineral prod
ucts
Until the past five years the raising Of
VIII eat and barley was the principal occu-
patton of the farmers of the Sacramento
valley, the grain being transported to
Europe on ships, but the completion of three
traus-continental railroads-the Central
Pacific, Southern Pacific and the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe, with the prospect OF
other roads soon coming. affording in
creased facilities and reduced rates OF
tran sportation has given wonderful i'm
petus toward raising fruit, and California
will soon be considered the garden spot OF
the world The Sacramento valley has sup
pl ed N n.ns-tenths of the fruit sent E st, aud
the Fruit Growers Union" an association
Of farmers, in tn, year 1887 sold their fruit
in New York and Boston on the auction
plan and with gratifying success 1t will
be tried in other cities this coming season,
with reduced rates of transportation, so
that sixty million OF people in the United
Sta es cun afford to purchas, these Caltfor-
men. OF the fruit bus ness will be something
wonderful.
The largest grain growers in the valleys
do their plowing with gang plows and
tn ir harves ing with the latest improved
mcchinery. Consequent farm hands in
the past h.. d employment only during a
portion of the year, but since the fruit and
vino business is coming to the front, more
and continuous labor is required, and in
some of ths more advanced fruit districts
during the fruit picking season the school
vacations ara extended in order to allow
tie children to assist in securing the crops.
Fruit clnnsrles and drlers are being es-
tablished and thousands of tons of fruit
are preserved in this manner. Good farm
hands get from $25 to $50 per month by
the year; harvest hands, 81. 90 to 50 90
per day; mechanics. from 80 to 81 per
day: good house servants, from $15 to
$50 per month, and ere scarce Chinese
are largely employed in house service, but
could be easily displaced by bright Amer
lean or German girls who would be willing
to go into the country The Celtic girls,
ms a rule, dislike to leave the cities
Raj roads now traverse the principal val
leys, the rate of fare being three cents per
mi on valley end four cents per mile on
mountain routes
Dry-goods, clothing. and, in fact all the
lighter class of goods can be purchased as
cheaply as in the Western States Heavy
goods where freight is an important item
of COST are more expensive.
Banks both commercial and savings, are
p.enty the current rate Of interest at this
time be ng seven to nine per cent per an
mum. Hotel accommodation both good
and reasonable. fair board being obtained at
twenty-five cents per meal and four dollars
per week First-clats hotels charge from
two to four dollars per day for room and
board
There are plenty Of good newspapers.
churches and schools The writer, in hia
wanderlngs over the mountains and through
the valleys OF the central portion OF this
wonderful State, could not help noticing
the cosmopolitan ohaf& n, free and cas- y.
hospit'ble, kind-Learted character Of the