The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-02-10
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
a Trip Through Sacramento Valley. the
Land OF Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspondencel
sAcRAMENTo, jan. Is. 1ssa

a Trip Through Sacramento Valley. the
Land OF Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspondence
SACRAMENTO. Jan 1e, 1888
Here we are in Sacramento City after
visit to 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-yards of
the coy residences, revelation to one
who arrives from the frozen east and who
has droppei down in four hours from the
summit Of the Sierras where the snow is
ten feet deep and the thermometer at Is
degrees below zero.
Sacramento City is the capital of the State.
is located eighty-three miles northeast from
San Francisco at the confluence of the
American and Sacramento rivers, The latter a
nayigable stream, and is the railroad center
and the largest fruit Shipping point in Cali
fornia Fifty-four trains from seven differ
ent directions arrive and depart daily, the
shops of the G. P. r. r. furnishing employ
ment to two thousand mechanics and labor
ers. The city is built upon level plain,
wide streets running at right angles, let
tered from TO Y north to south, and 1st to
31sU from west to east
Many fine buildings adorn the residence
portion OF the city, but many of the bust
ness structures with their Wide awnings re-
main as erected during the mining era of
thirty years ago, present ting 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
Il
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 hun
dred thousand dollars, donated to the city
by Mrs. E. B. Croker, said gallery contain
ing a 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 fine buildings
among which are the new Catholic cathe-
dral, Masonic and Odd Fellows temples
different churches, school buildings, and
two elegant theaters, numerous hotels and
business ructures The city contains
about 5000 population, and has large
wholesale trade, one store having 225 en-
ployes The city is well lighted by two
electric light and one gas company. The
Stale 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 con-
tinuous exhibit of the products of Central
California will be shown and printed infor-
Nation relative to same distributed. The
area OF Sacramento County is 100000
acres The land is OF three characters, foot
hill, pa ms anu river bottom. The foot-hill
land Is peculiarly adapted to the produc
tlon OF fruits and grapes. The plains lands
are mainly devoted to gra n raising, and no
failure of crops since the Amer can occupa-
ton OF this country. In some portions OF
the county fruits, berries and grapes are
extensively produced on this ass of land
and from small farms OF forty and sky
acres considerable incomes are derived
Inc 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 a line OF
steamers on which their produce is trans
ported to SIN Francisco markets or to
Sacramento City for shipment East Pre-
vious to the last two years many Of these
lands We're held in large trtcts; now the
owners are subdividing them and Offering
them for sale to actual settlers.
For many years California was regarded
as valueiess save tor its mineral wealth,
but American enterprise has developed
that its richnesa in the 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
fruit and vine raising, and lastly in the
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 his orchard every month
OF the year, as the winter fruits embrace
oranges, lemons. pomegr mates, olives and
perslmmons, winch upen during the
months of November December and Janu-
airy. The spring fruits embrace Strawberries,
raspberries, blackberries and cherries. and
are marketed in April, May and June. The
summer fruits are apricots, plums, peaches,
bgs, pears and nectarlnes, 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 HOPS, broom and
Egypt an 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 a
country that apparently has but two sea-
sons, an autumn and spring, as it is here in
the Sacramento valley. The rainfall conn.,
mences about November 1 and ends in
May, but only at intervals during that time,
so that with few exceptions there is no
cause for suspension from outdoor labor
Flowing begins here as soon as the rains
commence1!n fact, many farmers who
summer-falow their lands in April and
May seed the same in August and Septem-
Der before the first rains.
Inc change from one season to the other
is marked with no sudden or severe clmat-
ic changes While sleet and snow, to say
nothing of billiards. at this time of the year,
are the fortune of the people at the East
here in the Sacramento valley the people
are bask1ng 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, caul flower, cabbage,
celery, art,chokes, sweet potatoes, sprouts,
spinach, peas, satisfy, s.ring- beans, new
potatoes, onions, oranges, lemons, persim-
mons, English walnuts almonds and rails
ms In an interview with the signal service
officer located here, / am informed that this
present winter has been an unusually cold
one-;n fact, the coolest in the past thirty
four years.
few days since snow-storm actually
swept over the valley and snow fell to the
depth of an inch, afford no 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 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:
81 i ||I II, )