The Arizona sentinel., 1888-02-25
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
A Trip Through Sacramento Valley. tie Land of Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers.
 Especial Correspondence.
SACRAMENTO, Jan. IS, 1sss

A Trip Through Sacramento Valley, the
 Land of Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers.
 Especial Correspcndence.l
 SACRAMENTO, Jan. 13, 1888.
 Here we are in Sacramento City after a
 visit to the surrounding country, under a
 cioudless sky, the thermometer this day
 standing at forty-eight degrees above zero,
 merchants domg bus.ness 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 coZy residences, a revelation to one
 who arrives from the frozen east and who
 has dropped down ln four hours from the
 summit of the Sierrds where the snow is ten feet deep and the thermometer at 15
 degrees below zero.
 Sacramento City is the capital of the State,
 is located eighty-three miles nort theast from San Francisco at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, the latter a navigable 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, tie
 shops of the c. ?. R R. furn ,shing employ ment to two thousand mechanics and labor
 CTS The city is built upon level plain,
 wide streets running ct right angles, let tered from A to ' north to south, and 1st to 31St from west to east
 Many fine build ngs 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 excelled in beauty of landscape gardening and semi tropic :l plants by any capital grounds in the United States The city boasts of the CTocker art gallery costing over four hun- 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 1n 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 catne- dral, Masonic and Odd Fellows temples, different churches school buildings and two elegant theaters, numerous hotels and business s ructures. The city contains about 30, 900 population, and has a large wholesale trade, one ore having 220 em- ployes. The city is well lighted by two electric light and one gas company. The State fairs are held here in September each J 8 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 G2O, GOO acres The land is Of three characters, foot h1il pla ms and river bottom. The foot-hill land IS peculiarly adapted to the produc- ton or fruits and grapes. Th3 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 c.ass of land, and from small farms of forty and sixty acres considerable incomes are derived
 The best lands are those on the im- mediate banks of the rivers, and are de- voted to the production Of fruits and vegetables. Tho income per acre is fab ulous, enabling the owners of the river bank orchards to own and manage line of steamers on which their produce is trans ported to SIn Francisco markets or to Sacramento City for shipment East Pre- vlous 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 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, 1T 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 | a1n of Oli md persimmons, winch npen during the | of November, December and Janu- ary The spring fruits embrace strawberries, | raspberries, blackberries and cherries and | are marketed in April, May and June. The summer fruits are apricots, pluns, peaches, figs, pears and nectarnes, and are marketed | from June to October. The fall fruits are apples, pears, grapes, quinces, prunes and peaches, to which my be added almonds, | walnuts and peanuts Hors, 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 a country that apparently has but two sea- sons, an autumn and spring, as it is here in the Sacramento valley. The rainfall con- mences about November l 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 fact, many farmers who 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 s marked with no sudden or severe climat- c changes While sleet and snow, 10 say nothing of blizzards at this time of the year, afe the fortune of the people at the East, l lere in the Sacramento valley the people Ire basking under clear skies and can pluck rutts and flowers The writer noticed in )ne of the markets this morning the fol- owing fruits and vegetables, being in- ormed they were grown in this immediate yictnity: Asparagus, caultiower, cabbage, celery, artichokes, sweet potatoes, sprouts, peas salsify, s,ring- beans, new ,Otatoes onions oranges, lemons, persim- mons, English walnuts. almonds and rais- ms In an interview with the signal service 'fficer located here, am informed that this present. winter has been an unusually cold 'ne-in fact, the coldest in the past thirty our years.
 A few days since a snow-storm actually wept over the valley and snow fell to the epth of an inch, afford ng great amuse- nent to men, women and children during he few hours it lay upon the ground He lso informed me that Sacramento County hows a warmer winter, spring, and yearly verage temperature and about the same ummer and autumn temperature that the reat citrus belt in Northern Italy does as hown by the following table which he indy furnished me: