Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-03-15
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.
A Trip Through Sacramento Valley, the
Land of Sunshine. Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspcndcnce.l

Land of Sunshine, Fruit and Flowers.
Especial Correspcndcnce.l
SACRAMENTO. Jan. ia, 1888
Here we are in Sacramento City after q
visit to the surrounding country, under q
cioudless sky, the thermometer this day
standing at forty eight degrees above zero,
merchants dong 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, q revelation to one
who arrives from the frozen east and who
has dropped down IN 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 loclted eighty three miles nor beast 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
fornta- Flfty-four trains from seven differ
ent directions arrive and depart daily, the
shops Of the G. P. r. r. furnishing employ
sment to two thousand mechanics and labor
ers The city is built upon level plain,
wide streets running ut right angles, let
tered from A to north TO south, and LIST to
31st from west to east
Many fine buildings adorn the residence
portion of the city, bub 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 II plants by any capital grounds in
the United Stltes The city boasts Of the
Crocker art gallery costing over four hun
dred Thousand dollars, donated to the city
by Mrs T. 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 n.J
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 sructures The city contains
about 80. 600 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
State fairs are held here in September each
year, the State Agricultural Society having
o large exposition building and mile race
track.
An exposition building adjoining the rail-
| road depot is being erected, where a con-
t1nuous exhibit Of the products of Central
California will be shown and printed infor-
nation relative to same distributed. The
area of Sacramento County Is $40, OOO
| 1u,. fa. t1,-an AZ, -a.,fa fn1f
hill, plans and river bottom. The foot-hill
land is peculiarly adapted to the produc-
ton OF fruits and grapes. The plains lands
are mainly devoted to grain raising, and nc
failure OF crops since the Amer can ocoupa.
ton OF this country In some portions Of
the county fruits, berries and grapes are
extensively produced on this class of land
and from small farms of forty and sixty
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 anC
vegetables The 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 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 HA~
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 thu
step was taken successfully in the line O
fruit and vine raising, and lastly In thu
growing OF oranges and lemons, consequent
ly the fruit-grower here has no waste time
but oan, II he will, utilize every day in the
year He may actually gather fruit o
some kind from his orchard every month
OF the year, as the winter fruits embraces
oranges, lenons. pomegranates olives AMI
persimmons, which rpen during tn
months of November, December and Janu
airy. The spring fruits embrace strawberries
raspberries, blackberries and cherries, an,
are marketed in April, May and June Tn,
summer fruits are apricots plums, peaches
figs. pears and nectarines, and are markete'
from June to October. The fall fruits ar
apples, pears, grapes. ounces, prunes an,
peaches, to which may be added almonds
wamuts and peanuts Hops, broom an,
Egyptian corn, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, etc.
are all grown with profit We who hav
spent our lives east of the Rocky Mountain
can have no reasonable conception of
country that apparently has but two sea
sons, an autumn and spring, as it is here L
the sacramento valley The rainfall cen,
mences about November l and ends il
May, hut only at intervals dur ring that time
so that with few exceptions there Is n
!, cause for suspension from outdoor labor
Flowing begins here as soon as the rain
commence-in fact, many farmers VIII
summer-fallow their lands In April an
May seed the same In August and Septem
Der before the first rains
The change from one season to the othe
Is marked with no sudden or severe climat
ic changes While sleet and snow, to ga,
nothing of billiards. at this time Of the yea
are the fortune of the people at the East
: here in the Sacramento valley the peopl
are basking under clear skies and can pluc
fruits and flowers The writer noticed i
one Of the markets this morning the TO
: lowing fruits and vegetables being II
formed they were grown in this immediat
vicinity: Asparagus, oaulifiower, cabbage
celery, artichokes, sweet potatoes, sprouts
spinach, peas, satisfy, string beans, ne
potatoes, onions, oranges, lemons, persim
/ mons, English walnuts. almonds and rail-
ina In an interview with the signal servic
officer located here, am informed that tn
present winter has been an unusually col
: one--in fact, the coolest in the past THIRTY
four years
II few days since snow-storm actuall
a swept over the valley and snow fell to th
depth of an inch, afford ng great anus
ment to men, women and children durin
the few hours it lay upon the ground II
, also informed me that Sacramento Count
shows warmer winter, spring, and vearl
average temperature and about the san
summer and autumn temperature that Il
great citrus belt in Northern Italy does
shown by the following table which
> kindly furnished me:
L[IIIIIIEI.[L.