Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-01
EASTERN VISITORS.
HOW THEY WERE TREATED IN
THE CAPITAL CITY.
mento to the Members of Ameri-
can Horticultural Society.

abroad,
| AS if resurrection were all the year round
And the writings of Christ sprang alive from
the ground,
When He said to the woman those words that
will last,
When the globe shall grow human with the
dead it has clasped
Live oaks in their orchards, rare exotics run
wild,
No orphan among them, each Natures own
child.
Oh, wonderful land, where the turbulent sand
| Will burst into bloom at the touch of hand
And desert baptized prove an Eden disguised
| BENZ. f. Taylor
| About $50 members of the American
| Horticultural Association arrived from
San Francisco at $50 P. NJ. yesterday They
are in charge of r. E. Whitefield, travelling
passenger agent of the Southern Pacific
Company, who will leave with them this
morning for Chico, Marysville, Redding,
Colusa and other points of interest in the
Sacramento valley. Mr.. Whitefeld says
he has been with many excursionists, but
never before with one which was SO thor
oughly in love with Northern and Central
California. Many of the party express
| themselves very freely and say they will
close out their business as soon as they re-
turn East and come to this part of the
| State to make their future home
On the trains arrival the excursionists
were met by a committee of citizens who
| took them in charge, and made them the
| guests of Sacramento.
A half dozen of the large two horse cars
were taken to the depot and the visitors
| taken in body to the State Capitol, which
had been kindly placed at the disposal of
the pItIZonG hy tho g
| the Assembly Chamber set apart for re-
ception room. The entire Capitol was
brilliantly Illuminated both by gas and
| electricity by Martin Steinmitz. The gen.
| tleman in charge of that department The
! State Library was tastefully decorated with
| flowers, evergreens and bunting, and set
apart as cloak and waiting room. The
| Assembly Chamber, which undoubtedly is
the finest hall in the State, had been
cleared of all the desks and handsomely
decorated. 1t had the appearance of an i'm
mense dinlng-Toom, there being so tables
( covered with snoT-white linen, fancy china
and silverware, and plates for six at each
table. The orchestra under the leadership
| of Professor Hand. consisting of eight
! pieces, rendered music equal to any ever
heard in this city, and was not the least
of the attractions of the evening.
| At $50 P. NJ. the guests marched into the
hall led by Mayor Eugene Gregory and
P. E. Platt. They were seated at the
tables and soon fifty gentlemen of the
Reception Committee were playing the
part OF walters, were supplying them
with sandwiches and coffee and
choice edibles without stint and in the
greatest variety. The caterer of the even
ing was w. E. Peterson. For nearly an
hour there was eating, acquaintance max
ing and genuine run OF fun and good
| humor, score or more of Sacramentos
ladies doing all in their power to make the
| strangers feel at home. A large number of
| ladies-wives and relatives of the visiting
observation-disclosures panied the latter.
WELCOMING THE GUESTS.
Mayor Gregory called the assemblage to
order after all had partaken of lunch. He
delivered a short address of welcome 10
| the guests after which he introduced the
Chairman of the evening, Hon. r. D.
stephens. In assuming the duties of the
Chair, Mr.. Stephens said:
Ladies and Gentlemen: l thank you for the
honor 1t has been your pleasure to confer upon
| me by selecting me as your presiding officer
| upon so important an occasion as this0the re-
ception and entertainment of our Eastern
friends who are present, and who are engaged
| in and represent an interest which passing
events are so rapidly demonstrating will soon
become paramount to any one if not to all other
IL Is not my purpose to occupy much of your
valuable time, as there are others here who are
better qualified to say things that will not only
be entertaining, but also instructive. However
| cannot but express thought as to the contrast
between the entrance into California of the pio-
neer OF 40 with that of our guests this evening
VINO ior the nrst time are present in the Capital
City of California.
Anterior to 1.-The days of 20" the white resi-
oells OF CaIlfornia were very few, consequently
the reception committees were very small, the
III which :.
tact with the visitors of those days. for such g99
out OF every 1000 SO regarded themselves
Ihey came with view of sojouruing but a
snort tlme IN which they proposed to
make their fortunes and then ''go back to
the states, to the scenes of their childhood, to
eeJoy their gains. As to industrial pursuits
there were at that time but about three leeiti-
mate interests in which TO embark These
We're, first mining; second, mercantile and
third, the transportation of supplies into the
mining districts
In those days vegetables were unknown. ex-
cept the variety named potatoes and that
existed only to a very limited degree. ana when
found commanded per pound one dollar and
upwards.
1t was soon found, however, that the very best
vegetables and melons of al Jtreties, could be
grown, almost without oil;rt. which feet vas
joCrning here. Then our teed supply for the
teams used in the transportation interest came
principally from South America, for which
prices ruled high. 1t was then that some who
found time to think of something else besides
digging for gold,' concluded to test the pro-
ductive qualities of some of the river bottom
seeded to barley, which gave an enormous yield
per acre and of superior quality. The seeding
of large tracts followed, and the supply became
greater than the demand and conse-
ruled. In the meantime, however, ex-
periments had been made in growing wheat
and it was demonstrated that the soil
in California not only produced q heavy yield,
but also in quality, wheat equal, if not superior
to any grown in the world. 1t was then that
California began to be an agricultural, as well
as mineral producing State aud 1t was not long
before California produced millions of bushels
of wheat for export, which found ready and
profitable markets in foreign countries. During
this time experiments had also been made in
growing fruit, and to the establishment of al
most eyerybod it was found that the climate
and soil in California was especially adapted to
the production of the finest quality of decidu.
Gus irIit But few of the few who made these
tests understood horticulture, and the result was
that pits were planted, the trees from which
were permitted to grow to maturity without be-
| ing grated or budded. Strange as it may seem
to you, instead of this being detriment to the
interest 1t proved to be great benefit, tor the
| reason that new varieties were thus produced,
which proved to be far superior to many of the
| older ones The fact is that many of our best
| shipping peaches are Seeding varieties origi-
| mated here. But it was not until after the COM
| pietlon OF the Central Pacific and the Union Pa
| cifc roads, and experimental tests made as to
| the practicability of shipping green fruit TO
| eastern consumption markets, which intl-
| mately proved successful, that fruit-growing
began to attract attention. As our fruit products
| increased, the railroads have from year to year
given additional and improved facilities for
transportation at reduced rates, and to a degree
that resulted in greatly promoting and building
up the interest until the output of green,
canned and dried fruit from this State is some
thing wonderful; and yet the interest is but in
It's infancy, for the reason that in Central
and Northern California there remain thousands
OF acres OF land that will grow the finest quality
OF fruit, and it viii not be long until it will be
utilized for that purpose. Another reason why
this interest will make greater and more rapid
| strides in the near future lies in the fact that
| some OF our growers. and Others have in the
past been afraid of an overpfoduction, but their
fears are being dispelled, through the reason of
the rapidly-increasing demand for our canned
and dried fruit. Experiments made in the last
two years have demonstrated that it is no longer
necessary for California growers to construct ex-
penSive eysporators, the running of which is
also expensive, in order to save any surplus they
may produce. The result is brought about
through the fact that we are exempt from rain
during the fruit season, or at least that portion
of Ii when fruit is being dried, and the suns
rays are used for that purpose. The treatment
Of fruit in sun-drying is the same that III
chine drying, except that in one case the heat
of the sun is utilized, and in the other artificial
heat is used while in price the machine-dried
has but little advantage over the sun-dried.
The reasons have given are but few of the
many that exist why California is just entering
upou an era that in a few years will result in
making ii the most prosperous. wealthy and the