Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-07
A UNITED CITRUS FAIR
FOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA, PRO
POSED FOR 1888.
Results of the Recent Placer Ex-
hibit at Los Angeles-That
at Oroyille-Etc.

| EDS. RECORD. UNION / would suggest
through the columns of your newspaper
the consideration of united Central Cali
fornia citrus exhibit Tor 1888, 10 be made
by the united efforts of the principal Cen
trail California counties.
would suggest that this exhibit be made
at Los Angeles in preference to any other
place, if the general conditions exist next
winter similar to those existing there at
the present time. l am led to this conclu-
sion by the results of the citrus exhibit of
Placer county recently made at Los An
eles
This exhibition has been a remarkably sue
cessful one, and in its way has done great
deal of good, and the thousands who have
witnessed the exhibit, principally Eastern
visitors, have been surprised and aston
ished, and the County Board of Trade has
been already asked to arrange for excursion
trains to come up to Placer county to bring
up many who wish to see for themselves
the region, and this subject is now under
consideration by the Board.
The Oroville exhibit was a remarkable
one. 1t astonished the originators and ex-
hibitors themselves. They had no expecta-
ton of being able TO make such an extern
sive exhibit, but when the different fruit
producers began to pour in their products,
the amount was larger than had been cal
culated-so it was with the last citrus ex-
| hibition at Sacramento-it surpassed the
expectations of everyone.
1t is estimated that some ten thousand
people visited the 0roville exhibit. Prob
ably three-quarters of those who visited
that exhibit comprised those who had al
ready made up their minds fayorably as to
| the ability Of Butte county to produce cit
rus fruits.
The Oroville exhibit was undoubtedly
much more extensive and complete than
the Placer county exhibit at Los Angeles,
! but the latter was visited by much larger
number of visitors, carefully estimated at
| from twenty-five to thirty thousand people,
nine-tenths of whom were not aware of the
possibilities of Central California.
Therefore, hold that the exhibit at Los
Angeles was of more importance in itself,
where it was made, than the exhibit at
Orovllle.
| | would suggest that central and northern
counties make up an exhibition next year
| for the especial purpose of exhibiting on a
| large anu eAleDSlNt oCdie at LOS Angeles,
or elsewhere in the State, where the largest
number of visitors can be secured.
When | see the advantages and benefits
| which have arisen from the present Los
Angeles exhibit ] cannot help coming to
| the conclusion, that that place is the best
one to exhibit at, where the largest number
of Eastern visitors can be found, and the
probability is that next winter the immi-
grafton to California will be still larger
than it has been this year.
1 have also been influenced in my con-
illusions as to the locality of the proposed
exhibition, by the reviews of the principal
Los Angeles papers.
| do not think they have been unkind to
Placer county-rather the other way. Al
the same time there have been quite 8
number of articles in the Los Angeles
newspapers referring to the Placer county
| exhibit which have rather damned with
faint praise than encouraged by hearty ap
proval.
Probably 1t wsuld have been too much
to have expected that the Los Angeles
papers would vigorously applaud the
Placer county exhibit. Some of the
papers there have remained discreetly
silent regarding the exhibit, and those
which have spoken out at all unfavorably
have been promptly answered by Placer
/ llGu
Probably, upon the whole, the Placer
county exhibit has been treated as fairly
by the southern press as could have been
expected. ! note particularly an article in
the Los Angeles EVening Express of Deem.
Der 9th, referring to the citrus fruits in
the north, and referring to the citrus fair al
Oroville, and of Placer county, which you
so ably reviewed on Saturday last.
The article while assuming that Placer
county had placed on exhibition a very
creditable display of oranges, exhibited
nothing more than had long been conceded
by the Los Angeles press" that oranges
up north adding, " that the man who
buys Placer county land, hoping to raise
citrus fruits, is safe only when he has been
there long enough to know that such fruits
can be grown in the precise locality in
which he buys" Ard "A greater part OF
the county is so high up that snow falls
and water freezes hard enough for skating.
Other parts lie too low for citrus fruit
raising, others are too much exposed.
There are few sheltered localities, Just on
the dividing line, where the orange and
lemon will grow, and from these places
come Placer's exhibit Butte county is
situated much like Placer. These are the
only counties up north that make any pre-
tension to raising oranges tor profit We
are bound to conclude, on present evil
dence, that citrus fruit-growiDg cannot be q
profitable industry in Northern California
If any considerable number of orange
trees are brought to bearing there, and any
shipments of Importance are made, we
should cheerfully acknowledge the facts
In view of these facts, we cannot admit
that Northern California presents favorable
opportunities to the growers of citrus
fruits"
There are some few sheltered spots in
the foothill counties where such fruits can
be grown, but the planting of an orchard
would be attended with some risk, and is
something that the man of moderate means
will not care to undertake, as long as there
is land with water in the south, at $500 or
$500 per acre, which planted in oranges
will produce right along, year after veal
| without fail, from $500 to 81 900 profit pei
acre"
You will observe the successful efforts Of
the editor of that paper to illuminate the
density of his grave doubts about northern
citrus culture; and the paralytic efforts to
associate snow, ice and elevated attitudes
with such culture-well enough, nc
doubt, to chill the courage of Eastern visit.
ors, fleeing from an inclement blizzard re-
gion, who may be led to believe that the
transit from the snow-sheds of the Sierras
to the orange groves of Los Angeles is but
part and parcel of the mountain region
from which, if fortunate, he may emerge
without frost bitten ears.
differences of this character will continue
to be given by interested parties in The
south, ard thousands will thus be diverted
who otherwise would have been glad tC
have cast their lots ia Central and North.
ern California, who will later on have cause
of regret that they had not been better in.
formed.
There is no better way to overcome false
differences of the character referred TO, thar
for the central and northern counties of the
State, by united effort, to show up Their
products in such overwhelming strength
and profusion that it may be apparent to
any reasonable being, that hundreds Of
thousands of acres are lying about dormant
in Central Californis, as applicable to the
successful growing of citrus fruits, and per
haps more so, everything considered, thar
any other equal area in the known world
By concluding upon this general plan O
exhibition at an early day, ample fund;
could be secured, and complete arrange
ments could be made. From $4,000 tC
1000 could be expended in such an ex
hibition to great advantage, and the money
could be easily arranged for and deega
tons sent from each county exhibiting
An immense amount of printed informa
ton could be distributed, and if necessary
a daily newspaper could be printed devoted
| m tho exhibition snd ready tn comhat any