Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-14
LARGEST 0RCHARDINT THE WO RID
Fifteen Hundred Acres Devoted to Fruit
Raising

+ California, famous for its gigantic trees,
its mammoth vegetables and its magnif-
cent fruits boasts of the greatest orchard
in the world. 1t lies in an open valley of
the Sacramento, In Butte County, and COW
ers two and half sections, or l,500 acres
of land It's owner, Gen John Bidwell, is
one of the ear y pioneers, having crossed
the plains in 1871. He was an associate of
Suffer and Fremont, and his life In those
early times was replete with adventures
among savage Indians and wild beasts.
He has more than quarter of section of
land, in fact nearly 200 acres, planted to
peaches alone. He has over 100 acres set
to plumbs and prunes The latter, when
dried, are superior to the finest of the i'm
ported French; prunes, while the plums
are truly magnificent, including the yellow
egg, Washington, Columbia, Pond seed
ling, Goes golden drop, Duane's purple,
peach plum, and still others varieties.
Several thousand pear trees form a grand
orchard in themselves. While many var
ieties are grown, yet the Bartlett leads all
others The Seckel, Flemish beauty and
Kieffer are among the most profitable var
ieties. There are some :, 900 apple trees, that
include much of the standard varieties.
It is notice. BILE in this warm climate that
what are known as fall apples in the At
lantlc states are summer apples here, while
those known as winter apples there ripen
early in the fall here.
The apricot orchard includes between
sixty and seventy acres, and the best varie-
ties only are set out.
There are 1857 cherry trees, and these
make wonderful growth and bear pro-
digiously. One magnificent tree, q Napol-
con, measures sixty feet high, seven and a
half around its trunk and bore In one sea-
son LOO pounds of fine fruit. The cher
ries were picked and weighed under the
most careful supervision, so that no errors
could occur. At the prevailing price this
season this tree returned to It's owner a
greater profit than ten acres of land plant
ed to wheat.
There are great numbers of almond, which
reaches state of high perfection In this
warm climate. many fig nectarine, orange,
olive, ounce, walnut chestnut. pecan and
other kind of trees, but it would be useless
to here specify the number of each.
The vineyard covers 200 acres, and the
varieties mostly grown are white muscat,
which numbers q. 213 vines, black Ham
burg, fame and blue tokay, emperor, rose
of Peru, and black Morocco.
There are three large packing houses for
handling the fruit. Driers are not used,
as, owing to the dry climate, the fruit
and raisins are all cured in the SUM- I'm
mense quantities of the fruit are canned,
and for this purpose a mammoth building
was constructed, 200 persons are given
employment During the rush of the
peach and apricot season a much larger
number is added. To pick. box and dry
the fruits In the orchard 800 men are en-
alone gives labor to 500 persons.
During the present season five car loads
of fresh, dried and canned fruits were
shipped daily The is rich sandy loan,
and the trees are grown without irriga
ton.