Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-02

on every hand. A drive through an Or
chard or vineyard district will discover a
condition of things which makes an inter-
esting social study. Neat fences, tasteful
and well-kept houses, finely cultivated
| flower gardens, handsome horses and bug
gies, fruit trees trimmed with the care and
! precision of cypress hedge, the land so
fine, Clean smooth and absolutely free
| from weeds that it appears suitable for a
lawn party. All these and many more
evidences of intelligence and prosperity
abound here to a degree unknown in the
agricultural districts of the Eastern States
Several important results are the outcome
of this condition of things. Great interest
is taken in public education, the schools OF
California being a marvel to the whole
country. The general absence of very hot
weather, the total absence of snow and
other accomplishments of cold climate
which compel so great part of the year to
| be spent indoors, give abundant time, OPP
| portunity and inclination to cultivate the
social instinct Churches are numerously
attended, and all through the rural dis
tricts are social clubs and frequent general
| social gatherings. Nowhere else in the
| United States can so much time be spent
out of doors as here. This is better under
stood when it is explained that of the 800
| days in year 800 are bright, with warm,
| inVigorating, delicious sunshine Outdoor
| sports are endless in variety fishing hunt
| ing, bathing and camping are common
pastimes for all, and croquet grounds are
maintained the year round. All these
| blessings give a zest to rural occupations
which brings pleasure with the pursuit of
wealth, which gives health and strength to
the farmer, and which increases his energy
and money-making power.
| The conditions or success are simple. but
they are persistent and unalterable. They
can be summed up under the following
| ANNEXATION:
l. No larger orchard, vineyard or vege-
table or berry farm should be worked than
can receive the close personal attention of
the owner For this reason small farms
are insisted upon, but this condition may
safely be relaxed in special cases, as where
family consists of several grown mem
bers, each of whom is competent to man
| age share of the property.
Endless watchfulness is essential, for
there are soils which must be worked
under certain conditions of moisture and
which are rendered inert by the neglect
sometimes of a day. This care must be
extended to every interest OF the ranch,
| including the buildings, fences and live
stock, the prompt pruning of trees and
vines, the equally prompt gathering and
arke!ing OF the crops, and countless SINH
lar things. The general shiftlessness and
dilaJoriness of Eastern methods will prove
! disastrous here.
5. The Intelligent selection of ground
and situation for particular things intended
to be grown is a prime necessity. If man
| coming to California desires, for instance,
| to plant g vineyard, he must decide
whether he will produce raisins, table
| grapes or wine grapes and having made
| the decision he must decide upon the spe-
| cial kinds, for they are numerous. He
! should form an approximate idea of the
| qualities which the soil and situation he
may select will likely develop in the varie-
ties he has decided to plant; shade more
! OF less of tannic acid aud saccharine mat
ter may seriously affect the market value
! OF his product. This condition seems
| harder upon its face than it really is.
There can always be found residents whose
! experience and advice may safely be relied
upon.
! These are the prime essentials; and if
they are intelligently and honestly applied,
without any shifting or self deception and
! with the exercise OF reasonable economy,
success is inevitable.
The simple fact of making money on q
! piece of land by the sale of the product is
| by no means the sole consideration in esti-
mating the money producing value of the
| land OF the thousands who annually
| settle in the State, very large number are
| persons of ample means, who are able to
pay for a bearing orchard or vineyard, and
who are under no necessity to wait for it to
come into bearing after planting. This
| fact, besides others which need not here be
enumerated, makes bearing orchards and
vineyards lively factor in the land mar
ket and they usually find ready buyers at
high figures. Many men wonld rather pay
$500 an acre for such property than $50 or
| 500 an acre for unimproved land, the rule
| being that the selling value of bearing
| orchards and vineyards is from four 10 ten
| times as great as that of unimproved land
| of similar quality and situation. While tits
not here advised that such improved prop
| perty be sold at those price,, tbs important
to keep in view the fact that 1.-THE owner for
some unusual reason should want to sell,
| he will generally be able to realize an enOr-
nous profit. This would be impossible if
| the land were devoted to cereals and other
| crops of g seasons life. Unless there is
some special reason for selling it is better
to keep the bearing orchard or vineyard,
even though what appears to be fabulous
price is offered for it, for the money re-
ceived for it could not be invested more
probably. The point SOU ht here to be
made is that the planting of an orchard or
vineyard and the holding of it until it
comes into bearing increases the original
capital several hundred per cent. 1t is i'm
possible to conceive of any other legitimate
business that will multiply the capital so
many times in so short period. 1t must
not be understood that such an increase is
one of the necessary results of planting
| 1oo Of I'D, ,o,,ti r,-
| lection, the absense of care and DISPOSE
ton to be shiftless may easily destroy all
| the possibilities of the situation.
Lest the intending settler should be de-
tered by fear of overproduction of Cali
fornia products and C. consequent drop OF
| prices to q ruinous figure, 1t may be well
for him to consider the following facts:
l. The population of the United States
is increasing annually with great rapidity,
and the population of the Pacific States is
increasing with many times the rapidity OF
the older States. 1t is probably fact that
all the fruit and wine produced in Califor-
MIA could be sold at profitable prices to the
inhabitants of the Pacific States, without
shipping a pound beyond the Rocky mount
AIMS but still greater profits are secured by
such shipments. The population of the
Pacific States is increasing and will con-
tinue to increase more rapidly than the
acreage in fruit and vines, so that the ratio
of population to fruit and vine acreage will
be constantly increased, and the local de-
mand will be increased, and local prices
advanced. Considering the growth of the
whole United States, it may safely be as
serted that at no time will California ever
be able to supply the United States with
fruits. This is written with the fact in
view that the demand for California fresh
and dried fruits and wine is increasing in
the Eastern States, as the superiority of the
California products over any that can be
imported becomes more widely known.
2. The foregoing assertion leaves out of
consideration the growing demand in Eu-
rope for California productions The ex-
portation of canned fruits is reaching
enormous proportions, and our prunes,
raisins and other dried fruits are gaining
steadily in popularity. Ia short, the mar
! III