Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-20
HER GRAND CITRUS FAIR NOW OPEN
IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Piles and Pyramids of Oranges, Lemons,
Figs, Etc.-Bewildered Old
Timers.

demand place in California's long cata-
logue of surprises.
THE CITRUS FAIR
Opened last evening with some show of
formality. That is to say, dignified mem
bers of the Placer County Board of Trade
had seats on the platform (where they were
Just visible in narrow opening through
the high bulwark of oranges). ]. ]. Nor
rison, OF the Board of Trade Committee,
few pleasant things that deepened the
blush of the apples and the gold of the
oranges, and the Hon. ]. A. Filcher, of
Auburn, gave the finishing brush-touches
to the golden lily of the Sierra.
The Newcastle Brass Band of thirteen
pieces (the performers all being LADS played
admirably and often. a man and brother
stood at the outer door and handed each
visitor an alluring circular, while the COM
mittee in charge of the exhibit, consisting
of ]. ]. Morrison, r. Jones, H. E. Parker,
j. F. Madden, w. B. Gester, George D.
Kellogg, Hon. J. A. Filcher, w. B. Lard
ner and w. B. Hawford, were as urbane
aud accommodating as veteran showmen.
Such, indeed, some of them are, as Placer
has already exhibited her oranges in Sacra-
mento, Chicago and Los Angeles, and after
this fair is over she will make a bold dash
for the front place in the big citrus fair at
Oroville, to be held in January.
This is probably the handsomest and
most striking fruit exhibition ever seen in
this city, if not in the State, and as there is
no admission fee, the people of San Fran
| cisco and visiting strangers will in time
hear of its beauty and press forward in
numbers. The ladies of Placer, whose
| taste and judgment were so indispensable
| in the arrangement of the exhibit, were
| judiciously kept out of view last night, as
| it was not deemed advisable to place the
| superb fruit in position to suffer competi-
| ton.
The greater part of the permanent wine
| exhibit in Platts Hall had been removed
to give larger room to Placer. The most
| telling feature of the exhibit is the semi
circular wall of fruit, some twelve or fifteen
| feet high, sweeping around the stage-end
| of the hall and rising to the level of the
gallery. In the center is an opening few
visible. The wall inclines backward,
and suggests a steep amphitheatrical
| arrangement. The top is ornamented with
| an exquisite arrangement of palms, flowers
| and the like, and the opening is spanned
| by handsome arch of evergreens inlaid
| with oranges, and bearing in silver letters
| the words, Placer County"
From the keystone rises an orange tree,
| and depending from it is a branch cut
from an orange tree and bearing thirty-six
| prodigious oranges. Across the foot of the
arch, on a level with the platform, is the
quotation, in black and gold, "By their
fruits We shall know them" Urns and
vases of Placer county granite, beautifully
wrought and of great size, are present in
| abundance, supporting fruits, orange and
lemon trees, palms and the like. Glass
| show cases, filled with dried fruits, nuts,
raisins, ETC., fill the wide outer angle of the
| orange wall.
The following articles, all products OF
Placer county, are exhibited: Oranges,
Japanese persimmons, shaddocks, ra;sins,
prunes, apples, pears, ounces, almonds,
| walnuts, chestnuts, dried figs, green figs on
the branch, olives, olive oil, picked olives,
preserved fruits and jellies in glass, sweet
potatoes, Chinese dates, cotton in the boil,
a)lid granite vases, terra Gotta vases, tea
plant, orange trees, lemon trees, fan palms,
Cajon berries. There are about $4,000
| oranges in more than twenty varieties,
| ranging from the small and delicious
| paper-rind st. Michael all the way up to
| mammoth navels and seedlings. The
4
many varieties, some the size of Smyrna
| fig and others as large as the largest
lemons. They are exceedingly pretty and
| they well deserve the name of Fruit OF
| the Gods" given them by the japanese
There are two tons of apples, all of enor,
nous size and of wonderful perfection OF
form, color and flavor. Those foot in cir.
conference are not uncommon.
The apples and oranges show in a strik.
ing manner a perfect freedom from all
kinds of fruit pests. This is characteristic
of Placer county and is one of the very
Istrengest arguments in its favor.
Nothing more artistic than the arrange
ment of the fruit in the leaning wall coald
be imagined. The face of the wall is tray.
ersed horizontally by parallel partitions 8
foot and half to two feet apart. These
are subdivided by cross partitions to form
compartments in various geometric forms
including squares, triangles, Iectangles
octagons, oblique, angled parallelogram:
and rhe like. The partitions are just about
the hight of the fruit. Each compartment
is lined with white shelving paper, which
is visible in the interstices of the fruit, the
fancy edges of the paper being brought al
around the inner side of each compart
ment. Orange leaves are slowed in littlt
hooks and corners. Colors are handled
with fine skill. The various shades O.
orange, yellow, lemon, canary, red anC
igreer. are in their arrangement an import
ant part of the exhibition.
The tea tree is great curiosity. 1t is 6
strengthening shrub, about yard high
and composed of numerous shoots from 6
turfy root. The dried fruits are rich
sound and meaty showing unusually gooG
weight for their bulk. The raisins are q:
good as the finest in the world, and appear
in attracti,s packages of various sizes. The
fruit in glass shows in a preserved cond;
ton those fruits which at this time of thu
year are out of season-peaches, for in
stance. One great jar of McDevett clings i!
worth going distance to see.
The fair will continue ten DAYS.
There was look of helpless bewilder
ment in the faces of the old-time residents
as they dropped in last night to take lool
at the young giant. They appeared to fee
that they are being shouldered out of tn,
way, and they seem to wonder why al
these marvels had not been thought of be
| fore for there are orange trees in Place
county that were bearing when the presen
generation of young men were developin,
the mental faculties in studying over hook,
propositions. The handle of this lonl
county stretches down from the mountains
at Auburn to the plains of the Sacramento
and in this foothlll country, nearly twent,
miles square, are some 100000 acres of q
fine orange land as the sun ever shone on
The railroad traverses the county through
out its great length of nearly 100 miles
. and superior accessibility to the Eastern
J market is thus afforded. Some of the at
: fractions of Placer are not shown in thi
fair, which is intended mainly to exhibi
her oranges and lemons; we must know
even of the oranges that they ripen Garlic
than do those in lower ATTITUDES, and ar
, hence first in the market, at fancy prices
So it is also of cherries, straw berries, black
berries and raspberries, which pluck tn
down of the trade. The first cherries an,
grapes sent to the Fest from California ar
+ from Placer.
And the scenery-that is superb beyont
the picturing of all forms of expression
From the warm plains of the Sacramento
up into the clouds and snow drifts of tn
Sierra, it stretches out, and there is
strange and striking beauty in orang
groves guarded by snow-wrspped mount
aims which tower toward the skies, appa
rently so near at hand. VISITOR.
TuE cT0pM