The Press., 1890-10-02
lCerrespondence.) LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

Pomona, Sept. 2, 1890.
 California rejoices, or rather it's people, over year of prosperity such as has never fallen to its lot before The boom of three years ago, which swept over us like tor nado and left destruction in its path, Is thing of the past, and all good people hope the like of it will never return. Many of the more reckless speculators, who were considered wealthy at that time, and who put all their money into the first payment on lands at boom prices, expecting to sell unable to pay, the land has gone back to first hands and left them as poor as the common people.
 Fruit, which is the principal product, has never been so abundant nor prices so high as now. Some of the growers sold their crops early at old figures, but those who sold later got good prices, and the middle men who bought the fruit and pre- pared it for market have made fortunes. There are many prune orchards in this valley that have paid from $30O to $500 an acre for this years crop. or enough to pay for the land at prices it could have been bought for six months ago.
 Apricots in full bearing have paid from | $25O to $500 an acre, and one man bought two acres in the spring for $280, and sold the crop for $380, thus getting $100 more than the land cost Peaches pay well this year, the dried fruit nnpealed bringing 17 to 20 cents pound, dried apricots l5 cents, and French prunes 10 to II cents, at wholesale. One hundred and twenty eight cars of dried fruit passed over the s. P. R. R. in one day last week, seven of them from Pomona.
 | The average size of fruit orchards here l ranges from 5 to 20 acres, and one man ! will take care of about 20 acres. More than 60, 900 French prune trees have al- ready been sold in Pomona for next win ter's planting, and firm at Riverside sent in an order for 30 900 which could not be filled. They want to set 600 acres. The apricot crop of Pomona was l ,15O tons, the French prune crop 1,400 tons, straw berries and black berries 100 tons, peaches and nectafines 500 tons, and the grape crop now being gathered is estimated at 1000 tons. Ten years ago there were not five tons of fruit raised in the valley. ! People at the east never get California fruit at its best. Peaches, apricots and nectarines should ripen on the trees, but to take so long journey they must be picked fully one week before they are ripe, and they are not improved by transporta- tion. Therefore it is not strange that east
 
 not equal in quality to home grown fruit, while the fact is there is no better fruit grown in the world than is grown here. A Lgentleman here selected fifteen peaches to send to friend east which weighed just IA pounds. They went by express, and Earrlved in excellent order, and astonished the natives
 We have had only one slight sprinkle of rain since the first of May, yet no one speaks of drouth nor hopes to see any rain for two months to come.
 To give your readers some idea how rap- idly vegetation grows here will say that two years ago last March planted weep ing willow tree that was not more than one- half inch in diameter, and just B feet high. It now measures 29 inches ill cir conference one foot from the ground, and 26 inches seven fet from the ground, while the branches, which every one knows hang nearly perpendicular, cover 26 feet from east to west, and 27 feet from north to south, just as they naturally hang, and they have been cut back some ten feet. If any one doubts this statement I can I demonstrate the truth if they will call on .l me, only it will be larger when they come, as it is growing very rapidly. lA Good fruit lands can be bought here at from $175 to $225 an acre, with water, and it takes about six years for prunes to come to full bearing. though sometimes good crops are grown in four and five years. Peaches bear well at four and some times at three years. G. l.. ToPLIFF. best Washing powder. Sold by grocers I7jyiy