Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-12
A GREAT EXHIBIT.
CALIFORNIA ON WHEELS ARRIVES IN THE
CITY.
The Train Visited by Hundreds Of People Las
Evening Something About the Exhibits
on Board--TO Remain Here Two Days.

with the exhibit Of the natural products OF
the State of California, sent out by tho
Board of Trade of that State, arrived in
this city from Belaire about half-past six
o'clock last evening, aud after being run
out to the old Hcmp6eld lot, south Of the
City Hall, was opened to the public, sey-
cra hundred ladies and gentlemen passing
through the coaches during the hour and -
half the cars were open
A REGISTER reporter called nj tho train
about eight o'clock, and waa escorted
through the cars by Mr.. S j Mnthcs, In
the absence Of Major 4 u Louck,
i'm charge Of the train, or Of
Mr. c. II Allen, the superintend-
emit The exhibit is u very fine one,
and will richly repay any one making a
careful inspection OF It, The hrst car Of
the train is devoted TO exhibits OF fruits,
both in their natural state, and dried and
preserved grain. of all kinds, nuts, wool,
silk, vegetables, woods. fbres. &c, there
being many examples Of each class Of pro
ducts, most attractiyely arranged. and
carefully labeled. As il Is 10 be expected
of everything Of this nature coming from
the Pacific slope the specimens Of fruit,
vegetables, etc, are Of 10 Us gigantic size,
some fruits being 50 large as 10 cause the
denizen Of the Ohio Valley 20 hardly be
/ lieve his eyes.
The second car is devoted almost exclu-
sively TO the products Of California vine
yards and many varieties Of the choicest
| wines grown in America are 10 be seen.
! The third car is used as the hotel for
] those i'm charge of the train
On entering the first car, the attention
Of the visitor is attracted 10 an exhibit Of
twenty-three varieties of nuts from the
farm OF George Bidwell, of Butte county.
Near by is miscellaneous exhibit from
Fresno county, comprising dried fruits,
nuts, wool, silk and cereals OF all kinds,
and adjoining il is a similar exhibit from
Kern county Then one county follows
another through the car. iuterSpersed with
miscellaneous exhibits in large variety,
there being almost every fruit and vege-
table known 10 Wheeingites, as well as
considerable number entirely new, or
vaguely known by name only. Glass jars,
Of various sizes. are ranged along the sides
Of the cars, several rows deep, and in them
are preserved apples six and seven inches
in diameter oranges as large or larger,
pears weighing five and a half pounds |
each, lunches Of grapes up 20 nine and a
half pounds each, onions weighing up TO |
seven and quarter pounds apiece a seven |
pound Irish potato fourteen inches long, |
a sweet potato weighing twenty-four !
pounds. peaches turning the scales at seven |
teen OUNCES, etc, besides many displays Of |
figs. dates, dried fruits of all sorts, honey, |
olives nectarines, pomegranates, cherries, |
apricOtes, prunelles, ounces up 10 seven |
inches in diameter and 50 on through a |
long list On one side is shown squash |
weighing 1870 pounds, in another place wheat |
with heads seven and half inches long, |
bearing $50 berries each, and guaranteed 10
run sixty and seventy bushels TO the acre,
and close by are bananas eleven inches in
circumference, each one big enough for n
family. And so it goes all through the car.
Two features Of the fruit exhibit strike
the visitor One is the great size of most
Of the specimens. and the other is the par
lection attained, there being scarcely Il
blemish TO be seen. This fact was brought
to the attention Of Mr.. Mathos by the re-
porter, when the gentleman named said
"Of course, this is picked fruit but at
the same time tits not unusual. There is
nothing in this car, with three exceptions,
that have not seen beaten in our State.
The exceptions are these onions, weighing
seven pounds and over each, and eight to
nine inches in diameter, these five
and u half pound pears, and these
seventeen ounce peaches. They are
large-even for California-but every
thing else can be duplicated every day in |
half the counties of the State And in
many respects our fruit culture is still IN
its early stages. That Is true forinstance,
of prunes. Last year we had 100000 |
pounds TO ship out OF the State; this year
we will probably have 5000, coo, and in
few wears we will be able TO supply the
entire country. Our prunes are equal or
better than the best imported fruits, and
the demand is constantly growing. The
same thing is true of our raiSins, of our
olives, our nuts, and many other things
OF nuts alone, one of our farmers,
4. u. Hatch, has ninety-three varieties Of
almonds alone, 23O acres being devoted to
that crop alone, while he has 1900 acres in |
all in fruits. \ number of fruits little |
known here. are being cultivated One !
variety are known as lOquOtS, of which |
these are specimens. The tree blooms in |
November the fruit is half grown at |
Christmas, and is ripe in March, when |
there is little other fruit. IL is OF de- !
lightful flavor and its use will increase. |
Then there are japanese ounces, having |
no core, and therefore no waste Olives !
will be a big thing. At least 10000 acres |
are devoted TO them now, and you |
see them here, green, half ripe, when they |
are red, and fully ripe, when they are |
black Here is the oil, as fine as the best |
imported article. Dates and figs are also |
destined to be an important crop |
Lemons, lines, persimmons-not the little |
fellows you have here, but three inches
long and two inches in diameter, like these
specimens-bananas guavas, etc, are also
going to be important factors with our
fruit growers
Among other things worth seeing in these
cars are some magnificent specimens Of
redwood, polished until it shines like mir
ror, redwood bark seventeen inches thick,
the bark Of the cork tree, specimens of the
india rubber and camphor tree, the trunk
of an orange tree, with the end polished, a
grapevine stall. thirty-siX feet long,
shoot of one years growth, splendid dis
plays of wool and raw silk, corn, alfalfa,
minerals. such as quartz crystals,
gold bearing quartz, graphite, onyx, etc,
large collection Of drawings, paintings aud
photographs of products and scenery,
small fruits in endless variety, and liter
ally thousand and one things Of interest
In the car devoted to wines, etc, there is
almost as much TO attract attention, but
space forbids a mention of them. Taken
throughout, it is the greatest exhibition of
its kind and should be seen by all.