Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-20
DOWN TIE RIVER.
RECLAMATION DISTRICTS THAT ARE
YET UNDER WATER.
Condition of the Fruit and Vegetable
Crops on River Lands-Prospect
for Fall Crops.

A trip from Sacramento to Rio Vista on
the Modoc or Apache at this season OF the
year is very pleasant one. The air is
cool on the river, and the view from the
steamers deck is far-reaching, taking in
the entire valley from the Sierras to the
Coast range. The river banks are lined
with orchards great part of the way, and
many fine mansions peep out from be-
tween the rows of trees on either hand, in
dicating that, notwithstanding the liability
to overflow. this is very prosperous Sec
ton of prosperous State. The severely
wet winter just passed has left evidences of
its work on land, fruit and vegetables, and
as the river is yet high, the water has not
Ieceded from the low places. and will not
for some time to come.
The past winter has demonstrated the
necessity for pumping machinery in all
the reclaimed districts. In the Pierson
District, back of CORTLAND, and the tract
belonging to the Pacific Mutual Life Insur-
ance Com pany, at Isleton, this is clearly
shown, as the water has been handled as
fast as it came in, and the lands are now in
a high state of cultivation.
In other districts where there are no
pumps, the basins or low tule portions, are
entirely covered with water. There is
great body of water on the Sacramento
side down to the Pierson District, and the
Yolo side is of course, under water all the
way down, except narrow strip of front
land, and in many places the water
covers the ground in the orchards. The
peach trees on the Yolo side are mostly
dead, and plums and pears will certainly
not be benefited with water standing about
their trunks in the warm season.
The fine peach orchard of Mr.. Weber,
at Clarksburg, is nearly ruined, and many
trees along the river that have not yet shed
their foliage, may as well be pulled out.
The usual early crop of potatoes and other
vegetables will be light, as the land could
not be cultivated, owing to the unpre-
cedentedly long rains, and in consequence
'spuds" are ranging high. There will be
good late crop, however, and right here
is where the river land shows its superb
GRITTY, as planting can be carried on until
August LIST for late potatoes and hay, and,
of course, without irrigation.
Lisbon District, opposite Freeport SUIT
ter Island, below CORTLAND, on the Yolo
side, and Brannan Island, opposite Rio
Vista, whose levees were broken, are pretty
well covered with water. The upper part
OF Anurus, ana all Grand Island, have
water on the tule lands from the rainfall
and sipage, but the big pump on Grand
Island is disposing of the water rapidly,
and if the pumps had been in readiness
to run during the rainy season, the land
would be perfectly dry to-day. The land
owners expect to be blowing in the tules
in August.
Considerable work remains to be done
on the levees, which were not quite finished
last year, and it is expected that Grand
Island will be nearly impregnable before
next winters rains set in, unless some
thing extraordinary in the way of freshets
should occur.
The fruit crop in the river lands will be
light this year, great deal of the fruit
dropping off when about the size of
marbles, said to be caused by too much
moisture in the ground. But the prices
obtained are good Bartlett pears selling
on the banks for 81 25 per box of forty
pounds; plums at so cents for twenty
pound box, and the Tragedy variety sell
for 81 25 per box. Porter Brothers are the
largest buyers on the river this year, but
the Gregory Brothers, the Strong Company
and the Earl Fruit Company are heavy
buyers also, and the packers of these firms
will be along the banks for some time en-
gagged in shipping fruit to the East.