New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-08

vi. larger income than Is enjoyed by three
ouapters of the professional men throughout VIC
country. . u vorng
The rai,in industry in California Is very y"une'
To be sure dried grapes have been known SINCE VIC '
n, the Mission Fathers but the dried mission grape Is
not q raisn. The men who thirty years ago se"'
. % Eurone for the choicest varieties OF wine grapes
imuor,ed among other cuttings the Muscatei' Hc
Muscat Of Alexandria and the Feher lagos the threc
finest raisin grapes Of Spain But the rafsin o mo
ac REQUIRES slilfu treatment and for years the .an
fornla grower made no Roadway. lie reaa al 'h''V
had been written the curing OF the raiSin seser
contemplating men went to Spain to study the suoJec1
ot first hand: but despite all this no progress was
made Finally several Of the pioneer raisin men Vi
Fresno cut loose from all precedent dried their grapes
In the simple and natural manner ana ihaoe su''
of IT, From that time. not over ten years ago. .ne
growth Of the industry has eclpsed that OF every oc
branch OF horticulture in the state, ana Vhc ","i
value of the product promises soon 10 eAceco '"o
value of the orange crop the yield Of wine and
brandy.
II reouired GOOD deal OF for the pioneers OF
Fresno County to spend hundreds of thousands Oh ooi
lars I'm bringing water upon what tie Oh Setuers ie
garded as a desert, fit only to grow wheat III 'ers
wet season. In other parts of the state the Mission
Fathers had dug bitches and built aqeduc's, 20 ina.
the settlers who came after them found welldeVlSed
water system which they merely followed. But In
Fresno no one had ever tried to grow crops by r1ga
ton When Fremont came through there from the
mountains lie found many wild cattle feeding on inc
rank grass that grew high the head OF man OH
horseback The herds Of the native Calfornahs WERE
almost equally Wild. The country was one vast pam
which in summer glowed under sun that was tropicaI
in its intensity. As late 1860 one could travel Tor
day without seeing house or any sign OF haoiauon.
The country was owned by great cattle growers VINO
seldom rode over their immense ranches except ut
the time of the annual round up" OF STOCK. hpouo
thirty years ago a number OF large wheat growers
secured big tracts OF land around Fresno. Az thelr
head was Isaac Fredlander, known as the wheat KING
of the Pacific Cast. Frledlander would have uans-
formed this country had not financial ruin overcome
him. His place taken by others, like Chapmah
Eas,erby Essen and HuShes-men who believed In
fruit growing and who had the courage to carry on
their operations In the face Of repeated failures.
The great development of Fresno mas been que
entirely TO the colony system, which has also built UP
most of fourishing cities of Southern California
In 1874 the first Fresno colony was started by W. D.
Chapman. lie cut up, six sections OF Iand lhto
2O-acre tracts, and brought water from Kings RIVER.
The colonists represented all classes Of people, and
though they made many disastrous experiments with
poor varieties Of grapes and fruit sill there Is no
instance of failure recorded, and all who have held
ON TO their land are now in comfortable circumstances
Some of the settlers this colony san Francisco
school teachers. They obtained their 2Oacre tracts
for $4OO and many of them retired on their little
vineyards at the end OF five or six years. one lady,
named Miss Austen had the foresight to plant all her
property the best aisn grapes and for many years
drew larger annual revenue from the property than
the whole place cost her. The central colony now has
an od-establlshed look The broad avenues are lined
with enormous trees many of the houses are exceed
ingly beautiful country villas. What Transformation
has been wrought here may be appreciated when II is
said that $50 families now produce 100000 year
tfnIf nod
but one family, which had return Of only $4,000
from wheat. The history of this colony OF six
sections of old wheat land is the key to Fresno's
prosperity. 1t proves better than columns of argu
ment facts figures the Immense return that
full, patient cultivation may command in this home OF
the grape. Near this colony halfdozen others
which established the same general plan. The
most noteworthy is the Malaga colony, founded by
c. c. Briggs 10 whom belongs the credit of introducing
the raisin grape into Fresno.
Fresno City is the centre from which one may drive
in three directions and pass through mile after mile
of theseeolonieS, all showing signs Of the wealth
comfort That raisin making has brought. Only toward
the west is the land still undeveloped but another
five years promise to this great tract stretching
away for twenty miles also laid out In small vineyards
and fruit farms Fresno is tue natural railroad centre
of the great san Joaquin Valley. 1t Is on the main
line OF the Southern Pacific and Is the most important
The line of the Santa Re, which has been sur
veyed from Mojave up through the valley passes
through Fresno Then there are three local lines
that have the place for terminus notably the mountain
railway, which climbs into this Sierra, and which II
is expected will day connect with the Rio Grande
system and give u new transcontinental line. Here
also building roundhouses and machneshops OF the
Southern Pacific Company These, with new factories
packing houses and other improvements, 20 far TO
justify the sanguinc expectations Of the residents
There has never been boom in Fresno, but high
railroad Official recently In speaking OF the growth OF
the city, said Fresno IL five will be the second
city in California This prediction he based tho
wonderful expansion of Its resources In the last decade
and the substantial character Of all the improvements
made. 1t is pretty town, with wide, welLpaved
streets, ahndsome modern business blocks, and resi-
dence avenues that would do credit TO any old settled
town OF the East The favorite shade tree Is the
umbrella tree which has the graceful, rounded form
of the horse chestnut, but with thick foliage that
its shadow is not dappled with sunlight. Above IL Is
an Intensely dark green, while viewed from below IL is
the most delicate shade OF green. Rvaling this
IN popularity Is the pepper tree, also evergreen and
the magnolia, fan palm, eucay Plus, Australian blue
guD and the poplar. All these trees grow uxuriany
1t has also become the custom In planting vineyard
to put OF the white Adriatic g trees around the
place and to mark eff ten or twenty acre tracts I'm
the same way. The dark green foliage of the fig is
great relief to the eye when the sun beats down on
the sandy soil Leading ont Of Fresno are five drive
ways. The soil makes natural macadam, which
dries In few hours. Throughout the year these
roads are In good condition for trottlng and nearly
evey raSngrower is also expert IN horseaesh and
has team that will do mile In less than 30
The new course Is OF the finest in the state
Toward the west from Fresno has recently been opened
q magnificent driveway which promises In a few wears
to rival the Magnoa-ave OF Riverside This Is called
Chateau Fresno-ave 1t has two driveways separated
by fan palms and magnoas, while along the outer Dor.
Gers are the same trees with other choice tropical
growths, that Will day make tnis avenue well
worth travelling many miles 10 sec. This is the
private enterprise OF Mr. Theodore Kearney who made
fortune In real estate and 10 Ia noteworthy a. an