New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-04
A NEW FRUIT DISTRICT.
WONDERFUL GROWTH OF TREES IN A CALI.
FORNIA VALLEY.
EXPERIMENTS ABOUT LODI, IN SAN JOAQUIN
CoUNTY-ALL KINDS OF FRUIT GROWN
WITHOUT IRRIGATIoN-THE GREAT
APMSTpONG RANCH
EXPERIMENT.

fornia and this idea is sedulously fostered by tile
| citrus growers OF Los Angeles and Riverside. The
fact is however, that the orange grows and natures
In dozen localities Of Central aud Northern Call
fornia with other protection than cedar or Usage
| orange hedge The fruit has been ripened in this
| way almost in the shadow Of Mount shasta, but OF
| course In this northern county no systematic enort
| has been made 10 grow the tender fruit Around
Orovllle, In Butte COuty, however, more than 5000
acres have been planted to the orange and the five
year-old trees thrifty any seen In Southern
California The wonder of this will stare any East
ern resident when IL IS said that Orovle Is in the
same parallel Of latitude Atlantic City, Baltimore,
Indianapolis and st. Joseph, No This orange belt,
| which, by the way first described in The New
York Tribune In 1885, Is peculiarly situated, being
sheltered by low ranges Of encrcling hills that give
| 1t very equabe winter temperature. Six years ago
the pretty town surrounded by bare fields, with
occasional patches of wheat, the whole being inter-
| sected by old mining bitches, for this country was
once one OF the richest placer districts in the State
Now, on the once barren plateau opposite the town.
where the poorhousc the only object TO break the
rnonotony stretches a noble orange grove. while all
about the town ten and twenty groves, their
deep green leaves cleaning In the This year the
! first two carloads Of oranges were shipped to the
East from Oroville-an earnest of what may be ex-
pectcd from the new field when the trees como into
| full bearing The city last winter held citrus fair
which marvel to the Eastern tourist and to
the Old Californian for the finest oranges, lemons,
| cltron and other semropical fruits were shown
from lands that the old miner regarded as worthless
| except for placer hydraulic claims
| This district In Butte County, which waited
over ten years be exploited the choicest orange
spot In Northern California is paralleled by another
district in the heart Of the san Joaquin Valley, which
Is inst coming into prominence one of the garden
| spots OF the State for all kinds Of fruit This new
San Joaquin district covers of ten or twelve
miles square around Lodi, almost midway in the I'm
| mensc San Joaquin Valley. 1t is thirteen miles
from Stockton the Hourshng county seat, and is
| the eastern railway line between san Francisco and
| Sacramento. For many years it held In
| body by State Senator Langford who rented 1t 10
tenants for wheatgrowlng and the raising OF water
| melons. Tie land Immediately about Lodi for
! twenty years has produced three quarters Of the
watermelons brought to San Francisco, and even now
when the price OF land has increased hve-fod, 1t is
| not uncommon to watermelon patches OF 100 or
| 200 acres. Next month when the melons ripen the
roads are lined with four-hOrse teams cartng huge
| loads OF melons to the depot and whole trains
made up OF them. The melon industry is not a sub
ect Of ndcue, for each acre planted means revenue
! of from $50 to $780, but the melons have played
conspicuous part in the development Of the country,
for it by observing how they thrived during the
hot months without water that fruit growers
couraged TO plant orchards and depend upon rri
| CATION.
The trip to this new orchard district is a very
pleasant one The train from San Francisco passes
through the finest part Of Alameda and Contra Costa
counties; through the great cherry orchards OF Hay
wards, the pretty suburban homes of sunol Glen and
Niles, and then through the rich Livermore Valley
to the San Joaquin plains. The first Introduction to the
famous valley that excited in the early days the
miration of Fremont and his party Of explorers is
not favorable The train passes through a country
which is parched by drouth About one year In
five the rain falls in sufficient quantity to make a
good crop. In the other years the ranchers
the result Of their industry bnghted by the fierce
heat from brazen sky which sheds not drop OF
! moisture the thirsty earth. Each farmhouse
has its windmill which raises enough water for the
garden and the stock, but the whole country has
forbddng look. At this season II is tawny yellow
as far as the eye see, broken only by
sonal patch OF green which marks the site OF ranch
house. Soon, however, the train cmerges from this
sun-scorched plain and approaches the San Joaquin
River which winds like huge snake through the
great marshy plains covered by the rank grass known
as tue. These tue marshes soon give place to
splendid bottom land, waving In wheat and in the
heart OF this nch wheat region lies stockton, the
county seat one of the great manufacturing centres
of the State the importance Of which has been in
creased recently by the discovery Of natural gas. Be-
yond stockton wheat rules for miles The country IS
rich, but the wheat rancher Of late years has made
little money of the low price of the cereal
wheat land all about Stockton be rented for
more than 81 per acre. and this does do more than
pay taxes and interest, for the land is taxed on a
valuation Of $50 per acre. The only men who make
money on wheat the good managers those who in
slst upon growing their ranch everything needed
for their hands. The great majority Of California
wheat growers however, buy bacon, lard, fresh meat
eggs, milk, vegetables, rut-everylng needed TO board
ranch hands. With such outlay they precisely
in the same position the Southern cottOn-planter
The margin profit Is heavily reduced by expenditures
for what should be grown on the ranch.
From Stockton to Lodi the country Is almost as
level as q barn floor. To the eye IL a dead fiat
but surveys show that there Is slight inclination,
sufficient 10 carry water for irrigation. The soil is
sandy loan, the deposit OF centuries brought down
from the mountains by the Mokelumne and San
Joaquin rivers, and fine has this washing
of the Sierra granite been ground up that
one seldom finds n stone larger than hens egg
and In winter the soil IS loose that stick may be
pushed with the hand to the depth of nine feet. Lodi
is not progressing place because few OF the old
residents have done anything to beautfy their homes
In country where fruit trees grow to larger size In
four years than they do in NcwJersey Delaware In
seven years il is the exception 10 find villagers with
enough trees in their yards supply their own faml-
lies with fruit. II is sign Of the same thrftleSs
spirit that ignores the kitchen garden and patronizes
the Chinese Portuguese pedler Of fresh vegetables
What are the possibilities Of the town shown by
few places which surrounded by the graceful cork
elm and the umbrella tree both Of which grow 10 per
lection here The favOrte shade tree is the locust
with its delicate green foliage and 1t looks strange TO
see this reminder Of New-England and Newiork state
nourishing side by side with the banana, fan PALM
orange lemon and East Indian lOQuat Lodi lies almost
in the centre OF the immense San Joaquin Valley which
here not than forty miles wide. On clear days
one may see 10 the east strongly marked against the
clear blue sky the snowy outline Of the high sierra
These mountains look a. though they were not over
forty or fifty miles distant, but 10 reality to reach
their SUBMITS would have to travel twice or three
times that distance. on the other side Is the lower
outline of the Coast Range with Mt Diablo standing
like a warder in the mountain gap that leads to the
Golden Gate. On hazy days 1t is impossible to tell |
where the clouds end and the snow-capped sierra be-
gins. over the simmer Of heat may be caught |
glmpses Of these deectabe mountains where heat ana
thirst are unknown.
About five years ago 1t occurred TO men who had OBJ