Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1892-11-17
FANCHER CREEK.
The Grand Nursery the Pride
of Fresno.
Hundreds of Thousands of Trees o.
the Choicest Varieties for
Profit and Show.
From the Fresno, Cal, Republican

From the Fresno, Cal, Republican,
In the heart of the fertile belt that
extends eastward from the city of Fres-
no, covering $40 acres Of lane under a
high state Of cultivation, and looking,
with it's broad shaded avenues and mag
nificent orchards, one OF the prettiest
pictures in natures gallery Of master
pieces, lies the famous Fancher Creek
nursery.
Along the road that leads from Fres-
no to Roeding's may be seen the most
prolific vineyards in the world. The
broad acres of Matters, Eisen's and the
Fresno Vineyard company's tracts are
covered with vines and fruit trees that
give color to the landscape and remind
one OF "that delightful province of the
sun" described in Moore's Lalla Rookh,
although that region could scarcely
nave rivalled in beauty and attractive
ness this favored section OF Fresno
county.
Passing Oothouts vineyard, where
the rabbit-infested plains have 30 re-
Gently been transformed into a vine
covered garden, one reaches the avenue,
lined with elms and palms, that leads
to the Roedng residence. The houses,
nine in all, are built on a knoll that
rises in the middle OF the grounds to a
height of about twenty-five teet.
The residence is solid, commodious
and archltecturally ornate. The other
buildings are the tank house, barn Of
flee building, packing house, tool house,
eating house, and the boiler house in
which there is large hot water heater
for heating the extensive green house
and propagating house during the win
ter months.
There il also on the place gas engine
and gas machine of sixty lights ca
pacity, which furnishes light for all the
buildings.
The grounds around the house are de-
voted to various ornamental plants, sur
rounded by an ornamental orchard, the
whole inclosed by ii one-half nile cir.
cular driveway lined with UMBRELLAS and
palms.
A bridge crossing Fancher creek leads
to the nursery proper. Here ae first
found block OF 10000 figs, mostly
Smyrna and wild and assorted vari-
cites.
Then follows block of olives, includ-
ing Nevadillo, ManZanillo Rubra and
Picholine; block OF 50 900 apples, sum-
mer and winter. including the Lawyer
red winter apple, which is very popular
wherever it has been tried.
There are also 5000 pear trees OF
Bartlett, winter Nellis and assorted va
rieties.
One piece OF land contains 100000
trees, including nectarines, peaches, al
monds, apricots and prunes, and on a
block which has never been irrigated
months old from the bud, hat stand
twelve feet high.
Ornamental Trees.
In ornamental trees there are on the
place, of decIduous trees, the umbrella,
maple, ash, walnut. locust and elm;
and of evergreens, palms, oleanders.
roses, pines and Himalaya cedars, all OF
vigorous growth. Thirty acres are in
seedlings, and $50, 900 trees are now be-
ing budded.
The grand ofhcards cover 200 acres,
mainly in figs and olives, the remainder
being devoted to various varieties OF
fruit trees, which are used principally
for taking buds and scions TO graft and
bud young trees in the nursery.
Fat Figs.
The manager takes particular pride
in the fig orchard, which contains
eighty acres, mostly in Smyrna and
White Adriatic figs.
There are also twenty varieties now in
bearing, partly for experimental pur-
poses. One tree in particular had a
number OF matured Smyrna figs which
were produced by fertilization with
toothpick, the pollen having been taken
from the capri or wild fig on the end OF
a toothpick and inserted in the oriice
of the Smyrna, producing results al
ready mentioned. On the ground about
the tree lay hundreds of small figs
which had dropped prematurely, they
not having been subjected to the fertil-
izing process.
The olives.
Seventy.fve acres are in olives with
5000 trees, most of which were planted