The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-23
NOTES FROM NILES.
The Horticultural Wealth of Alameda
County.

county.
Correspondence OF THE MORNING CALL.
Probably no other county in the State
can and does grow such great variety of
marketable fruits. berries and vegetables
as Alameda. 1t would be a difficult matter
to name any kinds of either that will not
grow and do we'll; the interesting point is
that the list is so long for the grower, who
must earn his living from the fruits of the
SOIL"
Nearly 1900 acres OF hillsides are grow
ing early vegetables. Another 5000 acres of
valley lands are in berries; 1000 are planted
eact season to sugar beets, and it is inipos-
sible to compute the acreage devoted to corn
and grain.
These are all valuable crops, the yeee-
tables are thought to net the hard-wofking
Portuguese, the ajority of whom do such
work, fully $4,000 annually. The current
crop Is worth from $4,000 TO 100000 yearly,
and the sugar beet crop is worth another
$4,000 and more and this does not include
the sugar when it is ready for market.
The lists Of fruit raised in large quantities
Is long one: Peaches. pears. plums.
prunes, nectarines. ounces. aprlcots,
cherries olives and almonds. A farmer
having ten acres of any OF these fruits Is
sure OF a comfortable home and living. 1t
is almost impossible to secure figures to
even approximate the total fruit yield of
the county out it is up in the hundreds of
thousands OF dollars. and adding the small
fruit and vegetable crops the S1,000.000
mark is easily reached. Some very COM
petent judges indeed place the figures half
as high again.
The census figures place the number OF
bearing fruit trees in this county al 100000
in round numbers. and young or noa-bearing
trees as over million; so the fruit in
dustry is certainly not on the wane.
Alameda County cannot claim to be in
The citrus belt, although the few successful
orange-grOwers in the county are enthu-
siastic enough to believe, that, given time,
this soil and climate will prove to be as
truly the home of the orange and lemon as
either of the sister counties 10 the north or
south. However where certain fruits have
proven to be most productive and profitable
people are ayerse TO trying such expensive
experiments as vast Grange groves might
prove.
More interest is taken this year than ever
before in the various washes used TO spray
| the trees; more systematic work is dune
! and better results are 20 be- expected.
About 100 acres of various kinds of frnit
are being grated this season. 1t takes time
to learn the non-bearlbg varieties, aud much
time is wasted, aside from the expense. in
! planting TO wrong varieties.
The grape crop was not included in the
above brief resume. A wine man of this
county said last week that the wine and
brandy product of this county annually was
close 10 bali million dollars. and yet we
do not think of this as a grape-growing
county. although when we come TO inquire
into the matter we will find fully a dozen
wineries, two or three Of which have a
worldwide reputation.
The people of Niles have taken the liveli-
est interest in the exhibit 10 san Francisco,
and a large number were present Friday
evening TO enjoy and enthuse over their
very credtable display.
Niles, Jan. 10 MRS. L. Z. THANE