, 1894-06-13
SUGAR CANE IN CALIFORNIA.

Through the fundamentally Of one Of the
States representatives. the government will
conduct this year and perhaps for several
years more an experiment station for the cui-
|tivatlon of sugar cane upon the tuIe lands OF
the San joaquin river.
Last June it was decided that the Depart
ment Of Agriculture would receive offers OF
land from people in California which could
be used for making experiments, and soon
after Prof. Il. j. Wickson VAS employed to
make an examination Of the so |. climate and
other particulars Of the tnle regions, to visit
tire site offered for the station and to recon-
mend the mo. t desirable. This work was
done last summer. and an elaborate report
forwarded hy Prof. WickSon in January last,
covering q description of the situations, area,
climate. soil. native plants and history Of the
reclamation Of the lands for agricultural pur-
poses. 1t embraced also The results of an
examination Of tender plants growing in that
region, as we'll as its meteorology, and was
accompanied with maps and explanatory dIa-
grams.
The conclusions drawn were favorable and
the establishment Of the station was deemed II
desirable thing to do. The location selected
Cor the station was on Union island, adjacent
to Fish Camp landing. a point from which the
produce of the island is shipped, and where
are received the lumber and other supplies.
The tract includes both peat and sediment
soil, lying near each other The land has
been reclaimed, and has been free from over
flow for the past five or six years, and may re
regarded as safe from future incurSions of
river waters.
Ten acres of cultivable land and a site for
buildings on an elevation beyond the reach of
freshets at Fish Camp have been placed at
the disposal of the government for this pur-
pose by Messrs. Wihiams and Bixler, who
possess large holdings of tule lands, and are
directly interested in the success of these ex-
periments. The gentlemen will also favor
the station in other ways. The present ex-
IRENE depression of wheat has discouraged
cultivators in that locality, and they will hail
gladly any new use to which they can put
their lands with profit. Should these ex-
perements show that they can raise sugar
cane with success, large areas will be Guilt
waited in that way There is land enough of
this kind to raise all the sugar California will
ever want and have some to spare for export.
Two acres will be planted at once with the
true sugar cane, under the direct charge of
Professor Wickson, and if this turns out sue
cessfully, improved varieties from Florida
will be tested on the whole ten acres. A
small experimental mill will be erected and
machinery enough to crush, svaporate and
refine the product will be brought from
Louisiana, which by that time will be needed
there no longer. This will necessitate car
rying on this work over a period of four or
five years. DR.. Wiley, who has the immedi-
ate supervision of this work for the Depart
ment of Agriculture, will visit the State
early in the summer to give it his personal
inspection.
Professor Wickson, of whom this informa-
ton was obtained, will direct the work under
the Agricultural Department.-SF Chronicle