The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-26
And From the Sierra Nevadas on
the East to the Coast
Range West.
RAIsINS FOR A GREAT NATION
Soil, Climate and Irrigation Also
Adaptable to the Culture of
Citrus Fruits.

Joaquin Valley. This great central basin
of California, walled by the Sierra Nevadas
on the east, the Coast Range on the west,
guarded by Shasta on the north, and
circled by the Tehachapi on the south, en-
braces a vast area adapted to fruit culture
by reason of its fertile soils, specific eli
matte conditions and unrivaled advantages
for irrigation.
This basin is but a few hundred feet
above sea level, while the Sierras, APP
parentIy springing from the plain, sharply
ascend until their SUBMITS, many per-
elevations Of from 10000 to $4,000 feet.
Within these mountains and on their
| lofty SUBMITS are stored the unlimited
supplies of water that are used for irriga-
ton on the plains during the last summer
months. The Coast Range on the west has
an elevation of about 1000 feet. Along it's
| line are many passes through which the
| cool sea breeZes are drawn into the great
! valley.
This physical conhguration gives to the
valley opportunities for irrigation, and
those peculiar elements of climate SO es-
sentlal to a varied fruit culture that are
found SO perfectly nowhere else on the
continent, if in the world. The San Joa-
quin Valley is about 260 miles long, with
an average breadth of about fifty miles.
| The land gently slopes from the foothills
| on either side to the trough of the valley
near its center.
1t is within the last twenty years that
sheep pastures and grain farms have given
way to orchards and vineyards. To-day
10 oh ha
former unbroken plains, dotted with
bands of sheep and fields of grain and
| scattaring cabins, to land Of fruit and
| flowers surrounding handsome dwellings
land where the horticulturist is king.
| Fruit-raisIng in the valley had Its greatest
| growth in the counties of Fresno, Tulare,
| Kings and Kern, notably in Fresno Coun-
| ty. More attention was early given to
| irrigation in these counties than elsewhere
| in the valley, because water could be
| brought from the mountain streams out
| upon the plains at less cost and in greater
volume than elsewhere. 1t is now about
twenty years since the first experiments in
| fruit culture were made in the region of
| Fresno.
| From this small beginning has grown
the wonderful fruit industries of this sec
ton. The planters then little dreamed of
the wonderful development that was to
| follow their industry within a decade. The
vigor and healthfulness OF growths and the
perfection with which the many kinds of
vines and trees planted would produce
their fruit has been beyond the early
experimenter's most sanguine anticipa-
| tions.
| To no froc nd n Of bo
San Joaquin Valley are known all over the
| Union. Still the grower of to-day has but
a faint idea of the possibilities of develop
ment in the fruit industry during the next
| ten years. These possibilities are best
| illustrated by recital of the growth of the
raisln industry. In 1878 the raisin pro-
duct for the valley was one ton. In 1890
| Fresno County alone shipped 1920 tons.
| In 1894 that was increased to $4,000 TONS
while the shipments from the balance of
| the State for that year equaled only one
| half of the Fresno shipments, and the
| larger portion Of that $1,000 tons was
| grown in the southern counties OF the San
| Joaquin Valley-Tulare, Kern and Kings,
| the latter county having the largest raisin
vineyard in the world.
| The rise or the raisin industry in the
valley has been SO phenomenally rapid as
| to withdraw attention from other lines of
| fruit. Yet all branches of fruit-growing
have been wonderfully advanced. The
valley already has a wide reputation for
it's wines, especially it's sweet wines.
Fresno alone has eight large wineries that
are worked to their fullest capacity.
This is the home of the peach and the
nectarine. In growth OF tree, freedom
from disease, abundance of yield and
quality OF fruit this valley is not excelled
by any other locality. The pear and the
prune also find here congenlal soil. The
largest prun e-orchard in the world is
located in Kings County. In the foot
hills at an elevation of $500 feet the apple
tree thrives, and yields abundantly the
choicest quality. Apples are also grown
on the valley lands, but their quality does
not equal those of the foothills.
The apricot grows vigorously, but is not
as sure bearer here as in some localities
| nearer the coast. Within the past few
years experiments have proved that the
soil and the climate of the valley are
adapted to olive culture. In bearing and
quality the product is not equaled else
where in California. The figs of the San
Joaquin Valley are unequaled, and this
industry has become very extensive. The
planting of citrus fruits during the last
three or four years has demonstrated the
fact, previously discredited, that the
orange and lemon can be profitably grown
in the open valleys as well as in the shell
tered spots in the foothills. Evidences of
this fact are to be seen in the gardens and
door-yards of hundreds of homes from the
| Tehachapi to the mouth of the San Joaquin
River. An orange orchard of fifteen acres
| was plan ted to Washington navels in 1890
on the Sunny Side fruit farm, located on
the plains six miles east of Fresno.
In 1894 the orchard bore light crop OF
fruit In 1895 good crop was produced,
many of the trees bearing from 100 to 100
fine oranges each. This fruit was marketed
the last week in November and the first
week in December. Porterville, in Tulare
County, and Centervllle, in Fresno, are
already famous for the quality of their cit
rus fruits. The oranges in this valley ripen
from three to six weeks earlier than those
grown south of the Tehachapi, thus en-