The herald., 1896-04-03
TALKS WITH TRAVELLERS

A. L. Selig of this city. who has just re-.
turned from a long visit to Visalia and
other portions of Tulare county, said yes.
, terday:
have made careful study of the con.
ditions in Tulare. and after familiarizlng
myself with it's resources and natural ad-
vantages, do not hesitate to say that there
is no county in the state with more prom.
Using future. Just now, of course, that Sec
ton is experiencing its share of the general
business depression prevalent in the rest Of
the stale, but the country is bound to be de.
veloped, and when the pace is once set it
will be a rapid one, resulting in placing
wealthy subdivisions. few years ago
that whole country was a vast pasture
field, supporting thousands of head of cat
tie and sheep, after which the people con-
cluded that there was more money in the
production of wheat than stock, and hum
dreds of thousands of acres were converted
into wheat fields. Finally the present
transition began-wheat fields and pas
lures giving place to citrus and deciduous
orchards, and the people at once awoke to
the fact that their energy heretofore had
been misapplied, and they have found the
purpose for which the Almighty evidently
intended their land and the abundant
water supply with which it is covered.
Radiating in every direction from vi
salia, the county seat, are immense tracts
set to pruues, peaches. aprlcots and nec-
tarines, which at 4 and years of age from
the time OF planting produce crops of fruit
comparing more than favorably in both
quality and quantity with any section in
the state. These orchards in most in
stances get along without irrigation. In
the foothill country, embracing such cen.
ters as Porterville. Lindsay, Exeter, Lemon
Cove, Dinuba and Orosi. the people are
turning their attention to the production
of citrus fruits, obtaining their water for
irrigation purposes from the Kaweah river.
a magnificent mountain stream, capable
of supplying the needs of that whole terri
tory.
OF course you have heard of Porterville
and Lindsay. The first carload of navel
oranges was shipped from the former
place to New York on the 18th day Of last
in season to tickle the palates of New
Yorl's 400 on Thanksgiving day. The
reputation enjoyed by Porterville relative
to oranges is shared by Lemon Cove rela-
tive to lemons, that fruit being the spe-
ciatty in that district. 1T has been demon
strated by actual experience that the lem
ons produced there are not surpassed in
any way by even the foreign article. Their
keeping qualities are such that they may
be put upon the market ten months after
being taken from the tree without
being nursed through the interim. And
that. you know, Is really the secret or prof.
table lemon culture. Scale or smut? No.
They are so far inland that there 10 no fog.
and the summers are SO hot that scale will
not live there. Hence both trees and fruit
have wonderfully bright and rich color.
For the same reason, the fruit is ready for
market much earlier than it is here, and
consequently does not come into opposi-
ton with this end of the state, but really
prepares the way and opens up the market
for Southern California. When first be-
gan my investigations was at loss to
discover the reason for not having heard
more of Tulare county here in Los Angeles,
but soon concluded that it was because
nearly all of the enterprises are being
pushed by local capital and the work is
being done in an unostentatious way, with
out any blowing of trumpete. Those people
are placing great hopes on the advent of
the Valley railroad, which they expect to
tap their district in season to handle this
years grain crop. No doubt their expecta-
tions will be realized, and if, in addition to
this, they could induce the holders of large
tracts to subdivde and sell their lands to
home seekers, the era of prosperity would
be launched. Yes, it is a county wonder.
fully rich in natural advantages, awaiting
the energetic settler of small means. And,
unless all signs fail, it will double in
wealth and population within a very few
wears.