The San Francisco call., 1896-08-17
A Single County Wherein There
Are 2,64I,737 Fruit Trees
in Bearing.
SAN JOSE A HEALTH RESORT.
It's Death Rate Less Than Half That
of New York-A City of
Fine Buildings.

SAN JOSE, CAL, Aug. 15.-"one of the
three most beautiful valleys in the
world"
The above sentiment vas the praise
accorded Santa Clara Valley by Bayard
Taylor, and no one who has had the good
fortune to become at all familiar with this
section, so frequently referred to as the
garden spot of the world" can fail to
find an echo in their hearts of the words
above quoted. Nature has indeed been
lavish of her bounties here and seems to
wear perpetual smile as though pleased
with her every touch. The satisfaction
expressed in word and manner by the
residents of Santa Clar Valley with their
environments is readily excused, as in
point of location, climatic and other ad-
va1tages necessary for the prosperity OF
people this valley is unsurpassed.
Santa Clara County, while being an in
land county, is situated at such a conve-
nient distance from San Francisco Bay as
to receive the benefit of the invigorating
sea breezes, which the beautiful Santa Cruz
mountains that border this valley so pleas
antly temper, and no day in summer fails
to bring these invigorating and life-giying
breezes. The population OF Santa Clara
County borders closely on 10000, popu-
lation gained in the last generation, and
more emphatic than words can tell, their
prosperity is shown by an increase in the
total county valuation from $40, ,000, 900 in
1885 to $56,000,000 in the present year.
AS to the source of this wealth,
one has but to drive over its
miles of splendid roads upon which $780,
600 is annually expended for sprinkling
alone, and note the thousands of acres of
orchards representing every known fruit
grown, the various fruit-dryers and can
neries, worked to their fullest capacity ;
the vineyards and well-equipped wineries
scattered throughout the country, the
diaries, which for size and completeness
are not often equaled, and many other in.
dustries which these conditions call forth,
and wonder succeeds wonder at the ap-
parently neVer-ending vista, yet one is
compelled frequently to exclaim:
What golden wealth, and needs no
further explanation of the Asse ssor's
figures. A mistaken idea, however, and
one unfortunately too prevalent in the
minds of Eastern people, according to the
statement of an officer of the Board of
Trade here, is that the grand achieve
ments in the fruit industry in this county
are due almost entirely to the soil and
climate and very little to the labor and
intelligence of the orchardist. To the in
tending settler it will be well that this
view will find no lodgmeut in his mind,
for while the soil and climate, as has been
said, are as favorable to she cultivation of
fruit as that of any other locality in the
State, yet the best results have been
reached only where the highest intelli-
gence, the most painstaking labor and the
most persistent efforts have been dis
played.
This is a point upon which too much
emphasis cannot be placed, for while ma
ture is ever kind yet her reward is only to
the industrious. 1t might be well at this
juLcture to call attention to a frequent
cause of worry and EN- barrassment to the
fruit-grower, one responsible perhaps
more than any other cause for the failure
of the orchardist's hopes, and that is the
ambition of many to own large orchards
on a small Investment in the belief that
they can pull through the youthful period
of the orchard and in the end be comfort
ably established through the disposal Of
an extensive fruit crop. Why men fall
into this error it is difficult to explain, as
many OF the Sc are men who have been en-
gagged in mercantile pursuits, but who
would never have expected to do busi-
ness of 500, 600 per year on a capital of
$4,000. and yet this is just what many are
attempting, with the result that they are
hampered in all their efforts through Sc
ries of years, and eventually disappointed.
There is indisputable evidence of the
profit in fruit culture anywhere in the vast
fertile valley, and this is to be found in
the prosperity OF those engaged in it and
the largely increased acreage in orchards
each year. The following figures will be
of interest in this particular:
The following is the number of fruit
frees growing in the county: