The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-09
Agriculture
and
Horticulture.

L LII IlCOlCJll =.
California and the Pacific Coast
states are noted for their wonderful
proouctlveness in agricultural and hor-
tlcuitural products. The following
Items Will be interesting to all who care
70 know what is going on in the great
growing regions of the West:
FRUIT-GROWERS' COMBINE.
Chico Record: A meeting of repre-
sentative fruit-growers of Yuba, Suffer,
ana Butte Counties was held recently
at the Manzanita schoolhouse near
Grioley for the purpose of discussing
the subject of prices. George Thresher
OF Gridley was elected Chairman, and
Mr.. Schley of Suffer County, Secre-
tary.
The discussion was first directed to
the subject of fruit crops, and the
opinion of all the growers assembled
was that there is a great shortage
throughout the United States. 1t was
brought out in the course of the dis
cussion that throughout this State,
prunes, apricots and pears are very
light. The failure of the peach crop
In the East was recognized, and taken
INTO account in settling upon price
that should be paid for green fruit this
year.
1t was finally determined that it was
the sense of the fruit growers assem-
bled, that they should receive for No. /
canning cling peaches this season, from
500 to $50 per ton, and good shipping
freestoneS should bring 40 cents per
twenty-pound box
The organization was made perman-
ent, and another meeting will probably
be held before the canning season
opens
WOODPECKERS' WORK.
Dixon Tribune: One of the birds
which winters in our northern climates
is the woodpecker, which finds its fav-
orite food as easily in cold weather as
in warm. 1t is not often seen ex-
cept by those who go into the forests
and evergreen swamps. where it takes
refuge during the severest weather. Its
sharp peck, peck on the trunk of part
ly decayed tree is generally rewarded
by taste of the grub that did the mis-
chief, and which the woodpecker greed
lily devours. The woodpecker is a. dar-
ing pillager on the cherry trees when
this fruit is ripe. But after his good
work in destroying injurious grubs dur
ing winter nobody should refuse him a
few cherries
THE WATER QUESTION.
Colusa Sun: The whole State of CAL
ifornia is once more alive to the QueS-
ton of irrigation. There is hardly a
section that does not now acknowledge
that it is an absolute necessity. When
of& =, CO n
Clara Valley some twenty years ago
and told the people they would have to
come to irrigation they laughed at him,
but it is said. that there are some 1000
irrigating pumps in that valley. There
have been pumps going in operation
in all parts of the State, and some men
think the pump the solution of the
whole question. In some sections it
must be, but there are other sections
where the canal is the cheaper and
the best.
If one will travel down the west side
of the upper San Joaquin and see the
grand stock farms with the canals of
water running through them, he cannot
help falling in love with the country.
The Sun" has told the people
that there has never been a
has not been a rich country and there
never will be grass growing country
while men depend on the products of
agriculture for a living that will not be
rich Irrigation will evolve through
the pumps, but unfortunately for the
plains or rather for much of the land on
the plains, the available water is too
much impregnated with alkali to be
icro+ The
evaporation will finally leave too much
salts in the ground, bat alfalfa takes UP
a great deal Of it. All the river lands
to the bottom of the trough on either
side of the river can be irrigated cheap
er by pumps than in any other way. One
great advantage of the pump is that
there is no trouble in getting rid of the
surplus water, for the supply can be
regulated more regularly.
But if this Government would only
spend some of the millions out of the
billions piled as burden on the white
man. for pure unadulterated cussedness
in building reservoirs and in helping out
the farmers in getting water, what
country we would have,
FROST DOES DAMAGE.
Cloverdale Reveille: Cioverdale, so
far. has escaped damage from frost,
but from accounts received from neigh
boring sections the damage done has
proven to- be very serious and conse~
quently the fruit crop in many places
has been reduced to a minimum. The
only damage reported in this section
is to the Winter and Herman vine
yards, and they are only a trifie ar
fected.
Anderson Valley farmers have sur