The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-06
Agriculture
and
Orticulture

| The following news concerning agri-
culture and horticulture in the vast
growing areas of the Pacific Coast
States will doubtless prove of general
interest: i.
ALFALFA AND BUTTER
Western Creamery: Until 1897 it was
commonly believed that alfalfa would
not make good butter but when ten
California tubs of butter were sent to
the national exhibit at Owatonna,
Mimi. and alfalfa secured the highest
score of the lot, it dawned upon our
people that they might be mistaken
When again, at Topeka, Kan, the al
falfa, butter secured the highest score of
the four tubs sent from California, an
impression was made upon the trade.
and with the intrinsic merit of such
goods to sustain the reputation there
gained alfalfa butter has since stood
in the first place in our markets.
FRUIT SHIPPERS BUSY.
San Jose Mercury: Santa Clara Coun-
ty, which leads all other counties in the
State as fruit producing section. has
begun the harvest, which will continue
until fall The cherry crop was ready
for the packers the first of the month
and the first shipment to the East was
made on the 10th. Up to date thirteen
cars have been shipped For the last
few days two or three cars have been
loaded daily and the shipments will
soon amount to four cars day. Last
season 139 cars of cherries were ship
ped out of this Valley This year the
shippers figure that the amount Will
only reach sixty cars. This figure may
be exceeded If the Gamers do not bid
high on the white cherries
The crop prospects being most ex-
cellent in this section the railroad
companies are making preparations so
that they can handle the coming crop
easily and with no delay or inconven-
| fence to the shipper.
| Competing for the business are the
| four great transportation companies,
| the Burlington, Santa Fe, Union Pacific
and Southern Pacific. All the cOmpa-
MES are moving their cars in this direc-
| ton, building new ones and making
every preparation to move the crop
with no delay to either. There have been
seasons. in the past few years when
considerable difficulty has been exper-
fenced in getting sufficient cars, but
there is no danger of a recurrence of
this during the present season.
The shippers of dried fruits report
that the old crop is nearly all moved,
that which remains unsold being a few
prunes in the hands of spectators. The
dealers in dried fruits ere looking about
and keeping close watch of the growing
crop, but are setting no prices or even
specializing on the same, though Gil
concede that everything points to bet
ter prices than has been received for the
past few years
CALIFORNIA MILK.
San Francisco Trade Journal: Prob
ably no State in the Union is better
adapted to the dairy industry than Cal
ifornia. While some sections have no
advantage over those in other States
yet taking the State as whole these
pale into insignificance owing to the
superiority Of the coast counties for
the industry. This was well illustrated
III our dairy edition published on
| March Sd last. in which we said that
"in the commencement of the industry
the grazing lands in Sacramento Valley
were utilized the most, but as the de-
mand for butter increased other sect