The record-union., 1899-07-21
Agriculture
and
Hortie

The following agricultural and horti-
cultural news will be of interest to
all persons who care to know what is
going on in the growing regions of Pa
cific Coast States:
A GOOD SHOWING.
Santa Ana Blade: Because the
blade" is interested in the welfare
ana prosperity of Orange County, the
progress made by every legitimate bus
mess enterprise within the borders OF
the county is ever the subject of its re-
gard. This paper is always glad to
note anything that makes for progress
and 1t must be said that it has had
plenty to do In that line during the
past few years. One of our institutions
tnat seems to have experienced the ao-
vent of that prosperity which we all
talked about so much during the recent
campaign is the First National Bank OF
Santa Ana. This bank is doing a big
business and seems to be doing 1t most
successfully. During the present
month the First National declared a
semi annual dividend equal to ten per
cent. annually fine showing and one
that speaks we'll for Santa Ana. 1t IS
said, and we believe the statement to
be true, that the banks of Los Angeles
are in excellent condition and the stock
is increasing in value. In this regard
and for that matter in no other-Los
Angeles has no advantage over Santa
Ana.
OREGON PLUMS.
California Fruit Grower: Although
the prune crop of Oregon is the near
est to a failure this year that 1t mas
ever been. there will from present in
dications be more prunes than were
expected a few weeks ago. The Oregon
"Agriculturist gives a summary of
crop conditions in the different districts
of the State as follows:
In Douglas County there is pretty
certain prospect for a crop of 100000
pounds of cured prunes. No other
county will be in the same class as
Douglas, although better average yields
will be obtained in Jackson and jose
phine Counties whose aggregate crop
of cured prunes should exceed 5OO,0OO
pounds.
In the Willamette Valley there are
about $4,000 acres of prune orchards,
nearly all the trees of which are OF
bearing age. In a general way it may
be said that the prune crop is failure
throughout the valley. There are
however, exceptions to this rule. IN
many localities silver prunes promise
a pretty good crop. The fine Italian
prune orchard of z. T. Davis, at Dun
dee, is said to be we'll loaded with fruit
and there may be others in the same
locality of which this is true. The
Italian prune orchard of the Corvallis
and Benton County Prune Company at
Granger, promises a yield of 1000 to
5000 bushels of fresh fruit. In the vi
cinity of Dallas a number of the
Italian prune orchards are said to
promise one-fourth of a crop. In the
greater part of the valley a careful
examination of the trees shows that
there are few prunes on almost every
tree, from 30 to 200. In some portions
of the valley French prune trees are
carrying one-fourth of crop and in
other portions no fruit at all.
If the prunes now on the trees remain
fairly well the output of cured prunes
for the Willamette Valley will prob
ably be between 100000 and 3,000,-
600 pounds.
OF the prunes grown in the Columbia
River counties large proportion will
probably be shipped fresh.
FRUIT DEMANDED.
Sutter Independent: A press dispatch
from Berlin says California fruits have
won a magnificent victory here. An
incident of the recent exposition held
in connection with the great Medical
Congress bids fair to create an unprec-
edented call for the Golden States lus-
cious products, and may, perhaps, even
exercise bearing on the international
relations of Germany and America.
Some days ago the ]. H. F'lickinSer
Company of San Jose, Cal, through
agents in Berlin, made an extensive
exhibit of their canned fruit. The
Empress of Germany visited the eX-
position and stopped at this booth.
She questioned the managers minute
ly in regard to their method of pre-
pairing the fruits and departed with
out stopping elsewhere. An hour later
the royal chamberlain returned and
gave an extensive order for immediate
delivery to the palace. The exhibitors
of other nations were green with envy
What makes more impressive the ap-
probation of the German Empress is
the fact that the Queen of England,
through her Private Secretary, and
also the Prince of Wales, only a few
weeks ago sent an unsolicited testi-
monfal to the J. H. Flickinger Com
pany, stating that the California fruits
were the best they had ever tasted. ;"
Following this the striking action OF
the greatest housewife in Europe in
preferring the Californian product over
European stock has excited world
wide attention to the excellence of the
fruits 1t has even affected the gen
eral tone of the press toward America
and may promote a good feeling hith-
erto lacking.
WATER STORAGE.
Solano Republican: One of the most
important questions at the present
time confronting the people of Cali
fornia is how to utilize the waters that
are continually going to waste. 1t is
estimated that the drouth of 1898 cost
this State over $40,000,000 That
amount of money used in building res
ervoirs in the mountains, in which the
surplus water could be conserved for
use in irrigation of all the irrigable
lands of the State, would forever rid
us of fears of a season like that above
named On the contrary, we would
always be certain of good crops, and
in some cases of two. and possibly
three crops annually. With these con-
ditions assured, our population would
increase to a figure five times that of
the present 1t is no wonder, then,
that this is a problem of momentous
interest to our people.
Irrigation in California is yet in its