The Winslow mail., 1900-11-15
CALIFORNIA; SPLENDID SHOWING
AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION.

recently written by Mr.. VIM. H. Mills,
of California, while in Paris in charge
of the Southern Pacific Company's e&-
hibit at the Exposition. 1t is remark
able for two reasons, first, as evidence
of the great interest which is every
where manifested in that wonderful
State; also for the valuable informa-
tion it contains, and for which it is here
reproduced:
Paris, July 10Th, 1900
The panorama picture of the Mariposa
Grove is admitted by all, including pho
tographic reproduction that has ever been
made. Only yesterday Committee rep
resenting the greatest Fruit Growing As
sociation of France, to the number of fif-
teen, visited the office. They were in
charge of their President, who is the
largest individual fruit grower in the
Republic. They came here to get an Illus
tration of the Industrial and climatic con-
ditions under which our fruit is grown
I explained to them fully the prolific char
acter of our climate, and by pictures and
Illustrations showed them that we had
full crop every year; that our danger was
from over-bearing; that in no instance
had We missed two crops, in succession
from any cause. You will scarcely un-
derstand the intense interest of this in
terview until it is explained that this
Fruit-Growing Association practices fruit
cultivating under glass q forego French
Designations. The outdoor cultivation of
fruit in France is extra hazardous and is
fast being superseded by the artificial
means of wall and glass.
The gentlemen who were here yester-
day explained that the most profitable
cultivation was that wherein all the fac
tors of success were in the hands of the
cultivator. 1 have used this argument
many times for the promotion of the policy
of irrigation. 1 have said that when the
oict1 ha
erence to moisture and drainage, civilized
culture will have been achieved; that at
that point only it becomes an art; but
where natural conditions are depended
upon and are not under the control of
man, the cultivation has not risen to the
dignity of an art. Its main factors are at
the hazard of chance.
When 1 explained, however, the condi-
tions under which fruit was grown in
California it became apparent both to my
self and my auditors, that the natural
conditions in California are as nearly per-
feet for the production of fruit as it is
possible to be, and that at all events
there are economies with us which will
give us the fruit markets of the world.
You may accept this conclusion as dem
onstrated by our exhibit and observation
here. California is hereafter to be. the
orchard of the world, for reasons which
will be more easily made apparent in a
personal interview.
I will now present: We had exhausted
the interest Of the exhibit in showing the
fruits, the pineapples,, the dates, the
pies, the vegetables in all their varieties,
etc.
The day was extremely hot and the in
terview had become monotonouS. called
the company into an attitude in which
they could get a good view of the pan
Drama of the great tree grove. I have
never heard more genuine expressions of
surprise and admiration. The President
of the Association, a man of fine mentality
and dignity of character, said, through the
Interpreter to me, that the picture was
the most beautiful presentation of a for
est he had ever seen and the forest was
the most beautiful of any that had ever
been shown abroad. The forest as ex-
pressed in that picture is infinitely su-
perior to any forestry expression possible
here. The largest pine tree 1 saw in Ger
many was less than twenty-four inches
in diameter, and not to exceed seventy-five
or eighty feet high. After what we had
told them of the favoring conditions of
climate and soil, we introduced them into
the heart of one of our greatest fores is
by the best representation which can be
adequate conception of how it broadened
and dignified and ennobled our State We
had shown them panorama pictures, pic
lures of prune orchards in bloom, pic
lures of orchards, one of which is a most
marvellous presentation, the panora ma
high, and representing five hundred acres
of prune orchard. We had shown them
twenty-one square miles in one panorama
of a fruit orchard in Vaca Valley We had
shown them large fruits and large veg
etables, and all these things had appealed
the great forests OF California, inclg1ing g
the greatest trees that grow in the State
conferred upon the entire exhibit proba-
bility and confirmation.