The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-10-13
CALIFORNIA; SPLENDID SHOWING
At TIE PARIS EXPOSITION.

Following is an extract from a letter
recently written by Mr.. VIM. 81. Mills,
of California, while in Paris in charge
of the Southern Pacific Company's e1-
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 info,ma-
ton it contains, and for which it is here
reproduced:
Paris, July 18th, 1900.
The panorama picture of the Mariposa
Grove is admitted by all. including pho
tographers. TO be the most wonderful pho
tographic reproduction that has ever been
made. Only yesterday a Committee rep
resenting the greatest Fruit-Growing AS
ISOLATION of France, to the number of fif-
teen. visited the Office: They were in
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.
acter of our climate, and BY pictures and
illustrations showed them that We had a
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 IN
derstand the intense interest Of this in
l6INIcw NllAA H. - CARA24AOo AhoN NAAS
Fruit-Growing Association practices fruit
culture in two ways. wall-culture and
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fast being superseded by the artificial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 I'M glass.
day explained that the most profitable
cultivation was that wherein all the fac
tors Of success were in the hands OF the
%cultivator. I have used this argument
rapyy ti~oc for the nrnm0f:on nf the nplirv
of irrigation. I have said that when the
moisture can be controlled. both with ref
erenc to moisture and drainage. civilized
culture will have been achieved; that at
that point only II 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 ar art. Its main factors are at
the hazard of nance.
When / explained, however, the condi-
lions under which fruit was grown in
self and my auditors, that the natural
conditions in California are as nearly per-
feet for the production OF fruit as 1t 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
here. California is hereafter TO be the
orchard Of the world. for reasons which
will be more easily made apparent In a
The reason for the foregoing narration
I will now present: We had exhausted
the interest Of the exhibit in showing the
fruits, the p~ineapples, the dates. the
prunes; the peaches; the pears, the APP
Piles, the vegetables in all their varieties,
etc.
The day was extremely hot and the In
terview had become m~onotonous. I called
the company into an attitude In which
they could get a good view OF the pan
Drama OF the great tree grove. l have
never heard more genuine expressions OF
surprise and admiration. The President
of the Association. a man of fine mentality
Interpreter to me. that the picture was
the most beautiful presentation Of a for
est he had ever seen and the forest wal
the most beautiful of any that had ever
pressed in that picture is infinitely su-
perior to any forestry expression possible
here. The largest pine tree l saw In Ger
many was less than twenty-four inches
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 forests
placed upon paper. You can have no
adequate conception Of how it broadened
and dignified and enlobled our State. We
had shown them panorama pictures, pic
lures Of orchards. one of which is a most
marvellous presentation, the panorama
itself being six feet by fourteen inches
high. and representing five hundred acres
of prune orchard. We had shown them
of a fruit orchard in Vaca Valley. We had
shown them large fruits and large veg
etables. n all these things had appealed
to them as exceptional. The panorama OF
the great forests of California, including
the greatest trees that grow in the State,
conferred upon the entire exhibit proba.
bility and confirmation.