The Afro-American advance., 1900-10-13
CALIFORNIA; SPLENDID SHOWING
AT THE PARIS EXPOSITION.


recently written by Mr.. VIM. II. Mills,
of California, while in Paris in charge
Of the Southern Pacific Company's ex-
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 1t contains, and for which 1t is here
reproduced:
Paris, July 18th. 1900.
The panorama picture of the Marfposa
Grove is admitted by all, including pho
toRraphers. to be the most wonderful pho
tographic reproduction that has ever been
made. Only yesterday Committee rep
resentlnE the greatest Frutt-GTowing AS
sociation OF France, to the number OF rt-
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
tratlon of the Industrial and climatic con-
ditions under which our fruit Is grown.
! explained to them fully the ne pTonnc s enar, and
Illustrations showed them that we had
full crop every year; that our danger was
from overwhelming; that In no instance
from any cause. You will scarcely un-
derstaud the intense interest OF tnls IN
terview until II 10 explained that this
~
culture In two ways. wall-culture and
cultivating under glass U forego French
designations). The outdoor cultivation OF
fruit in France Is ra-hazardous and Is
fast being superseded by the artificial
means OF wall and glass.
The gentlemen who were here yester-
daE explained thae nat, tnS Gs All tba fae
tors Of success were In the hands OF the
cultivator. / have used this argument
many times for the promotion OF the policy
81 t~rt n aafd that u fhn
moisture can be controlled, both with ref
erence to moisture and drainage, civilized
culture will have been achievedi 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 me
dignity of an art. Its main factors are at
When i explained, however, the condi-
tions 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
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.
! will now present: We had exhausted
the interest of the exhibit in showing the
fruits. the plneapples, the dates. the
prunes, the peaches, the pears, the APP
pies. the vegetables In all their varieties,
Ths 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
surprise and admiration. The President
OF the Association. 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 In Infinitely SUI
perior 70 any forestry expression possible
/ many was less than twenty-four inches
I In diameter, and not to exceed seventy-fivs
| or eighty feet high. After what we had
! told them of the favorinR conditions OF
climate and soil. We introduced them into
by the best representation which caa bt
placed upon paper. You can have no
adequate conception OF how II broadened
and dlgniffed and ennobled our State. We
had shown them panorama pictures. pic
lures OF orchards. one OF which is a mosi
marvellous presentation. the panorama
itself being six feet by fourteen inches
high. and representing fye hundred acres
twenty-one square miles in one panorama
Of fruit orchard In Vaca Valley. We had
shown them large fruits and large veg
etables. and all these things had appealed
60 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 proha.
bility and confirmation.