Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-17
California; ADVANCE
No Part of the Country Has
Shown Such Development.
INCREASE IN WEALTH
PRODUCTION OF THE ORCHARDS
AND VINEYARDS.
More Rapid Growth of Population Than
That Of Any State-Work
Of Promoters.
INCREASE IN WEALTH
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Evening Star and the Chicago
Record-H Herald.
There has been no lack of progress and
prosperity in California: particularly since
good times set in eight years ago. No
part of the Union has developed SO rapidly,
or in so many directions. There has been a
large increase in the population and the
majority of the newcomers have been men
with capital. New industries have been in
augurated in every county. and In almost
every town In the state, and millions upon
millions of dollars have been added to the
wealth of the community. This fact Is
shown In a most striking manner In the
bank statements and the returns OF the
clearing houses. For example: In 1894 there
were 27S banks under the control of the
state banking commission. showing combln-
ed resources of 1927 3d., 916. On the LIST OF
July 1904, 420 banks were doing business,
with combined resources Of 3.S26. a
gain of 142 banks and nearly $500, 100000 OF
resources. That is practically a net gain
In the wealth of the state. The following
statement will show some of the details or
the increase:
1894. 1904.
Reserve. ............... q. 1871 800 a2.624.S BIB
Deposits. ...-........ 204 S09S47 454, 181 ,907
These figures relate to state banks only.
The national banks show similar gain. In
San Francisco the bank ciearinss In l9O5
were 81 So, 200 6S2, an increase or Sl46S3o,-
$50 over 1862; the savings bank deposits
were $1j5. 1855 272, an increase of SIC, 81 ,231.
The real estate sales during 1903 were S47,-
110.157. an increase of s6ooo,oGo; the as
sessed valuation of property in 1903 was
S545 S66, 466, an increase from S420, 300 41 IN
1902
Falling Off in Wheat Crop.
There has been an increase in almost
everything. except In the grain trade,
where there is a large falling off, but am
told that is a healthy rather than an UNI
healthy sign, for it shows that the large
farms are being broken up and divided, and
that the cultivation of huge crops of grain
has been abandoned for fruit, vegetables
and more profitable agricultural and horti-
cultural enterprises. The statistics OF the
wheat fields. however. look alarming. For
the fifteen years from 1877 to 1891 the crop
averaged a million tons year. Then II
began gradually to decrease, until In 1913
the total fell below half million tons, ana
l was told in San Francisco a few weeks
ago that 1t would not reach 100000 tons
this year.
But the fruit vegetable, dairy poultry
and other small crops seem to increase all
wheat. and there is no evidence that the
big vineyards and orchards are being d.
vided. The largest vineyard In the world
which belongs to the Stanford estate, Is at
Vina in the Sacramento valley, no miles
north Of Sacramento City; and the largest
wine cellar in the world. known as the
Graystone, is at st. Helena, at the upper
end of the Napa valley. 1t is 300 feet long,
100 feet 0our stories) in depth. and has
several deep tunnels bored into the hillside
behind 1t. 1t has a capacity Of 100000
gallons of wine.
At Asti, near the city of CIoverdale, Is
the largest wine tank In the worlds feet
long 30 feet wide and % feet deep. 1t will
hold half million gallons of wine. 1t be-
longs to colony of italian and Swiss grape
growers, which was organized In 1871 with
no capital but brains and muscle. They
now have vineyards and wineries all over
the state, produce about 100000 gallons
of wine year. and their trade mas ex-
tended all over the world.
California Fruits.
In the Santa Clara valley more than
100, 900 900 pounds of prunes are produced
annually. and about 100000 worth of
fresh, canned and dried fruits are shipped
every year. Within an area of n few miles
are 100000 fruit trees. prunes, peaches.
pears, cherry, apricot and others, and In
the spring, when they are all in bloom, the
spectacle is beyond description. Those who
have witnessed both insist that the cherry
blossoms of Japan ''are not in 1t for a
minute" Hundreds of people go to Japan
every spring to see the cherry blossoms,
but very few ever witnessed the incompar-
able beauty of the orchard blossoms In
Santa Clara, because 1t has not been ad-
vertised. Make note Of this: That within
a days drive over almost perfect roads,
in the valley and on the hillsides you can
see 100000 prune trees, 600 coo apricot
trees 500. 600 peach trees. 1854 600 pear trees.
100000 cherry trees, 25O0O apple trees. 90
fruit bearing trees In blossom at the same
time.
About a hundred miles north of Sacra-
mento is an orchard of 100000 acres, con-
tanning fifteen different kinds of fruit and
many varieties of certain kinds. In this
orchard / am told, every fruit known to
the European countries from the top of the
world Norway to the Island of Sicily. is
produced abundantly; climatic phenome-
non that cannot be seen in any other part
Of the globe.
In the southern part of the state the
orange Is king, and the orchards are In
creasing so rapidly that last year more than
24.OOO carloads. containing 100000 boxes
of oranges, were shipped from four coun-
ties. which is an increase of 10000 carloads
in twelve years.
California is, indeed. land Of big figures.
More than ]. 800 carloads of pears have been
shipped east during the recent season, and
more than 5000 carloads of other fruits.
while the crop Of vegetables has been quite
as large ana Qulte as prOntaDle. some or
the figures are amazing. For example two
canneries have already put up this season
100000 cases of asparagus each. worth more
than half million dollars, and 1t was all
grown on few farms in the negihbornood.
Success Of Promoters.
1t is claimed that California is increasing
in population more rapidly than any other
state. and this is largely due. as I wrote
you recently, to the intelligent efforts of
the promotion committee, which has its
headquarters In San Francisco and Is en-
gagged In propaganda to bring capital and
labor into the state. In no part Of the
country are there more conspicuous signs
Of prosperity. which the promotion commit
tee want everybody to see, and they are
bringing out thousands Of excursionists and
escorting them around by such routes as
will enable them to study those object les
sons to the greatest advantage. Another
attraction. which has been of decided ad-
vantage to the state, Is the good hotels
which travellers can find everywhere. A