The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-09-28
WATER WAGON
FOR KNIGHTS
Returning TemplarS Visit
California Exhibit at Fair,
but Drink Only Ice Water
TEXAS MANS THEORY
Exhibitor From Lone Star
State Says Native Orchard
lists Invite Competition
BY PAUL EDWARDS.


CALL BUREAU, PRESS BUILD
ING, WORLDS FAIR, Sept. 81
Eastern knights Templar who attend
ed the conclave in San Francisco have
been prominent on the Worlds Fair
grounds since that event, most of them
having taken the opportunity to visit
the exposition on their return home.
The knights have come back filled
with feelings of the highest regard for
the Golden State and it's metropolis
and they have made themselves par
ticularly at home at the California
and San Francisco buildings. AT both
those places 1t became peculiarly no
ticeable that they refused to accept
any hospitality in the way of wines or
other cheering beverage, even eschew-
ing the claret punch served at the Cal
ifornia building.
Why is it you people never drink
anything?" asked State Commissioner
Virgins of one Of the Knights, his Gu
uncomfortable. Il never heard that
you had a blue ribbon auxiliary and
even If you never drank anything be-
fore In your lives, trip to California
should teach you that the vineyard
has something good to Offer"
<Ah, that's just it," replied the
knight addressed, and his hand went
to his head as if in recollection. We
have been to California We don't
want anything more for a year. With
one accord, we all agreed to be good
after we got over it and started on our
way home. Place not the ruby wine
in front of US. They bathed us in it
out there in California. Some of the
wet towels were only taken off as we
neared st. Louis. We had the time OF
our lives and we are not looking for
anything more from the vine for a
while. When the Californians start in
to give you good time they give it to
you and we had it in San Francisco.
Ice water will do us for long time to
come. We all hope to go to California
again"
Signs were Immediately hung up in
the State and the city buildings: Ice
water served here for Knights Tenn
plar who have just come from Cali
fornia."
There is a man in one of the Texas
exhibits who has an original idea con-
corning the effect Of CALIFORNIA; adj
vertising at the fair. Some original
ideas are novel and some are amusing,
but his is both. He sees the same dan
ger to California from her advertising
that some people imagine will befal
the Caucasian nations through the en-
hghtenment of Japan and China - a
danger that California will be undone
by enlightening competitors. His idea
is that California should practice the
clam act, as against the rest or the
United States, and not let others know
of the profits from her orchards and
vineyards, so she can keep the busl-
ness all to herself and let the other de-
luded regions, with warm climates, go
on raising buckwheat and squash
Texas in particular.
1t was to Webb Pearce of the Alamo
da county display that the Texan un-
bosomed himself and sounded the note
of warning. You fellows out there
are going to ruin yourselves" he said;
why, you'll have a dozen States pro-
ducing all sorts of fruits and driving
you out of business if you keep on
showing yourself off like you are doing.
Look at the effect of your display at
the Chicago Fair and the stories about
a man buying two acres OF land on
credit and asking for an option on the
Gould properties five years afterward,
and all off apricots or Tokay grapes.
Every State that thought it could grow
fruit began booming the industry.
Some people went broke, because their
fruit wasn't good? OF course, but that
won't stop them You know the gen.
orally accepted theory outside of Cali
fornia now is that If a sufficient acre
age of fruit trees is planted the ell
mate will change so as to mature the
fruit properly. That's what 1 hear on
the low down is the secret of Califor-
MAS good fruit Just the same as the
theory that forest trees bring rain.
Oh, some of us fellows in other states
are getting wise and we are going to
break in on this good thing that Cali
fornia thinks she has all to herself.
''Well, while they are all waiting for
their orchards to produce, all we ask
is that they SEM out to Alameda for
their fruit supply" said Pearce. We'll
try to lay up little money from those
sales before competition kills us.
AS a matter of fact. Texas has COM
missioners in California now and has
had at various times for years, gath
ering all possible information concern
ing the growing of fruits and grapes
and soil and climate. That State is
working hard to promote the fruit in
dustry It's display at this fair, how
ever, doesn't show it to be any serious
rival of California at present and one
of it's representatives here has been
heard to say that it could beat any
State in the Union in fruit growing
Except California" 1t will be an i'm
portant fruit producing State some
day, though.