The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

more especially In the smaller valleys,
like the Santa Clara, fiourished the great
dried fruit industry Of the United States.
There was a great industry in fresh fruits
for the Eastern markets, also, and most
As~hhA~fRSS& AeStGtDAaRtDAtSMSeRhtA't&
Eastern markets come from the North.
The orange and lemon industry Is mainly
in the South, through the country tributary
to Los Angeles, but lately it has been found
that oranges do we'll in the hot interior
valleys at a latitude even with Philadelphia;
and the orange industry Of the north was
increasing. Every year more and more
wheat land vas going into concentrated
crops.
Fresno ships more raisins chan any other
city in the world; Petaluma is one OF the
greatest hen towns in the country. The
Santa Clara Valley. beginning just below
San Francisco and running for seventy or
eighty miles down the coast, is one great
orchard.
There lie a heavy beet sugar industry.
The little Napa and Sonoma valleys are
the centre Of the vim industry. which Is
growing steadily as the wine men win out
in their fight fer the improvement and
recognition Of California vintages. This Is
only a narrow ard brief summary Of the
agricultural resources.
WEALTH IN FORESTS AND MINERALS.
Up the coast, north Of San Francisco,
stretches an unbroken forest, one OF the
few considerable tracts Of forest land left
in this country. The State ia a steady and
persistent producer Of gold-$17 ,ooo, 900 last
year. Once, it led in this respect, but
C,Ioroln Hao 40 aaaI IL Thia p0maQ in the
main from the mother lode Of the Sierra
and the end Of the mother lode Is not yet
in sight.- This mining country is naturally
tributary to San Francisco; 50 is all Nevada.
California is the only State which pro-
Fyduces quicksilver in quantities, and these
mines lie in the bay region. The copper IN
dustry is growing. The base metals OF the
Sierra are hardly touched, and Californians
nave been bowling for Eastern capital to
come in and do something.
One thing the State ~laoks-coal. There
is only one bed, and that OF inferior quality.
The fuel coal is brought from Washington.
Although the power transmission lines,
which have turned the torrents OF the Sierra
| into light, heat and the whirl Of wheels are
industrial wonders of the world, there can
never be any great n general manu-
featuring.
The backbone Of California wealth is
! the Incompatible richness OF the nds
which, under that soft, growing climate
which makes all things large, has an i'm
| mense producing power. Secondary, but
still important, is the mining wealth, by no
means fully developed.
HER COMMERCIAL STRENGTH.
Commercially San Francisco stood su-
preme in the Far West. The bank clear
ings were annually greater than those OF
ell the other cities west Of Denver-Seattl
Portland, Tacoma, Salt Lake and all. AL
| though Seattle had cut 80 largely into the
| Pacific trade, the trade itself had grown
so that San Francisco's share was on the
increase up to tue time Of the boycott in
China
The value Of that Pacific trade to the city
was always a matter Of debate. There
we're those who declared that San Fran
cisco would lose by the construction OF the
Panama Canal through the diversion OF
this trade to the Atlantic Coast and Europe,
but the majority opinion was hat the di-
version of a part of the Pacific trade weighed
but lightly against the prospect OF a cheap
water route for the products OF the land.
Aside from her position San Francisco
has a great natural advantage in the great
bay-"big enough for all the navies OF the
world" was the trite phrase for it-trite
but true. Its advantage, although one OF
its dangers, too, is the narrow entrance OF
the Golden Gate and the sudden turn which
it makes. These give 1t perfect shelter
against the greatest storms Of the Pacific.
Up to the end of the last century there
was a strange industrial indifference in
San Francisco and the surrounding country.
The ~transplated Fasteners who settled
Los Angeles and the surrounding country
we're hustlers. They took a desert, found
means to get water to it and made it a great
garden. They advertised, and they drew
the tourist.
THE AWAKENING oP THE NORTH.
Just about the beginning Of the century
a chance editorial article in the San Fran
cisco Chronicle started the northern Cali
fornians to asking why. they had let the
south 90 by them in development. Out OF
it grew a movement for the advertisement
and opening of northern California. The
result was the formation of a California
promotion committee, maintained by sub
scriptions Of the merchants and banks and
appointed TO advertise anu ueNeiop the
north.
How much that had to do with the sud
den squirt which the State has taken in the
last five years it would be hard to teU but
things have moved fast in the north. School,
statistics in San Francisco showed that
from s42, 1882 population in 1900, the city
must have gone far beyond 10000 by last
wear. There was more building than there
had been for two decades before, and there
would have been still more had not the
unions owned the building trades anc
held down the supply Of labor. No Ameri
can city had done so much, proportlonateiy
in this later time of prosperity.
The forces which brought this abou
are still operating. Here is one hope fo'
the new city.
THE REBUILDING PROBLEM.
In the matter OF rebuilding. the city i
up against a curious problem. Brick anc
stone are scarce. There is little good briol
clay in the region, and there are few quarrieJ
west Of the Sierras. The wooden build
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