The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-12-11
GOOD WORDS FROM CALIFORNIA

GOOD WORDS FROM CALIFORNIA
Several Of our late neighbors now
living in California are making com
PARSONS between the productions Of
that state and those OF our own sec
ton which are quite favorable to the
latter.
Frank J.. Smith, former resident
o. Oroville, who is now residing at
Cotton, California, is a recent letter
10 one OF our citizens. writes. !
nave driven over considerable o.
Southern California in the past year
and am fully convinced OF what
mentioned in former letter, that the
Okanogan valley is a better growing
country than it is here. For instance,
six tons of alfalfa is about all they
get here 10 the acre and have to cut
il five or six times TO get that Corn
does not do so well mere as there;
and as for potatoes. vegetables and
fruits those grown here cannot COM
pare with the Okanogan product.
have not had a peach, apple or ear OF
sweet corn that would approach the
quality of those grown on our old
place. And while ! am at it ] want
that can be profitabfy grown up there
that have never been tried. so far a.
know; namely. raisins. cotton, spine
less cactus and apricots for evaporat-
ing which is a big industry here and
could be produced equally well there
Would like very much to experiment
with a small patch Or cotton at Orc
Vile, as the conditions there seem tC
be very similar to these here.
Mr. +. II. Twilight, who claims his
home in the upper Okanogan valley
but who is at present employed as
the superintendent at the Italian Vine
yard Company, owners of the largest
vineyard in the United States with
4 900 acres planted in the finest va
rites OF wine grapes at Guasti, Calf.
writes a very encouraging letter of tbs
possibilities of grape culture. Mr.
Twilight, a French yineyardist, was
professor of horticulture at the Uni
yersity of California few years ago
He says: II consider the climate and
soils OF the Okanogan valley, and more
especially around Osoyoos lake, are
ideal for grapes. The Snake river and
Clearwater come next and after them
parts of the Columbia river valley
But these last three districts are toe
al F,, &c
is what caused me to leave the more
southern section for the Okanogan.
consider that in the Oroville neighbor-
hood, on the land slipping toward the
lake, one could have ideal conditions
for either European or American table
grape varieties. | am not mentioning
the wine grape possibilities of your
location since the state of Washington
is dry, but | believe the climate is
perfect for the highest grades of Bur
gundies or Rhine wines, and this lat
ter part of the industry might be car
ried on to good advantage on the Can
adam side. In the case of a large or
chard proposition in your valley,
strongly recommend the planting OF
vineyards on the sleeper slopes, Or
chards on the lower solpes and alfalfa
on the flat lands. | believe this policy
if generally followed would give the
best results.
81. am well acqainted with most Of
the fruit districts of California, Ore
gon, Washington and Idaho and would
rather go into the fruit business and
especially vineyards in the upper Okla
hogan valley than any other place,
and | expect to get back to your
country and establish myself there in
due time"