STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 299 



sold green, and will pay; while cherries have always made the grower 

 splendid returns. This latter variety grows to the largest size here, and as 

 ii is early, and yields immense crops, our fruit growers have no cause to 

 regret having planted cherry trees. The only wonder is that there is not 

 more of them. Douhtless there soon will be, as there seems to be no 

 danger of over-production of cherries, for the reason that there are so many 

 avenues through which they may be disposed of. First, coming in early 

 they rind a good local market both in Sacramento and San Francisco, at 

 good prices; secondly, they are of the finestquality for shipping, and many 

 tons of them are sent out of the State daily during the season; and thirdly, 

 the canneries will take all of certain varieties that can be grown. 



Early Summer Fruits. — As he finishes picking his early fruits and col- 

 lects the money for them, the Sacramento fruit grower finds he must keep 

 right on with his early summer fruits, such as apricots, plums, peaches, 

 pears, and nectarines. 



The first peaches are ready by the last of May or the first of June. 

 Apricots and the early varieties of plums about the same time; and it is 

 now that the fruit crop proper is reached, and from May to October there 

 is no cessation in fruit picking, packing, and shipping. To mention all 

 the varieties of the above named species that are grown in this county, 

 would require as much space as it is intended to devote to this entire 

 article. So in passing we will simply draw attention to a few leading 

 points. Peaches are very largely cultivated all over the county, but they 

 reach their greatest importance on the bottom lands, along the banks of 

 the American, Cosumnes, and Sacramento Rivers. From these districts 

 alone hundreds of tons of fine, large, luscious peaches are marketed every 

 day during the season. When the picking reaches its height no doubt as 

 many as three hundred tons daily find a market, but this heavy supply 

 only lasts a very few days. 



Apricots ripen early, and while a limited quantity are shipped in a green 

 state, the great bulk of this crop is either dried or preserved in cans, for 

 both of which purposes it is unexcelled by any other fruit. Of all coun- 

 tries in the world California is the only one that has made a thorough suc- 

 cess of the apricot. This seems to be its natural home, and in Sacramento 

 County it reaches its very finest development in size, flavor, and product- 

 iveness. With the entire world for a market, apricot growing cannot fail 

 to become a leading and profitable industry. 



Pears are also a leading summer fruit. A large number of varieties are. 

 grown, among which may be named the Madeline, Bloodgood, Dearborn 

 Seedling, Le Count, Beurre Hardy, Seckel, Beurre Clargeau, B. Bosc, Win- 

 ter Nelis, etc., but chief among all is the world renowned California Bart- 

 lett pear. This pear has been shipped in great quantities from Sacramento 

 City to every city of any size in the United States, and is as well known 

 in New York, New Orleans, Chicago, and Minneapolis, as in San Francisco, 

 or nearly so; hence a description of it here is unnecessary. Suffice it to 

 say, that it embraces all the fine qualities that can be named in a pear. It 

 grows on the rich lands of the Sacramento River in larger quantities and 

 size than anywhere else in the world. Needless to say it has always been 

 profitable in Sacramento County. The writer knows of instances where 

 an acre of Bartlett pear trees have never failed during the last ten years 

 to yield a net income of over $500 per annum, and often as high as"$800 

 or $1,000. These orchards are within a mile or two of Sacramento City, 

 and can easily be found. 



Plums are also very profitable. They grow to a large size, and as they 

 keep well when properly handled, they are shipped in vast quantities to 



