State Agricultural Society. 339 



GEORGE D. ROBERTS, 



A gentleman who is now the great leading spirit in nearly all the swamp 

 land reclamation enterprises of the State, was a practical and successful 

 miner in Grass Valley, Nevada County. Having met with some severe 

 losses in his mining operations, he was looking about him for some other 

 and more safe place to invest his money. By accident his attention was 

 called to the operations of the farmers on Sherman Island. He went 

 personally to investigate the whole subject for himself, and having 

 observed the productiveness of the soil and the feasibility of the recla- 

 mation of all the islands similarly situated, he at once commenced buy- 

 ing up these lands and urging his friends to do likewise. 



He soon succeeded in forming what is known as the Tide Land Eecla- 

 mation Company, composed of some of the heaviest and most enterpris- 

 ing capitalists in the State. For the last two years he has been perfect- 

 ing plans of reclamation, organizing labor and machinery for their com- 

 pletion, and calling the attention of the public to the great value ot 

 these lands, and to the additional wealth and prosperity their reclama- 

 tion and cultivation would bring to the State. For this latter purpose 

 he conceived and organized 



THE EXCURSION TO THE TULE LANDS, 



« 



To the valuable incidents and lessons of which Ave will now call the 

 attention of our readers. The invited guests were about eighty, con- 

 sisting of business men, capitalists, and representatives of the press, 

 mostly from San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Yuba, and Nevada 

 Counties. 



The party left Sacramento at about eight o'clock on Friday, October 

 twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-one, on the steamer Victor, 

 Captain Sommers. After stopping at two different points on the river 

 we arrived at E. Kerchival's, at the head of Grand Island, at noon. 



This island lies directly in the forks of the Sacramento Elver, and 

 about twenty-five miles south of Sacramento. It is the first of the system 

 of islands formed by the breaking up of the river into sloughs, as above 

 described. It is bounded on the east by what is called the Old Eiver, 

 and on the west by a branch called Steamboat Slough. It is favorably 

 situated for catching the debris and sediment floating down the river, 

 and hence, as might be expected, the banks are higher and more firm 

 than those of the islands further down. The strips of land between the 

 immediate banks of the river and the tule toward the center of the 

 island is quite wide, and for four or five miles down on either side is 

 occupied by settlers, most of whom have very fine farms in a good state 

 of cultivation. The climate here is excellent, being a happy medium 

 between the windy region further south and the oppressive heat further 

 up the river. 



The country for six miles above this point, and as many miles helow, 

 is without exception the best for peaches in the entire State. The early 

 and late Crawford peaches, which at Sacramento are hardly worth rais- 

 ing, here grow and ripen in the greatest perfection, and make the most 

 valuable market peach we have. The plum, apricot, and nectarine also 

 flourish in great perfection here. Apples and pears do well, and grapes 

 grown here, though of but little value for wine, command the highest 



