State Agricultural Society. 449 



may with equal certainty count on a disastrous failure. Then he is pre- 

 pared to proclaim to the world that fruit growing will not pay in Cali- • 

 fornia. 



I am aware that there is some apology for many failures that have 

 occurred in this branch of business. We have people here from all parts 

 of the world. They came here with their home notions of horticulture 

 and went to work in accordance with these notions, and after years of 

 unsuccessful toil were forced to abandon their favorite plans and per- 

 haps their favorite fruits. 



A man to he successful in growing fruits in this country must either 

 have a practical knowledge of the business or must avail himself of the 

 benefits of his neighbor's experienee. 



FRUIT 'MARKETS. 



Now for our market facilities, present and prospective. Wo have a 

 fair home demand. There is, perhaps, no place in the United States 

 that consume so much fruit (in proportion to numbers) as do the people 

 of, California; and good fruit properly handled has always borne a living 

 price in our markets, and prices have been steadily advancing for the 

 past six } r ears, notwithstanding the thousands of acres that we are an- 

 nually planting in trees and vines. We believe our market will continue 

 to grow better. We are opening up new markets almost daily on all 

 sides of us. We have, on the east and north, the State of Nevada, and 

 the Territories of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Dakota, 

 and Montana, embracing territory larger than all the States east of the 

 Mississippi river; and this immense country is little else than one vast 

 field of minerals. These mines must and will be worked, and they must 

 and will come to California for the great bulk of their fruits, because 

 they have neither the climates nor soils for extensive and varied fruit 

 growing; and we are more adjacent to them than any other good fruit- 

 growing country. 



The same is true of the vast lumber districts north of us. They must 

 have fruit; and where can they go for variety and quality but to Cali- 

 fornia? Moreover, we believe the day is not far distant when there will 

 be a lively demand from the Asiatic continent for our dried and pre- 

 served fruits. And if our two years trade with eastern cities has already 

 favorably affected our fruit market, what will be the effect of all these 

 other markets when fairly opened up ? Will not fruit growing become 

 almost the paramount interest of the State? 



FRUITS FOR PROFIT. 



As to the best kinds of fruit to be grown for profit, we would remark 

 that all the southern portion, and many localities in the more northern 

 counties of the State, are well adapted to growing oranges, lemons, limes, 

 olives, dates, filberts, cocoanuts, almonds, and English walnuts. To these 

 we may add figs, prunes, and grapes — the three latter will succeed well 

 in most parts of the State. All of the above named fruits (either green 

 or dry) we are importing in large quantities. It would perhaps not be 

 too much to say that the people of the United States are paying annually 

 to foreign countries the enormous sum of one hundred million dollars 

 for these very articles, every one of which can be successfully grown 

 and prepared for market in our, State; for there can be no climate better 

 adapted to drying fruits than ours. In addition to the above, we can 



