State Agricultural Society. 161 



that the officers have come to regard an exhibition from me as certain 

 as the Fair itself, and in fact I would almost as soon think of omitting 

 to gather my annual crops as to exhibit samples of them at the Fairs of 

 the State Society. If all the farmers of this State were to take, or had 

 taken in the past, the same degree of interest in the society, how differ- 

 ent would have been her position to-day, and how much more extensive 

 and important would have been the agricultural industries of the State. 



My exhibition this year was but a repetition of those made by me each 

 year for ten years past, and embraced the following number of varieties 

 of the different kinds of fruit: of grapes, two hundred and fifty-five 

 varieties; of apples, two hundred and seventy-six varieties; of pears, 

 eighty varieties; of peaches, thirty-five varieties; of plums, twenty-five 

 varieties; of figs, eight varieties; of English walnuts, one variety; of 

 almonds, one; of pomegranates, one; and of quinces, eight varieties; 

 making in all seven hundred and twenty varieties of fruits exhibited by 

 me. And I here state as a fact, that my exhibition of fruit embraced a 

 greater quantity, and a greater number of varieties, than all other exhi- 

 bitions combined. It gives me pain instead of pleasure that such is the 

 fact, for it tells too emphatically of the negligence and indifference exist- 

 ing among the fruit growers of California with reference to an industry 

 of such vital importance. 



In addition to the above exhibition of green fruits, I exhibited dried 

 fruits as follows: one variety of raisins; five varieties of figs; five of 

 prunes; three of peaches; one of nectarines; one of pears; and eight of 

 plums. I am sorry to be compelled to state that in this branch of the 

 fruit exhibition, mine embraced more varieties than those of all other 

 exhibitors. Too much cannot be said or done to induce our fruit 

 growers to enter into the business of diying fruit. Thousands of 

 bushels of every variety of fruits go to waste annually that might be 

 made to net a handsome profit to the producers if they would take the 

 trouble to dry them; and the wages of the labor necessary to perform 

 this work would contribute to the comfort and happiness of thousands 

 of needy families. I make it a point in the management of my orchards 

 and vineyards to allow nothing to go to waste that will pay for the 

 labor necessary to take care of it; and my object in exhibiting dried 

 fruits, was to wake up an interest in this particular department of fruit 

 culture, and try and save to our State annually a lai'ge income which, 

 under the present management, is entirely lost. 



Besides the above exhibition of fruits, green and dried, I had at the 

 Fair eighteen distinct varieties or samples of wine, and one of brandy. 

 These, although not fruit, are the result or product of fruit, and may 

 well be taken into consideration in making a decision on the merit of an 

 exhibition. I will state for the convenience of the committee that I was 

 awarded for my exhibition the two highest premiums offered in the 

 sixth department, viz: "For the best general disj)lay of fruits, embrac- 

 ing best and greatest varieties, twenty-five dollars." Also for "greatest 

 number of varieties and best specimens of foreign grapes, three bunches 

 each, twenty-five dollars." I was also awarded the first premium for 

 the greatest number and varieties and best specimens of figs, five dol- 

 lars," being more than was awarded to any other exhibitor in the same 

 department. This award alone, being made by a competent and critical 

 committee, should be decisive as to the merit of the exhibitions. 



There are, however, other considerations which tend to invest my 



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