CALIFORNIA 



1061 



CALIFORNIA 



mense ranches more of this grain was grown 

 than in any other state of the American Union. 

 Later the farms were made smaller, and agri- 

 culture was practiced on a more intensive 

 scale. The valleys of the Sacramento and 

 San Joaquin are remarkably fertile, and it is 

 impossible to give in detail the crops that are 

 there brought to a high state of development. 

 Vegetables, grains, forage plants, hops and 

 fruits of all kinds flourish, even orange groves 

 appearing in the foothills to the northernmost 

 limit of the Great Valley. 



It is in Southern California that oranges and 

 other tropical fruits are chiefly grown, and the 

 production of them has come to be one of 

 the foremost industries of the state. Two-fifths 

 of the oranges of the world and over three- 

 fourths of those of the United States are grown 

 in this one state, and lemons, grape fruits and 

 citrons are also produced in abundance. Pine- 

 apples are grown to a slight extent, but Florida 

 produces ninety-nine per cent of America's 

 output. Almost nowhere else in America are 

 olives produced, although the industry prom- 

 ises success in Arizona, and nowhere else in 

 all the world is there nearly so large an area 

 devoted to the growing of raisin grapes as in 

 California. Almonds and walnuts are also 

 produced in large quantities, and of the orchard 

 fruits, as plums, peaches, apples, pears, cher- 

 ries, apricots and quinces, there is not one 

 which cannot be successfully grown. Many 

 of these fruits have not the fine flavor of the 

 Eastern varieties, but all are of large size 

 and great beauty. The black cherry, the prune 

 and the apricot, the last-named produced 

 almost exclusively in California, are especially 

 important, and are shipped eastward in great 

 quantities. Berries also flourish, and may be 

 had almost the year round, and grapes are 

 grown in immense quantities for the making 

 of wines. 



Other crops include sugar beets, in the pro- 

 duction of which California ranks not lower 

 than second among the states ; tobacco, a fairly- 

 new experiment, but successful; and cotton, 

 which is grown in the newly-reclaimed Im- 

 perial Valley. 



Irrigation. In almost every part of the state 

 a certain amount of irrigation is necessary, and 

 in the southern portion it is considerable. In 

 the Sacramento River Valley, also, irrigation 

 is rapidly extending. Statistics show that in 

 all about one-fifth of the crops are produced 

 from irrigated land, but this proportion is 

 bound to grow as new areas are opened up for 



TROPICAL FRUIT 

 COMPARISONS 



Oranges 



California 



Florida 



Lemons 



California Florida 



Olives 



California Arizona 



Figs 

 I California * 



Grape Fruit 



I California 



Texas 



Florida 



Locjuats 



California * Florida 



Tangerines 



> California 



Gxiavas 



California 



Florida 



\Florida 



Persimmons 

 California. jfst Florida 



Pomegranates 



^ California 4*al Nevada 



Mandarins 



O California "Ji^ Louisiana 



. Dates 



w California ( Arizona 



See Plate, Article Florida 



