18 



sand to the depth of two to three feet, washed on by the 

 flood ; in our climate they would have perished. We 

 could not but share in the sympathy so generally felt and 

 expressed for the Messrs. Smith. They were the pioneers 

 in this culture, and esteemed and highly respected by all. 

 Nor would we forget to mention the beautiful orchard of 

 Mr. F. D. Atherton, of Fair Oaks, San Mateo, to whom 

 we were indebted last year and on the present occasion 

 for fine specimens of fruit on exhil)ition at our fair. His 

 pear orchard contains a choice collection, including the 

 newer sorts, and like all his other fruits bear marks of 

 good cultivation ; in a word, not a weed was to be seen 

 on the o'rounds, and the surface was rolled as smooth as a 

 floor. 



The apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry all thrive and 

 bear abundantly in California. The apples are larger than 

 in the Atlantic States ; those grown near the sea do not 

 keep so well and are not so juicy. Those grown in Sierra 

 Nevada, where the winters are cool, keep as well as in 

 New Enofland. There are no worms in fruits ; the curcu- 

 lio is unknown. 



Hitherto the production has exceeded home demand ; this 

 seems extraordinary when twenty years have not elapsed 

 since the planting of the first orchard. We were told 

 that in 1853 peaches were first sent to market, some sell- 

 ing as high as $6 per dozen, and even $5 for a single 

 peach ; now they are selling at fifty cents to one dollar 

 per bushel, and even at a lower price. In 1854 and 

 1855 cherries were brought from Oregon and sold for 

 $2.50 per pound. A single apple was sold for |5, and 

 300 boxes of apples brought $1.50 per pound ; peaches 

 raised in Sacramento in 1855 and 1856, a single basket 

 containing sixty peaches, realized $60. Until last year 

 the consumption was confined to the home market. Biit 

 now the Pacific and other railroads open new markets and 

 greatly augment the demand. The business is now be- 

 coming systematized, and cars are being specially con- 

 structed to carry fruit to Eastern markets. We exam- 



