CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 15 



fruits grown at Porterville are rapidly assuming a front posi- 

 tion and share the honors in this line with other similarly 

 favored sections of the south. All along the foothills where 

 water can be obtained oranges thrive. There are no damaging 

 frosts or destructive winds. There are a number of fine orch- 

 ards, and large areas of new land are being planted every year 

 to citrus fruits. 



Placer County has numerous citrus orchards, and the area 

 in citrus culture is gradually extending, especially about New- 

 castle, Loomis, Rocklin, and Penryn. 



In Sacramento County considerable attention is now devoted 

 to the culture of citrus fruits, at Orangevale and Fair Oaks. 

 In the former colony large plantings are to be seen and large 

 shipments of this fruit are being made annually therefrom. 



Citrus fruits do well over a large portion of Butte County, 

 which county is entitled to the position of leader in the north- 

 ern citrus belt. Prior to 1886, citrus culture was largely 

 experimental, although even at that time the fact that oranges 

 would grow there and could be made a profitable crop had 

 gradually forced itself upon the attention of fruit-growers. 

 The winning of the award at the Northern Citrus Fair in Sac- 

 ramento that year, confirmed the belief of the citrus-growers 

 there, and a great impetus was given to the new industry, 

 until now Butte County is better known for her production of 

 citrus fruits than for those which had so far proved of greater 

 commercial importance. The colonies of Thermalito and 

 Palermo have taken their chief impetus from the fact that 

 oranges will grow there, and the planting of orange trees has 

 not diminished, but rather increased with time. Wyandotte, 

 adjacent to Palermo, is another favorite section where citrus 

 fruits are grown successfully. The oldest orange tree in 

 Northern California is at Bidwell's Bar (Butte County), where 

 it may still be seen. This tree was grown from seed of an 

 Acapulco orange planted by Jesse Morrill at Sacramento in 

 1855 and transplanted to its present site in 1859. (See illus- 

 tration on next page.) 



In Yuba County large tracts have been set out in orange 

 trees, notably at Wheatland and Smartsville. 



In Stanislaus County the area of citrus-growing is being 

 rapidly extended. The orange has been successfully grown 

 about Knight's Ferry for a number of years, but only recently 



