54 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



grape. J. R. Nickerson, of Placer county, exhibited the dried prunes, 

 which were of the German variety. 



Though this decade was one of uncertainty and doubt, there 

 were rich lessons of experience learned, and the foundations for 

 coming greatness were well laid. Many of our leading lines of 

 production trace their beginnings to this period, and their later 

 developments have been beyond any anticipations then cherished. 



The New Era. Another era in California may be marked as 

 beginning with the year 1869, because then the first fresh fruits 

 were sent East over the newly-opened overland line. The first sea- 

 son's shipments amounted to thirty-three tons of pears, apples, 

 grapes, and plums ; in 1870 seventy car-loads, or about seven hun- 

 dred tons, were sent. 



The Eastern shipment of fresh fruits began its new era with the 

 year 1886, when the first full train load of fifteen cars of fresh fruit 

 from deciduous trees went overland. Shipping train loads of 

 oranges from Southern California began at an earlier date. 



During the present decade shipments of fruit and fruit products 

 have increased until a very large aggregate in weight and value has 

 been attained. The volume of shipments beyond State lines is 

 shown by the statement on the next page compiled from the records 

 of the State Board of Trade. 



The Fruit Interest in 1910. The fruit interests of California 

 now constitute the greatest single industry of California and the 

 fruit output of California is far greater than that of any other State 

 in the Union. Notable progress has been secured in planting, in 

 the growth, preparation and marketing of the product, in the contest 

 with injurious insects and plant diseases, and, in fact, in all things 

 which contribute to success. It is true that there are problems still 

 unsolved, and there have been grievous losses to individuals who 

 have proceeded upon too great expectations or have erred in loca- 

 tion for various fruits. Such mishaps will be less frequent in the 

 future. At present there is a disposition to proceed more cautiously 

 and to profit by the lessons which have been learned, many of which 

 will be mentioned in their proper places in later chapters. 



Some dimensions of the present fruit interests may be sug- 

 gested by the following statistics which have been carefully com- 

 piled from reports of the supervisors of the counties submitted to 

 the State Agricultural Society in accordance with the law of 1905. 

 These reports are published, unfortunately, without summaries, in 

 the Report of the Society for 1908. The figures for a few counties 

 which did not comply with the law are supplied from other sources. 



The total acreage in 1898 was 542,399; since that year there 

 has been a gain of nearly seventy per cent. 



