CITRUS CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 15 



fruits grown at Porterville and Lindsay are rapidly assuming 

 a front position and share the honors in this line with other 

 similarly favored sections of the south. Oranges thrive all 

 along the foothills where water can be obtained. There are no 

 damaging frosts or destructive winds. There are a number of 

 fine orchards, and every year large areas of new land are 

 being planted 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 Count}' is better known for her production of 

 citrus fruits than for the growing of 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 illustration 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 



