PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 237 



in accord with it. The last Legislature passed an Act for the making 

 and maintaining of boulevards. I had occasion to read that law in 

 framing a resolution to our Board of Supervisors against voting bonds 

 of $600,000 to build a boulevard to the Big Trees. That law says that 

 the boulevard shall be not less than one hundred feet wide; that no 

 wagon shall go on it unless it has a four-inch tire; but there is nothing 

 in the law to prevent a farmer from crossing the road if he wants to. 

 And again, under no circumstances shall franchises ever be granted 

 upon this boulevard for electric or telephone wires, electric lines or 

 rails. The very inlet to the Pajaro Valley to-day is down the Pajaro 

 River and the only place that a railroad can get in there reasonably. 

 They select that particular place for a road one hundred feet wide. 

 This law further says that when the road is completed satisfactorily 

 and a commission appointed for the purpose, then it shall be turned 

 over to the present road law for maintenance by repairs, and so forth. 

 In other words, after they have got it built, or partially built, or the 

 money runs out, the balance of it will be finished by the farmer as usual, 

 and he will get no benefit out of it. It is class legislation and is one 

 of the worst laws ever passed by the Legislature in this State. It is 

 a burden to the farmer. Look out for it. 



MR. SPRAGUE. Under the law, which is considered to be consti- 

 tutional, under which Sacramento County voted $600,000 of bonds for 

 good roads, it is possible for every other county, I presume, to proceed 

 in the same way. You have got to have a large sum of money. In 

 Sacramento County the matter was referred to the people as to 

 whether they should vote for these bonds, taxing the inhabitants of 

 the city, and the vote in favor was much larger in the city than it was 

 in the country, showing that the cities are ready to help in building 

 good roads. We certainly need more and better road legislation, and 

 I heartily agree with Mr. Judd in that respect. 



MR. FILCHER. I may refer to a fact which I read in a Govern- 

 ment report 'in the last day or two, that it costs, according to the fig- 

 ures of the United States Government, three quarters of a billion of 

 dollars a year to carry the farmers' produce to market; and the 

 United States Government experts estimate that two thirds of that 

 money is -chargeable to bad roads. If we can save half a million dol- 

 lars a year, as a producing country we ought to build the road. 



On motion of Mr. Mills, duly seconded, the report of the Committee 

 on roads was adopted. 



THE CHAIRMAN. The next thing on the program is a paper on 

 "The adaptability of Grapevines to Different Vineyard Soils," by Prof. 

 George C. Husmann, Pomologist in charge of Viticultural Investigations 

 for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Mr. Husmann was unexpect- 



