County Histories

THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS

OF CALIFORNIA

“There are many flourishing cities and towns in the Sacramento Valley with churches of all denominations, elementary and advanced public schools, steam and electric railroad transportation, electric lighting and power, water transportation, and all things essential for the prosperity and comfort of the human family.

“The following paragraphs contain much information in detail on the Sacramento Valley that cannot fail to prove interesting to hundreds of thousands of industrious men and women who know little of the unlimited opportunities afford them for the achievement of health, happiness and prosperity in this wonderland in the heart of California.  The reader will find in the following pages of this booklet a condensed but accurate description of each county of the Sacramento Valley and foothills region, together with a brief and uncolored statement of its resources.

“Every county of the Sacramento Valley is easily accessible by railway connection with all cities in the State and it would be a journey replete with pleasure and instruction to visit this fertile Valley where deciduous fruit gardens blossom in the foothills and on the river banks, where orange blossoms perfume the breezes of Summer, where gold is taken from the hidden recesses of the eternal hills, where happiness and prosperity are the distinguishing features of every home, and where the warm hand of fellowship and hospitality is ever extended to the stranger.

Climate the Chief Factor

Climate in California is a magic word because it means so much for the prosperity, happiness and comfort of the people.  It is probably the most precious asset in the Golden State because it is the chief factor that has to do with making California the most wonderful producing State on the American continent.

“Climatic conditions in the Sacramento Valley are ideal.  The average rainfall is about 26 inches.  This rainfall is distributed through four months of the year and is always ample to assure abundant cereal crops.  In the Summer of ‘dry season,’ as it is called, the temperature is never oppressive because of the low percentage of humidity in the atmosphere.  Work in the fields is never suspended because of high temperature nor is there ever danger of sunstroke.  In the Sacramento Valley the evenings are invariably cool and the nights balmy and delightful.  There is no such thing as perspiring through the night and awakening in the morning thoroughly enervated and exhausted.  Each afternoon during the Summer season, the Pacific trade winds blow landward from the Pacific Ocean and towards evening they lower the atmospheric temperature of the Sacramento Valley, which is situated about fifty miles inland from the ocean shore.

“The coast trend of the State being northwest and southeast, presents a right angle front to the Japan Current, that ever comes up from the southwest to lave its shores.  It is this warm current that gives California its temperature and equable climate.

“Latitude has no bearing whatsoever upon climate in California, although topography and altitudes affect the temperature to some degree in different latitudes.

“It is a tremendous advantage that the California farmer has in climate where growth and production go on without pause.  In the Sacramento Valley the grower finds his vines and trees, field and truck garden producing something for the market every month in the year.  Climate also has a decided effect upon the cost of living.  Where the pastures yield natural forage, green or dry, every day, where the water never freezes, where the vegetable growth goes on forever, and the storage of vegetables for Winter use is never necessary because they are growing and fresh daily, it is clearly apparent that the cost of living must be less than where the Summer and Fall are spent in hard labor to store food and fuel against the long Winter that suspends production.

Market Value of Land

“Prices of land in the Sacramento Valley and contiguous counties very greatly.  They range from $30 an acre to $300 for unimproved land.  The wide variation in price is due to the difference in the kind of land and the location.  The cheap lands are mostly unirrigated rolling uplands.  In many localities these lands have to be cleared before they can be planted and this increases the cost.  Irrigated lands can be purchased for $150 to $300 per acre.  The prices of river bottom land range from $175 to $300 per acre. 

“The prices of improved lands vary according to location, the value of the improvements, transportation facilities, etc.  Well kept paying orchards, however, are often valued at as high as $1,200 an acre.  Frequently good opportunities are offered to purchase improved places for very reasonable figures.

“As there is such a wide difference in soil types, and as location has much to do with land values, it is advised that all prospective purchasers visit and inspect personally any land that they contemplate purchasing before making their initial deposit.

Prospective Settlers and Cost of Living

“Frequently prospective settlers of the Sacramento valley and surrounding territory ask the question, ‘How much money must I have before coming to the Valley?’  This, of course, is a very difficult question to answer, as the personal element enters into each case.  Many men have come here with very little and have made wonderful successes.  They had pluck and energy and were not discouraged at the first obstacles that they had to overcome.  Generally speaking, however, a man with a family should have about $3,000 in cash before coming west.  This will enable him to make a substantial payment on his land and still have enough money left to tide him over the first year, which is always the hardest.

“In the preceding chapter upon climate, it was stated that the cost of living is less in California than in States where the climatic conditions are more severe.  Some commodities, however, and especially manufactured articles, are slightly high in the Sacramento Valley than in Eastern localities.  The freight charge from the point of manufacture to California is added to the Eastern selling price.

“The cost of building in the Sacramento Valley and foothill region is slightly higher than in Eastern States.  This is due primarily to the fact that wages paid skilled mechanics are higher here than east of the Rocky Mountain States.  But in building homes, it is not necessary to make them as substantial in California as in the East, because of the difference in climate.  Double floors, windows and door are not necessary.

Ordinary farm laborers in California are paid $35.00 per month and board and from $2.00 to $2.50 a day when employed by the day.  Skilled mechanics are paid from $4 to $6 per eight-hour day.

“Fuel is not a heavy item in the Sacramento Valley.  Crude oil is in general use for many purposes.  Its cost averages about a dollar a barrel.  Oak stoves wood costs from $6 to $8 a cord.  Gas is used to a great extent for fuel in cities and towns.  The average cost is about $1.00 per 1,000 feet.  The price of electricity for power and lights ranges from 4 to 7 cents per killowatt (sic) hour, according to the amount used.

Electric Energy in Sacramento Valley

“During the past few years electricity has been an important factor in everyday life.  In the Sacramento Valley and surrounding territory, it is as much in use as in the large cities.  There are many uses to which this power is put on the farm, such as running irrigation pumps, lighting purposes, turning the churn, etc.  Power is very cheap in the Sacramento Valley and hence it is used extensively.

“The swift streams fed by perpetual snows, which course down the steep sides of the Sierra Nevada mountains, furnish unsurpassed opportunities for the development of power.  These opportunities have been taken advantage of largely by investors and to-day there are several very large companies supplying electric energy to the farmers as well as to the city dwells in different parts of the Sacramento Valley.  The possibilities of power development in this part of California have only been touched and this magic force which lights cities, moves trains and turns the wheels of industry will become cheaper to the farmer as its use becomes more general.

Modern Improved Highways

“That good roads increase the profits of farm products by lessening the cost of transportation is a declaration of a recent bulletin published by the United States Department of Agriculture.  It is a well known fact that California is one of the leading States in the nation in the construction of good roads, and the counties of the Sacramento Valley and surrounding mountain districts are not behind the rest of the rest of the State in this respect.  Several years ago the people of California voted $18,000,000 for good roads and a great percentage of the mileage of this great State road system is now completed.  Two main trunk lines of the highway pass through the Sacramento Valley – one on the west side and one on the east side.  These roads meet at Red Bluff, in Tehama County, and the road then continues through Tehama, Shasta and Siskiyou Counties to the Oregon line.

Another link of the State highway leads form Sacramento through El Dorado County across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Lake Tahoe.  This is one of the noted scenic roads of California and is the route most frequently selected by tourists entering California by automobile.  The Emigrant Gap road is also a scenic highway that leads from Sacramento to the northern end of Lake Tahoe through Placer County.

“In addition to the State road system, many of the counties have spent large sums of money improving the lateral roads.  Road building has reached a high standard here and the abundance of rock, gravel, cement, sand and petroleum used in highway construction found within the borders of the State make it possible to build the best roads for the minimum cost.

“California has more automobiles per capita than any other State in the Union and is second only to New York in the number of automobiles in use, and hence the people are fully awake to the benefits of good roads.  The movement now underway will result in providing in California the finest highway system in the world.

Excellent Transportation Facilities

“One of the important factors to the prosperity of any community is the matter of adequate transportation.  In this respect the Sacramento Valley is indeed fortunate.  The Valley is served by rail and water transportation facilities which provide ample outlets for the millions of tons of foodstuffs that the rich Valley soil produces annually.  First, let us consider the rail transportation.  The Valley is traversed east and west by one and north and south by two main lines of the Southern Pacific Company.  The east and west line is the western link on the great transcontinental line of this company and leads directly to the great markets of the Eastern States.  Of the north and south main lines, one serves the east and the other the west side of the Sacramento valley. they meet at Sacramento on the south and Tehama on the north.  They lead directly to the large cities of the Northwest, which are large consumers of Sacramento Valley products.  All of these lines lead to San Francisco and other main lines of the same company lead direct to Los Angeles.  In addition to the main lines, the company has many branch roads which serve as feeders and reach out to fertile valley and rich foothill sections which are off the main route.

“The Western Pacific, also a transcontinental road, crosses the Valley, passing through the counties of Plumas, Butte, Yuba, Sutter and Sacramento.

“The Valley is also served with several electric lines, which converge at Sacramento.  These are the Northern Electric, running from Sacramento Chico, the Sacramento and Woodland, running between the two cities named in the road title, the Central California Traction, running between Sacramento and Stockton, and the Oakland and Antioch, between Sacramento and San Francisco.  There are also several roads in course of construction, among which are the Sacramento Valley Electric which will traverse the counties of the west side of the Valley, and the Vallejo and Northern, which will serve a very rich fruit section and connect Sacramento and Vallejo, the largest city in Solano County.

“Water transportation is an important factor to the producers of the Sacramento Valley, and the Sacramento River, which is navigable as far as Red Bluff, 200 miles from its mouth, not only provides means of transporting many crops to market, but acts as a rate regulator.  Freighting on the Sacramento River is of vast importance and the stream ranks fourth among the rivers of the United States in amount of tonnage floated on it.  During certain seasons of the year when the river carries a large volume of water, it is navigable to light drafts ocean going vessels as far as Sacramento.  Much work is being done by State and Government on improvements on the Sacramento River.  Passenger traffic on the river between Sacramento and San Francisco is important, several companies operating lines of fast steamers and advertising the voyage as one of the sightseeing trips of California.”

School and Educational Progress

“The Sacramento Valley and contiguous counties offer to their youth educational facilities that are the equal of those found anywhere in the world.  Californians have always been liberal with their expenditures for schools and colleges and it is the aim of the people of the State to keep the educational institutions equal to the best.  Every district has its school and every county has one or more high schools where students are prepared for higher education.  In many of the counties there are what is known as ‘union high schools’ - high schools built by a union of one or more school districts.  A great many of such schools have been formed during the past few years and they are very popular in the rural sections as they give the country students opportunity to prepare for higher institutions.

“Graduates from these high schools may enter the great University of California at Berkeley, which is but a short train ride from any part of the Sacramento Valley.  At this university a student may follow any branch of higher learning desired.  The tuition is absolutely free, the students, however, provide their own books, clothing, board, etc.  The University of California is endowed with $11,000,000 and is second in the United States in the number of students enrolled.  Another great institution of learning available to the Sacramento Valley students is the Leland Stanford, Jr., University, at Palo Alto, endowed with $30,000,000 and one of the richest universities on the American Continent.

“One of the most important institutions of learning in the State in view of the importance of the great industry of husbandry in all its branches in California, is the State Farm School at Davis, Yolo County, in the Sacramento Valley.  This school is a branch of the University of California.  It teaches practical knowledge on every phase of farm work.  Its courses cover every topic of interest to the farmer of the Sacramento Valley and contiguous district (sic).  As it is a part of the University of California, tuition is free.  The enrollment is large and is increasing year by year as the institution is spreading knowledge among farmers as to how they get the greatest production for the least cost from their land.

“Another important institution in the Sacramento Valley that should be mentioned, is the State Normal School at Chico.  This school is supported by the taxpayers of California and its object is to prepare young men and young women for the important work of pedagogy.

“Appropriations amounting to more than $9,000,000 a year are made by California to her educational institutions, which shows clearly the importance placed upon the necessity of educating the youth by this State.”

Denizens of Forest and Stream

“While the fame of the horticultural and agricultural products of the Sacramento Valley and contiguous country has spread throughout the United States, comparatively few know much of the wild life of this most favored section.  It is but reasonable to expect that a country so richly endowed by nature with fertility of soil, abundance of water and salubrity of climate as the Sacramento Valley, should support a large and varied population of wild folk.  In this region the antelope, deer, elk, etc., fattened on the plans before the white men settled up the country.

“During the early days of the history of the State the slaughter of deer, elk and antelope was ruthless and it became necessary to pass stringent laws protecting these game animals.  As a result of these laws there is more game in California now than at any previous time during the past quarter of a century.  The protection measures have given the animals a chance to multiply and the hunter of to-day has no difficulty in getting his limit of two deer a season in any of the foothill and mountain sections contiguous to the Sacramento Valley.  Bear, wild cats, mountain lions, etc., are to be found in the higher altitudes by those who care to penetrate the mountain depths for big game.

“On the floor of the Sacramento Valley there is an abundance of rabbits, squirrels, etc., which not only furnish excellent sport in bagging them, but are toothsome when properly served.

“Game birds are numerous and varied in the Sacramento Valley.  There are a number of native ducks, also quail and dove, and in the mountain districts there are mountain quail and grouse.  The Fall of each year also brings large flocks of migratory ducks and geese form the far north to entertain the Valley hunter.

“The lover of the rod and reel will find plenty to amuse him in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding country.  Trout streams are numerous in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and there are hundreds of mountain lakes that furnish excellent fishing.  In the rivers of the Valley black and striped bass, perch, cat fish and crappie may be taken by the angler.  Bass were introduced into the Sacramento River many years ago and have multiplied rapidly until they are now numerous enough to furnish the best of sport.  They are a gamey fish and often weigh as much as eight and ten pounds each.

“The king salmon is one of the important fishes of the Sacramento River.  This fish is taken in large quantities and is shipped to markets all over the American continent.

“In order that the trout streams of the State may not be depleted of fish, the State Fish and Game Commission maintains a number of hatcheries.  The trout spawn is taken from the fish and developed at the hatcheries.  When the little fish attain a size so that they are able to take care of themselves, they are shipped to streams in various parts of the State and liberated.  In this way millions of fish are provided for the sport of anglers every year.

Wide Variety of Products

“Probably no like area in the world produces such a wide variety of crops as the Sacramento Valley.  The list of products that are farmed for profit contains citrus and deciduous fruits, grapes, berries, nuts, olives and other sub-tropical fruits, alfalfa, cereals, and vegetables of all marketable varieties.

“The Sacramento Valley supplies the markets of the nation and also many cities of northern Europe with deciduous fruits for a period of eight months in every year.  Not only are the Sacramento Valley fruits the first to ripen each season, but they contain a delicacy of flavor not often found in fruit produced elsewhere.

“The principal varieties of deciduous fruit grown in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothills named in the order in which they appear on the market are as follows:  Cherry, apricot, peach, plum, pear, grape, apple. Some other varieties are produced to some extent, such as the nectarine, but those named are generally considered the standard fruits.  The fig is also grown in many localities, and now that the secret of caprification has been learned, the production of commercial white figs promises to be an important industry in the future.

“Cherries usually come into market in May.  The first shipments are made by express and the first boxes sold bring fancy prices.  The Valley cherries continue to be shipped until the middle of June and when they are about gone the mountain cherries from the foothill districts come into market.  The apricot follows cherries closely on the market.  This is a delicious fruit and is one of which the Sacramento Valley practically has a monopoly, as it is not produced extensively elsewhere.  Peaches and plums ripen in June, July and August and the Valley pears come into the market about July 1st.  In six weeks they are about all gone, but are followed by pears from the foothill and mountain districts.  Grapes ripen in August and continue to be shipped to markets as late in the year as December.  The finest varieties of table, wine and seedless raisin grapes are grown.  The deciduous fruit season ends when the grapes are all harvested.  Summer apples are produced in the Valley to some extent and the mountain districts surrounding the Sacramento Valley are not excelled for Winter apples.

“There are three channels through which the fruit from the Sacramento Valley and contiguous counties is marketed.  It is shipped in the fresh state in refrigerator cars by fast freight and sold in the markets in all parts of the American continent.  It is also sold to canneries, where it is preserved and packed to supply the markets of the world in the Winter months.  It is also cured by being sun dried and is sold in that form in many different civilized countries.  The deciduous fruit crop brings many millions of dollars to the Sacramento Valley farmers each year.”

Culture of Citrus Fruits

“In the production of citrus fruits, the Sacramento Valley is destined within a decade to be the leading citrus fruit producing section of the United States.  Within the past few years thousands of acres have been planted to orange and lemon trees, which thrive here vigorously.  Sacramento Valley oranges are the first to reach the markets in the Fall of the year.  They ripen about the first of November and by Christmas Day the crop is entirely harvested.  This fruit is six weeks earlier in the Sacramento Valley than anywhere else on the coast, and consequently the growers get the best prices.  The orange production of the Valley is now about a thousand carloads a year and this will be materially increased when all the groves recently planted begin to bear.

“The olive is a popular fruit of the Valley and foothill counties.  The best olives and the biggest crops in the world are produced in this region.  The industry is profitable and is growing rapidly.  Some of the biggest oil and ripe olive pickling plants in the State are in this Valley, yet they have to contend for supplies with the buyers from Southern California, who invade this region to replenish their stock.”

Alfalfa and Dairying

“Alfalfa, the greatest fodder plant that grows, produces better in the Sacramento Valley than anywhere else in North America.  Conditions here are ideal for it.  Ten tons to the acre is not an uncommon yield of this plant on irrigated land.  Alfalfa is put to many uses.  It may either be baled and sold as hay, or fed to stock and thus converted into dairy products, which are very profitable.  It is also a good fattening food for hogs, and poultry growers find it a big help in their business.

“Alfalfa is a sure profit payer, if that degree of intelligence necessary in any farming venture is exercised in its production and use.  It is probably the best crop to engage the attention of a newcomer because it will pay dividends the first year.  Hundreds of settlers who are now prospering in the Sacramento Valley and foothill counties, began with alfalfa production and later branched into dairying, fruit growing or stock raising, as they became firmly established.  There is always a market for the crop.  In some localities it is sold to alfalfa mills, which grind it up into a meal for Winter fodder.

“Alfalfa can be grown without irrigation on river bottom soils, but on uplands the best results are obtained when the crop is given an abundance of water.  When the seed is planted early in the Spring, the plant will yield a fair crop the first season and a normal crop the second year.  It is cut from four to eight times a year.

“The dairy business goes hand in hand with alfalfa production and is a rapidly growing industry in the counties of the Sacramento Valley and foothill regions adjacent thereto.  There are creameries in nearly every county and cheese and butter making are followed extensively.  There are also several large dairies devoted exclusively to the production of certified milk for consumption in the large cities of California.”

Livestock Industry

“During the past few years great strides forward have been made by the Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothill counties in breeding of thoroughbred cattle, horses, sheep and hogs.  With conditions so favorable this section of California is certain to take its place in the near future, as one of the leading stock producing valleys in America.  The advantages offered here to breeders are many.  First, may be mentioned the climate.  The mild Winters of California enable the growers to run their stock in the open all year round.  Where snow scarcely ever falls and where the mercury in the thermometer rarely drops below 32 degrees above zero, it is never necessary to lock the stock up in the barn for weeks at a time, as is done in colder regions.  Secondly, the abundance of cheap feed is a big factor in favor of the stock grower.  Where alfalfa produces as heavily as it does here, and where grass for grazing is green in the fields throughout the Winter months, it is plain that the cost of production is much less than where the animals are stall fed for long periods.  Thirdly, stock that is in the open air so much of the time is naturally stronger and better able to resist disease, than stock that is snowbound for part of the Winter.

“Several stock farms in the Valley are devoted exclusively to the production of thoroughbred dairy and beef cattle.  The breeds most favored are the Holstein-Friesian, Jersey and Guernsey in the dairy classes and shorthorns and the white-faced Herefords in beef cattle.

“Rambouillets, Shropshires, Hampshires, Southdowns and Dorset Horns are the leading sheep breeds that are produced.

“Much attention is being given to the breeding of fine draft horses, some excellent stallions and mares of the Percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale and Shire breeds having been introduced in the past few years.

“The Farm School of the University of California at Davis, Yolo County, in the Sacramento Valley, has done much to further stock raising by the introduction of new blood and by encouraging and fostering the breeding of pure breeds.”

Hogs Always in Demand

“Probably no branch of the stock raising industry offers greater opportunities for expansion in the Sacramento Valley and foothill counties than hog raising.  There is no place in the world where natural conditions are more favorable for pork production than California and yet the production of pork in this State is far below the consumption.  The only apparent reason for this is that California farmers have never given this important industry the attention it deserves.  Hogs fatten on alfalfa, as well as they do on corn and on the diary farm hogs converted skimmed milk into profits.  They eat up the waste and increase the income.  The principal breeds now raised in the Sacramento Valley are Berkshires, Duroc Jerseys, Yorkshires, Poland China and Chester Whites.”

Vegetable Production

“In the production of vegetables, the Sacramento Valley and surrounding districts must be recognized as one of the foremost sections of the nation.  Vegetables of all varieties are grown.

Fresh cabbage from this section has been shipped in carload lots to the markets of New York and Sacramento Valley celery finds a market in many States.  The most widely distributed vegetable, however, is the asparagus.  On the Sacramento River delta 20,000 acres are devoted to asparagus growing.  This delicious vegetable is not only shipped in the fresh state to markets in the East in the Spring, but as a canned product it is sold the entire year round in many countries of the world.  Dried beans are also an important crop, particularly on the low lands.  The United States government annually purchases many tons of Sacramento River beans for use in the army.  Potatoes and onions are extensively grown and are profitable.  Perishable vegetables of almost endless variety are produced for local markets.  In fact, practically every vegetable mentioned in the seedman’s catalogue is grown in the Sacramento Valley.

“In mentioning vegetables, a paragraph should be given to the sugar beet.  This is grown in many parts of the Valley.  There is a large sugar factory in Glenn County that takes much of the crop and the rest is shipped to factories in Alameda county.  The beet does exceedingly well on all Sacramento Valley land.  It attains a large size and carries a high percentage of sugar.  Growers who have planted beets have found that they pay well.”

Hops Produce Heavily

“California is one of the leading States of the American Union in the production of hops, the only other States that produce this profitable farm product being Oregon, Washington and New York.  The Sacramento Valley is the leading hop growing section of California and its production annually exceeds 75,000 bales.  Hops are grown on the river bottom lands of the Sacramento River and its tributaries.  Hops grown here are of a very fine quality and the yield per acre is heavier than elsewhere in the United States.  The vines are usually free from insect pests which give growers trouble where climatic conditions are less favorable.  Hops grow on trellises and are picked in September.  An acre of Sacramento Valley land produces about a ton of cured hops.”

Success in Poultry Raising

“Poultry raising is a field that offers excellent opportunities for success in the Sacramento Valley and foothill region.  The business is followed both as a side issue in connection with other farming and as a specialized endeavor.  It does not require much capital to make a start in poultry production in the Sacramento Valley, but it is essential that the poultry man understand the business.  In the large cities of California there is always a brisk demand for fresh ranch eggs.  Poultry raisers can produce much of the food for the flock by growing alfalfa, sunflowers, Egyptian corn, etc.  The average profit is about a dollar per hen per year, although many poultry men exceed that figure.

“In the northern part of the Valley turkeys are raised extensively for marketing in the large cities on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Turkeys are permitted to range over a big acreage and are herded in much the same way as sheep.

“There are many fanciers in the Sacramento Valley who devote their time to fancy breeds of chickens, pigeons, ducks, geese, turkeys, etc.”

Wheat, Barley and Other Grains

“A quarter of a century ago the Sacramento Valley was one of the greatest wheat producing sections on the American continent.  Grain was the principal crop grown and the great farms contained from 1,000 to 50,000 acres.  Most of these rancheros, as they were then termed, were land grants obtained from the Mexican Government before California became the property of the United States.  These farms were held as originally granted for many years.  Gradually, however, in recent years, they were subdivided and diversified farming was introduced.  Wheat farming, therefore, declined and will never again be the important crop in the Sacramento Valley that it was in former times.

“But much grain is still grown, particularly on non-irrigated lands.  The Sacramento Valley also produces barley of a very excellent quality.  Oats are grown in abundance and there is a large production of grain hay.  Many farmers have had much success by rotating the barley with other crops, such as sugar beets.  This method has been found to increase the yield per acre considerably.”

Culture of Berries and Nuts

“The great cities of the Northwest, as well as those of the Rocky Mountain States and the Middle West are familiar with Sacramento Valley berries.  Ripening early in the Spring as they do, the berries of the Sacramento Valley and contiguous foothill districts supply other districts for two months or more, before their local berries come into the market.  This makes berry production a profitable business.  These small fruits are shipped by express in refrigerated cases and arrive at their destination in perfect condition.  Shipments have been successfully made as far as New Orleans.

“Almonds and walnuts are two very profitable crops in the Sacramento Valley and adjoining foothill districts. The black walnut is a native of the Sacramento Valley, but the nuts, because of their adamantine shell, are not commercial.  It has been learned, however, that the English walnut grafted onto the black walnut stock is a successful producer.  Many acres have been planted to walnuts during the past few years and this promises to be one of the important crops of the future.

“The Sacramento Valley virtually has a monopoly on the almond production in America.  Being an early blossomer, the tree will not produce in countries subject to late severe frosts.  Certain sections of the Sacramento Valley, however, have been found ideal for this nut and it is a heavy and profitable producer.”

Rice - a New Cereal Crop

“The successful production of rice in the Sacramento Valley has added a new crop to the long list of products now grown for profit.  There are certain lands in Butte, Colusa, Sutter and Glenn counties on the floor of the Sacramento Valley that are unexcelled anywhere for rice production. The new crop was experimented with for several years before it was grown on a commercial scale.  The experiments were highly successful and it has been learned that rice will produce about twice the yield per acre in the Sacramento Valley as in other rice growing sections of the United States.  The United States Government conducts a rice experimental station at Biggs, Butte County, where hundreds of varieties are grown under different conditions for the purpose of ascertaining which treatment and which variety will produce the best.  Rice requires constant irrigation and can only be grown where there is an abundance of water.  The crop for 1914 in the Sacramento Valley totaled half a million bags.”

Irrigation

“In the days when wheat kings owned much of the farm land of the Sacramento Valley, irrigation was scarcely thought of.  The land owners sowed their crops and trusted to a kind Providence to take care of them.  Since intensive cultivation has supplanted the former farming methods, irrigation has become an important factor in the development of the Valley lands.

“There is an abundance of water to irrigate all the lands in the Sacramento Valley and contiguous foothills, and the irrigated area is constantly being increased.  Irrigation practiced here is of two kinds - by well and by gravity canal.  Irrigation by well has been found to be a very cheap and dependable method in practically every part of the Valley.  Underlying the entire Valley is a vast subterranean water supply, which can be tapped almost anywhere.  A pumping plant, operated either by electricity or by gasoline motor, can be installed for prices ranging between $250 and $300.  Such a plant is sufficient to irrigate about ten acres.

“The foothill lands and much of the Valley lands are irrigated by the gravity system.  The water is taken from the mountain streams and piped to the farms.  The Orland Irrigation Project, installed by the United States Government in Glenn County, is one of the important systems in the Sacramento Valley.

“Enough water runs to waste every year through the Sacramento River to irrigate a far greater area than that contained in the Sacramento Valley itself.”

Mineral Production

“Since the days of ’49 mining always has been and it always will be one of the leading industries of the Sacramento Valley and foothill counties.  Practically every county of which a sketch appears in this book, produces mineral wealth of some kind.  The production of gold is, of course, the most valuable of all mineral outputs of this part of California, and it is the gold produced by these northern counties that keeps California in the lead among the gold producing States of the Union.

“Quartz mining after the most improved methods is followed in the mountain counties, while dredging mining along several of the rivers – notably, the American, the Feather and the Yuba – is annually producing millions of dollars in fine gold.

“The gold production in California in 1913, according to a report of the United States Geographical Survey, was valued at $20,406,958.  This was an increase of $693,480 over the output of 1912 which was $19,713,478.  Of the gold production of the State 55 per cent is derived from deep mines and 45 per cent from placers.

“While the output of gold is of greater value than that of any other metal in California, mining for copper is an important industry in Shasta County, where enormous deposits of copper ore have been found.  Plumas is also opening up promising copper deposits.  Iron ore in large quantities has also been found in different localities and an electric process smelter for reducing the iron ore has been in operation for several years at Heroult, Shasta County.

“The manufacture of cement is another important mineral industry in the Sacramento Valley.  California ranks third among all the States in America in value of the cement output.  One of the largest plants in the State for the manufacture of this necessary building product is located in Solano County.

“Among other minerals produced in this rich mining region may be mentioned:  asbestos, potter’s clay, macadam, limestone, slate, chrome, building stone and tremendous granite deposits.

“The total value of all mineral products of California in 1913 was $100,791,369.”

Advice to New Comers

“Farm methods in the Sacramento Valley and contiguous foothill region differ greatly from those of Eastern States, mainly because of the vast difference of climatic conditions.  Newcomers to this section, therefore, are advised to seek information from reliable sources on all farm matters upon which they may be in doubt.

“In each county there is a Horticultural Commissioner, who will gladly give advice if called upon.  Horticultural Commissioners usually have offices in the Court Houses of the various county seats.  They are thoroughly acquainted with every section of their respective counties and will give advice on what to plant and how to plant it on the different soils.  These men are experts in their line and the advice they give is free of charge.  They are paid by their respective counties for this work.”

Opportunities for Settlers

“Probably no place in the world offers better opportunities for new settlers than the Sacramento Valley and foothill region.  In this land, every man will succeed if he farms intelligently and energetically; no soil on earth pays greater rewards for labor expended upon it than that of this fertile part of California.

“The valley is now experiencing an era of great prosperity.  It is growing steadily both in population and wealth.  Each day brings new farmers who are developing the lands and aiding in the upbuilding of the community.  New towns are springing up and the older ones are growing in industrial and commercial importance.  New railroads are being built and there is a general expansion of all industries.  Under diversified and intensive cultivation the output of farm products is increasing enormously.  As prices have been uniformly good for many seasons, the producers are enjoying a profitable era.

“The citizens of the counties of which this book tells are energetic, happy and prosperous.  Many of them are natives of other States, but have made California their permanent home.  They are contented with their present environment and want others to know of the many advantages this section offers.

“Farm life in the Sacramento Valley and foothill section is not drudgery.  Here the farmer in many communities enjoys all the advantages that the city man has and many others that only rural life can give.  He has his telephone and his electric lights.  His farm shop is run by electric power and his water is lifted by an electrically driven pump.  A rural free delivery gives him his mail every morning and his newspapers on the day they are printed.  A fast electric line keeps him in close communication with surrounding counties and with the large cities, where he may go when he chooses to enjoy a theater or some such pleasure and return home the same night.  He has his automobile to take his family on a pleasure ride when he wishes.  The butcher, baker, grocer, laundryman and iceman all call at his door to take orders and deliver supplies.  His garden supplies him with fresh fruits and vegetables for his table the year round.  His children go to the district school or to a nearby high school or the State University.  He enjoys a healthful life in the open air and is prosperous and independent.

Cost of Production and Profits

“Prospective settlers on Sacramento Valley and adjacent foothill lands frequently ask for figures as to the cost of bringing some of the best paying crops into bearing and the probable profit per acre after maturity.  To supply this information, the accompanying table has been prepared and the figures have been verified by Fred. C. Brosius, deputy County Horticultural Commissioner of Sacramento County.  The figures quoted are average; individual instances can be given where profits are much greater.  In the business of farming, much depends upon the man and the greatest success is always attained by the individual who not only understands how to grow products, but who masters the selling end of the industry as well.  Most important of all is the selection of soil suited to the crop to be planted.

* The cost figures in this column refer to land planted on contract.  the cost frequently will be much lower if the work is done by the land owner himself.

+ Land suited to the culture of beans and other vegetables may be rented on a division of crop basis.  The usual terms are one-third of the crop to the land owner and two-thirds to the tenant.

“This table includes only such crops as are not generally grown in other farming States of the American Union.  Such products as hay, wheat and barley are not included, as the cost of production and profits are about the same in California as elsewhere in the United States."