History of California 18601890 Author:Hubert Howe Bancroft Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. FRUIT-GROWING AND GRAPES. 1769-1889. Ceres And Pomona—Italy Excelled—Comparative Yield—Fruit Seasox And Flavor—Products And Pests—Drying And ... more »Canning—Shipping —Farm Orchards—Apples—Citrus Fruits—The Orange—Pears— Cost Ok Cultivation—Scale Infliction—Figs—Almonds And Other Nuts—The Olivb—Berries—The Grape—Wine-making—Raisins- Flo Webs And Forest Trees. Fruit culture and the vine are the rising industries of California, and although Ceres may retain control over the large areas, Pomona will count under her sway a greater number of subjects, with votaries of high intelligence and prosperity, who shall vest in this Italy of America the choicest treasures of southern Europe. Few countries can display so great a variety of excellent fruit, some of which, like the grape and pear, seem to have found here their best development, while others, as the apricot, olive, and fig thrive nowhere better throughout the United States. The loose soil and sunny climate combine to give the trees and shrubs a strong and rapid growth, with early bearing and large and abundant fruit. As compared with the eastern states, the yield is about double, and trees begin bearing at half the age. Vines and many other plants yield about twice the quantity of fruit obtained in Europe, and for product as well as size our orchards excel. Cherries are in the market from May to October; strawberries nearly all the year, in the PICKING AND PACKING. 39 south. Indeed, fruit-picking never ceases, for the citrus season covers all the months when other orchards sleep. Owing to the equable temperature, failures of crops are rare, and partial at the most, and pests are comparatively few and mild in their ravages, particularly under the remedial measures favored by climate, irrigation, low training ...« less