Historical Clippings Book (HC-11) (314 pages)

THE GREAT WEST Fine Crops on the San Juan Ridge Once the heart of California’s greatest hydraulic mining district, this favored part of Nevada county is now dotted with the improved holdings of orchardists and small farmers who are getting liberal returns as a result of their energy and application. By HON. JO V. SNYDER. NE of the most favored areas in Nevada county, and for that matter in all California, is the San Juan Ridge, extending from French Corral on the southwest to North Bloomfield on the northeast. From the very inception of hydraulic mining in the early fifties this section sprung into favor as a district capable of yielding prolific crops of fruit, vegetables and agricultural products, but the busy miners in those days confined their horticultural and agricultural energies only to the point of an adequate supply for their own consumption. Today the San Juan Ridge looms up as the future home of the fruit raiser and farmer. With the establishment of a cannery at Grass Valley there will be an assurance of the disposal of the fruits and vegetables, while the mountain markets offer a field for a portion of the crops. The rich soil, unexcelled climatic conditions, cheap vrice of land, easy ingress and egress the year around, and natural environments that go to make‘ life worth the living, all tend to attract the home-seeker who desires to make a good living, get away from the mad whirl of a busy city and reside amid the sweet odor of the blossom and the rose. The San Juan Ridge was in its palmy days one of the most noted hydraulic regions in the world, adding to the channels of commerce more than a hundred million dollars extracted from the gravel banks through the operation of the monitor. It was this industry that gave to the Ridge, as the section is best known locally, one of the best water systems in the State. On account of the ban on hydraulic mining the water systems have quite naturally deterioated, but the uprising of a demanding community and the activity of promotion bodies have practically cleared the way whereby the Ridge will enjoy in the future what it needs— water. Along the San Juan Ridge are the towns of French Corral, Birchville, Sweetland, Sebastopol, North San Juan, Cherokee, North Columbia, Lake City, Relief Hill and North Bloomfield. When one considers that good fruit land can be purchased for from $5 to $50 per acre it is no wonder that the furuie of the Ridge should be assured. French Corral, at an altitude of 1,750 feet, is a veritable garden spot. There the orange ripens and thrives six weeks earlier than in Southern California, while the fig, the peach, the plum, the prune, the nut, the pear, the cherry, the apple, the grape, the apricot, every kind of berry and vegetable, grow to the most luscious flavor and the largest size and highest quality. Recent experiment has also proven that even peanuts do well along the Ridge. The same result that is obtained at French Corral is possible and exists, with the exception of the orange, along the entire Ridge. From French Corral down to Bridgeport, on the Yuba river, there are thousands of unsettled acres of hillside lands that could be converted into producing orange groves, with the minimum of danger of the crop being nipped by frosts. The persons who acquire these lands and clear and plant them are the ones who will reap the golden harvest and see them double and treble in value. Properly cared for places along the Ridge are examples of what that region is capable of producing. A visit to tue Moynier, Ray, Ransom, Hughes, Myers anl numerous other places will convince the home-seeker of the great possibila ie of the San Juan Ridge. No better canteloupes, apples, figs and cherries are raised anywhere in golden California than along the San Juan Ridge. North San Juan is noted for its cherries, while above that place all the way to North Bloomfield is the natural home of the apple. The Hughes Brothers of Shady Creek yearly ship apples to all parts of the world and there is always a certain market for apples of the quality produced on the Ridge. Potatoes from the San Juan Ridge find a market while those from the valley regions do not. Just as an instance: An acre of potatoes on the Ridge yields all the way from three to ten tons, worth from $2 to $2.50 per sack, with a cost of only $3 per acre for irrigation. Apples bring $300 to the acre and Bartlett pears about the same. Less than a sixth of an acre at the Moynier Brothers’ place has yielded ‘$300 for fresh figs (two crops a year), besides over a thousand pounds of dried figs that brought eight cents a pound. One of their fig trees brings them $100 per year. Forest Resources of Nevada County (Continued from page 3.) The coniferous timber belt is encountered at an elevation of about 2,000 feet below which oak is the predominating species. It is composed of yellow pine, sugar pine, white fir, douglas fir, and incense cedar, more or less intermingled with oak to about the 4,500 foot level. Above this belt is the red fir forest, largely virgin in character, in which is found in addition to red fir, white pine, lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock. This alpine forest protects the watersheds of the streams upon which the lower country is so dependent, and constitutes a source of material for paper-making. A mill at Floriston in Nevada county is now using red fir wood extensively for this purpose. There is no doubt but that there is sufficient timber in Nevada county to supply all local needs and the excellent growth of timber coming on will more than keep pace with the increased demand which the development of the county will bring about. The miner is especially fortunate in that there is a ready supply of mature timber for lagging and lumber and the dense stands of second growth offer an economical source for poles and posts. Wood is the staple fuel of Nevada county residents. Oak, pine, douglas fir, commonly known as spruce, are readily accessible and are supplied the local market at a low figure. The continued supply of timber implies that it will properly be conserved and protected. The great decrease in the amount of timber destroyed by fire of late years can be largely attributed to the awakened public sentiment regarding care about fire. This sentiment has been fostered and encouraged by the Forest Service which is concerned that the people secure the greatest possible benefit from the county’s great natural resources. Realizing that the timber asset was a great factor in the development of the county, the Forest Service sought to provide for its protection by inaugurating a protective system consisting of lookout towers on commanding peaks, an extensive system of telephonic communication and an efficient patrol organization. The hearty co-operation of Nevada county residents has been of immense assistance towards the perpetuation of this great natural resource which means so much to every resident within its borders. —.

THE GREAT WEST Fine Crops on the San Juan Ridge Once the heart of California’s greatest hydraulic mining district, this favored part of Nevada county is now dotted with the improved holdings of orchardists and small farmers who are getting liberal returns as a result of their energy and application. By HON. JO V. SNYDER. NE of the most favored areas in Nevada county, and for that matter in all California, is the San Juan Ridge, extending from French Corral on the southwest to North Bloomfield on the northeast. From the very inception of hydraulic mining in the early fifties this section sprung into favor as a district capable of yielding prolific crops of fruit, vegetables and agricultural products, but the busy miners in those days confined their horticultural and agricultural energies only to the point of an adequate supply for their own consumption. Today the San Juan Ridge looms up as the future home of the fruit raiser and farmer. With the establishment of a cannery at Grass Valley there will be an assurance of the disposal of the fruits and vegetables, while the mountain markets offer a field for a portion of the crops. The rich soil, unexcelled climatic conditions, cheap vrice of land, easy ingress and egress the year around, and natural environments that go to make‘ life worth the living, all tend to attract the home-seeker who desires to make a good living, get away from the mad whirl of a busy city and reside amid the sweet odor of the blossom and the rose. The San Juan Ridge was in its palmy days one of the most noted hydraulic regions in the world, adding to the channels of commerce more than a hundred million dollars extracted from the gravel banks through the operation of the monitor. It was this industry that gave to the Ridge, as the section is best known locally, one of the best water systems in the State. On account of the ban on hydraulic mining the water systems have quite naturally deterioated, but the uprising of a demanding community and the activity of promotion bodies have practically cleared the way whereby the Ridge will enjoy in the future what it needs— water. Along the San Juan Ridge are the towns of French Corral, Birchville, Sweetland, Sebastopol, North San Juan, Cherokee, North Columbia, Lake City, Relief Hill and North Bloomfield. When one considers that good fruit land can be purchased for from $5 to $50 per acre it is no wonder that the furuie of the Ridge should be assured. French Corral, at an altitude of 1,750 feet, is a veritable garden spot. There the orange ripens and thrives six weeks earlier than in Southern California, while the fig, the peach, the plum, the prune, the nut, the pear, the cherry, the apple, the grape, the apricot, every kind of berry and vegetable, grow to the most luscious flavor and the largest size and highest quality. Recent experiment has also proven that even peanuts do well along the Ridge. The same result that is obtained at French Corral is possible and exists, with the exception of the orange, along the entire Ridge. From French Corral down to Bridgeport, on the Yuba river, there are thousands of unsettled acres of hillside lands that could be converted into producing orange groves, with the minimum of danger of the crop being nipped by frosts. The persons who acquire these lands and clear and plant them are the ones who will reap the golden harvest and see them double and treble in value. Properly cared for places along the Ridge are examples

of what that region is capable of producing. A visit to tue Moynier, Ray, Ransom, Hughes, Myers anl numerous other places will convince the home-seeker of the great possibila ie of the San Juan Ridge. No better canteloupes, apples, figs and cherries are raised anywhere in golden California than along the San Juan Ridge. North San Juan is noted for its cherries, while above that place all the way to North Bloomfield is the natural home of the apple. The Hughes Brothers of Shady Creek yearly ship apples to all parts of the world and there is always a certain market for apples of the quality produced on the Ridge. Potatoes from the San Juan Ridge find a market while those from the valley regions do not. Just as an instance: An acre of potatoes on the Ridge yields all the way from three to ten tons, worth from $2 to $2.50 per sack, with a cost of only $3 per acre for irrigation. Apples bring $300 to the acre and Bartlett pears about the same. Less than a sixth of an acre at the Moynier Brothers’ place has yielded ‘$300 for fresh figs (two crops a year), besides over a thousand pounds of dried figs that brought eight cents a pound. One of their fig trees brings them $100 per year. Forest Resources of Nevada County (Continued from page 3.) The coniferous timber belt is encountered at an elevation of about 2,000 feet below which oak is the predominating species. It is composed of yellow pine, sugar pine, white fir, douglas fir, and incense cedar, more or less intermingled with oak to about the 4,500 foot level. Above this belt is the red fir forest, largely virgin in character, in which is found in addition to red fir, white pine, lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock. This alpine forest protects the watersheds of the streams upon which the lower country is so dependent, and constitutes a source of material for paper-making. A mill at Floriston in Nevada county is now using red fir wood extensively for this purpose. There is no doubt but that there is sufficient timber in Nevada county to supply all local needs and the excellent growth of timber coming on will more than keep pace with the increased demand which the development of the county will bring about. The miner is especially fortunate in that there is a ready supply of mature timber for lagging and lumber and the dense stands of second growth offer an economical source for poles and posts. Wood is the staple fuel of Nevada county residents. Oak, pine, douglas fir, commonly known as spruce, are readily accessible and are supplied the local market at a low figure. The continued supply of timber implies that it will properly be conserved and protected. The great decrease in the amount of timber destroyed by fire of late years can be largely attributed to the awakened public sentiment regarding care about fire. This sentiment has been fostered and encouraged by the Forest Service which is concerned that the people secure the greatest possible benefit from the county’s great natural resources. Realizing that the timber asset was a great factor in the development of the county, the Forest Service sought to provide for its protection by inaugurating a protective system consisting of lookout towers on commanding peaks, an extensive system of telephonic communication and an efficient patrol organization. The hearty co-operation of Nevada county residents has been of immense assistance towards the perpetuation of this great natural resource which means so much to every resident within its borders. —.