Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-02-28
orange Culture in Cali sornia.


The Overland Monthly for March
has well written article on this SUBJ
ject by Taliesin Evans which we con-
dense as follows: The orange was in
stroduced into Alta California, by
Father Junipero and his associates a
century ago. Their experience in the
cultivation of semi-tropical fruits in
Spain and Mexico enabled them quick
ly to recognize the adaptability of the
soil and climate of California for these
fruits. The first oranges were planted
in San Diego The only living orange
trees planted by Father JuniperO and
his immediate successors are to be
found in the Mission gardens of San
Gabriel and at old San Bernardino.
Those at San Gabriel are 70 or 80 years
old, and are still bearing well. For a
long time, even after the country was
settled by Americans, the erroneous
impression prevailed that none but
the few favored spots in the State
settled by the Missions were adapted
to orange culture. This error has now,
however, been fully exploded, and
oranges are successfully grown from
Butte county to San Diego, both in
valley and foot hill counties. These
valuable facts have been demonstrated
by accident rather than design, but
they are none the less valuable and in
structive.
The experience of the past season
has demonstrated that the orange is
much the harder and will bear
colder temperature than the vine.
While the vines in Anaheim and Los
Angeles were greatly injured by late
frosts last spring, the orange trees
escaped entirely uninjured, and the
orange crop of the present season is
one of the best and most plentiful ever
produced. Oranges have been success
fully grown in the open air on the
Sierra Nevadas, at an elevation of q
500 to 5000 feet, where snow falls fire.
quently in winter. There is no danger
of the production being greater than
the demand. In 1872 the home product
and importation were about equal.
In 1922, there passed over the Los
Angeles and San Pedro railroad 1000
boxes of oranges of 200 to the box. The
number of oranges received in San
Francisco the three past years from
the Southern counties have been as
follows: Oranges received in 1901,
1855, $50; oranges received in 1872,
4,701, 1857; oranges received in 1928,
1876, 435. From foreign ports there
were received in 1872, 1885,, 94S oranges,
and in 1873, 40,000,000. The above
statements show that, with no increase
in population or facilities for reaching
more extended market, we need
double the present production to equal
the home demand. The development
of the railroad system and the in
crease of population will greatly ex-
tend the market AID increase the
demand. The soil best adapted to
orange culture is we'll drained, rich
alluvial. From fifty to sixty trees to
the acre is sufficient. Most of the
orange orchards in the Southern coun-
ties are natural or ungrafted, and it is
believed they make the larger, better,
and longer lived trees. Grated trees
bear sooner. Seeding orange trees
seldom bear until seven years old.
Following is the estimated cost of
an orange orchard of ten acres: Cost
of ten acres of improved land, at $50
per acre, $500; cost of stock, say fifty
2-year old trees, $125; cost of labor,
$500; incidental expenses, 5000; total,
$1,225. Orange trees fifteen years old
will bear from 1000 to 1000 oranges,
netting $40 to $25 per tree, or 81 900 to
~, 900 per acre.
B. ID. Wilson of Los Angeles nets
from his orchard $1,000 per annum
per acre. The Wolfskill orchard, of
thirty acres, nets its owner from $45,-
600 to $4,000 per annum. l.. ]. Rose
sold the oranges from 500 trees in 1873
for $4,000. The following table shows
the cost of farming ten acres of full
bearing orchard, value of crop and net
profit for one year:
Wages of one regular hand, one year, at
$40 per $3.50
Cost of feed for one span of horses. $40
Wages of six Chinese fruit gatherers,
.three months, at $50 per month.......... $40
Cost OF $3.50 boxes TO box 100 900 oranges,
at 70 cents per 80
incidental expenses, 100
Total ..........."............. So, 1870
Proceeds of sale of 760,000 oranges, at $40
per l,OO0 on the ground $1,000
Net Sll $40