Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-01-12
Letter from Southern California,


FL MONTE, Los Angeles Co. CAL..
Dec. IL, 1876.
To the Editor .! the FREQ Press and Times
Making coarse crops Is the work Of sea-
son. 4 vineyard or an orchard requires
money, time, perseverance and patience.
But sem-trupical fruit farm, once estab-
lished, its management IS business and
regular profits may be estimated. To make
it u success 1t requires money capital to
start with. OF course farmer of moder-
ate means may succeed. though not 80 quick
ly as Il capitalist, NJ great amount of labor
is required to raise the products necessary
for the family. Spare exertions beyond
this, may be devoted to fruit trees or vine
yard Wbeu the latter begins To return
profits, which is in about eight years for
oranges, five for grapes and less time for
growing Of oranges and kindred fruits. Tor
commerce, began in this county about twenty
wears ago. Grapes have been cultivated for
a century. The orange tree will bear for
century Its estimated yield for its HE Is
thirty thousand oranges. Ii l. very hardy
after it has attained its growth, Will stand
heavy frosts without injury, but requires Il
good deal Of attention and wuter-thOugh,
as To water some experienced orchardlstS
say that after getting good start they are
better without. Two and three THOUSAND
and upwards of oranges from tree In
single season is not unusual. They are mar
keted in San Francisco Ut about cents
niece, BY the quantity. At this rate it Is u
very profitable crop and as might be ex-
uected in 50 excitable Il country as CallfOr-
MIA, We have had for several years Il mania
for orange culture. There are about seventy
five thousand orange trees III this county.
Nearly all of these have been set out during
the last six years Oranges will.pay well at
one cent apiece To this price II Is not un-
reasonable to expect they will ultimately
come here, us elsewhere.
You may suppose that your humble ser
want. as II matter of course, had to be seized
with oranges on the brain. Not a bit OF 1t.
| have seen too many popular spasms and
coutortions to get anything on the BRAIN
OnO uI DullluStOu = HiohiihSht S'-''
iorry years ago, used to say that rinety-oine
peoIlc out OF hundred are fools. The title
would certainly seem to fit Il host in Cali
fornm. For no matter what the thing Is. II
understood to be profitable, everything Is
dropped and !, heavy rush Is made for the
new idea. A. an example: In 1900 |
sold cabbages in san Francisco at $3.50
each potatoes. 25 to Is cents per pound
and hay at 100000 per ton Immediately
speculative farming rushed to the same pro
ducts by 1858 the growth of these staples
was 50 exaggerated a| to he ruinous 20 the
pruducerS Fruit in San Francisco, in carly
DAYS. commanded fabulous rates grapes,
for example, s. 80 per pound. At
very early day there was rush to I'LL the
shores OF the Bay Of san Francisco with or
chard4. And they did it. Years ago, the
growing Of ordinary fruit near San Francis
co ceased to yield favorable returns whilst
grapes tumbled To one cent per pound and
less in the rural districts for wine making.
High prices in agricultural products are surer
and swiiter lUrerunners ci low prices IN
California than elsewhere. Our fancy crops
are likely to tumble from their fancy eninen-
ces, vet will continue to be gOodly paying
crops | will describe grape culture Tor wine
aud raisin-making in my next.
Yours, GKo. ii. PACK.