The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-08-07
1022
ORANGES AND ARITHMETIC.


losing their enthusiasm, or NOR
probably never had any, in the bus
ness. If these people were merel
croakers, "a class of people wit
which every community is blessed,
we would not waste ink upon them
but we hear doubts expressed as t.
the profitableness of oranges by mel
whose intelligence on other subject,
is unquestioned. Let us figure lit
tie and see if we cannot find streak
of fat as well as of lean.
When we came here in 1873 or.
anges were worth four bits a dozen
in any of the orchards and from
twenty to forty dollars thousand in
San Francisco. The ruling price last
Winter, four years later, in the or
chards three cents apiece, and in San
Francisco eighteen to forty-five dol.
lars per thousand. And yet we
heard the same dismal complaint of
over production, difficulty of grow
ing, inferior quality of fruit and failure
to market then that we hear now.
but as there really is large area
of ground planted out to oranges in
Riverside alone, besides many small
er fruit growing associations around
lis, we will take it for granted that in
stead OF averaging three cents apiece
they will only bring one half cent
each, in other words that they will
fall to one sixth their present value.
What then will be the gross income
from ten acres of orange trees plant
ed in the usual manner? At twelve
years Of age they will bear an aver
age Of one thousand oranges to the
tree, which at the above price will be
$500; 100 trees to the acre makes
$500; ten acres brings it up to S.
600. 1t will cost little orno more to
take care of the orchard then than
when first planted, with the excep-
ton of pruning and picking. The
total cost for the,'year can not be ex-
actly stated, but will certainly fall |
short OF $500, when everything is
hired, and much less when the own
q -f'- does t t work himself (which he
generally would do unless his income
was so liberal that he preferred put
ing his time in overseeing the ranch.)
The magnificent Wolfskin orchard
in Los Angeles city only costs $3.50
per annum for pruning and there are
in it some.60 acres old bearing trees.
BY the way, the old story was re-
peated again this year in the product
of that orchard. The fortunate own
er realized, if we are correctly in
formed $4,000 for his entire crop,
by contract. A ten acre orchard,
such as we were speaking of, at last
Winters prices, would bring in the
really handsome figure of $4,000; |
and there.is a chance to improve even
on that, for the trees 60 on increas
ing in capacity till they average at
least 1000 to the season. -Gallesio
in his treatise speaks OF trees which
he saw in Spain which yielded 1000;
while our own Captain Abbott certi-
es to having seen st Michael tree
in the Sandwich Islands which bore |
10000!
We would not undervalue the diff
culties and discouragements attend
ant upon bringing large grove into
bearing, nor ignore the tedious de-
lay and long waiting before substan-
tial results are seen. But this is only
the converse of the usual rule that
ethat which costs nothing is worth
nothing" and confirmation of the
senatorial declaration that there is no
excellence without great labor.
Every school-boy knows this by the
hearing Of the ear; but by the time
that school-boy sits under the shade
of his own ten thousand dollar or
chard he will know it by hard exper
fence. Still. it can be done, and is
being done right here and being done