The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-02-12
the orange groves of southern Cali

the orange groves of southern Cali
fornia.
These oranges are the remnants o.
the crop that matured in the Winter
OF 1878, and were left, a few
through oversight, the majority in
tentlonally, because too small for
market. Southern California, being
a producer Of the fruits of all zones
each month being the heydey or wit
ness OF the climax of some crop or
another, it follows that more than
one fair each year is necessary for the
complete display of our soil prod
ucts. Owing to the remarkable pre-
sentative qualities of the climate,
two fairs each year would afford sut-
fclent opportunity for full display.
Two fairs year would, however,
overtax the fair sustaining resources.
Loquots, japanese persimmons,
strawberries, granadillas, cherries,
currants, raspberries, black berries,
salmon berries, whortleberries, goose
berries oranges and other products,
are likely to be forever strangers to
the annual fair.
People will forgive the non-exhibi-
ton of almost any fruit rather than
the orange. A Los Angeles fais,
without oranges, is like a fair at
Newark, with cider left out, or at
Sheffield, with pocket knives left out,
or at Newcastle, without black dia-
monds. Even our own fellow South
ern Californians arraign this omission
of oranges. The faithful San Diegan
has more faith in climate, harbor,
and transcontinental, than in Los
Angeles fair, with oranges left out.
1t was San Diegan who printed
animadversions on this latest parallel
of the play Of Hamlet, with Hamlet
left out. The San Diegan in this
connection is exercised two times {:
Firstly, because he saw 10 oranges at
the fair; secondly, because he had
some splendid ripe oranges himself,
and did not bring them to the fair.
He did not wish to incur the sus-
picion of being the identical man
who carried Goals to Newcastle.
Bring on your San Diegan oranges
next October. Some Los Angeles
tree may be permitted TO carry it's
best gold until next October, in order
to a competitive display.
In 10 respect are the citrus inter-
ests OF California and other citrus re-
gions in contradistinction, more IA
vorable to California than in the Ca
pacity Of our orange to remain sound
and good great while after the date
of ripeness. The orange grower
here, may spread gathering over
full half year, and spread cleaning
over the remaining six months, or
may begin and finish the harvest in
any week from December to April.
The orange grower of California, as
a harvester, is freer from the necessi-
ty Of hurry than any other known
fruit grower. They are, i'll sense,
masters OF the situation, and the i'll
dependent electors OF times OF gath
ering and times Of marketing. The
Importance of such a full range of
option between such widely apart
extreme limits of time, is appreciated
even by the novice.
In contrast with these advantages
ofthe Californian orange grower are
the necessities Of the Floridian to
gather and market oranges within a
very much shorter period, because OF
the liability to early decay. The
writer, on tour through Florida,
some years since, arrived at Micanopy
in the first week in January, and was
informed that single cold night in
the next previous December had re-
duced an orange crop from merchant
able value Of $4,000 to a value only
for the purpose of a double-quick
gratuitous distribution among the
neighbors. Other causes hasten the
decay of oranges in Florida.
Another conspicuous advantage
arising in the disposition and habit of
the orange of California to remain
sound ON the tree in ripe state,
from December to December, are the
convenience and luxury of eating ripe
oranges directly from the tree every
day in the year. Tlese answered
apples OF gold, in pictures OF orange
bowers, deepen in hues of gold and
intensity nectarine riches as they lin
ger.
AS for lemons and lines, they, too,
may be had fresh from the tree every
one OF 365 days in the year. The
lime tree here, any day both of Win
ter and Summer. present leaf-bud,