The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-05-11
Orange Culture in California.

Orange Culture in California.
We clip the following statistics OF
making an orange grove in Calitor-
MIA, from the address Of Mr.. L. NJ.
Holt, secretary of the Southern Cali
fornia Horticultural Society. 1t will
be observed that the rates are far
above those charged in Florida in
some of the items, land for one,
San orange orchard in full bearing
will yield 100000 oranges to the acre;
SIS per thousand will pay all the ex-
penses of taking care of the orchard
and picking and marketing the crop
in San Francisco, or TO any other
market to which the treights are no
greater. 1t the price shout come
down from the present figures TO $40
per 1,O00-jobbing rates-there will
still be left SIS per 1000 or 5000 per
acre for the producer, which on ten
acre tract will satisfy the cupidity of
the most avaricious. There is
scarcely a possibility that the price
of good clean oranges will reach so
low a figure as $40 per thousand yet
for years to come.
WHAT WILL IT COST TO GET SUCH
AN ORCHARD?
AS a guide to those who may de-
sire TO figure on the Proba bile expense
of starting an orange orchard, give
below some figures which are appli-
cable to Riverside; they must be
changed somewhat for other local
tiles. Land in Riverside settlement
is comparatively high. One year ago
good wild land could be obtained Tor
SIS per acre, and even at $50 per
acre under the canals. To-day there
is none for sale at less figure than
$50 per acre, and choice land in
good locations is held at 5000 per
acre firm. Lower priced lands can
be had in other localities, and in no
place in Southern California does it
command as high figure as here in
Riverside. In applying these figures
to other localities the price OF land
can be figured all the way from $25
to 500 per acre. Following are the
figures for ten acre tract.
COST.
10 acres of land in Riverside. -......S 81 500
| 1000 trees budded or seedling...... 75O
Planting and caring for same 1st-
season at $25 per acre 25O
Caring for orchard second year at
S15 per acre. ....................... $50
Third wear SIS per acre 15O
| Fourth year $50 per acre zoo
| Fifth year $25 per acre .-..-.------ 25O
Other expenses incidental to work. 800
Total for years $500
Interest on acknowledgements 1900
| lOUdl- C,OOO
This is the expense account. There
will be some receipts. 1t good buds
ded trees are planted, the third year
will give little fruit; the fourth
year still more, and at the end OF the
end OF the fifth year there will be
quite fine crop. In order to be safe
in these calculations we will place
the. yield and prices at the lowest
possible estimate:
Third year crop scattering oranges,
few hundred or thousand-not
I counte0.-
Fourth year an average of so oranges
to the tree-50,000 oranges at $50
per thousand. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 81 900
Fifth year 200 to the tree-200,000 or
anges at $40 per thousand.
If these prices are maintained the
owner has his investment all back
again at the end Of five years, and Is
ready to ship oranges in large guam.
titles every year thereafter.
All persons planting orange Or
chards do not do as well as this and
some do better. Those figures repe>
sent what can be done with good
judgment and thorough work. 1t a
man thinks TO save by getting cheap
and incompetent work he may sue.