Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-06-01
Our Productive Possibilities.

In the letter of Hon. John p Irish, of
Iowa, to his paper, the Io,ca State Press,
cur readers will find the impressions pro-
duced upon keen and dispassionate OBJ
server by sojourn of seyeralweeks dura-
ton in Los Angeles. There is in MIR. lrish's
letter nothing of exaggeration, while
there are of course few errors which are
unavoidable in such hastily compiled
data. By the way, we notice, in the
Press, of May 26th, that snow to a
considerable depth still laid on the
ground in Iowa, with no indication of
an immediate thaw. 1t is small wonder
that the inhabitants of such an ice
bound region warm up with enthusiasm
to the sunny land Of Los Angeles.
Taking the poetical aspects of this
Iowan's communication for granted, we
wish to dwell upon one phase of his
letter, viz, that in which he tells his
readers that competency may be read
lily made in Los Angeles county by an
industrious man on twenty acres of land.
While this is entirely true, it must be
borne in mind that he must be the right
kind of man, and that he must come
to Los Angeles with. the ability to pay
for his land and keep out of debt till
his improvements bring their natural
and inevitable return. The failure to
bear this in mind has led to many tinan-
cial wrecks in the past, although these
failures were due in large measure to the
fact that our wine and brandy interests
had not then attained the vigor and
prosperity which characterize them now,
nor had our railway system advanced to
tithe Of its present perfection and SER
viceableness, embracing, as it now does,
the whole continent by several trans
continental routes. The vitalizing of
our vineyard interests and the extension
of the railways tributary to this city
have constituted the "open sesame to
q development of wealth, founded upon
our soil products, which is as yet but in
its initial. Under the circumstances
which now environ the producer, it is
possible to realize. from twenty acres of
our eligible lands, twice the income
which quarter section of the best Mis-
sissippi bottom lands would guarantee
to its possessor. 1t is not too much to
say that after his vineyard is fairly in
bearing, the owner of twenty acres of
land in Los Angeles county may count
on a net income of $500, and if he
learns how to make his own wines, and
gives them the proper care, he can cas-
lily double that sum. If he cares to
turn his attention to raising oranges,
while the period of probation is greater,
as the market stands now the income is
infinitely larger, and he has the satisfac-
tion of knowing that the yield of his
groves will increase every year. We
have heretofore mentioned the fact,
which is Of course exceptional, that Mr..
Dalton, during the past year, off of a
quarter of an acre of old orange trees,
netted $500.
While the new conner in Los Angeles
county labors under the drawback OF
encountering higher prices for real es-
tate than those who preceded him, he
has some compensating advantages
which the pioneers lacked. In the first
place, when our earlier vineyards and
orange groves were set out it was hap.
hazard experiment. In the orange
groves particularly, indifference to the
quality of the fruit was a noticeable cir.
cumstance. The new conner now bene.
fits by the cordially impaired experience
OF his older co-laborers. He can start
out at once with the Mediterranean
Sweet, the Washington Navel, the
Blood Orange, and other valued species,
as to which fund of very valuable in
formation has been collected, and whose
cultivation will assure him much
larger income than the planting of the
common varieties. The same NAV be
said as to the new vineyardist. A great
number of new and valuable grapes
have been introduced into Los Angeles
county which were unknown ten years
ago, and which have been found spe.
cially adapted to our sun and soil, being
remarkably prolific and making a class
of wines which are in great demand in
the Eastern and home markets. We
should not like to name the sums which
have been netted from single acres
planted to these grapes, because it
would excite expectations which it is
far better to have pitched in lower
key.
As to our wine and brandy interests,
the fact should not be forgotten that
they are now ON most stable and en-
dnring basis. The demand for them in
the East is not only great but steadily
on the Increase. Mr.. L. J. Rose alone
maintains houses in New York, Boston.
Chicago and other great cities, and
great difficulty is found in filling orders.
The facilities for making wines and
brandies have been increased over hun.
dred per cent. during the past three
years, and the great manufacturers are
eager competitors for grapes. The San
Gabriel Wine Company are now putting
up an enormous distillery and winery,
whose operations, under the direction of
Mr.. ]. de Barth Shorb, will be on a
colossal scale. Everything is Indicative
OF an unexampled activity in this branch