Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-06-04
The Orange VS.. the Vine.

its of orange culture in Los Angeles
county ran up to marvellous figures. In
q speech delivered by Mr.. j. de Barth
Shorb to public body that gentleman
stated that a single acre of Col. B. D..
Wilson's older orange groves had
yielded nearly $500 in single year,
fact which can be readily believed when
single trees have been known to net 500
or $40, and when from sixty to eighty
trees can be planted to the acre. Mr..
Charles Nordhoff, in his work on Cali
fornia, gave a number of statistics with
regard to the profits of our Los Angeles
orange groves which doubtless seemed
extravagant to many of his readers, but
which were abundantly sustained by the
facts at the time of his visit.
At that time, on the other hand, our
vineyard interests were in a very de-
pressed state. With few exceptions,
here and there, the wines which were
made in Los Angeles county could
scarcely be called of high grade. In
no industry which has at any time come
under our observation have such great
advances been made as amongst our
wine-makers during the past five or six
years. Nevertheless, the poor quality
of much OF the stuff which was foisted
ON the market as Los Angeles wine, and
the indifferent facilities for commanding
market, invested the business of rails
ing grapes in the bluest kind of an at
mosphere. The growers of grapes and
the makers of wine were in state bor-
dering on despair.
1t was at this stage of almost hope
lessness that the late Don Mateo Keller
and Mr.. L. j. Rose threw themselves
into the breach, and inaugurated what
might fairly be called vineyard
''boom." Don Mateo Keller carried on
to the Centennial Exposition Los Ange-
les wines whose excellence ut once capti-
waited the Eastern palate. Almost SIM
ultaneously Mr.. L. ]. Rose made ar
rangements by which the Sunny Slope
vintages were introduced into New
York, Boston, Chicago and other East
ern cities.
1t was not long before the labors of
these gentlemen bore fruit in the revival
of our vineyard interests, which has
continued ever since, with accelerated
pace, and which guarantees a modest
competency to the possessor OF twenty
acres of land with vines four or five years
old.
Curiously enough, at the very time
which was signalized by the setting in
of what might be called the wine and
raisin grape "boom, our orange inter-
ests began to languish. The explana-
ton was within very easy reach of the
inquirer. Hitherto the main consumer
of Los Angeles oranges had been San
Francisco, and the failure of the Com
stock lode had turned the Frisco mind
into the channels of economy. In addi-
ton to that, mary orchards had reached
the productive stage, which, with the
curtailed market, simply meant disaster
to the orchardist.
1t was at this stage that the extension
of the Southern Pacific Railway to
Eastern connections promised relief to
the orchardist, and there were not want
ing sagacious citizens of Los Angeles
county who saw the opening and were
determined to embrace it's utmost ad-
vantags. In this respect Mr.. j. de
Barth Shorb was to the orange orchard
ist what Mr.. L. J. Rose had been to the
vinoyardist. He made trip to Chicago,
and other Eastern cities, with the express
view of developing outside markets for
our citrus fruits. He found the condi-
tions favorable to the inception of
mutually profitable business relations if
the railway company would grant cer-
tain freight concessions.
Our readers are familiar with the pub
lie movement towards that end. When
the desires of our orcbardists were pre-
sented to the managers of the Southern
Pacific by Mr.. Shorb and Others, that
corporation at once responded in the
most liberal spirit, and gave our people
rates which were fifty per cent. less
than those which had previously pre-
vailed.
To-day we are confronted with the
agreeable fact that Los Angeles oranges
are in demand all over the United States.
The orchardist who has been careful to
plant fair grade of fruit finds an eager
competition for his products, at remuner-
ative prices. We are now confronted,
in this county, with "booms" which
may fairly be said to embrace the citrus
fruits, wine, brandy and the cereals,
both wheat and barley being now highly
profitable products thing which could
not be truthfully said some years ago.
In fact, there is not single staple of
Los Angeles county which does not to-
day command most satisfactory mar
ket.
The question arises, Which is the
most profitable investment, vineyard or
an orange grove? In view of the fact
that Mr.. Dalton, of this city, last year
netted over $500 from quarter of an
acre planted in orange trees of fine
quality, and of a mature growth,
we should be inclined to think
that an orange grove takes the palm, by
long odds. On the other hand, it re-