Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-03-10
The Tree Trade.

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The Tree Trade.
In ramble through the various de
pots for the sale OF fruit, ornamenta
and forest trees, in this city, many ne,
facts were brought cut of much interes
to the public, in regard to the kind 0
trees planted.
OF fruit trees the apricot appears t
be enc Of Tho leaders, and all Of iarg
size appear to have been sold. Their
are some fine yearling buds yet on tn,
market, but few of any older period.
The Bartlett pear is rival for pub
lie favor and meets with nm immens
sale. From present appearances all tn
Bartlett pear trees of proper age TO
planting will be sold within the presen
month. The pear is a peculiar fruit
1t seems to crave an alkaline diet, an.
the soil of California has SO much o
alkaline matter in its composition tina
the pear grows to its greatest perfection
in this commonwealth. Owing to thi
appetite for alkali it often grows wher,
other trees will not live, and bear
abundanlly of delicious fruit.
Coupled with this popularity of the
pear trees thrift in alkaline soil, is the
fine flavor. positive and piquant, which
this quality of soil imparts to the fruit
1t seems also to give vigor and longevity
to the tree, 30 that while the blight
sweeps away the pear trees of the Mid
die States, sometimes, in few weeks
the same kind of tree grows robustly
and rapidly in our favored soil, which
seems to have been designed by nature
for the home OF the pear tree in its per.
lection. The quality of the fruit is SC
peculiarly rich in flavor and juice thai
the reputation of California pears is ma.
tional and also international. The de.
mand for this fruit is phenomenal and
constant. 1t is in demand while fresh,
dried or canned, and forms large item,
of the freight business of the overland
railways.
Our fruit farmers see this potent and
patent fact. and are making an effort to
overtake the demand by planting larger
orchards of this kind of fruit They
observe that the great purchasers are
shippers, who do not like to have their
fruit handled overmuch. They do not
wish to buy by the basket, box or small
load that has been handled over
frequently, but prefer to purchase an
orchard crop 4 time, and pick at the
proper time of ripeness to box and ship
from the tree in spring wagons to the
flying refrigerator car, to glide into the
eastern market without delay.
In that manner the shipper, with his
expert help, will get no bruised or over.
ripe f.uit, and ship what and when he
needs. A single tree has no charms to
a shipper who ships q carload at time
at reduced rates, but large orchard is
his especial delight.
Realizing this fact it is noticeable that
our fruit farmers are all increasing the
size of their orchards, and raising a
larger NUMBER of each variety of fruit.
An illustration of this is shown in the
new orchard of Mr.. G.. D. Carleton, be.
low the city. on the railway. There is
q now orchard of 5000 Bartlett pear
trees in body. Such thing was un.
known in this part of the country before
the railway made it possible to ship
directly to Chicago and other great pear
markets. Before that time our fruit
raisers planted few of each kind Of
deciduous fruit trees, and no large
orchards were planted except orange
groves.
A farmer with twenty kinds of fruit
had to find nearly twenty purchasers in
order to rid himself of crop. Now
with large amount of one kind of fruit
he is sought for by the Gamer, the drier
and the shipper, and gets better prices
for large lot than he formerly obtained
for small parcel.
The fruit business is no longer q chick
in the shell. 1t has burst out into
larger life and activity and must be
conducted according to the new condi.
ton OF things. 1t must be classified
and systematized and conducted accord.
ing to the amount Of profit there is in it.
Some farmers will plant pears, Others
cherries, Others plums and prunes, and
Others apples, olives or oranges. The
soil, climate and water supply must all
be taken into account.
Where the olive would become
scaly and diseased, the cherry,
plum and pear, would grow in vigor,
and where the olive would thrive best,
the pear and the apricot would be Of
little worth.
The orange would die in the alkal
where the plum, apricot, apple and peal
would be at home. Our soil and expos
ures are SO diverse that tree planters
must take all these elements into con
sideration in planting their orchards.
Our tree dealers state that for the sea
son now coming to close they have
sold about 500, trees of all kinds
embracing forest, ornamental and frnit
and the season for selling eucalyptus i,
not fairly open yet. Such an aggregate
of tree planting is immense, and very
encouraging, and shows the great energy
and progress of our people in unmis
taxable terms. Whoever plants tree
in Southern California and makes il
thrive, plants blessing for future years
and blessings are always in order.
Asbestine Pine