The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-01-24
FRUIT IN CALIFORNIA.


mbject to mang vicissitudes, and the first
lnticipations of horticulturists were not
realized. Many kinds of fruit were sue
csssful at the start, but as the home de-
mand was limited there was little profit
in raising them. On the opening of the
railroad across the continent large guam
titles of pears, grapes, and more perisha-
ble kinds of fruit were shipped to Chica-
go and other cities. They attracted at
tention by their fairness and large size,
and brought high prices. After time
the novelty wore off, and people began to
consider their merits. On testing them
with the same kinds of fruit raised else
where, consumers pronounced them quite
deficient in flavor. This circumstance,
together with the high charges for trans
portation, caused the trade in them to
fall off during q considerable period.
Some orchardists, it is said, near San
Francisco, cut down thousands of pear
trees because they could not render them
profitable. A somewhat similar expert
ence attended the production of grapes.
The general introduction of canning and
evaporating establishments has given a
great impetus to fruitraising, and made
cash market for all the fruit that can
be raised. A San Francisco correspon-
dent of the New York StGatz-ZeituRg
gives the following view of the fruit in
terests in California at the present time:
California fruit has become an impor-
tant staple in the markets of the world,
and is sent, canned, preserved, and dried,
| to all countries. 1t is the wonderfully
| comprehensive character of fruit culture
| in this State that constitutes its most
striking trait. The variety of fruits sue
cessfully grown here far surpasses that
| produced by any other region of equal
extent, and keeps on continually increas
| ing by the introduction of new grades
and species from every part of the globe.
Although semi-tropical fruit thrives best
nth of the 35th degree of latitude, in
De counties of San Ventura, Santa Bar
} ra, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and
Fan Diego, it has been planted success
fully in other parts of the State, and even
as far north as the border county of SAas-
| IA. Many of those who grow fruit for
their own use raise side by side that of
the tropics and that of the north temper
ate zone-the currant and orange, the
cherry and the fig, strawberries and pine
apples, bananas, dates and apples. A
ranch on which such a
umbination of diverse species
| If fluit is TO be seen in grotesqne
exuberance is that of the well-known
fruit-growcr, DIR. Strantzel, at Mortimer,
not far from this city. Many of the div
tricts of the State, however, are known to
oe best for particular species of fruit, and
Lhuse who grow for profit plant accord
ingly.
| California fruit ranches display apple,
pear PEA u, plum, prune, apricot, nee
tarine, c'lg.ry, ounce, tig, orange, lemon,
lime, I.n., inmate, olive, English walnut
and alnlO.d trees. The fig tree gives
Two cIal- year in the southern counties
IF the f-titc. All kinds of berries grow
Il prniu-i II, and come earlier and stay
niger than in the East. Strawberries
are usually to be had the whole year
round, and always from March to Janu-,
ary. Some of the most valuable features
Of California fruit are the freedom from
worms, the fitness for drying, and exemp-
ton from any form of disease.
1t has been said by some that California
fruit lacks flavor and juiciness, and is in
these respects inferior to Eastern fruit,
but the assertion will not bear fair test
There is fruit growing in California thRt
is not the very best quality, but there g
not much of it, and every year tle
quantity is decreasing. improvement in
grade and species is going on continually,
and the care and skill displayed are con-
l HdIkcu. ne
average fruit raised to-day is of high
order of excellence.
At the beginning of the present year
the State possessed about 6 100000 fruit
trees, among them 100000 apple, $780,
900 peach, 100000 pear, 2S0,O00 plum
and prune, $50, 900 cherry, 250, 900 apricot,
$4,000 fig, 1000, 900 orange, and lac, 900
lemon trees. Trees begin to bear at a
much earlier age than in the East This
is one of the great advantages, peculiarly
considered, of fruit culture in this State.
Peach trees often bear the second year
after planting; apple trees begin to yield
In the third year, and bear abundantly
in the fifth. In this dry climate, too,
ripe fruit keeps in good condition much
longer, and is harder than it is in moister
climates. This is particularly noticeable
with fruit of 50 perishable character as
plums and cherries. California cherries
and Strawberries arrive in fine condition
at Denver after four days journey.
Very striking, also, is the size to which
fruit trees attain. The apricot grows to
the dimensions of large Eastern shade
tree. Phenominal size and growth, in
deed, are characteristics of all kinds of
trees in this climate The Australian
blue-gum, or eucalyptus, shoots up twenty
feet in single year.
California apples are distinguished for
extraordinary size and splendid color.
The most highly priced is the famous
bell flower. They are grown successfully
IS far south as San Diego county, near
the Mexican border; but it is in the billy
counties of the north, where the winters
are colder, that they are juciest and
hardest. Bartlett pears have been re-
markably prolific, and under most
favorable conditions have yielded a
net profit of $1,000 per acre in a
single season. The apricot has given
some of the best results. The delicate
flavor of our apricot has made it very
popular for table uses as well as for can
ming and drying, and, the crops being
enormous and the prices good, it has been
q profitable fruit to grow In 1879 a
: twelve-acre apricot orchard near San
: Francisco pielded 10000 pounds of
: fruit that was sold at cents pound.
This netted a profit of 81 200 per acre.
On the banks of the Sacramento, about
twenty miles below the city of Sscra-
mento, there are large number of pro-
life peach ranches that in good years
: | have produced 81 900 hounds of fruit 10