Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-03-27
A Neglected Resource.

lltfttt III W. - NNsN
of the scriptures and Of the most vitality
historical portion Of the races of man
kind, was that which was expressed from
the olive. We have that in Los Angeles
county, but we have great deal more.
Nothing OF a scriptural or poetical sig
niicance attaches to petroleum, which,,
until il has been taken in charge by the
deft hand OF modern science, is but
stinking commodity at best but, never
theless, il is to-day one of the pillars OF
the trade of the world. As to the yield
of petroleum, this county is only second
to Pennsylvania. Dropping both the
poetcal and the vulgar characteristics
OF Los Angeles county; leaving our
orange, lime, pomegranate and lemon
groves to one side for the nonce, and say
ing nothing about our brandies, wines'
petroleum and deposits of the precious
metals, we desire, in the present article,
to dwell upon n neglected resource OF
this section which is wrapped up in the
vulgar idea of prospective truck gardens.
ANY one who has lived in the princi.
pal cities Of the East cannot fail to have
remarked the great number OF indus
trious Germans who have made Tor
tunes by raising vegetables for the mar
kets, and from very few acres at that.
The profits of these worthy people were
large, but they were only such as
naturally attended hot-house attempts to
anticipate the efforts of nature to please
the palates of the public. Their labors
were intensified and retarded by an in
tractable climate; but. against all disad'
vantages, they became rich.
As transportation was perfected and
cheapened, New York, Philadelphia
and other leading Eastern cities came
to rely upon Norfolk, Virginia,
and other Southern points, for
their early vegetables and fruits, and,
later, upon the Bermudas and West
India Islands. By such recourse they
were enabled to anticipate the efforts OF
nature by a month or two. The enter
prise of these Southern and foreign ca
terers to the tastes Of the people Of our
Eastern cities were repaid by enormous
prices and consequent exorbitant profits
The press of the South is today engaged
in stimulating the people Of that section
to renewed energy in commanding, in
the early Spring, the truck garden
market. of the Eastern cities.
Here is an unrivaled opening Tor our
own people. For years past, and the
years are not very long because, even
ten years ago, Los Angeles was largely
sheep and cattle oounty-the few peo'
pie who have gone into truck gardening
have had to depend exclusively ON the
San Francisco market. Even thus the
results have been very gratifying. There
have been individual Los Angeles truck
gardeners who, in the single items of
early potatoes and early tomatoes, have
scooped in, in single years, from live to
six thousand dollars, in two staples, aud
from very few acres, besides. God
knows what unspealSable profits the
Chinese truckmen and gardeners have
raked in, in the years gone by 10
inquire into this topic is something like
investigating the Egyptian Sphynx No
Mclean man will ever be allowed to
penetrate the mystery.
The Southern Pacific Railway, with a
lberality which docs it honor, has pub
lished schedule of freights, on green
fruits and vegetables, from Los Angeles
to the East, which offers unusual
opportunities to our people. They can
ship their early specialties to the East
at prices which simply guarantee them
monopoly of the Eastern markets, not
only in the early Spring, but all through
the Winter. For three years past the
Southern Pacific Railway has responded
to every demand of the people of Los An
geles county. In the present instance,
they have simply anticipated and ex-
ceeded our demands, and have offered
to the truck garden interests of Los An
geles county, by special rate, transper.
tation figures which will put us in con-
dition to distance both the Bermudas,
the West Indies and Norfolk, and other
early maturing points of the Southern
States.
just think of it, for moment Here
we have region in which green peas
and Strawberries, without the interven-
ton of hothouses or glass frames, can
be placed upon the tables OF the gourmet
on every day of the year Absolutely
without the exception Of calendar
day, Los Angeles county, by an altena-
ton of garden patches, can produce, in
the open air, not only the green pea and
the strawberry but the camelia japonica
and the tube.rose. Under the circam-
stances, we risk nothing in predicting
that, with the generous and unpre'
eedented reductions in freight eastward
of the Southern Pacific Railway, condi-
tions have been created which will ad'
nit of fortunes being made, in an IN
credbly short period, by those who
shall make market gardening their
specially. This line of development is
by no means as poetical or romantic as
that which attaches to our recognized
staples. But that the opening will be
availed Of we do not doubt. The time
has arrived when an industrious man,
with two acres, and the sun and soil
and, above all, the resevoired water,
always running and perennial, of Los
Angeles county, can make fortune in
five years. This fact will soon be ap.
preeiated and acted upon.
s---z=----==s=-
WE have received circular from the
State Board of Equalization in which
the opinion is expressed, by the gentle
men elected by the people Of California
to represent them in the valuations Of
real and other property, that too lenisnt
a standard has been adopted heretofore
in such valuations. The Messrs c. Z.