Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-03-27
IMPORTANT TO FARMERS AND
GARDENERS.

IMPORTANT TO FARMERS AND
GARDENERS.
Reduction in Freight Rates = The
Farmers Opportunity = How q
Few Acres Can Support Family
Profits of Market Gardening
and Small Fruits.
The soil Of Southern California is
especially adapted to the production of
garden vegetables and fruits. 1t is i'm
pregnated with certain elements that are
essential to the growth Of garden pro-
duce, and cause yield Of large and con-
slant crops without the aid of fertilizers.
In other parts Of our country. vast sums
are spent on fertilizers to insure large
crop Of garden product, and yet in the
face Of this expense the business of gar
dening is very profitable. In Los Ange-
les and San Bernardino counties larger
crops Of garden truck " are raised by
irrigation and without fertilization, than
are produced in New York and New
England by the aid of inanures.
There are many kinds of garden pro-
duce that grow luxuriantly in Los
Angeles, but Of which there is not
enough grown to supply the local de-
mand. OF such. caulifower, cabbage
and asparagus are examples. The de-
mand for these products is great and
increasing. The city Of Denver alone
would purchase a carload of cabbages
daily, but cannot find that amount for
sale in single parcel in the city.
All the caulifower in town is pro-
duced by an italian gardener, and is all
sold for the season to single firm in this
city. and that is not half enough for their
trade. A few years since a gentleman
in this city raised crop of oabbages,
made it into sauerkraut and sold it net
cash for 81 600 per acre.
Asparagus grows at frantic rate in
this county. In the eastern part of the
country salt has to be used as fertilizer
to insure large crop of asparagus, and
the planted ground sheltered in winter.
while here there is plenty Of alkali al
ready in the soil, and the luscious plant
grows in as rank and vigorous manner
as If life was picnic. 1t is spring
crop, lasting three or four months, and
has often yielded 81 200 per acre, an
nually.
Celery is at home in Los Angeles and
often grows wild in moist land. This
plant is not taken care of here as it is on
the other side of the mountains, 20 that
the edible part of the plant is not SO long
as it is made in other States, but might
be made SO easily. and yield an immense
profit.
Onions grow luxur.antly on our mellow
sandy land. and yield good return
ranging from 500 to $500, according to
the market. Turnips are especially
adapted to our soil and make an aston
ishing yield, while no country can equal
this in the production OF beets of all
kinds, except "dead beats" For the
latter kind there is no demand.
Potatoes yield two crops a year and
command a good price and are always in
demand. At present there are not
enough raised to supply the home de-
mand. The crop, ii planted in a favor
able locality to avoid winter frosts, will
command very high price in February.
March, April aud May. A single crop
of choice new potatoes hss been sold at
5000 per acre in the month of March.
Those raised in the brush land near the
mountains always command the highest
price in the market.
Sweet potatoes and ysms grow to
astonishing proportions and command a
fair price at all times. A cucumber
garden, if properly cared for, is one of
the most profitable branches of garden
lug in the country. Peas or cabbages
may be raised on land in the winter and
cucumbers raised on the same land in
the summer.
BY making this crop into pickles at
least $500 can be produced from an acre,
besides crop of cabbages Or peas or
turnips in the winter. that will make
$50 more from the same acre, but this
seems like crowding generous friend,
TO ask so much from the breast of nature,
and tends to impoverish the soil and
introduce noxious worms and insects.
It would be desirable to have some of our
gardeners experiment with care on a GU
cumber ranch and see just what the
actual profit would be. The figures
would be startling.
Melons, squashes and pumpkins,
find congsnial home in Los Angeles
and make an almost incredible yield.
The Compton squash-a Los Angeles
variety--is considered the most profitable
that grows. It is a~model of richness
and grows to monstrous size, sometimes
attaining a weight of two hundred
pounds. They are largely used for
feeding stock.
All the syrup that is used in this
county could be made from the melons
that might be raised here. Some attempts
have been made in this direction but the
makers did not know how to clarity it
properly. In Italy large quantities Of
syrup are made from melons and it can
be made immensely profitable in Los
Angeles.
Pers yield heavily in winter and yield
a profit of 500 to $3.50 per acre. Lima
beans and wax beans are favorites all
summer, and are almost perennial on
upland soil. They are always in demand
for home uss and shipment, and i'm.
mensely profitable.
| In small fruits Southern California can
beat the world; strawberries ripen every
month in tho year. and can sometimes
be sold in New York for So quart in
winter before the Florida fruit is ripe.
Currants grow luxuriantly in the low
lands, and blaekberries and raspberries