Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-09-01
An open letter TO she Railroads
of the Rtnte OF California.

| OF the Rtnte OF California.
EDITOR HRRALD--I am an orchatdist.
have ten acres land morel in orange
trees. These trees mos ly bear me. say,
two boxes Of oranges per tree Per an
nun. These trees are now being al
tackled with black. red and white SCALE
bugs. They will in future bear fewer
oranges and be more expensive to main
tain, unless / can check the ravages Of
said insect pests.
Now, what am to dor | live in Los
Angeles county, where soil and climate
are usually conceded to be good Where
a tree has scale.bugs on it it is sick, just
as man is sick when he is attacked by
disease or gets lousey.
The foundation for cure in both cases
is the elimination Of all predisposition to
the disease. and then proper food, soap
for the man, fertilization for the tree,
then reasonable remedies and absolute
cleanliness.
The difficulty as to the tree is that we
cons der 1t eau look out for itself, where
as ii is the sick man who can do this
best-the sick tree is absolutely at our
mercy. 1t is great mistake TO think
that because our soil is good that our
trees can live in 1t and bear crops year
after year and never need any nourish-
ment at our hands. But how can we
fertilize theml All the fertilizers we
oar ra,sa mr. .uaka IN a faro, l., q war
will not be enough for one-iwentieth Of
the trees, and even then not have all the
component parts we need.
Well, we must get fertilizers some
way or else the trees will never throw
of the disease. l go to the railroad
company and say, my 700 trees bear me
l400 boxes of oranges that is, five cars.
ship them to San Francisco and pay
you $50 per oar--that is $500 per annum.
| recognize my interest and the railroad
oompany's interest are identical want
to cure my trees and ask your reasonable
aid, /. O., ask you not to thwart me by
unreasonable acis. I then state the case
mildly as to my trees and their being
sick, and say, now, want you to bring
me fertilizers from San Francisco and
other points at reasonable rates, so can
do my best to restore my orchard to
health and even greater fruitiulness
than before this pest attacked it.
say really believe that one great
reason why our orchards are failing
and being attacked is because they are
impoverished, and think Can double
the yield il can properly fertilize it,
and instead of my paying you $500 per
An dpuhla that
amount for four years to come annually,
If | put. say, five tons Of fertilizer per
acre on my orchard. and | am willing to
pay you ressonsb Bile rates for the trans
portation of the fertilizer.
say all the fertilizers l need are in
San Francso) and Southern California.
The answer of the railroad company
to these plain, common sense statements
il, that they will charge me one.third to
one-half more to transport the fertilizers
than to carry the fruit per carload. In
other words, they want to discourage
production and impoverish the soil Of
the country.
State the case thus, II you please.
want to unite the farmers forces with
the railroad oompany's forces for the
purpose Of increasing the products Of
tho soil and enriching the soil OF the
State for ourselves, the railroad company
and posterity.
The answer to this is made by the
railroad company thus: We cannot see
the point; we do not want to increase
the product Of the soil or enrich .the
soil--that is none Of our business. Nor
do we care for posterity. We have al
ready made arrangements with the
scale hugs to put you fellows down if
we can.
Now, in view Of the foregoing posi-
tions Of the railroads Of the State, pal.
pably inconsistent with their interests
and the States interests, beg leave to
rake one recommendation to the rail
road corporations of the State, to-wit:
That You create the position of pro-
lessor of agriculture m your several COR
porations, and appoint some learned
man to fill such position, so that said
professor can advise you intelligently
when to unite your forces with your pa
irons, the farmer, and when to unite
with the scale bug pests.
II there is any thing to be admired in
this State more than any other thing, it
| 10 that in travelling over it from cottage
to cottage you find the most intelligent,
healthy and happy men, women and
children of any State in the Union.
Their farms have not yet failed TO pro-
duce for want Of fertilization and
knowledge of agricultural chemistry.
Let your professor 60 to them aud try
to teach them the scientific rudiments of
successful agriculture lof which many
are totally ignorant, not only in this
State but in other States, 10 their i'm
poverishment. want and abandonment
Of the farm.)
Then the land that is to support them
and you in the future may be kept up
to standard of richness that will be to
the permanent interest of the railroad.
and Of the State and its people.
The transportation of fertilizers in
this and other States ought, like United
States postage. to be reduced to the low
est possible rate.
Respectfully.
A. B. CHAPMAN.