Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-25
THE ORANGE CROP.
reninE of the Season-PrOspec-
tive Crop and Prices.

NoTemDer Gays, one encounters a1 the
stores of the fruit dealers the first boxes
ofthe incoming orange crop. The frui'
j, still, of course, at best,
"sicklied DER with the pale cast of
Greenness, but otherwise it looks very
promising The size is good and the
skin is particularly clean.
There is not much demand for or
anges at this early stage in the season
The first call of any moment is Just
about the holiday season. This refers
simply to the San Francisco market. 1t
is better not to ship oranges to the East
until we'll along in the spring. Florida
fruit is much earlier than ours. So also
is that from Louisiana. When Califor.
MIA oranges come in contact with these
early in the season ours suffer much
from the comparison. Later in the year
the California goods turn tho tables on
the eastern stuff in great shape.
For Thanksgiving Day the demand in
Sau Francisco is not very pronounced,
md not much fruit goes forward for that
Law. For the Christmas and New
Years fetes the demand is good for
moderate quantity of fine fruit. For
his market shipments should reach that
city about the middle of December. In
selecting for this purpose great care
should be taken to ship only really good
oranges. The fruit should be large,
bright and very highly colored. Most
of it is used more for decoration than
actual consumption. The Christmas
trees look very attractive when they are
hung with fine, highly colored oranges.
The dinner tables are quite as we'll set
off with an epergne of the golden
spheres in the center OF it.
The mention of these facts will
plaitly show that only choice
fruit should be shipped for such pur-
poses. Another matter-for a small
quantity of fiue branches cut from the
tree, with the fruit attached, shipped as
it comes off, leaves and all, there is
ready sale. But the demand is for
something fine, and in limited amount.
After the holidays there is lull in
the market at the Bay City for week
or two, and then the campaign begins
in real earnest. By the first of Febru-
ary, in ordinary years, nearly all other
fruit is out of the way all over the Pa.
cific coast, and as far as Portland, Or.
egon; Walla Walla, Washington Terri
tory; Victoria, British Columbia; Salt
Lake City, Utah; Eastern to Albuquer-
que, New Mexico, and Ell Paso, Texas,
there is a good demand for Los Angeles
oranges. These markets continue good
until about the first of May, al.
though in San Francisco and
other points of California, early
spring fruits such as strawberries come
in to dispute the field.
The Louisiana and Florida orange
crops are ripe by Christmas, and have to
be marketed by the first of March.
These oranges for some reason do not
hang ON the trees as ours do. If not
picked they fall, and this makes it nec-
essary that the entire crop be marketed
as early as the end of February. When
, the Florida crop is abundant it is able
to crowd the California oranges out of
the market during the month OF January
and February. This is not a disadvan.
tage to as, but is the very opposite. Or
anges from Southern California are real
ly not at their best before the first of
March. By crowding, them back until
this date the market is improved.
This sea son the Florida crop is very
light owing to the freeze-out there a
year ago. Added to this may be mem
toned the fact that the Louisiana crop,
which is at the best only small, is total
failure
These things Indicate q good market
for the Southern California stuff this
season. 1t is possible that some of our
crop may go East during the early part
of the winter. 1t is always good
thing to get certain portion of the
fruit off the trees early. This does the
tree good by relieving it of the over
burden of too large crop, and it allows
the remainder to come to a larger size
and better maturity, getting thus more
nutrmens from the tree. Besides this
it clears up the market to certain
degree, and prevents Cutting at any
particular time.
As to the size of the crop reports are
a little conflicting. In the early spring
the snowy showers of blossoms indi.
Gated great crop. But, a great many
of the blossoms fell off. and even later
on great many of the oranges fell to
the ground when they were from the size
of a pea to that of large marble.
Most of the growers now think, the
total pick will not differ largely from that
of year ago. There was marketed last
season about 2200 carloads. Guessing,
one might say this season may turn out
say, 2200 cars of oranges from Southern
California. If the crop is properly
handled there will be found good
market for every box of good fruit.
The Orange. growers Association last
season did a great work for this section.
The whole country was fairly well
opened up to provide market for the
crop. The result was that whereas
early in the year people figured on, 500
cars being shipped, the orchards in
the country were cleaned up and 2200
carloads were sent out. With the same
good management this season the same
excellent results will be reached. All
markets will be kept well sup
piled; none will be glutted.
SHIPMENTS will be made all
the season through, and by the trst of
next June every grower will have sold
his last orange at fair price, and the
industry Will prove ltsoiI ssiii tuo uioeo
profitable known to the horticulturist.
But all the growers should be in the
organization, and help it along.
There are two great continental trunk
railroads now at the orchard of every
grower. They are both we'll equipped
for the campaign and there will be no
trouble in getting fair freight rates. An
ounce of honest competition is better
than whole ton of railroad commits
sion. The California Southern and it's
connections have given to Southern Cal
ifornia this panacea to all railroad
troubles, and the body industrial is in
excellent health in this important re-
gard.
The sum of the whole matter is that
Southern California orange growers find
their lot happy one just at the open