Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-09
TREE PLANTING.
opanfen ef Presesssr !. l.. Budd
Of Iowa.


Opanion of Presesser y. l.. Budd
Of Iowa.
Among the noted horticulturists
who lately visited the coast was Prof.
]. L. Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural
College, an eminent traveller and
botanist. This gentleman came here
for the purpose of attending the asso-
citation meetings, but made it point
to make an extended tour of the State
for the purpose Of carefully studying
the topography, climate and vegeta-
ton of the State. Prof. Budd having
visited France, Palestine, Russia and
other countries with like purpose,
his opinion of California, especially
Southern California-it having like
climate to the famous fruit districts OF
Europe-will doubtless be read with
a great deal of interest by the readers
of the HERALD.
The Professor being approached as
to his observations, inferences drawn
therefrom and general verdict,
stated that in many respects he
found both the soil and climate
in California almost identical with
that OF the most prosperous
semi-tropical regions in the Eastern
countries. Judging from what he had
found in localities less susceptible,
California was now in embryo as it
were. 1t certainly is truism that
.ssHalf of the world is in utter ignor-
ance of what the other half is doing"
remarked the Professor. In the re-
lnotest and most isolated districts Of
Italy, France and even Russia, the
traveller is astonished to find where
least expected large flourishing orch
ards. Every nook and corner is util-
lied. Parcels of ground evidently at
one time considered worthless has
been planted to trees with the most
satisfactory results. During an ex-
tended voyage on the Volga river,
Russia, from Tver, a city situate
few miles below the influx of the
Tverza, to number of valleys wat
tered by its two thousand miles of
meanderings, was first made to real
ize what it was possible to do in
America. The large and constantly
increasing population of these coun-
tries has made it necessary to put
every foot of arabic land into cultiva-
tion, and to make it produce
to the utmost. Ii American far
mers could visit these countries
they certainly would learn valuable
lessons of economy. l noticed that in
order to get the highest and largest
returns from the small farms, tree
planting is extensively and generally
adopted, and orchards, two thousand
miles in the interior OF this country,
Of which the outside world knows so
little, ARE found that eclipse the best in
the United States not excepting Cali
fornia. The greatest skill is mani
fest in the care, training and propa-
eating Of the various varieties OF fruit
trees there grown, ,;the king of which |
is the apple. This skill has come
after generations OF training and ex-
perimental growing, a thing which we
will ourselves attain to in due time |
and much more rapidly than they. |
They have adopted small farming
not from choice or for experiment, but |
Of necessity.
From my experience, travel and OBJ
IN the countries mentioned
and in California, / think there are
three points California people would
do well to consider: namely: the
planting Of trees, small farms and the
redeeming of lands now thought to be
worthless. That fruit raising will
probably ultimately absorb every
other industry in the Golden State,
there is at least strong indication,
judging from the increase of that |
industry during the past two or
three years. The fact that
within a radius of few hundred
miles there is a country whose soil
and climate will produce successfully
almost every known fruit in the
world, is phenomenal and prophetic
Of what the future OF such a country
will be under the hands of earnest,
intelligent and econ omical horticultur- |
lists. In my opinion the man who |
will realize most from land in this |
State, or in fact almost any other,
will be he who plants trees. The |
man who buys land at fair, real and |
value and plants it to fruit |
trees Of a hardy and prolific variety
is as sure of independence IN a few
years as he is sure Of the sunshine
which will sustain their life.
Small farming is now being expert |
with in almost every State in |
the Union with more or less success,
but presume in no State is it so |
much question as in Southern Cali |
fornia. From the experience of other
the success of this under
taking is almost, we may say, assured.
That small farm we'll cultivated and
judiriously managed is proportionate-
ly much more remunerative than a
large one slovenly kept, is fact DEM
onstrated everywhere, but what
amount Of land will comfortably sup
port an average family is thing time
must reveal.
As to land, desert and otherwise,
thought to be unfit for cultivation l
presume it will be here as in Europe,
that necessity will bring the
greater part OF it into fruitfulness.
The immense mountain ranges, with
their abundant snow deposits, will al
ways be the source of an inexhausti-
BILE water supply, which when hus-
banded by artificial dams and reser-
voirs. which can be so easily con-
and at comparatively small
outlay OF capital, will redeem the des-
erts and barren tracts from natures
OUR NEIGHBORS.