Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-04
Orange-GrOwinS


The erroneous impression prevails that
orange culture in Los Angeles county has
ceased to be profitable in the main, and
that it will soon disappear totally from
the catalogue of our industries. This i'm
preston has been made by the great cry
raised about the scale bugs and their
ravages in the orchards. This cry has
not been without foundation in fact. The
scale in his several varieties is here and
is in force. He has destroyed the trees
in great many orchards, and has ruined
the groves in many instances. But
while this is true. it is not correct view
that the destruction is universal, or even
general. There are many districts in
this and the adjoining counties where
the scale has never been allowed to gain
foothold. Riverside is one of these
Pomona is another. The Azusa is
free of the baneful presence of
the bug, and the Duarte growers defy the
pest. In all these places the industry is
as profitable as it was three, five or ten
wears ago. The shipments of last year,
aggrega,ing 800 carloads OF oranges
from South California, substantiates all
these statements. The crop of this year
is estimated to come to nearly two
thousand cars. 1t may surpass that
figure. That the industry is still profit
able as ever, and that the growers feel
confident of their ability to keep the
pest down Is sufficiently proven by the
fact that in all the localities named new
trees are being set in large number. A
grower at Pomona is importing
25, 200 young orange trees from Florida
to plant this spring, as the
nursery stock in this section is very
small. This courageous cultivator has
already no less than 10000 orange trees
growing on his place. The Duarte
growers are preparing to make large
additions to their groves. The growers
at Placentia are doing the same thing
and generally throughout all this section
the paintings of this spring will be larger
than they have been for three years
past.
There is anothe act in this connection
which is decidedly reassuring. 1t is
that the eottony cushion scale is evi-
IDENTIFY nearly at the length Of his tether.
In many orange groves the bugs are dead
on the trees, having died natural death.
One may scrape them off the trees
in handfuls and rub them to dry
powder in which there is no,
trace of life. 1t is, moreover, currently
reported. and on excellent authority, that
in Australia whence the bug was i'm.
ported here, he is dying out and utterly
disappearing. A letter was received here
quite recently from that country in refer
ence to a box OF the parasite which lives
on the bug; in this letter it was stated
that while the destroying bug was plenty,
it was difficult to secure scale bugs to
feed him. And this is quite in the line
of natural laws, and of all human
experience as to the working of these
laws. The world was not made a day OF
two ago. 1t is not probable that there are
any new developments in natures pro-
life womb. The laws of life have proba.
bly, all come intoplay and run their course.
There is nothing new under the sun, was
the deduction Solomon's wise b-ain drew
in his day, 5000 years ago. All of ds
can recall, even in our own experience,
the appearance of pests which threat.
ened this industry or that. The Colo.
RADIO beetle threatened the potato crop.
The chince-bug used to eat up half the
wheat fields of the West. The beetle
and the bug are dead, but the wheat
fields of the West and the potato patches
of the country still bloom over the
graves OF the pests which threatened
their existence. So it will be with the
scale bugs of all sorts whose presence
now causes us 80 much uneasiness. II
there WAS pest like this capable OF
destroying all the vegetation OF any dis
trict in the world, he would have done
so ages ago, and some bald, barren and
liieless waste would remain q monu.
ment of the pests power.
But there is one thing in this connec-
ton which should not be forgotten. 1t
is brought to mind by the enterprise OF
the ambitious Pomona man who wants a
grove of $4,000 orange trees. The mind
of Napoleon, and the resources of the
Bank of California would both be taxed
in the effort to cultivate, keep clean and
otherwise care for so large a grove.
Real success in orange culture will
be found in small groves we'll cultivated,
thoroughly cared for, kept clean in
all respects, the land maintained in it's
full vigor by proper fertilizing, and the
trees watched from day to day with the
same care usually expended on pet or
thoroughbred animals. The orange tree
is a thoroughbred among plants,
and needs extraordinary care.
Five acres Of budded orange trees con.
stitute grove of 500 trees. In full
vigor these will bear 1000 to 500 boxes
year. The fruit will steadily be worth
$3 to $4 per box, and the crop will bring
in $1,000 to $4,000 year. That will do
for any modest family. 1t is doubtful
whether any one person ought
to attempt the care of more than 500
trees. Certainly if he does he will not
get the best results out of it.
Now if any one contends that it is only a
fa Lon Al